"What are we doing up here?" Amajiki complained.
"Just wait," replied Izuku. The two of them had made it back to Kijimi: it had taken them the whole day, but they'd made it. Beyond the ledge, the sun was setting.
"I need to go report to the others. We need to. How do you know she'll show up?"
"She will," Izuku insisted. They'd dropped off the civilian woman from Kamino with Kijimi border police, and immediately came to this roof. Camie's roof, where she'd told him to meet her if needed. Where she kissed me.
"I guess you can go," he told the older boy. To tell the truth, he felt as antsy as Amajiki looked, but there was no proceeding without Camie. "I can do this alone."
"Ugghh…no, I shouldn't," Suneater groaned. "Hado would want me to meet her. For the operation."
Right. It's past time for them to all team up together. Izuku felt peculiar. Without any idea of where she'd be, it could be either minutes or hours before this meeting began.
Thankfully, it was minutes. Camie Utsushimi, instead of emerging from shadow like she often did, appeared from the fire escape, climbing directly onto the roof and not bothering to stay quiet. She didn't expect us.
Izuku perked up, suddenly eager to drink in the sight of her, in the few seconds before she noticed the two of them were there. She took her dark ski mask off, and with a deep breath, adjusted a part of her blonde hair that had been stuck in her collar, letting it flow loose behind her head with both hands. It was like witnessing a private moment. Cute.
She turned and saw them, stopping in her tracks with one foot off the ground. "Izuku."
"Camie."
The two of them made complicated eye contact, swaying and taking in the sight of one another. If there's anything we want to say, we can't say it. Izuku felt a pang of regret for not making Amajiki go away.
Camie's eyes shifted to the other boy. "Who're you?"
"I'm Suneater." Amajiki crossed his arms. "I'm the lieutenant commander of the hero operation in this area."
"Ah." Camie threw an accusing, almost betrayed look back toward Izuku. "Well, this is shady. You here to drag me into your squad and make me work with the fuzz? Or maybe you want me out of your block entirely. Too bad, bud, I'm licensed up, and I go where I please." She began to reach into her pocket.
"No, th-that's okay. I believe you." Amajiki held up his arms. "Not asking for trouble."
"Ohhhh, I remember ya now. From the arms deal. You're not pissed that I tapped in back there?"
Amajiki looked at Izuku. "Deku said he trusts you. Which is enough for me, I g-guess."
"He said that, huh," she whispered, staring at Izuku, too.
Izuku cleared his throat. "We do need your help with something, Camie."
"And what if helping you isn't, like, the vibe?" she asked testily.
"You'll want to go on this mission. We know Mustard's next target." He stepped closer to her. "It's Seiai." Where your mom is, he left unsaid.
Camie bit her lip. "That's…for real?"
"For real. We have a reliable source." At least, I hope so. "I'm positive he has the explosives he needs already. There isn't much time. We need to go there quickly."
Camie was pale and doubtful. "Seiai is far AF. I'm a lil' worried about fuel. If my bike can't make it all the way…"
"I could carry you," Izuku offered, recklessly.
"As much as I'd like that…we need more than one way in, so we have more than way out, you feel?" She smiled softly.
Amajiki looked between the two of them. It didn't take a genius to see the tension. Izuku cleared his throat again. "We need to do whatever it takes, regardless."
"Who's we, though? Who all is going?" she questioned.
"At least two of us. Suneater will stay behind and hold Kijimi."
"I will?" Amajiki blurted.
"You will," confirmed Izuku, a tad forcefully.
"Well…okay. If I'm not going, then I'll get this data to UA." He pulled the envelope Stain had given them from his backpack. From Tartarus.
"Make sure it ends up in the hands of Detective Tsukauchi or All Might. No one else," Izuku told him.
"What about Babe-in-Blue? With the bright eyes. Will she come with?" asked Camie.
"You mean Hado? She's the commander. Though if I stay behind, it'd probably be okay…" Amajiki trailed off.
"I'd like her to join up," Izuku admitted. "Need to ask her. She seemed reluctant to go with us to the brewery, and I'm not sure why."
Camie's expression was hard to read. "You'd like her to join up?" Using his own phrasing.
"Err…yeah." Why was he so nervous all of a sudden? Is she upset? "Hado-senpai is good for big battles. There's gonna be a Tartarus escapee involved, a death row criminal."
