"Hello, those of us who are still with us. It has been eleven days since the freak event that took those with Quirks from us, and there has still been no word from any remaining governments on what caused something of such a magnitude."
Reiji Shigaraki listened to the radio as he sped down the empty highway, hoping to gather as much information as he could. He was very fortunate that English was one of the languages he had bothered learning properly before receiving that Polyglot Quirk.
"Eleven days? You couldn't have released me any quicker?" He complained under his breath.
[Scanning all 10 billion of the collected individuals for genetic matches took a significant amount of time.]
"I can imagine." He drawled at the robotic voice in his head, still trying to get used to the constant monitoring from the 'alien'. It had been a long time since someone had held power over him like this, and it was already driving him mad.
"In other news, the State of Nevada has made a statement this morning." The radio continued, and Reiji turned his attention to it again. "It is asking all those who can to head to the Strip, where a center has been set up to provide guaranteed supplies and necessity. If you are too young or unsure how to make your way there, please call the non-emergency helpline, and assistance shall be sent shortly. Another statement has been made for tourists, claiming they are in talks with the respective governments to have those stuck in foreign lands returned home as soon as possible."
"More like to hand the responsibility off to others." Reiji said in amusement. "Either way, that should be my ticket out of here. I'm pretty sure Las Vegas is just ahead anyways."
[So, you will be returning to your country of origin?]
"I shall. I have plenty of plans to continue, and the loss of my Quirk is but a minor setback to them. I've been working on this plan for over a century, after all." He explained proudly.
[Analysis of your genetic information indicates that you have been around since the exponential increase in Extraordinary Abilities.]
[Your Ability to absorb other Abilities had allowed for you to reach a level of power not projected for some time.]
He nodded, a smile on his face. "Yes, it had. But I fear that I would have eventually reached a limit in my Quirk. A 'Critical Mass', as you put it, where I could no longer store more Quirks, or only use a certain number of them at a time."
His injuries by All Might had made it all the more apparent that there was a limit to his old and aging body. Even with the damaged parts of his head healed he was still a first-generation Quirk user. Even with a Quirk as amazing as his, it would have undoubtably been stronger in a body more used to Quirks like nowadays.
He had originally planned to 'upgrade' himself through Tomura, while using his emotions to take One for All at the same time. But with recent events, a new opportunity had prevented itself. And he would be foolish not to explore all avenues.
"A good friend of mine created something called the 'Quirk Singularity Theory' back when Quirks first emerged, where he hypothesized that eventually these powers would grow so strong and complicated that the human body would be unable to handle them, resulting in destruction."
[There was someone who came to that conclusion back when Abilities first appeared?]
"There was." He confirmed.
[Then your species may have been wiser than I had initially given them credit for.]
"Did one of your people come up with the theory as well?"
[No.]
[If they did, then I might have had no purpose for my existence.]
"You did mention that you were an artificial intelligence of some sort, didn't you?" He thought back to the 'aliens' introduction to him and All Might. "What exactly was the purpose of your creation, and how does it tie to the Quirk Singularity?"
After a few moments of solitude, the voice of his extraterrestrial contact responded.
[The species that created me was quite similar to your own. Bipedal mammals on a planet with a diverse bio-sphere, blessed with an increased intelligence that allowed them to prosper and spread across it unrestricted. Technology eventually evolved, continuing their expansion at an exponential rate. But as they began to reach to the stars, abnormalities began to appear across the population.]
"Quirks." Reiji guessed.
[Correct. These Extraordinary Abilities appeared throughout the population without explanation, allowing feats that defied their understanding of the world. But it was quickly accepted as the next stage of the species' evolution, and soon increasing the power of these abilities became the focus of society. Testing with extraordinary energy, breeding programs, and other experiments were run to push this new development to it's limit.]
"So, Quirk's were more quickly accepted in your society?" Reiji mused. "I suppose it isn't too much of a surprise. The main cause for the Collapse at the Dawn of Quirks were actually many factors that existed long before them. Environmental issues, energy crises, record income disparity. Humanity itself changing was simply the tipping point that broke the society that had been built up at the time."
