Chapter 14: Coffee
(Somewhat Important Announcement at End)
Shota Aizawa's patience tended to… vary depending on the situation. Sometimes he could have the patience of a Saint and sometimes anybody talking to him would be on thin ice. The latter was usually reserved for his students who thought being a Hero was all fun and games, and that's what drove him to request expulsion privileges from U.A.'s diminutive principal. Right now his patience had basically run out.
It had been a week since the raid on the factory, or rather the trap that had been disguised as a raid, and he hadn't heard so much as a peep from the police or the HPSC. Every time he sent in a query the response had been the same: "We cannot currently reveal anything at this time, if we have need of you we will contact you." Any queries he sent in about Mariana had been outright refused. The paramedics had taken her without so much as a word to him, and judging by her expression she had been just as confused as he was. Since that night? Nothing.
Aizawa stared at the screen in front of him. If only his Quirk was getting papers to grade themselves, then his headache would've disappeared hours ago. He had just started typing when his phone buzzed. He blinked in confusion when he saw a message from an unknown number.
–?: Is this Eraser Head?
The Erasure hero frowned as he saw the text message. Three dots appeared under the text before the mystery person sent another text.
–?: Deep that probably sounded creepy. It's Mariana, I need to talk to you.
–Shota Aizawa: What about?
–Mariana: Things that should probably be discussed in person. Does coffee sound good?
Attached to the text was an address. A quick search showed that it was a Hero Coffee Shop, basically a place where heroes could grab a bite to eat without anybody bothering them. It was also a place where certain discussions could be held without prying eyes or curious ears. Honestly there really wasn't any reason for him to go, sure he was curious but…
–Shota Aizawa: What time?
–Mariana: 19:00? Sorry, 7:00pm?
–Shota Aizawa: I know Zulu time…
–Mariana: Oh… Sorry
–Shota Aizawa: I'll be there.
–Mariana: Ok! See you then!
Aizawa turned his phone off and leaned back in his chair. His headache was coming back…
–Eraser Head: I'll be there.
–Mariana: Ok! See you then!
I stared at the last message, tapping my fingers against the table of the small booth I sat in. My internal clock read 18:57 and Aizawa hadn't shown up yet. Honestly… I was being weird. Why did I care if he showed up on time? It's not like I wanted him to come here, I just… j-just needed to clear the air was all! The HPSC was stonewalling him, they hadn't told him a word about anything that was going on. They still weren't taking the threat seriously and it had cost them…
18:59
My tapping rhythm got faster as my mind raced. WerWolf was progressing and nobody was taking it seriously… The Heroes were treating this like it was a villain. Newsflash! An Abyssal Demon was so much worse than a villain. Villains didn't have centuries of subterfuge and combat experience. And there was nothing I could do about it… I had already contacted Dione about deploying Hunter killer teams but she was stonewalled too. The rebuilding of the Deep and the Pacific Abyssals as a whole were being treated like a nation under military occupation. Dione could only do so much before people started asking difficult questions. I frowned, taking a sip of my coffee. This Peace was so new, and so fragile…
19:00
Somebody slipped into my booth, startling me from my drink. My electric blue eyes met tired dark ones. He was here…
"You wanted to talk?" He asked, letting out a breath through his nose.
"I-I did!" I stammered before clearing my throat. "We never really got to talk about… things after the Raid. I kinda wanted to check in on you, not everyday you get in a fight with… somebody like that…" I hinted, trying to keep a neutral expression.
"A villain? I think I've fought more than a few of those…" He leaned back before waving over a waitress to order a coffee. I… would deny to this day that I copied his choice of coffee and saved it as a priority file.
I hummed, speaking into my cup. "Probably not like this one…"
Aizawa let out an agitated grunt before moving to stand. "Look, if you just wanted to check in with me we could've done over text."
I didn't look up, still staring at my coffee. "The HPSC is stonewalling you," I stated. He paused his movements. "If you want answers… real answers, you'll sit back down…" He stayed still for a minute, contemplating, before slowly he settled back down.
"Real answers." He parroted.