"Oh ho. Is the great Deku admitting he needs some help to defeat a villain?"
"I've already admitted I need help. I don't want to do this without you," he told Camie, seriously. "Hado-senpai's Quirk also generates energy. It won't be the most efficient thing ever, but she could use it to keep your bike running all the way to the school."
The tips of her ears had turned red. "Fine. If you say so." She crossed her arms and looked away from him.
Why'd she get so combative out of nowhere? In his mind, there was a slapping sound like someone facepalming. Nana?
Amajiki seemed amused about something. "Well, there will be other heroes to help you guys upon arrival, I'm sure. UA should be in direct contact with Seiai as well. I can take the data there now and update Nezu on everything, and UA can give them a warning and reassurance that you're coming."
"Perfect." Izuku looked back at Camie. "Meet us at the highway entrance ramp with your bike in half an hour. We'll have supplies, but bring anything you feel like you need, too."
"So we're overnighting it, then." Camie whistled and looked out at the cityscape.
"Yeah. If you want to wait until morning-"
"No." She shook her head and walked back toward the fire escape. "My mom is in trouble. We don't wait. See ya in thirty."
…
"I…I'm not sure…" Nejire swallowed. "It's kinda far, huh?"
Akira Asano's face flashed through her head again. If he is the one working with Mustard, he might be there. And a Tartarus escapee, too…
She hid her shaking hands behind her waist. "You say you're leaving now. I haven't gotten much sleep, Midoriya-kun."
Izuku looked a little frustrated. "I understand, but…Seiai might really need your help on this one. There aren't many other heroes I can find on short notice that have as much power as you."
He trusts me that much? It made her heart soar, and her fear was making her unable to act on it. "What about Endeavor or Hawks?"
"I, ah…broke contact with them. They might be able to find out through UA after Suneater delivers the message, and then join us on their own. But I don't want to count on that."
"Midoriya-kun…that's irresponsible. You know what my job is. You can't just…pull me away from it like this on such short notice."
"You're right. I can't. I shouldn't. It's not a polite thing to do." His eyes seemed desperate. "But I'm doing it anyway. Hado-senpai, whatever you're afraid of, it can't override protecting the lives of the people in that school."
She put on a smile. "Afraid? Who says I'm afraid?"
Izuku saw right through her, his eyebrows furrowed. "If I'm wrong, then come with me."
Butterflies in her stomach. She felt like she was standing on the edge of a cliff.
"Mmkay," she heard herself whisper. "I'll…go update my team, and gather supplies."
The look of relief on his face made it almost worth it. Almost.
…
It had turned properly dark out by the time Izuku and Nejire reached the highway ramp.
The two of them landed next to Camie and her motorcycle, two glowing figures of blue and green joining a third figure of gloomy shadow.
Izuku took a deep breath. "All ready?" he asked the blonde.
Camie nodded. "Hey," she said to Nejire. "Long time no see."
"It's good to see you, too." The two girls smiled at one another.
To Izuku, it seemed strained. There was a tension in the air, and he felt partially responsible. I owe it to Camie to talk in private, to establish what we are to each other, but I haven't given her a chance. Hopefully there would be time after.
"You know the way to Seiai?" he asked her.
"Totes. You follow me from the air, capiche? Our eyes and ears."
"Yes. I'll be on the lookout." He turned to Nejire. "What do you want to do?"
The graduate heroine suppressed a yawn. "I can…also watch from the sky too…"
"Girlie, you look like you're about to pass out. Here." Camie gestured to her bike. "We can ride double. You in front of me. I'll make sure you don't fall, and I'll wake you up if we run out of gas and need your sparkle stuff."
Nejire raised her eyebrows. "Are you sure? I wouldn't want to be a bother…"
"It'll be a bother if you zonk out mid-flight and plummet to your death, babes." Camie patted the seat. "C'mon. There's enough room for both our butts."
Izuku, having stolen occasional looks of admiration at the two butts in question, had his doubts, but Nejire seemed agreeable, climbing onto the bike first. Camie followed, swinging one leg over with unfair flexibility and reaching forward around Nejire's sides to take the controls. The two of them adjusted and scooted against each other, getting comfortable, then they both looked at Izuku expectantly, simultaneously.
He sniffed, attempting to act casual and think about the task at hand. "Then we're off."
…
Nejire prided herself on her excellent balance.
