"Is this everything, Midoriya?" asked Tsukauchi.
"Yes," the greenette nodded. "I didn't see very much in this dream, just bringing Hirano to All For One and saying he didn't know who he was dealing with... but he should have. We'd met and fought before."
"Alright," the detective closed his notebook.
"There aren't many people who would dare to say something like that to All For One's face," Nedzu mused, staring at something on the ceiling and tapping his chin.
"Do you have a list of them?" Aizawa inquired dryly.
Apparently Nedzu did. "All Might in his prime," Nedzu answered after some thought. "War Dog, but we already know it was not her. Perhaps Destro of the MLA were he still alive," maybe? Izuku had never seen a direct interaction between the two but he somehow doubted Chris would behave so unprofessionally in the face of such a dangerous enemy. "Sekhmet, perhaps," Sekhmet was a pro hero from... Izuku couldn't remember which northern African country. Her reality warping quirk would likely stand up well against All For One's abilities. "Black Ice, the Russian assassin... and he does have some kind of mind manipulation ability," Izuku's heart jumped, "but not possession as Midoriya has experienced, not to my knowledge, anyway." The principal tilted his head again, thinking, "Crown perhaps... he was the leader of a huge Colombian drug cartel many years ago, but I think him dead. Asterisk killed him, I believe, so perhaps Asterisk should be on this list as well. Shriker of Isomorph, perhaps... and Shriker is a mind reader and memory manipulator among other things, but Shriker, being an Isomorph agent herself, would not have needed to jump through so many hoops to acquire her organization's aid in freeing Hirano's prisoners.
Furthermore, she likely would have brought the rest of her twelve person strike team with her rather than stealing a teenager off the street. I can think of many world or underworld leaders who might have spoken to All For One that way over a telephone, but it seems likely that the individual who possessed Midoriya is a Rebel Isles native who has rarely or never been active in the rest of the world before, someone who is completely unknown to us."
"Rebel Isles native?" Aizawa asked. "How do you figure that?"
"Well, part of it is simple inference. Given that Midoriya survived his encounter with the villain, it seems that the possessor's words against All For One were not idle threats and they were able to back them up with force. As we have never encountered such a powerful individual with a possession quirk before it stands to reason that they are from the Rebel Isles. It is the primary source from which incredible powers appear in the underworld without warning. Further, War Dog implied that she knew what might have happened to Midoriya and War Dog is a former Black Forest resident. Midoriya's kidnapper likely passed through that city as well."
"Yeah, that makes sense," Izuku agreed.
"Interesting... what was done to Midoriya might have been a capital offense in Black Forest... hmmm..."
"Oh?" Tsukauchi asked.
"It would likely be considered human trafficking; most forms of kidnapping are... It might have been even more illegal than that, in fact. In Black Forest memory alterations and mind manipulations often fall afoul of the city's rather open-ended laws against what most other societies would deem sexual assault." Izuku spluttered slightly at the implication. "That, too, can be a capital offense in Black Forest. Crimes for which a convicted individual may be put to death in the city include trafficking sapient beings, unprovoked and premeditated murder, 'acts of violation' as discussed, 'egregious abuse of authority over a sentient being' which is intended to deal with severe cases of domestic and animal abuse, and 'acts of exceptional cruelty perpetrated with malice aforethought whose impact can be argued to equal or exceed an act of sapient trafficking, murder, abuse of authority or violation.' The vast majority of executions in Black Forest,--not that there are many--are for the crime of human trafficking. My impression, fallible as it may be given my outsider status, is that prisoners convicted of non-trafficking offenses who can convince a mind reader and empath that they are repentant and would never commit such an act again receive much lighter sentences, penal servitude, exile from the city, or the former followed by the latter."
"The point?" Aizawa asked.
"The point? Isn't it obvious?"
"No," Aizawa and Tuskauchi replied together.
Nedzu met Izuku's eyes, the principal's beady orbs glittering in the lamp light and fluffy ears casually pricked to the side. He knew. Nedzu knew Izuku agreed to be possessed, that the greenette was not snatched, that he was a consenting party. He knew because War Dog met Izuku's possessor in Black Forest and someone who wantonly stole bodies for their own gain would have been tracked down and put to death in that city. However, Nedzu didn't know that Izuku knew this and Nedzu certainly couldn't prove it. If Izuku kept quiet Nedzu would keep quiet, too. They never needed to discuss it. No one else ever had to know.
