Chapter 1 - Different Opinions

Tartarus Prison, the maximum high security prison where dangerous criminals, such as All for One, were locked away from society. The prison was heavily guarded and monitored, so that even the idea of a breakout, wouldn't penetrate the minds of those that were locked in there. However, at the moment, an escape was in progress. What the guards didn't know, was that there was a mole among them, a mole who had unlocked the Hero Killer: Stain's cell, and now, he was out. He secretly and stealthily navigated his way through the prison, avoiding the cameras, bright lights, and the guards who were on patrol. He then made it to the prison evidence room, where his armor and tools were placed. Discarding the white prison scrubs that he had been given, Stain put his armor back on, along with the tan, tattered cloth that served as his mask.

He was an intimidating, hunched man with a muscular build, long black hair that was messy, and small red eyes with tiny irises. He also had no nose, which he removed himself, before he started his hero killing spree. He was dressed in combat armor, along with a large, blood-red scarf, and several ninja-themed weapons, such as a katana and ninja-stars, littering his person.

Stain was truly a force not to be reckoned with, and he was known for having many kills under his belt, most of which were innocent pro-heroes. However, in his eyes, his killings were justified, as he believed he was purifying the world. He considered many pro-heroes, including Endeavor, to be fakes and liars, and in some respects, he was right, but only about some of them. Those he considered to be true heroes, like All Might, who had sacrificed everything to save others, Stain let them live, and would even aid them. Right now, however, Stain's mission was to be put on hold, as he needed to escape.

The alarm wouldn't go off for a few minutes, as the mole in the guards was making sure to keep the others distracted. That way, Stain could make a quick getaway, and not have to worry about the security force trying to recapture him. After regaining his armor, Stain left the prison evidence room, and continued to stealthily navigate his way through Tartarus. Eventually, he reached the gates of the prison, and the bridge that would take him back to the society that needed to be cleanse. His way out was soon made clear, as a transport truck was bringing in some new acquisitions, and the gates were opening for it. Seeing this as the golden opportunity, Stain made a break for it, and went through the gate, jumping over the unsuspecting guards, who were talking about the new prisoners being brought in. Stain then landed and made a run for it across the bridge - the Hero Killer was free again! It was then that thirty seconds after he had escaped, the alarm went off, and Tartarus was sent into a frenzy!

Stain ran for a couple of more minutes, before deciding to rest and regroup on a rooftop. He perched on the edge, licking his chops with his elongated tongue, and scanned the area. Several erratic thoughts ran through his head, but the biggest question asked was why was he freed? Was Shigaraki setting him up, since their last meeting didn't go over so well? Or was there another villain who wanted to strike up an 'alliance' with him, and was trying to do this out of a gesture of owing a favor? Stain didn't know, and he was wondering if whoever freed him would make their move, and show themselves.

Suddenly, Stain heard humming, and it sounded like this person, a male, was humming Mozart. With slow, unsuspecting movements, Stain reached up to his katana. Then, in one quick move, he unsheathed his katana and aimed it at whoever was approaching him! He then turned, and saw the intruder, who's neck was now four centimeters from the blade of his katana. The intruder was a male man, and he had orange hair that was somewhat long, pale skin, and grey eyes. He was dressed in a black jacket, a black shirt, black pants with black suspenders, and black boots. He also had white earbuds in his ears, and he was bobbing his head to the tune of the Mozart music he was humming.

"Are you the one who freed me?" Stain asked.

"No mate," The stranger replied, his accent British. "I just helped out, bribed a guard who was tired of guarding you blokes, and he let you out to leg it."

"You're not from around here, are you?"

"No, I am not - let's just say I work for foreign affairs. Namely, the bloke who ordered for you to be freed. He was hoping we could have a little chat, namely about you joining our ranks."

"And why does this 'bloke', as you put it, want to do business with me?" Stain asked, as he sheathed his katana.

"Well, we need your help taking down a certain chav, that's all I can say," The stranger replied. "And if you come with me to chat with him, mate, he'll be very well chuffed. What do you say?"

Stain pondered his choice for a few seconds, before replying, "Okay, I'll come - but no funny business."