She was currently holding onto nothing as the motorcycle zoomed down the empty freeway, rushing through the night. The bike had two clasps on the sides that she had locked her feet into, and that felt secure enough.
The wind rushed past her ears. She blinked slowly. "Are you sure you didn't want the helmet?" Raised voices were necessary to converse at this speed.
"Don't sweat it," responded the girl behind her. Camie's arms reached across either side of her vision to operate the bike at the handlebars. Her body was pressed against Nejire's back rather snugly, which made her feel safer, at least. "The helmet keeps your hair from blowing into my face."
"Ah. Yeah." Nejire was happy that her hair was growing back so well, but she still felt bad. "I just don't want to be an inconvenience to you being able to drive safely."
"Just keep your head where it's at and I'll be able to see in front of us just fine."
"Okay." Nejire was, in fact, ducking her head a little so that Camie could see. "I've never ridden on a motorcycle before."
"Well, I've never gotten to fly before, so count your blessings, fam."
"Ah, don't be like that. Your Quirk seems really cool too! To be honest, I'm holding myself back from asking a million questions about it right now."
Camie giggled. "I thought you were sleepy."
"Well…I was. Now I'm a little on edge." Nejire looked around nervously. They were going too fast to really process any of the dark shapes of buildings on either side of the road. Most city lights were off. The only light came from the head of the bike and Izuku's lightning, about a hundred feet straight up.
"He's got us," said Camie, nodding to the green streak in the sky. "Can't he like, sense danger?"
"Yeah…" He can do lots of things. But Nejire didn't want to talk about Midoriya with this girl.
"I get being a little shook, though. It's rough out here." The blonde's voice had gone soft.
"You seem to be doing okay on your own. I…wish I could do that. I'm a system hero at heart." Midoriya can do both.
"Nah. You don't need to wish for that. You're chill as you are, I think. You're pretty, your costume is a serve, and you were the one who messed up the Skindancer, right?"
"Ah…yeah. I burnt out her eyes."
Camie whistled. "Sheesh."
"Does…that make you think less of me?"
"Hell to the no. You think you can't do what I do, but you already know the best rule I use…strike 'em hard before they can strike you. Even in normal times, y'know? These scumbags…they'll do anything to control you and make you afraid. Since we're gals, a lot of 'em want to do even worse. The best way to shut that down is to fight to kill. Meet extreme with extreme." Camie's voice had grown weighty.
"But…all the best heroes know how to hold back with their Quirks and de-escalate when necessary…"
"A lot of the best male heroes, sure." Camie snorted. "Look at Mirko and Ryukyu. Do you think they got to the top ten by de-escalating? Nah, they're savage AF."
"Ryukyu de-escalates often. She was my mentor before the collapse. I did my work study with her. I promise you she isn't all bite." It had been weeks since she'd thought of the dragon heroine, still in the final stages of recovery from her injuries after fighting Shigaraki. The ache of missing her seemed to return all at once.
"Oh. Work study with the number ten, huh? See, I told you you're hot stuff."
"...Well, it's a perk of going to UA, really…it's honestly kinda messed up how often the big heroes ignored schools like Shiketsu, I mean with your Quirk you should have gotten tons of offers-"
"Not the point, fam. You're arguing against yourself. You've got a flashy battle power; that's why he wanted you to come." Camie pointed at the distant streak that was Izuku. "You're deadly. Be deadly."
Nejire swallowed. The advice ran counter to all the teaching she'd ever received at UA, or from Ryukyu. Your Quirk drains your energy and causes a lot of damage. Control. Precision. Restraint. Her entire three years of hero school had been about honing those skills.
But now school was over. Not just for her, for the whole country. All one hundred million of them were out in the shit, and the theoretical had become the practical.
These thoughts grew cloudier and cloudier until she finally drifted off to sleep.
…
"What is it that couldn't wait until morning, Suneater?" asked All Might, rubbing his eyes a bit. He and Tsukauchi both sat at a long, L-shaped desk, pushed up against two of the room's walls. The desk had two computers and hundreds of documents strewn about. The room had become their makeshift joint office as they collected info on the Paranormal Liberation Front.
"Seiai Private Academy needs to be warned," said Tamaki, standing by the door. "Deku and I got a tip that Mustard may intend to attack them next. With a Tartarus escapee who can use his teeth like blades."
That caused both men to sit up in alarm.
"You were with Midoriya?" asked All Might.
