I made this a long chapter because I wanted to explain more about Ren's background and who created him. He also has the same Esper powers as Mugino Shizuri and Kakine Teitoku, but isn't OP with it just like Izuku isn't OP with his Esper powers. Another reason I made this chapter long is because I wanted to introduce Eri earlier and I have! I'm working on Journey Through Kanto right now, and I'm writing two chapters for it. Look forward to it! Next chapter for this story is the Entrance Exam of U.A. and the Battle Trials, I will also do the same thing for "Operation," too.
In Germany there a secret laboratory that was used for secret projects that wasn't known to the German government, but it wasn't a problem for those who wanted to keep it that way. Within this certain lab there were two researchers that were watching over a certain incubator that was big enough to hold a human inside. The orange liquid glowed in the dark as a single person within the incubator slept with tubes connected to it as the monitors tracked heart, blood pressure, and other important things.
One of the female researchers smiled at the sleeping figure, "Awww, look how cute he is. Its hard to believe he's the same age as his older brother now. How old is he again?"
The second female researcher had long black hair that was in a low ponytail, sporting glasses and wearing the standard lab coat, but wore casual clothing underneath it, "5 I believe, also its not that hard to believe, is it? We've been watching over him and the rest of the units for awhile now."
Out of all of the clones, the first unit was given special care because of how it developed two Esper abilities just like the original.
"Its kinda sad though," the brown haired researcher said, smiling sadly, "He won't be able to go outside unless given permission."
The black haired female researcher made a hum of agreement, "I wouldn't worry about him. We've called in a brain specialist to help with the basic information he would need to know before going outside. The drug we originally gave him won't last, but as for other things...well, its up to his 'brother' to deal with that."
"I see..."
"It'll be time for him to wake up soon, are you ready?"
"Yes."
As the two women left to go prepare, the individual within the incubator opened his eyes in preparation for the new world he was about to see.
Izuku stared at his clone with obvious confusion. Who the hell would even clone him to begin with, and why him? So many questions and yet no one was hear to answer them, and what makes this more strange is the fact that the clone called him "big brother." He wasn't really sure how he was supposed to feel about that.
"Woah!" Hatsume was already in front of the clone, poking it with interest, "This is amazing! I've heard rumors about how human cloning was possible, but I've never seen one up and personal before!"
The clone merely gave Hatsume a blank stare, "Your reaction is normal considering the mere thought of human cloning was merely a speculation until now, states UNIT #1 to the curious female." He stated, his voice monotone.
Shinsō meanwhile was trying to figure out if he was losing his mind due to his fight with Akihisa, "Okay, so I'm not the only one seeing this. Izuku has a clone that just appeared out of nowhere and called him big brother like it was the most normal thing in the world. And yet here Hatsume is poking him with that grin on her face."
Izuku closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he tried to process what was happening in front of him right now, "Hatsume will be Hatsume, but as for my...clone, I'm still trying to figure out who created him. I can't think of anyone."
"Really?" Shinsō asked.
Izuku nodded, "Positive. I didn't even know human cloning was possible, I mean they've been cloning animals, but humans?"
"I still can't believe it either, but you can't deny that your clone is standing right here in front of you right now." Shinsō said, still in disbelief of the fact that his friend had been cloned, "So, what are you gonna do?"
"Even if you ask me..." it was a good question though. What was he going to do? From the looks of it the clone wasn't interested in fighting them, nor did he seem hostile, if anything he was calm and very observant with his surroundings.
"Big brother?"
He snapped out of it when two green identical eyes peered into his own, making him jerk his head back a little, "Are you alright? Asks UNIT #1, showing his concern for his older sibling."
Shinsō sweat-dropped, "Are you talking like that on purpose?"
Izuku's clone addressed him, "I talk like this because it comes natural to me, explains UNIT #1."
"Right..."
Izuku meanwhile sighed and rubbed his temples, "Okay, how about for now I just bring you to my house so I can...try and figure this all out."
The clone looked excited, "I will finally be able to live with big brother as I have always dreamed, says UNIT #1 showing his excitement to spend time with big brother."
"Awww, he wants to spend time with his big brother! That's so sweet!" Hatsume grinned.
"This just gets weirder and weirder." Shinsō groaned, feeling a headache coming on.
Out of nowhere the clone stumbled forward but Izuku caught him, "What's wrong?!" What happened? His clone was looking fine just a minute ago, so what was wrong?
The clone snuggled into Izuku's warmth, "It would appear I am still very tired after my long trip from Germany to Japan, UNIT #1 states as he drifts into a peaceful sleep." And with that he fell asleep, still being held by Izuku.
"Germany? He came all the way here from Germany to Japan just to meet you?" Shinsō wondered if he'd heard that right.
"That's what he said." Hatsume said.
Izuku meanwhile rubbed the clones head. He might be a little freaked out about having a copy of him, but he was harmless so maybe having him around won't be so bad, right?
"I'm gonna take him home," Izuku said, setting his clone on his back, "You guys should go home too and get some sleep."
"Sounds good to me," Shinsō yawned, "You'll explain this tomorrow, right?"
"When I get some answers, yeah." Izuku promised him.
Hatsume stretched again, "Well, off we go!"
All three teens, plus one clone left the area to head off to their homes to get some much needed rest. Izuku meanwhile would deal with this whole clone nonsense tomorrow, right now it was time for sleep.
Innocent green eyes blink as the individual was finally released from the orange liquid that housed him. The person in question was bare as a newborn baby, with green hair that reached his shoulders.
"He's even more cute up close and personal like this!" The brown haired female researcher smiled gently at the now awakened boy.
"Honestly, stop treating him like he's a newborn, well...I guess in this case he would be a newborn to this world." The black haired female researcher said as she stared at the boy.
The boy looked around curiously before bursting into tears taking the brown haired woman off guard, "Oh, no! Its okay, don't cry!" She comforted, getting the orange stuff out of the boy's hair with a towel as he quieted down.
"Like I said, the drug we originally gave him to install basic information within the brain didn't last. His mental state is that of a newborn, meaning he can't talk, walk, or even understand our language," the black haired researcher described in detail, "All of that progress would have to be started all over again. This is his first time out into the real world."
"I see, well its to be expected really," the brown haired woman said, "I mean, he's been in the incubator for what feels like a long time now, and they did say the drug wouldn't last long, so its only natural he would become like this. Hopefully this time when we hook him up to that machine the transferred information will last."
"Don't worry, it will," the black haired woman said, "Let's go. Now that he's awake he can inform Dr. Kiyama of his awakening, then we can move onto the data transplant."
"Right."
The clone was now hooked up to a machine that was created for the sole purpose of implanting basic information within the brain. The machine was in the form of a capsule that was large enough for a normal person to fit in, and also transparent so the researchers could see within it. A helmet was on the clone's head, which was also connected to a bunch of tubes and wires.
"I know we've already gone through this in the briefing, but...what exactly does this machine do again?" The brown haired researcher asked.
The black haired female sighed, "Pay attention, Kiyomi."
"Yes, I'm sorry, Kusakabe."
Kusakabe sighed, "This machine is what's known as a Gakushū Sōchi (Testament). Its used to install basic information within the human brain, like how to talk, motor skills, eat properly, and say a proper greeting. There's one in Japan, too and so far the only two countries that are in possession of a Testament are Japan and Germany we couldn't use it before due to some disagreement, but we have it now."
"Wow...I had no idea. Was Dr. Kiyama the one responsible for creating it?" Kiyomi asked.
"No, from what I understand she was only given the information in how to use it. I'm not sure who the creator was, 'he' hasn't said anything about it either." Kusakabe sneered at the mention of the man in charge of the cloning project.