I nodded, talking his leg under the table with a manila folder, speaking almost in a murmur. "Even with what I just said, just know that this is all classified above top secret. This is information that could start a war if it fell into the wrong hands." I looked Aizawa in the eyes. I was giving him an out and he knew it. Was this a smart decision? Maybe not, but I was sick and tired of nobody taking this seriously. The folder was taken from my hands, but he never put it on the table. I made the right choice.
"How's your back?" He asked.
"Excruciating… I should technically still be in recovery in a repair bath. Nobody knows I'm here except for a friend." I wasn't lying either. My clothes dug into the wound, and my DAMCON crew was working around the clock to prevent any spills or leaks.
"And if they find out?"
I huffed out a laugh. "Kongou's never really been a stickler for the rules… Plus I promised to bring her a bag of coffee. Most that'll happen to me is I'll be chewed out, I'm not military anymore."
"A repair bath?" He asked. It looked like we were making conversation but I could hear him riffling. He was storing the file in a small bag he had brought with him. The waitress brought him his coffee and he took a long sip. The difference was astounding.
"Our… kind… don't go down easy. A fatal wound for you is an annoyance for us. You saw it for yourself, my back was cut open and there was machinery instead of muscle and bone." I took a sip of my own coffee. "A repair bath is like a… dry dock, if that makes sense? We take a long soak and our injuries are repaired over a period of time."
"How long should you have been in one?" He asked, giving me an odd look.
It was like I was being stared down by the Pacific Princess after disappointing her. "… About forty eight hours?"
His expression didn't change. "How long were you in one?"
I gulped. Why was I so nervous? Why did I care so much? "About five hours?"
"You really are the height of irrationality…" he sighed. "You're just like some of my students."
I couldn't help but smile a little bit, "you're a teacher?"
"Is that so hard to believe?"
"No, not at all." I shrugged. "I just like teachers… That sounded weird, um, in the 40's Wake Island had about a thousand civilian contractors. One of them was a school teacher, English composition." Deep what was wrong with me? Neither of us spoke for a minute. I was too awkward and I had no idea what was going through his head. "Oh, by the way, your quirk is Erasure right?"
"Yeah, what about it?" He asked, furrowing his brow. I tapped my fingers again.
"When I was fighting you used your Quirk… My gauntlets and her cleaver both disappeared… Do you think you could use it on me again? I want to check something."
Aizawa raised an eyebrow but regardless his eyes flashed red and his hair began floating. Nothing felt off, but I requested a status report from every station. Everything came back green. But… When I went to form my gauntlets nothing happened. I knew the feeling like it was the back of my hand, but it just… wasn't there… It was like there was a disconnect, and it felt very wrong. I even tried launching an airplane but the flight crew told me that no matter what they did the engines wouldn't start. I didn't try to fire a cannon off, but I felt like the result would be the same. I frowned and my tapping began anew.
"Something wrong?"
"I can't summon anything…" I said almost in disbelief.
"Aren't Shipgirls different from humans? Your ability isn't a quirk."
"It shouldn't be… It's not…" words weren't coming to me. I pursed my lips before speaking. "Yet you're canceling out my power… I don't know what this means yet, but…" I shook my head. "That's not important right now. Now you may have a bigger problem."
"I'm assuming my sudden problem is related to the info you gave me?" He asked, tapping his bag.
"Yes… If I put two and two together there's a chance that she did as well… I don't know if…" I looked down in worry. Was he in danger now? Would the Demon be that reckless? I didn't know what to do… "She… is very unpredictable… If she came to the same conclusion that I just did…"
"Then I'm in danger?" He guessed almost boredly.
"Yes! You–" I blinked, the wind taken out of my sales. "Yooouuu should probably be more concerned about this?" I asked, weirdly nervous.
"I'm a Pro Hero. I deal with the dark side of humanity almost daily," he defended.
"This… She's not someone to underestimate!" I whisper-yelled. "She's!–" I paused, looking down and whispering. "She's an Abyssal, and a very powerful one."
His eyes widened a fraction but he didn't outwardly react. "No wonder the file was top secret."