"A tip? From what source? Is it trusted?" The detective had the more relevant questions.
"It's…ah…well. It was Stain. But he would have no reason to lie about this!" Tamaki added the last sentence hastily. "I know it sounds bad, but…" He pulled the envelope out of his bag. "He also gave us this. It's data from Tartarus. He said he got it before he escaped."
All Might and Tsukauchi exchanged a glance. "All the data from Tartarus got wiped in the blackout…"
"Shigaraki and AFO's combined EMP attack…"
Tentatively, the detective took the envelope from Tamaki. "The escapee you describe sounds like Moonfish. We'll certainly look into this. And any tip about a possible attack cannot be taken lightly, even if we have doubts about its source. We'll pass the message up the line. Seiai will be warned, I assure you. Unlike here and Shiketsu, they do not have the mobile evacuation system prepared in the event of an assault."
"Thanks. Oh, and tell them that Deku is on his way there. He has Maboromicamie and Nejire-chan with him."
"Well, at least he's not going alone," muttered Toshinori Yagi.
Tamaki left them there, and took a direct route through UA to get to Nova's room.
She would probably be asleep by now, though she did seem to be a night owl. Nevertheless, he knew she wouldn't mind if he snuck in.
It was what one might call the witching hour. Certain parts of UA were active and awake, with the harsh white lights on combating the dark windows, tired people going about their tasks and talking in hushed voices in the open spaces, like an airport where everyone's flight got delayed overnight. Other parts, however, like the hallway Tamaki just turned onto, were quiet and dark.
He was grateful for the peace. Every time he came back here, it felt like there were more bad eyes than before. Desperate, listless, resentful…the whole spectrum of negativity. They need something to lift their mood, and that something isn't coming. He wondered if that was part of All For One's strategy. To just sit back and let things boil over.
Come on, Midoriya, Hado. It's up to you guys.
He reached Nova's room, and to his surprise, he heard voices inside. Hushed voices, but voices. Did she have a friend over? He knocked on the door. "Nova? It's me."
"Come in, Tamaki."
Inside was a surprising scene. It was not a large room by any means; there was only a sliver of floor space between the bed and the door, but it was on that floor where he saw his girlfriend. She was on her knees holding a yo-yo. Next to her was a much younger girl, also with a yo-yo - Eri.
Tamaki froze. He had never told anyone, but Eri really unsettled him. He was bad with kids to start with, and there was something about her deep-set red eyes that put him on edge.
"Suneater," the little girl greeted, knowing him well enough from her rescue, the later festival, and from hanging around Mirio a lot. "Hello."
"Err…hi. What's going on?" He glanced at Nova.
She sighed. "I know it's late, but…Eri here was having trouble sleeping, and came to me. I had been showing her how to work the yo-yo earlier so I figured…why not?" Nova scratched her neck sheepishly.
"I'm pretty sure the best thing to do when a kid comes to you at this hour is to try your best to put them back to sleep."
Eri pouted. "But I wanted to practice."
Tamaki avoided looking at her. He felt bad; he knew what she'd gone through, but something about this felt off. "I wasn't aware you two even knew each other."
"Yeah, the blonde guy, Togata, he introduced us and told me to help watch her while he was away, since her guardian, the teacher guy, is apparently still recovering from injuries."
"Okay, that makes sense…wait, away? Mirio is away?" Tamaki blinked.
"He had to go on a mission, he said," Eri muttered, her eyes on her yo-yo as she tried to stall it. "Big, big mission."
"Said it was to help secure the Sanyo train line. To get people who live in rural towns to safety. Apparently they got it operating again, but they needed heroes to protect the trains," explained Nova.
I guess it's been long enough since he got his Quirk back. He was ready for a job. Still, it felt strange that Mirio was just gone. Tamaki didn't know what to make of it.
"I heard you were with Deku," said Eri. She was staring into his soul. "I heard he was in trouble."
"Deku's doing fine," he told her. "He'll be back soon."
"I miss him." She went back to fiddling with the toy, frowning sadly. "If I was bigger, I'd go out there and help him myself."
…
Dawn.
Izuku had gone down to the road an hour past, checking on the girls. Nejire had woken up and used her Quirk to power Camie's bike for the final stretch of the journey. And now, the sunrise greeted the three of them, at the same time that their destination did.
