A/N: Thanks once again for all the support people. It really means a lot. I'm enjoying writing this story and I'm hoping that you enjoy reading it!

You already know I don't like to waste time...Let's get straight to it...

Chapter 4: Evolution

One Day After Capture

The familiar sensation of the tranquiliser wearing off greeted Izuku once more. His head was swimming as he blinked in and out of consciousness. Once again, the familiar feeling of the restraints pinning him down and the intense dehydration served as a reminder of the current hell that he was going through.

"You're finally awake."

A voice from within the cell cut Izuku's depressing thoughts short. Looking towards it, Izuku recognised the man currently leaning against the wall as the man that was stood next to Kleito when he first awoke. The man walked over to him, causing Izuku to flinch, before he bent down slightly and unwrapped the restraints around his left arm and placed a glass of water next to him.

The man backed away and nodded at the glass, "Drink up," he said.

Izuku looked at the glass sceptically which caused the man to roll his eyes.

"it's just water, trust me, you've been out for over 24 hours, you need to drink. Besides you're far too valuable to everyone in this building for me to put anything else in there," he stated dryly.

So, this man thought of him as simply a commodity as well. Just like everyone else in this place.

Izuku reached out to grab the glass of water and greedily gulped down the contents in one go, causing him to splutter and cough slightly when he finished. The proceeded man pulled a chair over and sat across from Izuku before addressing him.

"You're confused, I know. I'm sure that Kleito's rambling did absolutely nothing to explain exactly what the hell is going on around here, so allow me to give you the overview."

The man looked directly at Izuku as he spoke.

"My name is Richard Shield and this building", he gestured to the roof of the cell, "Is known as The Compound, the base of The Organisation that wants to make the Nanite Program a reality. The Nanite Program is an initiative to fuse these small micro-machines called nanites into the human body. These nanites, in theory, have limitless potential as they can be programmed in order for the human body to achieve almost anything. The Organisation intends to also implement two command nanites into your body, the Alpha and the Omega. The Alpha would allow you to constantly generate an infinite supply of nanites while the Omega would allow you to command these nanites for any purpose that you, and by extension The Organisation, see fit. This would result in you becoming the ultimate weapon, dubbed as 'Providence'."

Izuku was dumbfounded and simply asked, "Why me though?"

"Well, you see, the nanites have one crucial flaw, they are incompatible with the quirk gene. If they are exposed to an individual that possesses a quirk gene, the result is a severe and feral mutation until the nanites eventually overload the cells within the body and the individual dies in a particularly gruesome fashion. We call these mutated individuals Exponentially Variegated Organisms, or 'EVOs' for short. You are one of the last fit and able-bodied quirkless individuals in our society and therefore, the perfect subject."

It was an incredible amount of crucial information to take in. For years his quirklessness had been the cause of his scorn by society, and now it was actually something that a group of people desired, but for all the wrong reasons. Izuku released a deep sigh at the irony of his curse.

Richard continued, "However, they are under the impression that you are currently not prepared for such a procedure and that a large volume of nanites will result in a failure, so I volunteered to train you."

This caused Izuku to stiffen at the prospect of hellish training methods that this cruel organisation could have planned for him. He took the pause in the conversation as his cue to speak.

"All I ever wanted to be growing up was a hero, but I couldn't, all because I was born quirkless…now you're telling me that because I'm quirkless, I'm going to be forced to become a mindless weapon…a slave to evil people?" Tears threatened once more to leak out of his eyes as he tried to keep a shred of composure in the face of such a dire situation.

"If the procedure is successful, then yes, that will be the outcome," admitted Richard grimly.

Izuku choked out a sob before descending into full-fledged crying. Just his Deku luck, the wannabe hero, turned into a monster.

"So why don't we throw a spanner in the works?"

Richard's question caused Izuku's head to snap up, tears still streaming down his face as he analysed the man's serious expression, searching for any form of deception or untrustworthiness, but finding none.

"The leader of this organisation, Akumu, she has her own…revolution, so to speak, planned out, with you as the spearhead," Richard continued. His tone then shifted to one of pure conviction. "I cannot in good consciousness allow my machines, my work, to be used for those purposes. My original intention for creating the nanites was to use them to cure the world of sickness and help those who are unable to help themselves. However, the incompatibility with the quirk gene disrupted this, and before I knew it The Organisation had seized control of my research and convinced my partner Kleito to join their initiative. I never intended for all of the cruelty that has occurred and the guilt will forever weigh upon me until the day I die."

Izuku stared at the man in confusion, "So why work for them?"

Richard released a sigh, and looked down, "I blame my own gullibility. I was originally given assurances that they would entirely back my research. At the time, it was an opportunity I couldn't deny considering the fact that The Organisation do have the facilities, technology and money to bring the Nanite Program to reality."