"Please, Aizawa." I begged.
"I'll be careful… if I see anything that looks like she might be trying to find me I'll let you know."
I sighed in relief. "That's good enough, I guess… I'll also let you know if more things come up. Keeping you in the loop might be a mistake but… I'm tired of nobody taking this seriously." As I finished talking a bald Humvee pulled up to the curb outside of the coffee shop. I wasn't surprised to see Kongou step out of the car, the Miko wearing battleship rubbing the back of her head with a sheepish smile.
Aizawa was looking out as well, "let me guess, you're busted?"
"Looks like it, but it shouldn't be–" Admiral Mato stepped out of the Humvee next, crossing her arms. She did not look happy to see me here. "–too… bad…"
"She looks important," Aizawa stated dryly.
"Yeah… she is…" I weakly replied. The admiral crooked a finger at me, frowning heavily. Kongou looked like a kid who had been caught with the whole cookie jar. If she looked guilty then this was bad. "Well, thanks for meeting me here, I enjoyed our little talk."
"Yeah, maybe we'll do it again sometime." A circuit panel exploded inside of me. I didn't even hear the rest of what he said, but when I looked back at him, face as red as a tomato he was already texting someone else. A colleague it looked like. Well… time to face the music…
"I–"
"I don't wanna hear it!" Admiral Mato yelled at me, making me flinch. The car ride had been entirely silent with Kongou staring out the window and Mato glaring daggers at me. The tension was so heavy it could be cut by a butter knife. "Do you have any idea how much danger you're in?!"
My boiler heated up, but not because of embarrassment. "No more than usual if I had to guess. I am a Pro Hero after all, being in danger comes with the job description."
"That's now what I meant and you know it!"
"Then what did you mean?! The Demon won't make such a brazen attack in public, even close to night like this!" I raised my voice, snarling.
"How do we know that for sure?! She's completely erratic! We haven't been able to pin her down at all!"
"I have more data on her than you could ever hope to have!"
"Then how about you start sharing then!"
"I did!" I growled, eyes flashing an eerie blue. "I gave you and the HPSC everything!" I pointed a finger at her, "and I've gotten nothing in return! One raid, I've been called up for one fucking raid!"
"We have reason to believe that she's targeting you specifically, so we're trying to distance you from the investigation," Mato tried, diplomatically.
All it did was make me explode with rage. "Oh, well thank fuck that we know that! What was your first clue?! That she attacked me the first time?! Or maybe that she laid a trap for me a week ago!?" I screamed, "You of all people should know how dangerous this situation is! Or did you forget about the fucking war?!" The car stopped at the naval base and I slammed the door open, storming out. Mato followed me with Kongou trailing uncharacteristically nervously behind.
"Of course I remember! How could I forget what the Abyssals did to us?!"
"There it is!" I threw my hands up. "Is that why I'm not a part of the investigation? I thought we were at peace! I thought we were supposed to trust each other now!
"Of course that isn't the reason!" Mato yelled. Luckily there wasn't anyone other than us outside, or this would've been a very awkward spectacle.
"Then tell me!" I whipped around, advancing on the Admiral. "The Navy and the HPSC are collaborating to find out why the Demon is in Japan, you're trying to find out what Operation WerWolf is! Why am I being shut out?! I'm an Abyssal! I may not have all of the answers but I can offer insight that nobody has! I might be a Pro Hero right now, but I'm still the Supply Depot Princess! Even if I've abdicated my position there's no changing what I am! I'm stronger than her! Would you rather risk some Heroes who have no idea what they're facing, a Shipgirl that you hold dear, or me?! The only person who knows the true capabilities of the Abyssal Demons!?" At this point I was right in Admiral Mato's face, causing her to take a step back. "I am tired of being left in the dark! I've given so much to ensure Peace, and this is what I get in return?" I was panting by the time I finished. Both the Admiral and the Shipgirl were stunned into silence. I took a step back. "If she kills somebody, that's on you… You, the HPSC, anyone who's keeping me out of this. Their blood will be on your hands…" I had run out of steam, my back was throbbing, I was tired… I turned back around and made my way to the repair baths. I heard someone follow me in as I stripped off my Hero Costume.