Seiai Private Academy spread luxuriously across a hidden green valley amidst the central Japanese hills, like a cat stretching on its back. Six curving wings of white-steel flanked a central, cone-shaped tower, atop which was a shining statue of the school's flagship graduate, the Silver Age heroine Firefly. She gazed at the heavens with hopeful, glassy eyes, the sun brushing the tips of her hair, its light slowly moving down the structure and into the valley.
Izuku scanned the school's surroundings. They had switched highways a few hours back, and this one was narrower and snakier, making its way around and through the hills, sharing tunnels with dead rail lines, and now it descended toward a small, well-treed town that sat pleasantly on the south side of the academy. A river, more of a creek really, winded past both village and school. At the far end of the valley was a depression in the ground, an impact crater caused by a massive hero-villain battle a century ago which had never been filled in.
A picturesque scene. It was like a place that the cast of a visual novel would live in. Not that Izuku had ever played those.
And now the town is empty.
"There's an eye-opener and no mistake," muttered Camie.
"Fuuuuu," Nejire pouted. The sunrise bathed her face in gold, accentuating the shadowy bags beneath her slightly bloodshot blue eyes. "I kinda wish I had come to school here. Actually…no, I take that back. Well, no I don't. Actually…"
"C'mon," Izuku told the girls. "Let's hope they heard we're coming."
They had.
A trio of heroines waited for them at the end of the town's main road, just in front of the school gate.
As they rolled up, Izuku recognized two of them: Uwabami was the group's leader, and hailed them in her uppity, interview-practiced voice.
"Welcome, Deku, Nejire-chan. We at the Seiai shelter are grateful for your help." Apocalypse or not, Uwabami had found the time to put on her mascara at the crack of dawn. When she blinked, it was obvious. "And who might you be?" she asked Camie.
"Maboromicamie. I'm a Shiketsu second-year, licensed to assist. My Quirk makes illusions." The girl's reply was equal parts matching the tone of the question, and out of character for herself. Izuku winced. The last thing we need is tension with these people.
He turned to the other heroine he recognized, Ms. Joke. "What are you doing here, sensei?" he asked.
The Ketsubutsu teacher did not have her trademark grin. "My own school was crippled by this monster. I won't let that happen again."
"So the news really got through to all the shelters and schools, huh," commented Nejire. "That was fast."
"UA has managed to establish communication with almost every other shelter. Endeavor, Hawks, Best Jeanist, and Edgeshot got word as well, but they're busy down south, helping to secure the train line that goes through the mountains. However, you'll do." Uwabami scanned Deku with her nose slightly upturned. "Well, you and the rabbit, anyway."
"Mirko's here?" he blurted, caught off guard.
Ms. Joke nodded. "She's the one that carried me from Ketsubutsu. Wanted to come immediately after the message arrived." Her eyes fell to Camie. "I heard the Shiketsu bombing was worse. No wonder she was the angriest I've ever seen her."
"We all look up to her. She's our highest-ranked alum," said Camie.
"Where is she?" asked Izuku, immediately regretting how it sounded like he was desperate to talk to her or something.
Uwabami snorted. "Still asleep."
"Come along, now," said the third heroine, the one Izuku didn't recognize. She was older, perhaps late forties, with blood-red hair and a Seiai uniform instead of a costume. "I'm Cherelise, a local hero and a teacher here. We'll need to find positions for the three of you to take in the defense."
Camie and Nejire hopped off the bike, and followed the three women back through the gate. Izuku hesitated a moment. The gate, and the barrier that stretched in either direction away from it, were made of wood and stone, almost like a castle. He frowned, and ran to catch up.
"Cherelise-san. Is that all there is for a barrier?" he asked her in a hurry as they walked into the school's front courtyard.
The red-haired woman gave him a skeptical look. "Why do you ask?"
"It's just…it seems kinda antiquated…"
She sighed. "We don't have UA's towering wall or its magical moving box-pieces…at least, not yet, but we have our own measures, and they are capable enough as long as we have heroes reinforcing them. That is where you come in, no? Do you intend not to do your job?"
"I never said all that," Izuku complained, annoyed by her attitude. "It'd just be nice to know the defensive measures you're armed with. The other two schools had heroes and barriers and Mustard got past them anyway."
Ms. Joke averted her eyes, perhaps guiltily.
"We'll need to find positions for the three of you," said Cherelise, repeating herself from earlier more firmly. "If it happens that your position requires you to have extensive knowledge of the defenses, you will be made in the know. Otherwise, await instructions. You are still only a student, boy."