Richard looked up back at Izuku, his eyes burning, "But you Izuku Midoriya, you have the heart and soul to bring about what I intended for the nanites. So, if you can find it in your heart to trust me for the next week kid, then even if it costs my life, I will promise you this. You will get out of here. You will become a hero."

Izuku gulped, he hoped it wouldn't come to that and proceeded to question Richard, "What do you have planned?"

Richard seemed pleased that Izuku didn't outright reject his offer and proceeded to inform Izuku of the next stages. "Despite me stalling for time, in three days they will start to gradually inject you with small doses of nanites to see how your body acclimates, if all goes well and you don't completely mutate, then they plan to move on with the full procedure by the end of the week. If you can survive the first dose, then I will have no doubts that you will be fine. I will personally administer you the Omega in secret on your second dosage. Once you possess the Omega, you will have the ability to command the nanites both currently in your body as well as any future nanites that are assimilated into your body."

"W-wait, didn't you tell them that it was too risky to give me the Omega nanite soon? That in my current state a large volume of nanites could potentially cause a failure?" Izuku asked worriedly.

"Yes, but that is only in an extreme case with an excessive quantity that they would never even consider administering," Richard clarified, "In addition to that, the Omega has been programmed with a self-preservation feature. While even I am unsure of how it will react in that given scenario, one thing is for sure. It will not let you die."

Izuku was stuck between a rock and a hard place by the sounds of it, either way, he was going to have nanites in his body. The choice was whether he controlled them or let someone control him. Guess it was a no-brainer.

"Let's do it, Richard," he stated with conviction.

Richard looked pleased and nodded, "Well, if you're so ready, we better get started right away."

This took Izuku back, but he remained confident, "O-ok" he replied.

Richard proceed to loosen all his restraints, allowing him to fully get off of the bed. When Izuku stood up, he felt weak and light-headed, stumbling before regaining his footing.

Richard gestured towards Izuku, "Follow me," he said, as the pair exited the cell. As they walked through the corridor a figure approached them and there stood the woman who commanded everything. Akumu. Izuku could almost feel the evil radiating off of her as she looked down at him and smirked.

"I take it that this is my Providence, Richard?"

"This is Izuku Midoriya, yes, I am currently taking him to his introductory physical training session."

She crouched down and placed a hand on his head, causing Izuku to shiver, however, he remained silent.

"I have great expectations for you, my Providence."

Her single visible eye stared directly into his soul.

"Do not disappoint me."

With that, she stood up straight and without sparing them a second glance strode down the corridors into the depths of The Compound. Izuku stood frozen until Richard nudged him again.

"Ignore her, we have work to do kid."

"R-right"

The two walked a small distance further before facing a pair of large metal doors. Richard entered a key code on the unit next to the doors and they opened to reveal a room with several scientists, dressed in lab coats staring through observation glass into another room.

Izuku couldn't make out what was behind the observation glass before a wave of light shined out and a shrieking sound echoed out.

"Everyone," Richard's voice echoed out, causing everyone to direct their attention to him and Izuku, "This is Izuku Midoriya, the subject that will be the host to the Alpha-Omega nanite. Today he will be undertaking a physical assessment that you have been briefed on. Please prepare the subject, we will commence shortly."

Richard crouched down so that he was on eye level with Izuku, "Trust me kid. And don't die," he whispered to him before ushering Izuku into the room. The doors slammed shut and at the other end of the room a small hatch opened, and he heard a growl as something emerged.

Izuku stood in shock as a dog-like creature with no eyes, red fur and three tails emerged. It had a long tongue that stuck out from its lipless mouth as its protruding razor-sharp teeth dripped with saliva. Around its neck was a thick metal collar, with a flashing red light.

Izuku took a step back in pure terror as the creature took a step towards him, its long claws dragging against the ground. As the creature continued to stalk towards him, Izuku continued to back up until his back hit the wall, and he froze in fear. Almost as if it could sense his helplessness, the creature took this as the opportunity to lunge at him and instinctually, Izuku dived to the side as the swipe from the claws narrowly missed and the creature crashed into the wall.

Without hesitation, the creature turned and dove towards Izuku once more, so, closing his eyes, he lashed out and kicked forward, his foot making a solid connection with the side of its head. The creature made a slight whimpering noise, backing off ever so slightly, now wary that the prey that it hunted could potentially fight back, and decided to circle Izuku before lunging at him one last time. This time, however, Izuku due to the mixture of fear and fatigue, could not muster the strength to avoid or attack in return and he could only lay there numbly as the claws were inches away from his face.

Just as he thought he was about to be severely mauled, the light on the collar stopped flashing red and turned green as a wave of heat and light engulfed both him and the creature. He heard a high-pitched shriek and opened his eyes to see the metal collar on the ground in between his legs, but the creature was nowhere to be found.