"I'm sorry, Kongou. None of that was directed at you… And you're probably in a lot of trouble because of me." Good job Mariana!
"Hey," she said, smiling sadly at me, "what are friends for, dess?"
"Some friend I am…"
"Nah, don't worry, dess! That was nothing, I've done much worse before."
"Oh yeah?" I grabbed a towel and walked into the large hot spring-esque room. It was a large room with multiple small pools and one large section. Wrapping a towel around myself I entered the pool I had left hours ago, wincing as the water seeped into my wounds.
Kongou didn't get in the water, but she did sit next to my pool. "Yep! It was a few years after the War had started, my sisters and I came up with this elaborate plan to show the Admiral of the time my Burning Love~" Kongou continued to tell her elaborate story while my repair teams resumed their work. It would be a long process but it looked like I'd have some company for the time being. And it didn't seem like she was angry at me either. That was good, I didn't want to alienate one of my only friends…
But even if my mood was somewhat better, that didn't change the fact that things needed to change. If nobody here was willing to go the extra mile then I would call in somebody that was.
Okinawa
[Wake Island to Jackal, repeat, Wake Island to Jackal.]
Four pairs of yellow eyes whipped to the radio. Three pairs then looked at one. Shrugging she stood up, stretching.
[Jackal to Wake Island, we got ya.]
[It's good to hear your voice, Jackal. How've you been?]
[Not bad all things considered. Kinda boring. I'm assuming that this isn't a courtesy call?]
[No, it's not… I'm sorry to do this now of all times but I'm calling in that favor.]
All four Abyssals grinned wolfishly. Their leader chuckled.
['Bout damn time! I was wondering if you'd forgotten!]
[And I said that you didn't owe me anything… But you were insistent, so here we are.]
[Hey, hey! Don't worry, you're doin' us a favor here.]
[Don't thank me yet, I haven't even given you the details yet.
[Well don't keep a girl in suspense~]
[The Submarine Shark Water Demon of the Atlantic Fleet has infiltrated Japan. She's doing Deep knows what, and I've been stonewalled.]
[Lemme guess, nobody taking this seriously?]
[No… They're not…]
[Well then it sounds like you need the help of some Wild Dogs!~]
All four Abyssals made howling noises before laughing. The three quietly listened as their leader talked over the radio afterwards.
[Heh. You girls sure haven't changed. How fast can you get to Japan?]
[With all the patrols? Hmmmm, give us three days.]
[I'll trust you on that. Call me when you make landfall.]
[Aye aye skipper~ Jackal out.]
The Abyssal light cruiser known as Jackal turned to her three destroyers. "Pack your shit, we're goin' to Japan!"
"Hell yeah!"
"Finally some action!"
"Oh I'm so excited!~"
She nodded in approval. "Looks like The Wild Dogs are back in business~"
(WARNING FOR BLOOD AND GORE)
"P-Please! I did everything you asked!"
"I know~ And somehow it still all went wrong~"
The police chief held the stump of his arm, as he tried to wriggle away from the monster in front of him. He had been on his way home from work when something had hit him, and now he was in hell. The woman—the monster in front of him cackled as she licked her fingers clean of the blood on them, his blood. Her nails extended into talons and she stabbed them into his leg, pinning him to the ground. He let out a strangled cry as she crouched down, caressing his cheek with her other equally bloodstained hand.
"Why is that?~ Was it that man you sent with her, perhaps? Or maybe you gave her some kind of warning?~ You'll tell, won't you?~" A wide grin split her lips, exposing her shark-like teeth stained with blood and bits of flesh. She gave his cheek a pat, "Tell me where you went wrong~"
"I-I didn't tell her anything, I swear! Please h-have mercy, I have a wife and daughter!" he begged, tears streaming down his eyes. His ears were ringing from the blood loss.