"But…"
"Do you know something about Mustard and his methods? More than was said in the message?"
"He'll…have another villain with him…someone who uses his tee-"
"Yes, Moonfish is his name. We have the files. Based on the description given. Countermeasures are prepared for his ilk as well. Is that all?"
Izuku shut his mouth, frustrated. Moonfish. I didn't know his name was Moonfish. The conversation was a stifling reminder that he was not a leader here. He had a gut feeling that he needed to be the one to stop Mustard…but otherwise, he was as in the dark as the rest of them.
Cherelise clapped her hands toward the girls. "Now, you two. Describe your Quirks in detail. We'll place you first."
Nejire hopped forward eagerly, Camie taking a longer moment to follow. They began their chatter walking ahead of him, as they got closer to the building entrance.
Izuku's displeasure must have been written on his face, because Ms. Joke matched step with him and patted him on the shoulder. "You'll have to excuse her, and every other staff member and student you talk to here. They've all got shiny marble rods up their butts."
"Doesn't mean they're not worth protecting."
"Of course. Still, you deserve some credit for even getting this tip in the first place. We do appreciate that, Deku." She gave him a soft smile. "I also think most of them still aren't used to so many boys being on campus, between you and the civilians and some of the guest technicians working on the shelter."
"All the prisoners are female though, right?"
"Err…yes." Joke blinked. "Why?"
"No reason." Izuku stared at Camie's back. Does she seem off because she's thinking about being so close to her mom?
"How's my husband, by the way?"
Izuku scrunched up his face. "I haven't seen Aizawa-sensei since the war. He should be recovering, though."
"What, you mean you haven't gone back to UA at all?"
"No." Feeling uncomfortable, he changed the subject. "How are your students? Turtleneck and Grand?"
"They wanted to come." Joke snorted. "Mirko only felt like carrying me, though. They did want to thank you…for saving them a while back."
"Anyone with the power would have done the same."
She laughed fully at that. "Not true! We're seeing firsthand what that level of power can cause in the wrong hands. But yours are the right ones, Midoriya. And so quickly, too - my students said they hardly recognized you."
You don't look like a hero, said the brunette woman's voice in his head.
"Well, it's good to see you, sensei. I hope we can catch him this time."
"You and me both." She patted him on the shoulder again and walked off.
Cherelise was still giving the girls their assignments as they went through the school's front doors, so Izuku continued to follow, awaiting his own.
A massive, pristine atrium greeted them, glass and steel glittering, with two zigzagging staircases going up the cone-shaped tower directly above their heads. Hanging from the ceiling was a model of the solar system, made of undulating silver rings. The whole place screamed rich private school.
It was mostly empty this early in the morning, but Izuku met eyes with some students on the steps. All of them girls, and all of them equally visibly displeased to see him. One flipped her uniform collar over her neck as if trying to shield every bit of bare skin from him, and they quickly walked off.
What a bunch of brats, said Nana. If I'd gone here I would have gotten into fights in the halls every single day.
All the better that you didn't, then, Yoichi told her, with a sigh.
Ninth, you seem troubled by something, said Shinomori.
It's just…you know, I always thought UA was super cool. And it's certainly less showy than all this…but it's still pretty showy. He thought of the massive gyms, the extravagant festival arena, the glass towers. To someone like Mustard…hell, even to someone like him, from dank, grimy Aldera? How could you look at this with anything but resentment?
Then, he saw a group of civilian refugees walk by, a full family headed for the cafeteria line. Their faces were hollow from the rations. A young boy, no older than seven, blinked curiously at Nejire as they went past before his mother tugged him along.
It doesn't matter. There's thousands of them in here. And Mustard is willing to kill them as mere collateral damage just to make his point.
He stared at the white floor. His boots were leaving prints of dirt behind where he walked.
"Ahem. Deku. Your assignment."
He turned back, giving his attention to Cherelise. "Yeah?"
"You'll be patrolling the skies for us. We have limited air support at the moment. You'll have to be mindful of the barrier, though." She giggled unpleasantly. "Looks like you'll be learning about our defenses after all. Head down that hallway to the far right and go to Room 166. Speak to Abe…he's our head of security. He'll acquaint you. Girls, you come with me." She took off in the other direction, waving for them to follow.