"It does not really matter," Nedzu replied with a shake of his head. "It does little to help us now."
"Well then," Tsukauchi worried his lip, "I think it might be time to try more drastic measures." "Such as?" Aizawa raised an eyebrow.
"He means we should go to Tartarus with Midoriya, speak to All For One and see what information comes to light," Nedzu steepled his paws.
Kuma was just the one corpse who stood in for the Soulstealer's countless victims in Izuku's mind. There were so many others just like her. Actually seeing that man again... He shuddered, skin crawling as if covered in centipedes.
"You alright, Midoriya?" Aizawa asked him.
"I don't... I should. Maybe you're right. This is the logical next step but I-I-I don't... I'd be happier never seeing that monster again." Kuma's shredded body blurred into the ruins of Utapa and then into Kamino Ward, the quiet sound of the room's ventilation system blurring into an orchestra of screams. He shook the clinging memories away. There was no time for that.
Tsukauchi began slowly, "I was one of the people who interrogated All For One right after Kamino Ward. He is... calling him insane is tempting but I'm really not sure. He considers himself to be a god. The rest of us are just entertainment and food. Speaking to him is always an unpleasant experience, but bringing you to talk to him is something I have been considering since Kamino Ward. It's the logical next step."
"Ugh," Aizawa bared his teeth. "Are we sure we should be taking Midoriya anywhere near this monster again? The League of Villains was looking for him at the training camp attack, presumably to take him back to All For One and I can't imagine it was for a friendly chat." What had All For One intended to do with him? If the Soulstealer had decided he wanted Kuma's quirk back, it would have made more sense to send a group of kidnappers after Izuku when he was, say, getting off the train on his way home prior to the institution of the dorm system. Kurogiri had known Izuku was a UA student since the USJ incident for heaven's sake. No, as he and Nedzu had concluded previously, All For One just didn't care about Midoriya's quirk or his existence in general. So what was the point of stalking him at the training camp? They'd said they only wanted to talk... maybe they'd meant it.
"Although I agree with many of these points, if All For One escapes Tartarus security his potential grudge against Midoriya will be the least of our problems," Nedzu replied.
"But the League are not all incarcerated," Aizawa countered.
Nedzu's eyes flashed. "Unless their capabilities have radically changed since their last appearance, the League of Villains would be handing themselves to us on a silver platter should they attempt a targeted attack against any student of this school."
"Are you sure of that?" Aizawa raised an eyebrow. "War Dog jumped right over the fence."
"And the vulnerability that allowed her to do so has since been erased with extreme prejudice," Nedzu replied, cold as ice, "as the remaining League of Villains would be should they foolishly attempt to break into my school or attack one of my students."
Tsukauchi interrupted the exchange, breaking the tension. "I really think it's worth the risk if Midoriya agrees. We will also need to speak with his mother, of course."
Should Izuku do this? Chances were nothing good would come of it. All For One would just taunt him and try to stoke strife and suspicion among the heroes but... "Yeah, I'll go," Izuku sighed. At
least All For One wouldn't know the greenette was a willing participant in his own kidnapping. That wasn't at risk of coming to light... probably. The Soulstealer would, however, know about the quirk transfer the greenette was trying to keep secret... Izuku exchanged a glance with Nedzu. Nedzu had told Midoriya to keep that quiet; it might well be revealed if All For One gave them anything at all during this meeting. The Soulstealer would probably find it highly amusing to dangle that information in front of them like a bank note on a fishing hook.
Replying to the unspoken question, the principal answered, "yes, despite my previous assessment, I believe this conversation is likely worth the risk."
"Previous assessment?" Aizawa bristled. "What are you not telling us, Nedzu?"