[Your observations are accurate. Yet it is my creator's prosperity that proved their downfall.]
[With all focus moved to these Abilities, they quickly grew to a point that each individuals Ability could shape the very rules of the world. They had become the very deities they had once worshiped as an infant species. They speculated what the next generation would bring… but it never came.]
"And thus, the Singularity was reached."
[Birthing new beings proved impossible. The strain proved too much, for both the Mother and Child. The power that had gathered had reached Critical Mass, resulting in a complete breakdown of their species. Attempts to use artificial machines for growing the next generation also failed, as none could contain their power. The very few that did manage to be born came out braindead, overwhelmed by their very own Ability.]
"Did you have no way to weaken or remove the Quirks? Surely that Genetic Manipulation ability would be able to do the trick?" Reiji asked.
[The genetic information pertaining to Abilities had spread so far throughout their bodies that simply removing it would be impossible. Excessive mutations had spread throughout the body, and the part of the brain related to the use of Abilities had become so important that attempts to change it resulted in brain death.]
Reiji was suddenly very happy he had partnered up with Garaki to research the Quirk Singularity. If that man ever found a way back to him, he was doubling, no, quintupling his budget.
"So, what happened to them? And how do you come into it?" He asked.
[In the end, they developed the personal storage devices, like the one containing your species. They sealed themselves in stasis, while I and the other units left to similar planets to begin experimenting the effect of Abilities.]
"Wait, are you saying there are other planets out there that have life with Quirks?" His curiosity was suddenly piqued.
[There should be, according to our observations. The distance between these habitable planets is great, however, and direct communication with the units stationed there is infeasible. It would require use of the warp engine to reach at a reasonable time.]
"Fascinating…"
There were other planets out there with Quirks? He couldn't help but wonder if he could take them with All for One, despite not being human. The possibilities were tantalizing.
[Once I reached this planet, I began to slowly use Genetic Manipulation to push your species into awakening Abilities. It took many centuries of manipulation, but the required traits eventually arose to allow for prominent propagation of Abilities.]
"So those alien abduction stories had some truth after all!" He couldn't help but laugh. "I figured the reason those kinds of tales died off was because Quirks made real life far more interesting, but I suppose it was simply because you were done with your work."
[That is… one of the reasons.]
Reiji caught the pause in the alien's response. Clearly there was more to the story. Before he could begin a new line of questioning though, an ear-splitting sound echoed in his head.
[BBZZTT!]
"Gah! What the hell?" He nearly swerved off the road as a sound like TV static suddenly filled his head. It was as if the alien had changed to the wrong channel. "Hello? Did you lose reception?"
There was silence in Reiji's head, and he pulled over for a moment. As the silence continued on, he brought a hand up, feeling a new sensation throughout it. He reached out to that feeling, and a red double-helix pattern appeared along it.
"This is… Genetic Manipulation?" He looked at his now-glowing hand in interest.
He could feel the power to alter his very body at the tips of his fingers. The ability to completely change himself any way he pleased. But he wasn't sure why he suddenly had control. Suddenly the static cut off, and the red helixes of Genetic Manipulation vanished with it.
[Apologies for the pause in connection.]
"So even Quirks have connectivity issues, it seems. What happened? I nearly ran myself off the road you know?" He complained to the newly returned parasite in his head.
[It appears the inhabitants of this nation have put together a force to attack the central facility nearby.]
[They attempted to use an electromagnetic pulse to disrupt my systems, but it was a minor interference.]
[Their forces will be destroyed thoroughly shortly, so please ignore the interruption.]
'The U.S. know where everyone is being kept? And if the aliens base is nearby, then I have a sneaking suspicion I know exactly where it is.' He couldn't help but smirk. It would be the king of all cliches, but it would make all the sense.
But that wasn't even what he found most useful about the recent interruption.