Kiyomi frowned at the mention of the man, too. She could only pray these clones won't be used for something he thought up and that they'll be able to see the original.
Izuku sighed as he shifted his clone on his back so he could open the door to his apartment. He could practically hear the clone's heartbeat through his back, the constant thumping sound was a dead giveaway, letting him know that his copy was indeed alive and breathing. Its strange really, he'd read up about cloning before, but they were only about animals. Cloning. Part of the new age of technology, first comes animals, and now...humans. He paused as he brought out his house key, should mankind really be messing around with cloning? While true his clone may look like him, but that's the only similarity between them, he doesn't have his personality, his abilities, or...anything else really. When humans start dying off then will the few scientists left alive think about cloning those who have died, as a way of giving their grieving families peace?
He shook his head, no. Mankind is stepping into unknown territory, a territory that should never be crossed, he had a feeling that cloning was just a start. Soon scientists will start believing they can bring the dead back to life. He really didn't wanna think about that. With a sigh he opened the door and was greeted with the worried face of his mother.
"There you are! I know you said you were going to be out late, but you still should've called!" She scolded.
He gave her a guilty smile, "Sorry, the study session ran a little later than expected."
She sighed, "As long as you're okay, anyway are you hun...gry...?" There on her son's back was a familiar dark green hair that matched her son's perfectly. Not only that but the sleeping face was also the same as her son! Unknown to her she started shaking, "Izuku...who..."
"I...don't really know what's going on either," he said, "I ran into him on my way over here and since he already know's about me I decided to bring him here," he took his shoes off and hefted his clone on his back so he wouldn't fall, "I'll set him down in my room." He told her, walking away to head to his room while Inko stayed rooted in place.
After a few minutes she let out a shaky sigh, "I knew...deep down, I knew you would do something like this."
Izuku placed his clone on the bed and tucked him in. He was still trying to process all of this, trying to come up with some kind of answer and so far...he still doesn't have any. Who would have access to his DNA map in the first place? The doctors? No, not them.
'Okay, think. There has to be someone that knows me on a personal level that could have access to my DNA map and clone me, but...who?' There was also the way his mother looked when she saw he was carrying his clone on his back. It was a look of surprise but then became...expected? Was he wrong, maybe? Does she know the person who cloned him? He shook his head, he'll just have to wait for his clone to wake up and ask some questions.
"Ngh."
He snapped his head in the direction of his bed and saw his clone waking up from his short cat nap. He watched as his clone sat up, rubbing some sleepiness out of his eyes before looking around his room with such a curious expression. Clone or not, it was kind of cute to see such an innocent and curious expression on his face.
"Sleep well?" Izuku asked.
His clone turns to him, "Yes." It was a simple reply, but it was enough.
Izuku sat on the bed, staring his clone right in the eye and received a blank expression in return. Was that the only expression he could show? Such an empty look.
"Are you really my clone?"
"Yes." Another simple reply.
Closing his eyes he took a deep breath, keeping his voice calm and even, "Okay then, earlier you said that you came here all the way from Germany. Is that true?"
"Yes, UNIT #1 was created in a secret laboratory in one of Germany's many research facilities," UNIT #1 explained, "Then was ordered to come here all the way to Japan to meet big brother."
"Ordered by who?"
"A female researcher who was very kind to UNIT #1 just like the other two women, she is named Kiyama Harumi, UNIT #1 explains to big brother." UNIT #1 said.
"Kiyama Harumi?"
"She is originally from Japan, however she was called in from Germany to assist with the cloning project." UNIT #1 said.
Izuku narrowed his eyes, 'So she was called in from Germany to work on a cloning project that involved me, not only that, but she also told him to come to Japan so he could meet me? Was she trying to protect him?'
Before he could ask another question a knock on the door interrupted them, "Izuku, dinner's ready." His mother called out.
"Ah, okay!" He got up from the bed, "Come on."
UNIT #1 tilts his head, "Where are we going?"
"To eat, obviously." Izuku snorts lightly as he grabs his clone's wrist gently and drags him out of the bed. While he might not have all of the answers now, he will get them eventually. Maybe his mother know something.
Inko blinks.
Izuku deadpans.
UNIT #1 stares at the food before him before poking it with his chopsticks then placing the meat in his mouth, "At first glance it appears the dish does not look edible, however once eaten the flavor of the food assaults my tastebuds. For example, the rice isn't good when eaten alone, but when eating together with the deep-fried pork cutlet, egg, vegetables, and condiments it compliments the dish completely and the flavor is more enjoyable," he gives a thumbs up to Inko, "Truly excellent, reports UNIT #1 offering his sincerest praise to mother."
Inko sweat-dropped but still gave him a nervous smile, "T-Thank you...?"
Izuku sighed, 'Whoever created him didn't bother to mention that you don't have to go into specific detail when it comes to everyday things.'
"S-So, um, Izuku tells me you're from Germany?" Inko said, hoping to have a conversation.
"Yes, you are correct." UNIT #1 confirmed.
Inko hesitated but soon spoke again, "Um, do you have a name?"
"UNIT #1." UNIT #1 replies.
Both Inko and Izuku frowned. So the person who created him didn't even bother to give him a name.
"That simply won't do!" Inko said.
"What do you mean?" UNIT #1 asked, tilting his head slightly.
Izuku decided to elaborate, "She means your name. We can't call you "UNIT #1" and you shouldn't refer to yourself in that way either."
UNIT #1 blinks, "I see, then is big brother stating he will name me then?"
Izuku blinked as he turns to his mother who also stares at him, "I...guess so?"
"Then, I await to hear my new name." UNIT #1 says, sitting at the table eagerly waiting for Izuku to name him.
'Wait, now?' Damn, just what the hell kind of name was he going to give him? He didn't just want to give him any other name that will do, it had to be special somehow. Then it hit him like a lightning bolt, but not like his own.
"Ren. Midoriya Ren." Izuku says. Unknown to him his mother flinched slightly when he said the name, UNIT #1 who was now known as "Ren" noticed it, but said nothing.
"Ren..." Ren said his new name with a soft expression, showing a faint smile, "I think that name suits me, big brother."
Izuku smiled, "I think so, too. What about you, mom?"
Inko gave a sad smile, "Yes, I think it suits him as well."
He narrowed his eyes slightly at the sad look on his mother's face but decided not to say anything about it right now because she looked so upset. There's still part of him that wanted to ask if she knew something about his clone that she wasn't telling but didn't push the issue.
After finishing dinner, both boys washed up and got ready for bed. Since Izuku didn't have a spare mattress or anything for Ren to sleep on they decided to just share the same bed with each other. Needless to say, Ren wasn't complaining about the arrangement.
"This is quite comfortable, says Ren as he snuggles close to big brother." Ren said, facing Izuku as he snuggled into his pillow.
Izuku's lip twitched, "Good to know. Didn't you sleep in a bed while you were in Germany?" It was an innocent question but he wanted to know how he was treated.
Ren answered the question, "Not originally. At first I slept within an incubator to make sure my growth was stabilized, and getting the necessary nutrients before I was let out and slept in a bed, Ren says explaining to big brother."
'Incubator, huh?' So he slept within an incubator then was given nutrients the body needs to grow up healthy, but that's not to say they didn't pump him with anything else while he was in there.
"After I was finished with combat training," Ren said, continuing, "I was given my own room just like the others. There in the middle of the room, lay a single bed with white sheets, surrounded by white walls. It was a cold room that lacked any sort of warmth."
'Ren...'
"Sometimes...I have dreams. In my dreams, I was surrounded by darkness but it was warm. And in that darkness I was there with someone else, that person was holding my hand and wouldn't let go," Ren smiled as he described his dream, "It was pleasant."