"No you don't~ Not any more at least~" The man went pale as her words sank in. "Their screams were so delectable, and there was so much red I could've painted a portrait from them~ They screamed and screamed that you'd come and save them, I even let your daughter live for an hour longer. The despair as she realized her fate was sealed was a most precious desert~" With a swipe the man's leg was separated from his body, causing him to scream in agony. Right in front of him she took the severed limb and ate it, moaning sickeningly as it disappeared. This had to be hell, or some sick and twisted nightmare.
"I thought about sparing you, you know." The demon gripped his hair so he met her sick eyes. "But you were already under investigation for corruption and dealings with the Yakuza. I did the city a favor, maybe even I can be a hero!~" Her nail dragged dangerously close to his eye, causing her to giggle. "Do you think so?~ Can I be a hero like Mariana?~"
Despite everything the police chief spat in her face, causing her to blink. "No. You're a twisted villain, and I know that one day your sins will catch up with you!" He screamed. With his remaining arm he drew his sidearm and emptied the magazine in her face. Terror lit up his face when every shot shattered or flattened. The demon grabbed the gun and his hand, squeezing until his bones shattered.
"Was that all you could do?~ Well, if I end up going to hell then maybe you can be there to greet me~" Lightning quick she swiped with a singular talon, watching as the man's head rolled from his shoulders. Covered in blood the Submarine Shark Water Demon stood up, giving the corpse a glance. "Unfortunately I'm not hungry enough for you~ I'll just leave you, give someone else a fond memory when they find you~"
(WARNING OVER)
Leaving the building she made her way to the coast North of Sendai. Two Yo-Class submarines were waiting for her. They kneeled when they saw her. "Kommandantin!"
"Ah~ 94 and 124~ I'm so happy to see you, are you doing well?~" The two U-Boats stiffened in fear as she approached them. Fear and Respect, which was good enough for her.
"We've been making our runs without fail. The… creatures that our partners have given us have been deployed to their designated targets. We're on schedule…"
"Good girl~" The Demon patted the head of U-94, causing her to freeze entirely. She didn't so much as breathe, lest she lose her head. Thankfully the monster pulled her hand away. "Our schedule has been moved up, you have six months to deliver the rest of the shipments."
"Ja, Kommandantin!" They both said before diving back into the miles off coast they separated, one going North and one going South.
U-94 ruminated as she swam. Every Abyssal in the Atlantic had felt when the Deep had been destroyed, but they didn't know what it was. It was only when it was announced that the traitor had signed a Peace Treaty did they finally learn what had transpired. They were furious, distraught, grieving, despairing. The Atlantic ocean Princess didn't know what to do, or how to go forward, but it was then that the Submarine Shark Water Demon made her suggestion. Apparently she had made contact with a human that wanted to help them. It was absurd and nobody believed her, but then the Demon had told them how they could get their revenge. Everybody was too emotional, nobody was thinking clearly, nobody even thought to consider how the human had gotten in contact with them or what his intentions were. Vengeance had clouded their mind, and the Demon had her supporters. Now they were here, giving weapons to gangs and villains, and delivering packages across Japan. She had seen the creatures inside of those packages. They were abominations…
BOOM!
U-94 was sent head over heel as a depth charge exploded right behind her. She made a hard right turn but another one exploded in front of her! Then the left, down, behind her. She twisted and dove when an explosive hit her directly.
BOOM!
There was a breach! Her ballasts were flooding! She sounded an alarm and kicked her way to the surface as fast as she could. She breached the water taking a deep breath before pain exploded across her side. Before she could take stock of the situation somebody grabbed her arms and yanked her above water,
'Well well well~ What do we have here?~" Yellow eyes found her own. An Abyssal Light Cruiser stood in front of her with her hands on her hips and a ferocious grin. She wore a black sailor's uniform with a knee length skirt. Her entire right arm was covered by a glove and she had the trademark black Abyssal rigging with four dual-six inch guns. Two horns peeked out of her black pixie cut.
The one holding her left arm laughed, "that was fast as shit! Wanna call it in, Jackal?"
The Cruiser snapped her fingers, "oh! That's not a bad idea, actually. Hey Coyote, call Wake, let her know that the Wild Dogs are bringing her a present~"
"Hell yeah!"