Gasping for air, Izuku turned in fright as he heard doors opening, only to see Richard standing in the doorway, a stern look on his face. Grabbing Izuku by the arm and marching him out of the room. As he exited, he turned and announced to the scientists currently watching.

"See, I told you he wasn't ready. If a child this fragile and fatigued were to assimilate the Omega nanite at this current moment, failure would have been the inevitable outcome. Now that we have confirmation, I will proceed with my preparations for him."

"W-what was that thing? And what just happened?" Izuku stammered out, still shaken up by what had just occurred.

Richard looked at him grimly, "Remember how I told you that when an EVO's cells are overloaded by nanites they die?", Izuku nodded and Richard continued, "That was an example of that, the collar was a fail-safe to protect you. It essentially supercharged the nanites in that EVO's body, accelerating the process and killing it instantly."

Izuku grimaced at the image before looking down dejectedly and starting to cry again.

"I-I'm sorry for being so useless in there, it was just so savage and aggressive and I just froze, you told me not to die but if it wasn't for the collar I would ha-"

Richard barked out a laugh, interrupting Izuku's rambling, "What do you take me for kid? Did you think I would expect you to step in and instantly be a savage EVO killer? You're a dehydrated, starved, and tired kid who is well below average physical levels. You exceeded expectations in my eyes. I'm not mad at you trust me. Your performance, or should I say lack of it, served as a confirmation that you are not ready for the procedure just yet. Your heart rate and other vitals were being measured throughout that encounter and, combined with the fact that you just woke up, I was able to convince them that the levels you are currently at would pose too large of a risk. I doubt that this changes our timeline as they will still want to start with the nanite integration in three days, however, it does confirm that they will allow you a small amount of time to recover I will be able to have time to 'train' you before and during said process."

"So, for all intents and purposes, good job kid." He gave Izuku the first genuine smile that he had received since he had arrived at The Compound before his face quickly shifted back to seriousness. "We don't have a second to waste though as time is not our friend. It's now time to prepare you to receive the Omega nanite."

Three Days Later

Izuku was currently sitting in his cell. Over the past three days, he had been preparing himself both physically and mentally with Richard's help, for the assimilation of the nanites. Every day, Richard had come to his cell at what he assumed to be early in the morning although it was hard to guess the time in the underground facility known as The Compound. Richard had yet to make an appearance today, however, and Izuku knew why. Today was judgement day. Almost on cue, he heard doors opening and voices approaching before the door to his cell opened.

"My dear perfect specimen, how wonderful it is to see you again after all of this time!"

Izuku turned to greet the voice and scowled as he saw Kleito standing in the doorway.

"So, I take it that you're the one that's going to give me the first dose of nanites?" he asked, the disdain obvious in his voice.

Kleito gleefully replied, "But of course! Who better than me? Now if you would follow me, we have a show to put on!"

Kleito led Izuku out of his cell to the same room he had been in three days prior when confronting the dog-like EVO. There, he spotted Richard standing there, stone-faced. Akumu was also standing next to him, her ever-present smirk plastered on her face. It was time for the main event.

Izuku steeled himself and walked into the room behind the observation glass and to the surgery table that was located in the middle of the room, and, like clockwork, a team of scientists surrounded him and secured restraints around his arms and legs. Kleito then approached him with a thin tube that was glowing yellow. Pressing a button on top of the tube, a needle shot out from the bottom. Kleito then raised the syringe to his arm and slammed it down causing Izuku to cry out in pain.

Suddenly, green circuitry appeared on Izuku's skin as his limbs began to bulge and morph into mechanical parts. His left fist grew in size and became square-shaped, his right arm morphed into a dark green sword, and his left leg became a dark green mechanical boot, all while he thrashed against the restraints.

Kleito looked on in shock and awe at the transformation that Izuku was undergoing, "Well, this is an…unexpected result…a purely bio-mechanical mutation…fascinating…"

Izuku squeezed his eyes shut before they shot open, his pupils and irises had vanished, and they were completely glowing a brilliant green. As he let out a shout, a green light emanated from his mouth and a green light shone brightly from his entire body, temporarily blinding everyone behind the observation glass before a loud bang was heard.

As the light died down, everyone held their breath, peering through the observation glass to see the result.

There lay Izuku, his restraints charred, and pieces of dark green metal scattered around him. He was completely unconscious but completely human and completely in one piece. He had successfully survived his first dosage of nanites. The first test subject to accomplish this.

"He did it" breathed Richard.

"Yes…he did" Akumu whispered almost in disbelief, there he was… her Providence, lying right there! A crazed look overtook her face as a lone tear rolled down her cheek. The world would soon belong to her and there was nothing anyone would be able to do about it.

Akumu quickly composed herself and spun to face Kleito "Take him back to his cell, the full procedure starts tomorrow" she ordered.