Izuku said nothing as he listened to his clone describe his dream with such fondness that it made his heart clench. While Ren may be his clone, he seemed much more human than everybody else.
"Get some sleep, we'll talk more tomorrow." Izuku said, rubbing his clone's head.
Ren's eyes slowly closed, "Then, Ren will sleep now." He said, closing his eyes finally.
When Izuku saw that Ren was asleep he sighed. He still had many more questions to ask but Ren looked exhausted to keep going through any more interrogation right now. As he closed his eyes himself he opened right back up quickly and thought back to what Ren said.
"I was given my own room just like the others."
Slowly he brought his eyes back towards Ren, 'Others...?'
The machine made a sound, signaling that it was done fulfilling its task as it released the individual that was cased within it.
"Good morning, do you know what that word means?" Kusakabe questioned.
The individual opened their eyes and responded, "A routine greeting that is used to express good wishes to someone, SERIAL UNIT #1 affirms calmly." UNIT #1 said as he sat up in the machine.
Kusakabe brought out some medical clothes,"Here you can wear this for now." She handed it to him. He took them without saying a word and Kiyomi meanwhile looked away as he changed into them.
"All this nudity is making me uncomfortable..." Kiyomi said, sounding embarrassed.
"Really?" Kusakabe raised a brow, "Its just the naked body of a child, I'd hardly call it appealing."
"T-That's not the point!" Kiyomi protested.
"Is that so?" Kusakabe questions dryly.
Meanwhile UNIT #1 had just finished putting the clothes on as he stared blankly at the women.
"So he was created in Germany?" Shinsō asked just to be sure.
Izuku took a sip from his drink. It was currently lunchtime and the two boys were at their normal spot, which was the rooftop, "Yeah, he told us that he was created inside an incubator before waking up and taking combat training."
Shinsō just finished his drink before speaking, "I hate to say this without sounding paranoid, but it looks like he was created from some secret government lab."
"I was thinking the same thing last night." Izuku told him.
"So how did he end up all the way here in Japan?" Shinsō asked, his tone full of curiosity.
"Apparently one of the female researchers there helped him escape and told him to find me." He said.
He still needed to look up her name and find out more about the woman that helped Ren.
"You think she came here with him?" Shinsō wondered.
"I don't really know, and Ren doesn't seem to know either."
"Ren?"
"That's what I decided to call him, I can't keep letting him call himself "UNIT#1." Izuku said.
"I'm still trying to figure out how someone in Germany got your DNA." Shinsō said, still not understanding how some unknown person could clone his friend.
Izuku got quite for awhile, "I think...my mom might know who."
Shinsō gave him a curious look, "What makes you say that?"
"Because when I came home with Ren on my back her expression went from shock to realization in a split second." He said, recalling how his mother looked the first time she saw Ren.
"Did she tell you who?"
He shook his head, "No, and I didn't have it in me to ask for answers either. I'll try and ask her when I get home, but I won't be expecting much."
"I gotta say, its kind of interesting you named him "Ren" did you always have that name in mind or something?" Shinsō asked, curiously.
That was a good question. There was something about that name in the back of his mind that was special. Like he already knew it from a long time ago, but that's not possible.
"Its been in the back of my mind, actually. I don't really know where it came from actually." He said.
Shinsō decided to change the subject, "By the way, Hatsume asked me tell you about what's been going on with Black Arachnid."
That got Izuku's attention, "What happened? I didn't watch the news last night."
"Me neither, but Hatsume managed to get some information," Shinsō said, "The lower members were all arrested and charged with minor crimes, like robbery, breaking and entering, and other petty crimes."
"Gou and the others?" Izuku pressed.
Shinsō sighed, "Good news about Akihisa. He's been put on death row for all of the deaths he's committed way before he was with Black Arachnid. Hatsume managed to gather some evidence and send it in anonymously, she even managed to make the source untraceable."
"The power of Hatsume." Izuku stated.
"Anyway, thanks to that he'll be on death row until they schedule and execution date for him, but according to Hatsume the police force are trying to get it done as soon as possible." Shinsō said.
Neither boys cared all that much about that psychotic flame user. Flame users already get a bad reception already and Akihisa wasn't really helping with his lust for killing. What a mess. But then again it wasn't their problem.
"What about Hina?"
"Ah, she was sentenced to 20 years in prison due to the body count she racked up when she killed all those people in the two buildings she brought down with just a wave of her hand." Shinsō explained.
That made sense.
He remembered hearing a report awhile back about how two office buildings suddenly collapsed due to some unexplained earthquake, but that wasn't the truth. The real truth was that a Quirk user with a powerful earth ability caused the buildings to collapse on purpose, killing everyone inside. The police force knew it was an earth Quirk user, they just didn't have any suspects at the time but the case never went cold though because they were still looking. Not to mention the families were adamant they keep searching for the killer. Now that they know it was a member of Black Arachnid they were planning on making her have a long prison sentence.
"And Gou?" Izuku wanted to know the fate of the Black Arachnid's leader.
Shinsō saw the look on his face and smiled, "He confessed."
Wait, what?
"He confessed?"
"Yeah, Hatsume said he asked to talk to Naomasa and tell him everything about Black Arachnid and why it was formed in the first place," Shinsō explained, "Hatsume told me about Naomasa's Quirk and he stated Gou wasn't lying when he confessed everything...even about..."
"His brother..." It was still hard to swallow about the fact that Endeavor killed another human being without any sort of hesitation. A part of him hoped that Gou's brother's spirit haunted him until his last dying breath.
"What made Gou decide to confess everything?" That was a most curious question.
Shinsō smiled, "That Naomasa guy asked the same thing. Want to know what Gou said?"
Izuku's impatient face gave him his answer.
Shinsō looked up at the clear blue sky, "He said..."I finally got some sense knocked into me."
Izuku's eyes widened slightly before he let out a huff before he also turned his attention towards the sky, "Do you know what his sentence is?"
"25 to Life."
He sighed with a shrug of his shoulders.
Not like they were going to let him off easy just because he confessed about everything, but something told him Gou wasn't complaining about the sentence. For some reason he pictured the man was in his cell with a smile on his face about the whole thing, a smile of content.
"That wasn't actually the sentence they wanted to give him," Shinsō said, "They wanted to give him life in prison, but I guess that Naomasa guy saw he was truly repentant about everything he did in Black Arachnid and decided on a lighter sentence."
"Makes sense."
"Is it true about what he said about his brother being burned alive by Endeavor?" Shinsō was almost hesitant to ask.
Izuku sighed, closing his eyes, "Yeah, it is. He wouldn't lie about something like that, not with all that hatred in his tone. I'm guessing another reason they didn't give him life in prison was because of the lack of fans Endeavor has in the police force." Though they don't show it, its obvious they don't really like the man all that much and the reason he knows this is because every time he watches the man on TV doing an interview he could plainly see their dirty looks directed at the flaming menace.
"The guys a monster." Shinsō said.
Izuku agreed, "That he is." He then took out his cellphone, "I should call Ochako and tell her about what happened."
Shinsō raised a brow, "Oh, yeah. Hatsume told me about her, she's your girlfriend, right?"
If Izuku were his old self he would have flustered and started yammering like he used to but now? He simply smiled and put the phone up to his ear, "Soon, hopefully."
Shinsō blinked, then smirked, "Good luck..."
"I'm home." Izuku announced, sounding tired.
Footsteps got his attention as he looked up and saw it was Ren walking towards him wearing...oven mitts?
"Welcome home, says Ren as he greets big brother properly." Ren greeted.