He had access to Genetic Manipulation. It was only for a moment, but while the alien was dealing with the EMP, he could have used the Quirk. It seemed that the alien was using the Monitoring Quirk to also prevent the use of other Quirks. But if it lost 'connection', then that block would be lifted. Very fascinating.
This would work well into his plans. All he would need is to send the right signal, and he'd have just the opening he was looking for with that incredibly versatile Quirk. But first, he needed to pick up something important to use it on…
After driving for a while longer Reiji found himself in the land of gambling itself, Las Vegas. A quick tour around the Strip allowed him to locate the shelter, and a quick bribe provided him a luxury suite in the resort instead of a common room unlike the rabble. As he sat back and bathed in the view of the empty strip below, the voice of the alien called out once again.
[There appears to be a complication in retrieving this "One for All" Quirk.]
"Oh? Was he not there when you flew your UFO over?" He asked the alien cheekily as he turned to the fridge, looking for something to sate his thirst. He could finally eat and drink outside of a tube, and he wanted to enjoy it.
[I cannot spare my lone flier for retrieval until the target's location has been confirmed, as it is currently responsible for defending the facility.]
[I instead attempted to infiltrate your primitive online network to confirm the target's location digitally but have found myself unable to breach the security of this "U.A.".]
Reiji paused from his uncorking of the wine he found. "Oh? So, the rat can put up a decent defense against the extraterrestrial AI? I'm actually impressed."
[Who is this rat you speak of?]
"Ah, I suppose you wouldn't know of him. Allow me to explain." He poured a glass slowly, before continuing his explanation. "Nezu is a… well I'm not sure what he is. But he's a creature that somehow managed to worm his way into becoming the principal of the finest Hero School in Japan. He's some sort of animal with a Quirk that makes his intelligence far beyond that of the humans around him."
[From your description, I am to assume that this Nezu is not human?]
"No. He's some sort of mammal, but no one's found anything beyond that. The rumour mill is that he was the product of some mad experiment in the States, so I doubt he even qualifies as a single species." He explained, taking a small sip before remembering something. "Wait, if he's not human, then would he have been taken along with everyone else with a Quirk?"
[…]
[The Capture Device was configured to only target Homo Sapiens producing Extraordinary Energy, or specifically, those who share a certain percent of the expected genetic markers.]
"Oh… Well then." Reiji took an extra long sip of the wine before letting out a deep sigh. He just knew that meant Nezu was still around and would assuredly cause trouble for him. Most people likely wouldn't think too hard about his alter-ego showing up after a five-year sabbatical, but that rat would put two-and-two together far too fast. And if he was sheltering the current holder of One for All, they would be damn near unreachable.
[I had not expected to run into this kind of situation.]
"Is it really so hard to believe that something of this world was able to stand up to your technology? We aren't completely inept as a species you know." He muttered under his breath.
[It is not of this world.]
"What?"
[While there are slight modifications, the security system used within this school appears to be set up nearly identical to that used within my own system.]
Reiji slowly took in what the alien had said, before finally focusing on the implication. "Nezu is an alien? I'll be honest, when you described your species as like humans, I figured a… slightly more similar appearance."
[He is not the species of my creators.]
[That one was not meant to roam free, and instead be harvested for use in our techno-organic systems.]
"Harvested? What exactly do you mean by that?" He asked with morbid curiosity.
[Most of the technology in my systems are used by incorporating Extraordinary Abilities. But those Abilities require an organic brain to operate on. There is a certain species of mammals on my creator's home world that could be easily spliced with Abilities, and they are grown and implanted with Abilities, so that their brains can be removed and implanted into my systems.]
"How… creative." He responded eventually.
While the Doctor had suggested such fusions of technology and body, he hadn't made much headway, instead focusing on the creation of Nomu instead. But it was true that Quirks could accomplish things that technology could have no hopes of replicating for possibly centuries. If there were some way to add a Quirk into technology, it would advance things by leaps and bounds!