Nejire and Camie both hesitated a moment, staring at Izuku. He stared back. They swayed, stepping back and forth, unsure.
"Uhh…bye, guys?" He waved. It was silly to assume that we'd just stay together. It occurred to him that Kijimi was being run somewhat by the seat of its pants, and they'd all gotten a bit too comfortable being able to improvise their way through everything.
"Catch you on the flip." Camie went.
Nejire took another few seconds. "Midoriya-kun…it'll be okay."
"Of course it will."
"I'll…see you later. Yeah?"
"Yes."
And they parted. For some reason, Izuku had a sinking feeling in his stomach.
…
Abe, the head of security, turned out to be a short guy with a ring of dark hair around a bald spot, but there was no doubting the strength of his Quirk, Speed Hands, allowing him to type rapidly at a computer while indicating for Izuku to wait a moment, he'd be right with him.
Izuku waited patiently in the security room, staring around at the computers and screens and the other personnel. Most were men, and they all seemed fairly feeble. The one proper security guard was a woman, a tall one with basic super strength, watching him from the corner. He was unable to stare back for too long, uncomfortable.
This whole place is wack, said Banjo.
"Alright," Abe finally said with a sigh, leaning back. "So." He pulled up an advanced diagram of the campus on his monitor. "You see the layout. We're here." He pointed. "And this is the wall, circling out at this point here." His finger traced it.
"There's two circles," Izuku observed.
"Yes. That's where the motion sensors come in. They are activated by a numerous combination of factors…weight, speed, a bunch of other stuff. It's a complicated equation, so I'll spare you the lecture, but it's essentially a code for activation upon the entry of a hostile."
"The motion sensors are inside the wall."
"Yes. Psychology dictates that once a villain makes it past the outer wall, his or her confidence will spike, and there will be a moment of carelessness. That's when the barrier activates." Abe typed something else, and the diagram became a simulation - huge, shimmering spikes abruptly stabbed out of the courtyard, dense and narrow, canted at many angles, at least twenty feet tall.
"Whoa. That was…under me? As we walked in?"
"Indeed. And in the event of an air assault…" He pressed another key, and the spikes shot straight up into the air at staggeringly high velocity.
Izuku whistled. Even forty or fifty percent of One for All would not be enough to dodge that, unless he was above the clouds. Of course, he did have Danger Sense, but someone without that anticipation ability, even if they had his speed…they'd be a goner.
"So, all you need to know as you patrol the perimeter is a number. Thirty. Stay below thirty miles an hour and you should be fine. I do have manual override of the sensors, and we'll be able to see you from most angles with the cameras, but just as a precaution."
"I can stay further away from the perimeter and go faster, though?"
"Yes. It would only be if you cross over the barrier airspace that the sensors would trigger. Still, it's best to be cautious. Thirty miles an hour. Got it?"
…
It was irritating, but Izuku stuck to that advice.
He patrolled back and forth across the valley, mainly using Float, his eyes searching anywhere and everywhere as the sun rose in the sky. The glare blinded him a bit. The hills around the academy and the town did strange things to the light distribution, making some areas too bright and others too shaded. Hopefully it'll be better by midday.
He couldn't help but look too often at the village. All the structures were evacuated, supposedly, yet it still looked idyllic, with tree-lined lanes and individual, distinct houses. At one point Izuku flew over what was probably the nicest-looking corner shop he'd ever seen, with cafe tables out on the sidewalk next to it. It was easy to imagine a bunch of Seiai girls hanging out there on the weekends, drinking tea and gossiping.
The wind howled.
I wonder if Mirko is up yet. Or if she knows we're here. The last time she'd seen him or Nejire had been at karaoke, and she'd hopped off abruptly like her little white fluffy tail had caught fire. He still had no idea what had made her so uncomfortable.
Of course…the last time Izuku had seen her was in his dreams. Which made him anxious about the idea of reuniting in person.
He was sleepy. Unlike Nejire, he'd had no napping window, and had pretty much been constantly active since his last sleep at the brewery. I'll get some food in me, that'll help.
"Taking fifteen," he reported into the comm that Abe had given him, and descended back to the campus.
It took a few minutes to find the cafeteria, but luckily plenty of civilians were gathered there now, eating a late breakfast. Izuku joined the line and waited patiently, ignoring their stares as best he could.