Izuku stared at him blankly, not sure what to say but ultimately spoke, "Why...are you wearing oven mitts?"
Ren blinked as if not understanding why him wearing oven mitts was a problem, "To my understanding, oven mitts are needed for cooking certain foods that require to be put in the oven, states Ren as he explains the obvious to big brother."
"That's...no, never mind its not important." Izuku said, deciding to ignore it, "Is mom home?"
"Yes, she is." Ren confirmed.
"Okay," Izuku said as he took out a small box that caught Ren's attention, "I got this for you." He opened the box revealing a hairpin.
"What is that object?" Ren questions.
"A hairpin," Izuku said simply, "I know its not something guys wear, but I saw this in the store and thought it would look good on you." He clipped the hair pin on the right side of Ren's head. The hairpin had a lightning bolt pattern on it as the hairpin itself was green.
Ren gently touched the hairpin as his lips parted a little. Izuku watched him carefully, "Do you not like it?"
The clone shook his head, "No, its fine. I will treasure this greatly big brother, thank you." He smiled.
Izuku was surprised by the smile, having not expected it but was glad his clone liked the gift, "Let's go eat." He said.
"Yes."
Inko heard the conversation while she was in the kitchen and smiled to herself. As soon as she got home and was greeted by the clone she initially felt a little uncomfortable, but after spending time with him she felt better about it. Ren was polite, helpful, and only showed interest in experiencing what it was like to be with a real family. A frown then appeared on her face as she remembered his origins. While true Ren was created by the person she will never trust again, she wanted to know what the boy did while he was in Germany. With a sigh she placed one of the dry dishes away, Izuku needs to know about everything. She couldn't afford to keep it hidden any longer, especially with the arrival of Ren.
"Mom." Izuku called out to her.
She put on a smile as she turned to face him, "Welcome home, oh Ren what a nice accessory you have there."
"Big brother got it for me as a present, says Ren." Ren said.
Inko smiled and rubbed his head, "I'm glad you like it. Don't worry because mom will get you something nice, too."
Ren's eyes showed eagerness at the thought of getting a present from Inko. The more he stayed here with the Midoriya's the more emotion he showed, even if its was a little bit. Izuku didn't mind having Ren here, but there was still some questions that needed to be answered.
Like who created him in the first place.
"Ren, I didn't get to ask you yesterday, but do you have a Quirk?" Inko asked.
Ren addressed her, "I do not have a Quirk for I am like big brother, says Ren explaining to mother."
Both Inko and Izuku froze in their seats as Ren just basically said he wasn't a Quirk user, but was instead like Izuku. Meaning...
"Ren, are you...an Esper?" Izuku said slowly.
"Yes, I am, Ren confirms." Ren said.
Izuku's eyes narrowed, 'So he's an Esper and not a Quirk user. The person who created him managed to make a clone of me that's also an Esper?'
Inko meanwhile swallowed, "What's your ability?"
"I have more than one ability, Ren explains." Ren said.
Izuku was curious about that, "How many abilities do you have?"
"As I have stated before, I am like big brother. I am an Esper, and I have two abilities like big brother, Ren clarifies." Ren explained.
'He has two abilities like me?' Izuku thought.
"What...are they?" Inko asked carefully.
Ren brought up his hand and showed green energy in the palm of his hands, "This is my first ability, it is classified as "Electron Manipulation." I able to forcefully control electrons and the state of an electron where it is both particle and wave, when I strike other objects the electrons are unable to react either as particle or a wave because of their state."
Izuku had to agree on one thing. Having that ability is useful, not to mention frightening, but then again he had no room to talk with his two destructive Esper abilities.
Ren put his hand down, "My other ability is "Dark Matter Manipulation." This ability allows me to create and control an unknown material that I am able to use to attack with."
Izuku didn't know what to say. His clone had two powerful abilities that he could use to declare war with the entire country of Japan if he wanted to. Just who the hell created him in the first place, and for what purpose was he created for? Did he creator create Ren for the sole purpose of being used as a weapon or something else? In any case, he's glad to have Ren here with them.
"Well Ren...those are some...interesting abilities you have there." Inko forced out.
"Indeed. I have trained very hard to control both abilities as I'm sure big brother has as well, Ren says." Ren said.
Inko's forced smile never left her face, "That's good..."
Ren sees right through her forced smile, "Mother, are you alright? Ren asks in obvious concern."
Inko tries to make her smile seem less forced but it doesn't work, "I'm okay, sweetie. Don't worry about me."
Ren does not look convinced but decides not to force the woman. Izuku meanwhile decides to have some more questions answered, "Ren."
"Yes?"
Izuku stared into those eyes and thought about not asking the question at all but pressed on, "Whose your creator?"
Ren gave him a blank stare, "ZX89WQTY7365924.'"
"What?" Was Izuku's response. Just what the hell was that all about? Was that supposed to be code for something. Looking over at his mom he noticed she looked just as equally confused.
"Ren seeks password confirmation." Ren said.
"Password confirmation?" Izuku was still confused.
Ren was still staring at him, "Your inability to answer means that I cannot give you information that is classified, big brother."
Izuku narrowed his eyes, 'I get it. Whoever created him must've made a password that can't be accessed to anyone, except for those directly involved with his creation.' With those thoughts he decided to ask another question, "Can you tell me what the purpose of your creation is?"
"That is confidential." Ren answers.
Izuku rubs his temples trying to soothe his already forming headache, "Right...of course it is."
Inko give her son a sympathetic smile, "Its alright, we don't have to know the person who created you, and you don't have to tell us if you don't want to, okay?"
Ren nods his head.
And with that, dinner was over and both boys retreated into their room for some needed sleep, well one of them anyway. Izuku was wide awake as he stared down at his clone's sleeping form. It amazed him how peaceful Ren looked when sleeping and wondered if he would eventually be more open the more time he spends with them. Slowly he got out of bed and went to the bathroom with his cellphone in hand and dialed Hatsume's number. Hopefully she wasn't asleep already. He hears the other line click.
"Izuku!" Hatsume's exited voice was clear as day.
Yeah, she's wide awake.
Of course she was.
This is Hatsume he's talking about.
"Hey, Hatsume. Sorry for calling you so late, but I need you to look something else up for me, if that's okay?" Izuku asked.
"Of course! I live to serve! So what can I help you with?"
"I need you to write this down, do you have a pen and paper on hand?" He asked.
"Naturally!"
"Good, here's what I want you to write down," he said seriously, "ZX89WQTY7365924', did you get all that?"
"Yep, got it! This is an interesting code, I'm guessing this has something to do with your clone?"
"Yeah, when I tried to ask the name of the person who created him he started babbling off that code I gave you and asked for a password," Izuku confirms, "Whoever created him must be someone so top secret that he didn't want anyone to know who he is."
"That's what it looks like to me, too. Hold on, I just entered the code and I'm about to send you what I found."
He breaths a sigh filled with relief, "Thanks Hatsume, I'll be your next guinea pig for one of your "babies."
"Really?! That's good to hear because I have a good baby that has your name on it! Try and see if you can convince Shinsō to take part, too!"
His lip twitched at the thought of Shinsō being forced to take part in Hatsume's "baby display," as she calls it.
"I'll see what I can do, get some sleep Hatsume." He said.
"Roger!"
He hung up the phone and saw the text Hatsume sent him and opened the file attached to the text. As he opened it though, he felt something in his gut churn when he read what was on the file.
[PROJECT: DIOSCURI]
There in bold letters was the name of the project. The project that no doubt Ren was a part of, and the name of it...'PROJECT: DIOSCURI?' Like the twin brother's in Greek and Roman mythology? Why the hell would someone name the project Dioscuri of all things? He shook his head, no, that's not important right now, right now he needs to know who was in charge of it. He scrolled down and read the rest of the report.