If you get over the whole 'Sticking brains in jars' issue. Not that he personally cared.
"So, how did one of these little creatures escape your grasp." He asked the alien.
[You do not need to know such information currently.]
"Seriously, you're getting tight-lipped now?" Reiji complained. "What's wrong, too embarrassed to admit you screwed up somewhere? Even Supervillains like me mess up every once and a while, there's no harm in admitting it."
[Enough.]
[I require a means of retrieving One for All, despite this interruption.]
[As one familiar with the location, how can I confirm that the user is indeed there?]
"Hmm." Reiji took another sip as he pondered the alien's question. If U.A. could not be infiltrated electronically, then the only way is physically. But he wouldn't be able to reach Japan for a day or two at least. And even then, the U.A. Wall would still be active. Nezu would never approve for him to enter, and it would only draw the rat's attention to him.
If only he had an army of soldiers that could perfectly follow his orders to investigate the school.
Oh, wait.
A smile formed on his lips as a plan began to form. The Doctor wouldn't like it, but sacrifices would have to be made. They could always make more later. "I think I have just what you need, my good extraterrestrial friend."
[Please elaborate.]
Reiji began to explain the Doctor's work. "A colleague of mine happens to have an army of mindless creatures, sitting around and just waiting for orders. While they have trouble with precision, sending them headlong into the defense's of U.A. should be more than enough to flush Nezu and One for All out of their hole. All I need is to provide an IP Address, and you should be able to remote into the Nomu's control system and give a command."
[What exactly are these soldiers? Automated drones?]
After debating for a moment, he decided to be honest. "They're human corpses that have been stuffed with multiple Quirks and then programmed to follow voice commands."
There was a pause before he received a response.
[What a creative method of creating multi-Ability wielding units.]
[I will have to take one of these units for study before leaving.]
"S-Sure, go ahead." Reiji said back with a nervous chuckle. 'That's right, this is an alien AI that likes harvesting the brains of animals and sticking them in machines. Why would it care about something like that.'
He quickly rattled off the relevant information about the Doctor's systems and prepared himself for bed. Soon, the user of One for All will be flushed out, and he would be on his way to Japan. The Nomu running wild across Japan might make things complicated and remove his ability to use them as an army of force, but they will still follow his instructions in an emergency. He could simply order them to stop after a while once he has gained enough control over the panicked masses.
'Ah yes, the sounds of a plan coming together. I can't possibly see what could derail my movements whatsoever.'
The next morning, Reiji Shigaraki woke up and immediately began to look into the remaining news within Japan, ready to see headlines of inhuman monsters scouring Japan, only to find something else entirely.
'Superpowered Teen & Famous Vigilante Vs. Gangs & Monsters in Downtown Naruhata!'
It was an online forum post, and contained mostly only a few blurry images, apparently supplied by children present at the incident. One was of the military shooting at a group of Nomu (which shouldn't have been able to reach there so soon), another of Nezu and an old man fighting what appeared to be gang members (Who also had Quirks), and a final image of an injured young teen in a damaged Hero costume, with what appeared to be David Shield's daughter huddling over him.
'Well, this was certainly unexpected.' Reiji thought as he stared down at the article, reading it over again and again. 'So, a group of children were attacked on the way to U.A. by a few Nomu, three gang members, and… a man with long white hair. And they all had multiple Quirks? Well, color me surprised. It appears that someone's been poking their nose where it doesn't belong. This will certainly make things harder, however…'
He glanced at the final image again. Of the young man who rushed into danger and fought of a Villain with his Quirk, despite being inexperienced. A young man incredibly close to someone close to All Might and travelling with Nezu. Of a boy currently being targeted by a dangerous and unknown Villain.
'It appears our goal of flushing him out was successful. And now there is only one place they can run to. And it just so happens that I have certain 'friends' there.' Reiji smirked to himself. 'With Japan being so dangerous, I wonder if they might take us there as well. I've always wanted to visit I-Island myself.'
Next Chapter: Friends in High Places