"Oh don't worry, they'll be no funny business," The stranger replied, putting his hands up defensively. "We know better than to be cheeky with one of you. Just follow me off the roof, we'll get in the car, and we'll go."

The stranger then went down the roof using the fire escape, and Stain followed, jumping off the roof and landing on the ground. He made it faster than the stranger, who had to take a minute or two to get down to ground level. The two then got into the stranger's car, with Stain getting in the backseat, and the stranger driving. Once they were in, the stranger started up his car, and they started driving.

The stranger and Stain arrived at the meeting place, which was an abandoned warehouse, on the outskirts of the town that was near Tartarus. The two got out of the car and entered into the abandoned warehouse, finding it empty, save for a few sparse crates, large and small, that had been left behind. Moonlight streamed in through the broken windows, providing an adequate source of light to the darkened interior. As they walked in, the stranger suddenly stopped.

"You wait here," said the stranger. "I'll go get him, and then we can talk."

The stranger disappeared into the darkness, leaving Stain standing there and waiting. After a few minutes, the stranger returned, along with his employer, who followed behind him.

His employer wore a black hoodie with the hood up, black cargo pants, black fingerless gloves, and black sneakers with black laces. His most eye-catching feature was the mask he wore: a yellow tactical mask with black straps, and it had two large, hollow, black colored eyes, and a large, creepy, cartoon smile painted on it, complete with white teeth and pink gums.

"Greetings and salutations, Hero Killer," said the employer, his tone oddly friendly and polite. "You honor us by gracing us with your presence. I am The Architect, and you've already met my second-in-command, Alec."

Name: UNKNOWN

Age: UNKNOWN

Place of Birth: UNKNOWN

Nationality: American

Quirk: Quirkless - NO QUIRK.

Villain Name: The Architect

Crimes Included: Mass destruction, terrorism, assault and battery, kidnapping, torture, conspiracy.

Name: Alec

Age: 24

Place of Birth: Liverpool, England

Nationality: British

Quirk: Cancellation - Can cancel out other people's quirks, but the user must be touching the targeted person in order for it to work, and only when the user lets go of the targeted person, do the effects wear off.

Villain Name: Alec the Terrible

Crimes Included: Mass destruction, terrorism, assault and battery, kidnapping, torture, conspiracy.

"I take it you're the one who ordered for my freedom," said Stain, his tone showing that he wanted no pleasantries. "What do you want from me?"

"Straight to the point," The Architect replied. "I like people who don't tergiversate around - it's a good quality to have. As for why I have ordered your freedom, we have need of your assistance. And, as you have done, I will get straight to the point: have you heard of Fearless?"

"Fearless? As in, one without fear?"

"Yes, but that is also the name of the young hero, who recently won the World Sports Festival that U.A hosted. I intend to play a game with him, and we are on the first round: quality of mercy, choosing to forgive rather than resent. And you, on the chessboard, are the black knight, with him being the white rook. We need you to knock him off the chessboard, though I don't exactly expect you to succeed, as Fearless is not like the others."

"He's the boy with no quirk, right? The one who gave it his all to win?"

"Yes, and like him, I have no quirk, but like him, I am smart. His intelligence is on par with my own, and in a way, we're connected. And in order for him to disconnect and fall, I need to take the necessary steps - quality of mercy, quality of deliverance, and quality of sacrifice. This first one is going to be your doing, if you are willing to align yourself with us."

"You plan on killing Fearless, and you want me to do it." said Stain.

"Yes, you've got it right," The Architect replied, sounding pleased. "I must say, you are smart, Hero Killer."

Suddenly, Stain drew his katana, and quickly moved to slash at The Architect's throat, but Alec got in the way and blocked the attack with his right forearm! The blade of the katana sliced through Alec's jacket, and was now buried deep in his arm, which started to profusely bleed! Alec let out a pained growl, but still kept standing, acting as a human shield for his employer!

"Let's get something straight here, friend," Stain snarled, baring his teeth. "That 'chess piece' you refer to has to be judged, by my standards. Only then do I decide whether he shall be purged or not. I'm not a mindless killer who picks his targets at a random whim, but rather a purifier of this festering hero society, who's beliefs are that those with the best quirk, and most fans, are the ones who are destined to be remembered forever. If Fearless proves to be a hero, like All Might and Deku, he shall be spared, and you'll have to do your own dirty work to knock him off the chessboard."