[As Quirks continue to baffle us in the science community, we have decided to see what the capabilities each Quirk has to offer. Much to our disappointment however, we produced lack luster results. When some individuals started showing Dual Quirks we decided to test the capabilities and found much better results than our previous attempt. However, even though we produced better results its not what we were looking for, so we decided on another method. The method of using Twins. Twins with powerful Quirks are a rarity within our society, and even if they are somehow born with powerful Quirks that could be useful, the probability of them agreeing to participate in the project is 0%. Therefore, we decided to wait until a suitable test subject was found that would soon be giving birth to twin children.]
Izuku gripped his phone slightly, 'Test subject? They were waiting for a pregnant woman to give birth to twins and use them for some sick experiment?'
[As we waited for suitable candidates we realized that getting them to co-operate with the project would not be in our favor. That is why it was decided unanimously that head researcher Midoriya Hisashi's wife Midoriya Inko would become the test subject for 'Project Dioscuri.']
It felt like something was gripping his chest hard, making him unable to breath. His...his own...father, he was the one to suggest this damn project in the first place?! And used his mother; his own wife as a test subject?! He gripped his phone tightly as he grit his teeth in barely concealed rage. Did his mother know and allow herself to participate in this? No, his mother would never have agreed to this! Taking a deep, shaking breath he kept reading.
[For months Dr. Midoriya watched and observed his wife as she started showing signs of pregnancy. It was then confirmed that she would indeed be having twin boys, whose names were already picked out by both parents. Their names are Midoriya Izuku and Midoriya Ren.]
Izuku's breath hitched at the mention of him being a twin. He...he didn't...know that. But wait, if he was a twin then...what happened to his brother? His eyes slowly moved towards the cracked door as he saw his clone still sleeping. That's why the name 'Ren' sounded so familiar to him. It was the name his twin brother would have carried. Looking away he went back to reading.
[Midoriya Inko's due date soon approached, but she was soon rushed to the hospital due to some complications with the two unborn children. Once arriving at the hospital the doctors there decided to do an emergency C-section, as to not lose one of the subjects. While the older twin Midoriya Izuku was classified as a healthy baby boy, his younger brother however was in a critical state and needed the use of a machine to keep the newborn breathing.]
Izuku felt a sharp pain in his chest. His twin brother was hooked up to a machine to keep him alive? Then...what happened? He continued on reading to find out.
[We waited patiently for the younger twin's condition to improve, but unfortunately the boy died at the age of 2 while still hooked up to the machine that was keeping him alive.]
Izuku felt his eyes leak slightly but he shook his head and kept reading on. He'll mourn for his dead brother after he finished reading this.
[While unfortunate the younger twin could not be saved, the project was still scheduled to continue.]
'What?' Izuku glared at his phone.
[During a disguised "family trip" to Germany when the test subject Midoriya Izuku was only 3 years old, Dr. Midoriya decided to use his son as part of an experiment to clone him and use a clone that would develop powers to be used in place of the deceased Midoriya Ren.]
That son of a bitch!
So that's how Ren was created...his own father experimented on him and got his DNA map.
[However, before the experiment could take place Midoriya Inko along with her parents destroyed the facility, escaping with Midoriya Izuku and thus preventing any enhancements that were scheduled for the child to take place.]
He leaned back against the closed bathroom door, "So...grandma and grandpa know about it too, huh? And mom got me out of there before they could do anything. That explains everything." And it does explain everything. It explains why his mother told him his father was forbidden from seeing him ever again.
'And this is the reason why...' He kept reading on.
[As unfortunate as it was to have lost the test subject, all was not lost for we still had the DNA map and used it to produce a clone that would serve as the other twin and enhance its capabilities. Unfortunately all of the clones proved to be useless for they were all classified as "Quirkless" and showed no signs of manifesting a Quirk. It was then decided they would terminated.]
"Terminated?" Izuku growled, "Bastards...!"
[Before the termination could commence, one of the clones started producing small electrical sparks from its fingertips. Naturally we were baffled by this, but not Dr. Midoriya who theorized that it had to be another source of power coming from the clone. We studied this and found out why, for the reason the clone did not manifest a Quirk was because it was an Esper.]
"So my clones are Espers too, then." He said, as he kept reading.
[Naturally we were excited at the prospect of having the clone manifest an Esper ability rather than a Quirk. As we continued our experimentation it became a disappointment to discover that the clones Esper abilities were not becoming of a higher level as we had hoped. It was decided that the clones would not be used for Project Dioscuri.]
Izuku breathed a sigh of relief but then frowned, "They didn't kill them, did they?" He kept reading to make sure.
[Another setback was expected, but as we were unable to use the clones for the project it became a rather troublesome setback but luckily Dr. Midoriya thought of another solution.]
"I'm not looking forward to knowing what it is." Izuku muttered as he kept on reading.
[He suggested using the deceased body of Midoriya Ren, which he kept preserved without his wife's knowledge and using the body's hair follicle to create a clone that would be able to take part in Project Dioscuri.]
A look of disgust appeared on Izuku's face, "How dare..." he grit his teeth, "Using the dead body of my brother...!" He shook his head, no calm he were to get upset and suddenly use his ability inside the house it'll disturb his mom and...Ren.
[We used a fertilized egg and used a cell that was extracted from the original Midoriya Ren's hair follicle. Prior to this, we obtained the necessary genetic sequence pattern sample and successfully registered Midoriya Ren's DNA map. Using a cocktail of growth hormones to speed up the process we had successfully created a subject that was physically identical to Midoriya Ren in just 14 days. We also managed to make sure the clone was the same age as Midoriya Izuku, which is 3 years old. As the clone awoke for the first time within the incubator, we studied the subject to see if it would manifest either a Quirk or an Esper ability. We were not disappointed when in just 12 days the clone successfully manifested not one, but two Esper abilities that were impressive.]
Izuku didn't know how much more of this he could take. But he had to keep reading.
[Combat training immediately started when the clone turned 4 years old. The subject took to the training well and did not complain. To make sure it was well adverse in hand-to-hand combat, the subject was instructed to fight the clones of Midoriya Izuku, we had already enhanced both the clones and the subject so we were impressed the combat session. At first the subject believed it was a clone of the 'original' Midoriya Izuku, due to gaining self-awareness it received when we used a drug to help create basic information within the brain. At the insistence of Dr. Midoriya we allowed the subject as well as the lower researchers within the facility to believe such a thing for only the higher level researchers were allowed to know.]
"So not all of the researchers knew that Ren wasn't really my clone...but a clone of my deceased brother." Izuku was still enraged by the fact that his father would dare disrespect the dead in the way he did.
[As we progressed further we faced another setback. Due to the growth hormones that were used to stimulate the subjects growth, the subject fell ill. To make sure the subject was not lost after we finally succeeded in creating a perfect subject for Project Dioscuri, we placed the subject back within the incubator and decided to balance out the growth hormones we originally used. There we watched as the clone began to grow normally and its health began to show improvement.]
Izuku narrowed his eyes, "Using growth hormones to stimulate his growth? From what I can tell, he does look healthy but its best to keep an eye on him just to be sure."
[While waiting for the right time to awaken the clone we decided to go over the project to make sure its purpose was not forgotten. The purpose for this project, is to create a pair of twins that are powerful enough to "Touch the Territory of God," and use the subjects to become the link between humanity and "God." The twins were to become humanities very own "Castor" and "Pollux" two powerful twins within Greek and Roman mythology. Once succeeded in the twins becoming the link between humanity and "God," it would allow the twins themselves to not only reach and touch the territory of god, but to also become the new gods that would be used by humanity.]