U-94 hung her head in shame and fear. What was going to happen to her now?
Do we have a first unofficial date with Aizawa? I think so!
Our Abyssal is smitten already, even if she doesn't already know what that means yet~ And so Aizawa is brought into the loop with what's going on. Will he be a help or a hindrance? And Mariana finally explodes from being kept out of the loop for so long. Japan's handling of the situation has much to be desired. Abyssals aren't villains. Looks like Mariana's gonna have to take this into her own hands~
And the first step is the introduction of the Wild Dogs!
Also this story is technically rated M already, but just in case people are squeamish I put a content warning in just in case. And also again, I've started responding to comments, and if a chapter has a comment I'll start responding each time I update. A lot of the comments were already addressed by further chapters, so I'll pick a few that stand out and going forward I'll respond to every single one as long as it's feasible.
For everybody who told me that they enjoyed this story or am glad I've continued it, etc.: Thank you so much! It's because of you guys that these stories continue.
Ultima-owner and BlackSands144: The HPSC are at odds with the Navy because it's a group of incredibly powerful individuals that aren't under their control. They have a mutual agreement, but the HPSC is doing things behind the scenes that shall not be spoiled.
DragonANGL: The Peace Time Abyssals aren't gone just yet, and we'll see what they're up to pretty soon~ And though it'll be explained in depth further on, I hope this chapter sheds some light on the AFO situation.
GiantPsychoGecko: If you don't Rock And Stone, you ain't comin' home!
Now for something a bit different~
Next Story in the Rotation: Absolute Radiance
However, I also have a bit of a teaser in the works. I'm working on a new project that'll come out sometime this month or the next month. This will be repeated in my other two stories as well, but you're the first to see it!
Final Destination: Teaser
"Ow! Must you be so rough?!"
"You tensed up and jerked away from me… If you had relaxed like I told you to, you would've been fine." The doctor grumbled, pulling the needle away.
"I still don't know why I need these yearly shots, it's so demeaning!" The patient complained, lavender eyes trying to burn holes into the doctor's back.
"You know damn well why you need these shots, Yushiro. Your blood is thinning. She only gave you as much as you needed to survive, and slowly it's being purged from your system."
The Demon known as Yushiro continued before the doctor could finish, "And when it's gone I'll be human again. You're stalling the process by giving me your blood, Datenshi." Yushiro glared at the now named doctor, but it lacked heat.
"And so far it's working. You should've died a century ago, and yet here we are."
"And we have no idea when she's coming back," Yushiro lamented. There was silence between the two of them. "Usually this is where you say something dark or hopeless, Doctor."
Datenshi sighed, typing something at his desk. "Yet nothing comes to mind…" Yushiro rubbed his already healed arm and stood. "I want her to come back too, you know." Both of them stopped, looking down.
"I miss her…" Yushiro whispered.
"I know… I know…" The doctor sighed before looking at the centuries old artist. "But we have each other, the last of our kind."
Yushiro scoffed. "Please, you being soft is making me sick."
Datenshi huffed, shaking his head. "I thought I was going to vomit just saying it. Get out of my office you ungrateful ingrate, I have patients to see."
Yushiro growled before fast walking out of the door, pausing just before he disappeared. "Thank you…" he said sincerely before vanishing from sight.
"Anytime, my old friend…" Finishing his document he stood and entered the lobby of his clinic. For a moment he stared out of the window, beyond, and through the thick viewing port across the small walkway. Five gigantic metallic arms extended away from him. Each of them were gargantuan cities of their own. Beyond? A purple hued nebula with hundreds of space faring vessels going to and from the giant station.
"May you live in interesting times indeed." He muttered to himself before a mother and daughter rushed through the Clinic's entrance. His eyes momentarily lingered on their blue-hued skin before he got to work.
"My daughter!– Her arm…" The mother stressed.
He gently took the arm of the little girl, maybe five or six, and gave it a brief inspection. "It doesn't appear to be anything serious, but please follow me." The three of them went back into the room he had just left, leaving the view alone.
May you live in interesting times indeed…
Thank you for reading, and I'll see you soon!~