"Something that, should All For One choose to reveal it, will require everyone involved to be be sworn to secrecy," the principal replied, "but I suspect it will not come up. It would be extremely helpful to learn what enemy of All For One was involved in Midoriya's kidnapping, or any further details about the situation, but I do not expect any new information to come to light. It is far more likely that the man will stonewall or attempt to confuse or enrage us, however, it is possible that bringing Midoriya along might cause him to reveal something he did not intend to when taunting us. Given that we still cannot find the remaining members of the League of Villains and know very little about the nomu, any tidbit of information could be valuable."
Ah. So this was less about Izuku and more about trying to find information about the nomu and the rest of All For One's criminal empire. That made sense... and was certainly more important that the greenette's personal secrets. "Yeah, like I said, I'll go," Izuku agreed. "I'll talk to my mother about it, explain to her. She'll agree."
It was unclear whether Tartarus was built in an old missile silo or just designed to appear as if it had been built in an old missile silo. The name was apt given that the maximum security levels were underground in a (practically) bottomless pit. The main doors ought to have "Abandon All Hope Ye Who Enter Here" painted on the frame. The barbed wire and the imposing, steel bar fence was just for show or, rather, was for keeping fools out rather than anyone in. The second fence--which looked tame in comparison--bore a very prominent warning about high voltage.
Izuku emptied his pockets, placing a scant few items on the conveyor belt, before stepping through a metal detector and then a body scanner. "Step over here, please," a guard told him. Izuku--used to this routine from airport security--stood stock still as the guard in question patted down his hair. They were going to do that to him on the way out, too, weren't they?
Normally the ridiculous hair patting irritated him but today he didn't much care. He had spent the entire night fighting the first truly nasty battle of the MLA war, the sacking of Geono port, from four different general's perspectives. He had been Destro barking orders when the conflict began, then Switcher putting a knife through an enemy commander's spine, then Could Viper hijacking communications and setting up explosive charges, then Fractal taking command of the operation as Destro went out to the front lines, then Destro again for what was certainly the bloodiest fight Izuku had ever witnessed. It had dragged on and on and on, probably the longest vision he'd ever
had and Izuku felt more like some amalgamation of the generals than himself in the aftermath. Fractal's cool, dispassionate logic and Switcher's calculating, predatory patience seemed to have sunk into him more than Destro's righteous fury or Could Viper's opportunistic glee. Things that would normally bother Izuku--or at least elicit some emotion--didn't seem to matter.
Izuku collected his effects from the end of the conveyor belt. Meanwhile, Nedzu made a very displeased noise as various, fluffy bits of his fur were inspected. Aizawa, too, was subject to a hair search. Only Tsukauchi made it through without a fuss. His expression wasn't quite smug and remained unchanged in the face of Nedzu's glower but somehow Izuku knew the detective was laughing at them.
The four of them presented identification and answered a few questions to a guard with a quirk similar to Tsukauchi's before finally entering the prison proper.
The whole place was gray. The walls, the floor, the guard uniforms, everything was gray. Even the lights looked gray. Two guards escorted the four of them past the minimum security above ground facility (well, minimum security for Tartarus) through several doors that wouldn't have looked out of place guarding a bank vault to a lobby containing a single elevator.
All of the Tartarus guards were licensed to use their quirks in combat and armed with automatic weapons as well. Many were retired pro heroes--Izuku thought he recognized the woman waiting for them at the elevator. "Level 26, please, ma'am," Nedzu told her.
"They're expecting you," she nodded, entering a code into the elevator control panel. The doors slid open slowly. "Watch your step."
The four visitors entered. This box was too small for comfort, too clinical, like an operating theater lowered through a shaft on a cable. What if the door never opened again and the four of them were stranded here forever? Was there an exit hatch in the ceiling? Yes. There was... Izuku could stand on someone's shoulders to get to it--the elevator stopped. That was fast.
The door opened slowly. Two guards greeted them with fully automatic assault rifles in hand and riot gear covering their bodies from head to toe. The face shields were clear to mitigate the possibility of an infiltrator in a guard's uniform going unnoticed, and to make their general disapproval of the visitors clear to everyone. Had the guards on the main floor not called to authorize their arrival, Izuku had no doubt that these men would have leveled their weapons at their hearts without hesitation.
Another guard approached from the hallway to the left. "Principal Nedzu," she greeted him, "hero, detective, student. This way please."