He couldn't believe this...touch the territory of god? Become a link between humanity and God? Twin Gods?
"This is it...this is what they were after...? Creating twin gods to be used by humanity? Have they lost their minds...?" He needed to finish reading this and soon.
[All thanks go to Dr. Midoriya for suggesting such a project and making sure that it would go through despite some minor setbacks. The project is currently ongoing.]
He saw that was the end of the report and shut his phone off and slid down to the bathroom floor. Even if he wished this was all a dream, not even if he could dream something like this up. Trying to create their very own Castor and Pollux? Do those scientists not realize that they are not only half-brothers, not to mention of them was mortal while the other one was an immortal divine son. For researchers with high intelligence these people were idiots when it comes to looking up actual facts when it comes to mythology. Standing up slowly, he used the bathroom sink to help him up from the floor. Both hands were on either side of the bathroom sink and took deep breaths as he tried to keep himself from throwing up. It was working, thankfully. This...all of this...he didn't know what to say, what could he say? To his mother? He didn't know. But more importantly...how was he supposed to treat Ren now? He wasn't an actual clone of him, but of his younger brother who only lived to be 2 years old before he finally couldn't hang on anymore and passed on. He brought a hand to his chest and felt his heart clench. A younger brother. Someone who would have the face as him, someone who would probably want to be a hero just like him, and someone who would be there for him. His other half. A half that he lost and never once got see.
He clenched his shirt, 'No...' he finally left the bathroom and went back to his room and just stared at his younger brother's clone, 'As despicable as it is to even think about cloning the dead...I do feel...grateful that he's here with me.' Bringing his hand up, he caressed his brother's hair, letting his fingers move through his hair and felt just how soft it was, 'It's still hard to believe he's an actual clone of my deceased brother, but he thinks he's my clone instead. And no one at the research facility he originally stayed at told him otherwise.' If things had been different, if his younger brother hadn't died at the age of 2, then...
"Big brother."
Hearing Ren's voice made him halt all movement as he stared into those green eyes that showed curiosity and concern.
Ren sat up, "What is wrong? Ren asks in concern."
Izuku didn't say anything and simply hugged the clone of his deceased younger brother. Ren meanwhile blinked, clearly baffled by the sudden affection but returned the hug. Izuku held Ren close to him and made a decision.
'Clone or not, you're still my brother. So from now on,' he didn't realize he said the next words out loud, "Stay by my side."
Ren's mouth parted slightly but responded to the request, "I will..."
Whether the boys knew it or not, in that moment they truly did resemble the brothers Castor and Pollux.
"What the hell...?"
Izuku didn't really blame Shinsō because he thought the same thing when he first read it. He sent the same file to Hatsume and she had a few things to say about it herself, which involved using one of her babies on the Hisashi. The only person he hadn't sent it to yet was Ochako, and that's only because deep down he was afraid of what she might say.
Shinsō put his phone away with a stunned expression, "Just what the hell did I just read? Twin gods? They expect you two to be able to reach god like powers and be used as weapons by humanity? The hell?"
"What makes me sick about all of this is the fact that my own father not only suggested this project, but took part in it and used my mom as a test subject." Izuku said with barely restrained cold fury.
"Can't say I blame you," Shinsō said, agreeing with him, "Human cloning on not only you, but your dead twin, too? Last time I checked human cloning was illegal."
"They know its illegal, and they don't care." Izuku stated.
"Clearly," Shinsō said, still a little disturbed by what he read, "Did you tell your mom what you found out?"
"Like I could," Izuku huffed uncomfortably, "I couldn't even look her in the eye this morning." It was true. As soon as he woke up he avoided all eye contact with her and knew he made her worry by doing that but he...he just couldn't face her with what he found out right now. Not yet.
"Damn. So? What now?" Shinsō asked.
That was a good question. What should he do now? Well, that was simple.
"Those guys won't give up trying to get us both," Izuku said seriously, "Ren told me one of the female researchers helped him escape the facility he was being held at and smuggled him here to Japan."
"You think they'd be dumb enough to try and kidnap you two with as many Pro Hero's this country has?" Shinsō knew they would try, persistent people were dangerous.
"They will. I can feel it." He didn't know when they were going to act, but he would be on his guard at all times. He'll be damned if they try to take him and Ren away from their home.
Shinsō sighed, "Looks like I'll be helping you out in dealing with them."
Izuku didn't want Shinsō to get involved. Not in this. Black Arachnid was one thing, but these are guys that would go to lengths to get what they want, meaning they would probably hire mercenaries from Germany or the Yakuza that reside in Japan. Hell, even outside countries who found out about the project would try to kidnap them. What a mess.
"I don't want you to get involved in this because it probably won't just be Germany coming after us, but other countries might want to get in on this, too." Izuku told him.
"That's fine," Shinsō said, not at all scared of the prospect of other countries getting involved, "You can't shoulder something like this all by yourself, even if you think you can."
That's...true.
He was basically going to war with Germany on the down low and any other country that would soon get in on the hunt. He needed all the help he could get.
With a resigned sigh he smiled, "You're right. Thanks, Shinsō."
"Anytime." The boy smiled.
The underworld can rear its ugly head anywhere and anytime. So when Germany finally made the first move, he wasn't surprised.
They had gotten the intel from some underground researcher in Germany who wanted to keep the details top secret, but did tell them what their targets looked like. While they didn't know where the targets lived or go to school, they did manage to spot him walking with another boy on their way to the arcade and simply waited. About an hour later they came out and headed right down the alley where one of them gave pursuit so as not to lose them. They were still trying to figure out how someone in Germany knew about them when they always keep a low profile, but didn't think about it for very long as this was a job. While they agreed to capture the targets and bring them to their client...that was an obvious lie. Their leader had other plans. The plan was to capture the targets, kill the client, and use the two boys they were ordered to kidnap for experimental purposes like for what they do with the little girl.
One of the pursuers soon realized he lost them and began searching frantically, "Damn!"
"You know," a voice from behind him said as footsteps were heard from the dark alley, "For somebody who's supposed to be tailing us you weren't exactly quiet." The man turned around and saw it was one of the boys he was following, but it was the one with the blue hair.
"Since you can't even do something as simple as following someone without making any noise, guess that means you really suck at your job, doesn't it?"Shinsō taunted.
"You arrogant littl-!" His eyes suddenly became white and had a blank face. Shinsō's Quirk was now active.
Izuku soon emerged from the dark alley, "I don't recognize clothing from any well known Yakuza organizations." It was true. The man was young, but young enough to be in his early to mid twenties. His hair was light with bangs that cover the right side of his face. His eyes have prominent dark circles around them and he wears a beak-shaped mask, while sporting a white shirt, tie, and black pants.
"Then lets find out who he works for," Shinsō suggested, "You, what's your name?"
"Setsuno Tōya." Setsuno answered dully.
"What organization do you belong to?"
"Shie Hassaikai (Eight Precepts)."
Izuku narrowed his eyes, "I haven't heard of them before."
"Me either, think these guys work in the shadows so they aren't well known?" Shinsō wondered.
"Probably."
"Let's see what other information you have to offer us," Shinsō said to the still brainwashed man, "How many members are in your organization?"
"There are eight of us."
"Who's the boss?"
"Chisaki Kai, better known as 'Overhaul."
"He sounds like he'll be trouble." Izuku said.
"Yep. Who else is higher up in the organization besides your boss?"
"Chronostasis, the boss's Assistant. Mimic, the boss's General Manager."
These guys are not only dangerous but sound like they'll be a pain to deal with. Germany chose well. Izuku nodded to Shinsō who got the message.