Surprisingly, it was Seiai students handing out the food on the other side of the counters. "There you are!" a chipper, somewhat plump girl said to him as she handed him a green apple. Further down the line, a tall young lady with pale lilac hair and a monocle scoffed as she handed him a cereal package. "You must be Deku," she said. "As if we need your help here."
"Miss Intelli, you're holding up the line," one of her classmates commented. The monocled girl's face turned red and she waved Izuku along.
"Nice to meet you, too." He gave her a tired, easy smile as he moved on, hoping it would placate her, but it only made her blush deeper.
Just when I thought I was making progress in understanding women. He shrugged and moved out of the line, now looking for a place to sit.
"Izuku," said a voice behind him.
He froze. Speak of the devil, Nana giggled.
Forcing himself into a casual expression, he turned. "Camie. There you are!" He attempted to lean against a nearby cafeteria chair, missed it with his hand, and had to stand back up straight.
She looked smug. "Settling in?"
"Err…yeah. Took a nice aerial tour of the valley. Gonna be back at it in a few minutes. Just recharging the batteries quickly." He held up his food.
Camie took a closer step. Her eyes were hard to read. She must be as tired as me, if not more so. She'd been driving a motorcycle all night.
"Don't you wanna chat?" she whispered.
Izuku swallowed. "To be frank, yes…it's just…I don't know when's a good time…" She was almost within kissing distance, but they were surrounded by people in here.
Camie clicked her tongue. "Heard." She seemed disappointed in him.
"Did you…did you talk to your mom?" He'd heard they were keeping the prisoners in the sixth wing, at the very back.
She gave him a sad, weighted smile. "I can't."
"...Oh."
"I mean, I legally can't. Part of the court order. She can't have contact with me 'til I'm eighteen, which isn't until August."
"Does she know you're here, at least?"
"No idea." She crossed her arms.
Izuku gulped. The conversation had become incredibly tense. He felt like he'd said all the wrong things. Why am I such a royal screwup?
Danger.
He whipped around so rapidly that Camie jumped backward with a yelp. "Izuku? What is it?"
Rumble. Rumble.
The fourth's Quirk was going haywire.
They're here. They're here and I know they're here and they don't know that I know. He had never been at the site of one of the bombings before. His hands trembled. Danger Sense was so potent that his mouth had begun to water. Mustard. So close. Where?
Then, the whole building shook, and the lights flickered.
Not a bomb. Something outside. Someone.
Izuku did not hesitate. He took off and out of the cafeteria, leaving it behind to erupt in chaos as the civilians panicked and the Seiai hero students began to shout orders and instructions.
As he left the cafeteria, skating with One for All across the slick white floors, an alarm began to sound.
He reached the atrium and turned, throwing the doors open and launching himself into the courtyard.
He was greeted with the sight of Moonfish battling the barrier.
The villain was perched high in the air on a sharp, pointy mess of his own making, his Quirk growing out beneath and in front of him. The defensive spikes had activated, rearing up toward him, but he was countering them with his power, causing a horrible cacophony of scraping metal. It was like a thousand swordfights happening at once, between one man and an inanimate system.
Izuku was dismayed. He did not cross the line. Currently the villain was between the outer stone wall and the spikes. If he had, he'd be skewered regardless of his Quirk. Mustard had known the defenses somehow. Had picked the right accomplice.
Female heroes were appearing in the courtyard on his right and left. He recognized some of them; he assumed they were all Seiai teachers. "LET'S TAKE HIM, DEKU!" one of them shouted to him.
Right. Izuku balled his fists and jumped up high, gaining elevation on the villain, making a plan in his head…
"Flessssshhh…" Moonfish hissed. He was horrid to look at. "The flesh of the chosen. Izuku Midoriya."
Izuku paused.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
Pure panicked despair shot through him like a bolt of lightning, as he whirled about to the source of the dreaded noise.
The second wing of Seiai Private Academy was collapsing in a cascade of smoke and flame.
Huge chunks of shiny debris, marble and stone and shards of glass, erupted into the sky in a hundred directions.
All of the past users cried out at once.
Izuku dived.
He cared not one iota for the glass that slashed past and cut his face, nor for the blast of heat-wind that buffeted him and blew his hood off, nor for the smoke rushing up to sting his eyes. He was seeing red. His heart pumped with rage.
The last thing he heard before he entered the hellish gloom of the collapsing structure was the familiar pneumatic sound of a prosthetic limb flexing and releasing. The last thing he saw was a flurry of white.