The four of them fell in step behind their guide. Izuku had half expected All For One to be the sole occupant of this floor, but that was not the case. Perhaps it would have been best, but even Tartarus did not have the resources to give each triple-S prisoner a private wing.
At least four layers of reinforced, one-way glass interleaved with heavy, metal bars, electrified mesh and high-powered laser beams separated the prisoners from the hallway without obscuring the hallway's views of the cells. Each prisoner's room was about seven meters by seven meters, the larger size a necessity since these prisoners were never allowed out to exercise or even shower.
There was the death row inmate Moonfish, the ferocious villain repeatedly banging his head against the wall and roaring incoherently. The man was quirk-cuffed, but clearly destructive even without the power of his razor teeth at his disposal. There was nothing in his cell save a bed covered in slash marks. If Moonfish hadn't been insane before they brought him down here he
certainly was now. Even moderate stays in solitary confinement were unholy hell, often causing permanent psychological problems, even straight up insanity. None the less, what else could Tartarus do with a villain like Moonfish? He was a cannibal; he would kill and eat anyone and anything that tried to interact with him... but they could at least give him a television to stave off the madness, couldn't they? Would he just smash that, too?
Izuku didn't recognize the sniveling, red-haired woman in the next cell. She, at least, had a usable bed, books and writing material.
The next inmate was... Hawks. He sprawled casually on his bed, wings spread broadly behind him. From his disgusted expression, he would like some more entertaining reading material. The ex-hero sighed and tossed the manuscript gently onto the neighboring desk. He looked so... normal. As if nothing had changed. Murderer? Double agent? Triple agent? It was impossible to say. Izuku stared at the red winged man and felt nothing at all. Was that because there was nothing to feel or because he was too caught up in Switcher and Fractal's combat mindsets to make room for the emotions that should be there?
The following two cells were empty. The group reached an intersection and continued straight until they arrived at the end of the hall. Their guide underwent a retina scan to unlock another bank vault-style blast door. The portal swung open without a sound and the four visitors stepped into a small control room. A warden and three guards glanced up sharply then returned their attention to the terminals, barely acknowledging Nedzu's greeting.
"We'll get the intercom set up for you," the warden told them, carefully typing a few commands into her terminal before flicking a blue switch.
Right in front of them, mere feet away, All For One sat serenely in his cell. He was not quirk- cuffed... quirk-cuffs probably didn't work on him--even the most expensive, energy guzzling models were not full-proof--hence the straight jacket and automated security systems ready to shock or shoot the prisoner as necessary if he made one wrong move. A bleach blonde man, face sharp and eyes glittering with malice, stood above him with a hand outstretched, the glow of a lethal emitter quirk coalescing between his fingers--stood up above the crowd sweet talking to the canon fodder--smirked from amidst the Japanese government forces--smiled serenely on the cover of The New York Times--lounged on the centerfold with the confidence of a demigod.
"You used to be pretty on the outside at least," Izuku heard someone say. One by one, faces turned to stare at him. Oh. It was him. He'd said that.
"Oh my," All For One the Mr. Potato Head impersonator hummed. It seemed the intercom was already online. "Is that any way to speak to a disabled elder?" Standing up above him, victorious and smug as any snake--"not how I'd speak to anyone else. Being rude to you is a service to the public."--"No need to be shy. Let me see your pretty face. There we are. The fear of death becomes you." He shook his head, trying to focus on events in front of him rather than the handful of disjointed memory fragments bursting behind his eyes.
Izuku considered not answering but Nedzu waved his hand, indicating that the greenette should continue the conversation naturally. Fossa nodded. "Being rude to you is a service to the public," Izuku replied. He was quoting Kuma, or maybe Epona. For some reason their voices sometimes sounded similar to him despite their very different accents.
"Hm... where have I heard that before? Ah, yes. That's exactly what Tripswitch said to me right before I killed her." Fossa hissed, clamping down on his reaction a second too late. All For One knew exactly who Izuku was; the bastard was playing with him, teasing him and the investigators with information and Izuku had, without thinking, just given the man a huge amount of leverage,
accidentally hinting to the memories he'd inherited. "Oh? Did I strike a nerve? The fear of death became her."