"Who hired you to follow us?"
"An underground research facility in Germany. We were ordered to find and capture the targets, Midoriya Izuku and Ren, but the boss decided to keep them for himself to harvest their abilities like he does with Eri."
Izuku and Shinsō looked at each other. Eri? Who is that?
"Who is Eri?"
"She's a little girl who is being experimented on by the boss so he can harvest her Quirk to make some kind of drug that affects Quirks."
Izuku clenched his fists in anger. Experimenting on a little girl? Okay, these guys need to be dealt with, and now. He took a deep breath and looked at Shinsō, "Ask him what their boss's Quirk is."
Shinsō nodded, "What is your boss's Quirk?"
"Overhaul." Its an Emitter's Quirk that needs Contact in order for its effect to take place. It lets him disassemble and reassemble anything he makes contact with."
"Sounds like a nasty Quirk." Izuku said.
"No kidding, okay last question. Where is your base located?"
"Underground."
"Not very helpful." Shinsō grumbled.
"No, that should be enough for us to give to Hatsume. We'll tell her what to look for and if she spots someone whose wearing the same beak like this guy then we'll know he's either the leader or another underling. She should be able to find out something, she always does." Izuku said as he viciously knocked the guy out and left him there on the ground.
"I'll deal with the partner." Shinsō volunteered.
"Got it."
As they began walking out of the alley Izuku couldn't get that girl's name out of his head. 'Eri.' If they were going to take the base down if Hatsume is indeed able to find it, then he'll have to get her out of there and fast.
"We'll get her out."
Izuku stared at Shinsō, "How did you..."
"I can just tell."
The greeneatte huffed, "Yeah, you can."
He was going to have to bring Ren along, too. His Esper abilities would really come in handy, but the problem is...would he agree?
"I will participate in the operation, says Ren not taking 'no' for an answer." Ren said.
Izuku blinked, "...Okay then."
Well, it looks like Ren has no problem with it.
That's good.
He thinks.
"I found it!" Hatsume declared victoriously.
Shinsō, who making sure his darts were in good shape looked over at her quickly, "That was fast. It took you only two days to find their base?"
"Nah, compared to how I found the Black Arachnid's base this was my slowest time ever! Anyway, I managed to find it because their leader Overhaul was in an alley where there's a hidden security camera in place selling the drug known as "Trigger." Hatsume explained.
"I've heard about that drug," Izuku said, "Rumor has it that its been going around through the underworld but no one knew who to go to exactly to get their hands on it."
"I would appear they do now, Ren says adding his own two cents to the conversation." Ren said.
"Bingo! Now I kept track of him after he made the deal through other security camera's in the area," Hatsume explained, "And after tracking him for about an hour I finally found where their base is! That guy you interrogated was right, it really is underground!"
Izuku got up from his chair, "Guess that's that. We now know where their base is, so we need to plan this carefully."
"Agreed. What would be the appropriate course of action then, big brother? Ren asks." Ren asked.
Izuku let out a small smirk, "Here's what we'll do..."
Location-Underground Base of the Shie Hassaikai (Eight Precepts)
Overhaul was irritated. And that was never a good sign. Its rare that the man gets angry or irritated about anything, but this has him very irritated. Not even distributing the drug Trigger made him feel better. The reason for his irritation? The damn job they got from some underground research facility in Germany. The job sounded simple, retrieve the twins Midoriya Izuku and Ren and give them over to them without giving them a reason why. So since they weren't giving them all of the information that they wanted, he decided to keep the twins for himself and harvest their abilities like he does with Eri. Speaking of the brat, she tried to resist her daily experiment again today, which prompted him to knock her out by injecting her with a sleeping drug in order for her to co-operate.
Stubborn brat.
"Boss." Setsuno called out to the man.
"What?"
Setsuno showed no fear outwardly but inwardly he was afraid of what his boss might do once he tells him about what happened when he was tracking one of the twins.
"We lost the target when he went inside an alley way with another boy."
Overhaul was not amused, as to be expected.
"Continue searching for them." He ordered coldly.
"Y-Yes, boss!" Setsuno got the hell out of there quickly to continue his search for the two boys he was stalking earlier today. He still couldn't remember what happened after he went into the alley but decided to forget about it, finding it no longer important.
Overhaul decided to find Chronostasis and see how much progress he was making with the new drug he was creating thanks to Eri'd blood.
As soon as he left the camera's started showing static before going back to normal, showing nothing on the camera, except it was tampered with.
Izuku touched the pad key outside and used his Electrokenesis to tamper with it, allowing him to unlock the door. With a nod to both Shinsō and Ren they ran in, while at the same time making sure to still be quiet. When they heard someone walking down the hall from the corner they hid within the shadows the walls made.
"They seem to do night patrols every night, despite knowing no one will be able to find their hideout." Ren said, keeping his voice low.
"It might be for the girl they're keeping prisoner here," Izuku frowned at the thought, "They probably do these patrols to make sure she doesn't escape."
"Good thing you tampered with the camera's though," Shinsō said, "We would've been caught before we could even take one step inside this place."
"Its good that their security system involves electricity," Izuku said, opening the pad Hatsume gave him to see the map layout of the place, "Security cameras, infrared sensors, and electronic locks. They've got everything you can think of."
"Heavy security for a Yakuza hideout." Shinsō said.
"Yes, but considering they were hired in the first place it is to be expected." Ren reminded.
"That's true."
Izuku stared at the map and found two places, "Okay, there are two possible places Eri might be. There's Lab 1 and Lab 2."
"So which one do you wanna go to first?" Shinsō asked.
Izuku closed the pad, "We'll try the second Lab first. If we find her there then we can leave, but if she's in Lab 1 we'll do the same thing." Taking one last look around the corner they slowly moved again and Izuku once again brought out the pad, making sure to keep the lights dim so they wouldn't be found. Hatsume was outside on standby just in case things got bad and they needed her to cause a distraction. As they made their way to the path of Lab 2 they saw a door with the letter 'E' on it.
"Guess that means she's in here." Izuku said as he hacked into the security pad on the girl's door and successfully unlocked it, "Stay out here and keep watch."
Shinsō nodded, "Got it."
"Understood." Ren said.
With one last look at them he opened the door quietly and walked in, but left the door opened slightly. There before him as he walked in was a little girl with long white hair, scared and yet innocent red eyes, a yellow horn growing out of her forehead, and wearing a white dress, if you could even call it that. He also noticed she had bandages on her arms and legs. The moment she saw him, she scooted backwards out of fear.
"Its okay," Izuku said kindly, "I'm not going to hurt you. Are you Eri?" He was down to her eye level so he wouldn't scare her.
She gave him a slow, yet fearful nod.
"My names Midoriya Izuku," Izuku introduced, "I came here to take you away from this place."
Her eyes widened at the prospect of finally leaving this horrible place before looking down, "B-But...they'll catch me..." she said sadly.
It made his heart break seeing such a small child like her act like this, "No they won't, I won't let them. We snuck in here without them noticing, and we can sneak out the same way."
She looked up at him with a surprised look, "We?"
He nodded, "My brother and friends are with me, too. They're strong."
There was a spark of hope in her eyes. Something she hadn't felt in awhile. For a long time she prayed and hoped someone would save her and take her away. A guardian angel, and here he is. Her guardian angel, Izuku.
He stuck his hand out to her slowly, "Ready to leave this place forever?"
She didn't even hesitate to take it.
Finally.
Finally...she was free.
Shinsō and Ren saw Izuku come out of the room, holding the girl in his arms, "Got her, lets go." He said.
"Don't need to tell us twice." Shinsō said, wanting to get out of here as fast as possible.