"Hold on Akumu, we still don't know if he's fully ready" Richard protested.

Her eye narrowed, "He looks ready to me," she replied harshly, "You've done your job, Richard, any further stalling from you and I will start to think your incompetence is outweighing your usefulness."

Richard grit his teeth but remained silent. Judging by the tone in her voice, he had to tread carefully. This was the decider. Now, it was time to play chess rather than checkers.

Later That Day

Izuku awoke once more in his cell, his memories slowly coming back to him. He had successfully survived. Getting up slowly he sighed in relief, now all that remained was for Richard to give him the Omega tomorrow and they would find a way to break out together tomorrow. As he laid back, he heard his cell door open once more and there stood Richard looking extremely panicked.

"We have a problem," he said as he grasped Izuku by the arm and began to drag him out of the cell.

"W-what's going on?" Izuku stammered, the uneasiness was starting to creep in.

"Akumu wants to proceed with the full procedure tomorrow," Richard replied bluntly.

This caused Izuku to freeze. That would mean that he wouldn't be able to possess solely the Omega before becoming a mind-controlled weapon.

"W-wait, why? I thought we would have more time? I thought we had until the end of the week?"

Richard let go of Izuku's arm and turned to face him, a worried expression marred his features, "Today's results. Evidently, she believes that there's no reason to offset the procedure any longer."

Izuku began to panic, "So what are we going to do?"

"You need to come with me right now, and hurry," Richard replied sharply.

The two began to sprint down the corridor all the way to the end. They were greeted by the largest set of metal doors Izuku had ever seen. Richard placed his hand on the scanner next to the door, then positioned his eye for a retinal scan and a loud beep sounded before the door opened. Stepping into the room, Izuku marvelled at the huge furnace-like contraption at the far wall, a large yellow circular light glowing in the middle.

"What is that?" Izuku asked, dumbfounded by the machine.

"That is the nanite reactor. Since the Alpha nanite does not have a vessel, that is what we use to create and store nanites," explained Richard.

Izuku gasped at what was implied "So that thing is full of nanites? That's insane!"

Richard nodded, "Yes, but enough of that we don't have much time I'm going to-"

His words were cut off by a blaring alarm and flashing red lights.

Richard cursed under his breath, "Shit…They know…Quickly, Izuku give me your arm."

"O-ok but what are you doi-OW" Izuku cried out as Richard pulled out a syringe from his jacket and jabbed him in his forearm.

"What was that?" Izuku asked rubbing his arm in an attempt to soothe the pain.

"That was the Omega nanite. It will protect you" Richard replied before briskly heading over to the computer located in front of the nanite reactor and he furiously started typing.

Izuku stood there stupefied. The Omega? He had no idea how to use it!

In the distance, over the sound of the blaring alarms, Izuku could hear footsteps approaching and shouting.

Izuku turned back to Richard and started to panic once more.

"Richard, what is going on? Protect me from what?"

"No time to explain" he said frantically while he continued to type, "Izuku, have you still got those goggles I gave you?"

Izuku reached into his pocket and pulled out the pair of goggles with dark green lenses and held them up for Richard to see.

Richard looked up from the computer and directly into Izuku's eyes, "Every time you put those goggles on, I want you to remember one thing. I can be a hero. Promise me you'll never forget that."

"Richard-" Izuku began, but he was cut off by Richard.

"Promise me Izuku." His eyes were almost pleading with him. Izuku had never seen Richard like this, and it scared him. Nevertheless, he gulped and steeled himself.

"I promise." He told Richard with conviction.

"There you are!" Both turned their attention to the shout that came from the door as there stood Akumu, furious and panting, Kleito followed right behind her.

"Richard, just exactly what are you doing?" Kleito asked his former partner in disbelief.

"It doesn't matter," Akumu said furiously "All that matters is that he is disobeying my orders. I've had enough of your insubordination Richard. You die. Now." She pulled out a pistol and took aim.

Richard simply smiled.

"Well, then, I guess I'll see you in hell."

Kleito's eyes widened as he realised what was going on.

"GET BACK! HE'S GOING TO BLOW THE REACTOR!" Kleito yelled before attempting to retreat.

Richard cast one last smile to Izuku who stood there with his mouth open, before pressing a button on the keyboard.

Instantly, before anyone could register what was going on a wave of light and heat engulfed The Compound in its entirety before a massive explosion erupted, incinerating the facility and forming a mushroom cloud that rose from underground and high into the air.

The animals in the surrounding forest scattered as a wave of hot air spread throughout, and smoke billowed through the trees. It took around two minutes for everything to settle and then there was silence. Then, slowly, there was movement. From the rubble rose a large dark green robotic figure that marched away from the wreckage into the depths of the forest.

A/N: Chapter 4 done. Feel free to review, fav and follow. I'll catch you soon people.