"And if not?" The Architect asked, his tone growing dark.

"He dies," Stain replied, before quickly pulling his katana back, which cut Alec even deeper, and causing him to let out a yell of pain. "I was hoping you wouldn't be like that fool Shigaraki, but you're like him in many ways. I thank you for freeing me - I owe you one for that, so I will spare your life and not kill you. But hire someone else to do your handiwork, for I have my own agenda to keep."

Stain wiped the blood off his katana using his pants leg, and then sheathed it. Without turning his back on The Architect and Alec, who was cradling his lacerated arm, Stain walked out the door of the abandoned warehouse. As soon as he closed the door, he vanished, and went his own way, leaving the two villains alone.

"And so, the Hero Killer is free once again, and the distraction is in place," said The Architect, his tone pleased, before turning to Alec and saying, "We'll need to have your arm stitched and bandaged up, and we need to put a tourniquet on it to stop the bleeding."

"Pull the ripped sleeve off me jacket," Alec replied, his tone somewhat pained. "We can use that to tie it off."

The Architect came over, and ripped off the torn sleeve of Alec's jacket, before winding it into a rope, and tying it tightly around his upper arm. It did help, and the bleeding stopped, though there was still a small bit of blood coming out. But that was normal, and it would need to be stitched and bandaged in order to fully stop it.

"Oy, that Stain bloke is bonkers," said Alec, as he and The Architect left the abandoned warehouse. "You're not too gutted about him not joining us, are you?"

"On the contrary, my friend, I am glad that he's not joining us," The Architect replied, his tone pleased. "We are making ourselves known, and by him going out on his own, he'll keep Shigaraki on his toes. Plus, he'll serve as an ample distraction to the heroes - they'll be trying to catch him, and since they're also dealing with Shigaraki's League of Villains, they'll be too busy to notice us sneaking into the scheme of things. You see, the first part of our plan is coming together, and we're doing good."

The Architect then looked up at the sky, with the moon hanging high above them, and said, "Clear night, pleasurable weather, and the plan comes together - I need some fresh air."

The Architect then undid his hood, unsnapped the straps at his tactical mask, then took it off. He felt the warm night air hitting his face, and turned to face Alec, who looked at him with a horrified expression. Seeing his expression, The Architect was a little annoyed.

"Sheesh, you've seen my face plenty of times," The Architect growled. "Why do you keep giving me that look every time I take off my mask?"

"I don't want to give you the truth, 'cause I like me job, and me life, and me limbs connected, and I don't want to lose any of that." Alec replied, his tone disturbed. "Can you put it back on now, please?"

"In a couple of seconds," The Architect replied, his tone annoyed. "I've been wearing that thing for so long, everything smells metallic to me. Not to say I don't enjoy wearing it - it's a lot better than my real face."

"You can say that again, mate," said Alec. "Also, there is the fact that I'm bleeding out over here."

"Oh yes, I apologize, Alec," The Architect replied, picking up his mask from the ground. "In all of my elation, I forgot of your injury - let's head back to home base and fix that."

The Architect put his tactical mask on, snapped the straps back in place, and pulled his hood back up. After fixing his appearance, the two got in the car, started it up, and drove away. From a distance, Stain was watching the two, and they didn't even notice him.

"So, that's the face of The Architect," said Stain. "Yikes…"

Author's Notes: To quote that guy from Independence Day - "Hello boys, I'm back!"

I know, I know, I've been away for a long time, but I've been busy with life outside of FanFiction. Here's what I've been up to:

First, I've been trying to plan and write out some original stories, and post them to Wattpad (I haven't, so don't go looking for them just yet). Second, I'm in a band, so we've been out practicing and working on our songs, so we can play live. I've been busy with these two things, so I've put my FanFiction writing on hold, at least until now.

I do love the fact you guys want more, I admire your support, I do read your reviews and PMs when you message me, and I do respond to them. As for this story, I will be updating it with more chapters, but like I said, my attention is divided right now. But still, stay tuned for more!

R&R,

Heroboy005