"Ren agrees." Ren said.
The three boys, plus one little girl left the room and Izuku closed the door, not wanting to leave it open for someone to find it open and quickly deduced that Eri had left her room.
"There's another lab here, too. Should we inform the police force about it as soon as we leave?" Shinsō asked.
"We'll have Hatsume send the data on it to them as well as this place's location. That should be good." Izuku wanted to badly use his abilities to trash this place but he couldn't. They completed their mission and that's all that matters.
He'll deal with these guys next time.
And their will be a next time.
"You made it!" Hatsume cheered.
"Damn right we did," Shinsō said with a sigh, "These guys don't mess around with security but at least we got what we came for."
"Secure the young girl Eri and keep her safe, mission accomplished." Ren said, giving a thumbs up for a job well down.
Izuku leaned his back against the van Hatsume had gotten a while back. He didn't bother to ask her where she got it from because he was scared to know. Eri was still in his arms and passed out sleep, looking very peaceful which was probably a feeling she had never felt before.
"Did you send the information to the police force?" Izuku asked.
"Yep! Told them this tip came in from Anonymous! Can't be traced either!" Hatsume grinned.
Shinsō gave her a blank stare, "Aren't you supposed to be an inventor?"
"Hm? I am, what's your point?"
"Nothing."
Ren decided to speak, "Since we have achieved our objective, shouldn't we be leaving now? Ren asks curiously."
"And we shall!" Hatsume said, starting up the van, "Hang on!" And with that she drove away like a madman, and Izuku made a mental not to never let her drive again.
Back at the underground hideout the night patrol was still walking around until he finally came across Eri's room. Opening the door, out of routine he saw that she was gone. Panicking he sounded the alarm that alerted everyone in the building, including Overhaul.
This was not good.
Overhaul came storming down the hallway with his Assistant Chronostasis by his side as he stomped furiously down the hall. How the hell could she have just disappeared and why didn't the damn security alarm go off?!
"Where is she?!" He yelled furiously.
One of the members addressed him nervously, "That's the things sir...we don't know."
Overhaul looked like he was ready to use his Quirk on the man, "What do you mean by that? How can she just disappear with the alarms on and working along with the security cameras?!"
"That's another strange thing, sir," another member spoke, "The alarms were all off and the security camera's showed no one had broken in."
Overhaul looked at the man, "What?"
"We checked, someone from the outside deactivated all alarms and hacked the security cameras to make it look like there was nothing wrong. We got the security cameras fixed now, but we still didn't see the intruders." The man reported.
Impossible!
The security they got is top of the line! How the hell could someone have hacked into it like it was nothing?!
"Do you believe its possible our client from Germany are responsible for this?" Chronostasis wondered.
"No," Overhaul said, having calmed down a little, "They like to keep a low profile from what I understand. They would gain nothing from doing this, unless they found out about Eri's Quirk and I highly doubt that."
"I see." Chronostasis said, having to agree with that.
"Sir, we've got trouble! The police force are here and they brought a squad! All Might is with them!"
Overhaul's eyes widened and he clenched his fists, while seething in anger, 'Whoever is responsible for this will pay! I'll let you go for now Eri, but know this...you will never be free!'
"Mom, we're home!"
Inko got up from the kitchen chair and ran in the living room, "Thank goodness! You told me you'd be out late but I-" he paused when she saw her son was holding a sleeping child in his arms, "Izuku..."
"Sorry, I'll tell you later but right now I want to get her to bed," he said, but he wasn't done, "Also, mom...there's something I need to talk to you about in private."
Inko heard the tone in her son's voice and simply nodded in understanding.
Izuku and Ren then brought the sleeping Eri in their room. Izuku tucked her in and Ren volunteered to watch over her while she slept so he and Inko could talk in private.
While Ren was watching over Eri, Izuku and Inko were in the kitchen. The atmosphere between the two was thick, so thick in fact you could cut it with a knife. Izuku didn't know where to start but he spoke up first, "Mom..."
"You don't have to say it." She cut him off.
"What?"
She took both of his hands in hers, "When you were little and asked about your father I was honestly terrified that you would want to see him, but I'm glad you let it go when I told you he couldn't see you anymore."
"Then you know about..."
She shook her head, "I was in high school when we first met. I was a junior and he was a senior. The first time we met, it was love at first sight for both of us. I wanted to get to know him and so did he. Back then, I was just a naive girl who was searching for love and found it in Hisashi, or so I thought."
"Mom..."
Squeezing his hands slightly she continued, "All three of us went to the same college, me, Mitsuki, and your father. Freshman year he already knew what he wanted to do. He wanted to be a researcher that studied Quirks and how it effects the human body while at the same time wondering if Quirks could evolve."
'So he was already doing research on Quirks before suggesting that Project.' Izuku thought.
"After we graduated the two of us decided to get engaged," Inko continued, "It was the happiest moment of my life. I didn't realize he was doing something so...so awful behind my back, and I regret not listening to mother when she told me about his future."
That got Izuku's interest, "What did grandma say?"
"His future was stained."
'Stained? Does she mean how his hands are stained with the blood of those that were experimented on?' Izuku wondered.
Inko took a deep breath as she found the courage to keep speaking, "It was when I told him that I was pregnant that something in his eyes changed. He became...obsessed with the gender and if I was having one or two babies."
Izuku's fists tightened while still being held by his mother's.
Her shoulders began to shake as tears welled up in her eyes, "I...I was so devastated...when Ren needed to be hooked up to that machine so it could breath for him! I also regret not bringing you to go see him in the hospital! He was your brother, how could I do such a thing?!"
Izuku's heart clenched seeing his mother's tearful face and removed his hands from underneath her and squeezed them gently, "Don't blame yourself, mom. Ren's condition wasn't your fault and you didn't know what Hisashi was planning in the shadows. The important thing is I'm right here with you, grandma, grandpa, and Ochako. I had all of you to keep me going through my childhood, and now I have two other friends to help me now, too. You don't have to explain yourself, but as for him...I'll be the one to stop him."
Inko didn't want her son to shoulder the burden of dealing with Hisashi, but if this is truly what he wants...then she won't interfere.
"Izuku..." a soft and small voice called out to him and both Midoriya's whipped their heads towards the kitchen entrance and saw Eri standing there along with Ren.
Izuku got up and went over to her, "What's wrong? Couldn't sleep?" He asked, bending down in front of her.
Eri nodded, "You weren't there."
He rubbed her head gently, "Sorry, I had to talk to my mom about something very important. But Ren was there watching over you."
"It would appear she feels safer with you, big brother." Ren said.
Eri looked back and forth at the two, "Why do you look alike?"
Izuku smiled, "Its because we're twins. Ren is my younger twin brother, and I'm glad he is."
Ren's mouth parted a little but he soon smiled, "Ren feels the same."
Izuku didn't lie. Ren was a clone of his younger brother sure, but he was still his brother. And he will never let anyone, not even Hisashi take Ren away from him.
He won't let that happen.
"Ren, can you take Eri back in the bedroom? I still need to talk to my mom about something." Izuku asked.
"That's alright Izuku," Inko said, "You can tell me in the morning, for now all three of you should get some sleep."
Izuku stood up, "You sure?"
"Positive." She smiled brightly.
He smiled back. His mother had finally confessed to what she wanted to say for a long time. As he held Eri's hand and walked back to their bedroom there was only one thought that was going through his mind.
'Send whoever you want. I won't let you have your way! As of right now...you are my enemy...Hisashi!'
Author's Note: Kiyama Harumi will also make another appearance at the end of he Sports Festival Arc, so look forward to seeing her.
~U.A. High School~