Michael was ripped from unconsciousness to the sound of his phone ringing, the alarm screamed lyrics from some metal song he'd forgotten the words to long ago. Scowling, he answered. "It's four in the fucking morning. Can I help you?"
"Apologies, Farron. I realize the hour, but it seems as if you'll be needed for this."
"Kurogiri… What is it?"
"It seems Master Shigaraki wants to do a little introductory mission, to see how the team works together. He specifically requested that you attend."
"I guess I didn't hit him hard enough the first time, huh?"
"On the contrary. The young master thinks that since you are so concerned with the makeup of the team, you should assess it for yourself."
"Touche. Fine, let me get my shoes on and you can portal me over."
The phone line went dead as Michael sat up with a groan, stretching out the stiffness in his muscles. His grey eyes took only a moment to swap to his thermal vision, spotting his shoes dimly glowing in the pitch black room. Stepping into them, Kurogiri's portal swirled into existence only moments later. The inky black mass seemed to consume him as he stepped through, spitting him out in the middle of the bar floor.
A slight chill met his exposed chest as he looked to see the villains gathered in waiting around him. Toga's eyes were the first he saw staring at him, the golden slits drinking in his image. He swore she was committing every scar and line of his chest to memory, his lower half only blocked by the loose grey sweatpants he wore. He was almost disturbed, only too distracted by her appearance as well. A schoolgirl's uniform clung to her as if it was just barely too small for her figure. A skirt and cardigan hung loose from her form, as if to deceive any lookers from what might lay hidden under them.
The silent exchange was only broken by a gentle tap on his shoulder. Kurogiri stood with a silver case in one hand. "Your attire sir. We have a contact nearby that was… enthusiastic enough about creating such a thing that if you have any issues with it, you may request for her to address them. In fact, she specifically requested that you do so with any and every detail. She was quite adamant that her 'Babies' be the best on the market. Please, make haste with changing into this and meet back here when you are done for the mission briefing.
Taking the case with a nod, Michael stepped away to the bathroom, taking one last look at the blonde as he went. A few minutes later, Michael was fully dressed in what he could best describe as some kind of lighter, less bulky form of a bomb squad suit. The only things left in the case were a mask, a large revolver, and a machete. Strapping the two weapons to himself, he finally took the mask in hand to look it over. The cold steel and kevlar plating was heavy and cold in his gloved hands. Matte black paint and empty eyes seemed to stare back at him in silence, ambivalent to what crimes he would commit while wearing it. Sliding it over his head, he looked at himself in the mirror. A mix of steel plates and kevlar weaving covered his body, the only thing exposed being his judging eyes and a medic kit on his hip. 'Could be a bit less bulky. Maybe see about getting a gas mask or some kind of respirator.'
Stepping back out into the bar, he was greeted by Shigaraki standing in front of a whiteboard, a crudely drawn map of the surrounding blocks with a number of x's dotting what seemed to be alleyways. "Look, simple raid mission. We're gonna clear up these low level thugs so we can do whatever the hell we want in our territory." Shigaraki stated, emphasizing his point with a swipe of an eraser over a group of x marks.
When all the x marks had been erased, the pale man decided to circle out the few city blocks in green marks. A smiley face was added along with poorly drawn stick figures of league members to symbolize the takeover. "Any questions?"
Michael raised a hand as he looked over the groups that were unlucky enough to be marked on the board. "Besides the rather… unflattering way you drew me and the others, I'd like to ask if we're doing this in teams or as one group?"
"Fuck you. It's hard to draw with only four fingers. Anyway, we'll be in teams until we get to this group of nobodies here." He pointed to a half erased smudge of what used to be a skull. "There we all get back together and take out the boss fight of this mission. That fight being maybe twenty guys tops. Now come on, let's go. Twenty minute killing spree, in and out. It'll be fun."
"So who's grouping up with whom?"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Toga skipped to his side, predatory eyes challenging him to protest her choice. "Great, Toga and Magne will go with you. She seems to be good at babysitting newbies, after all."
Magne glanced over at the younger pair and seemed to brace herself before smiling and standing to go join them. She stood in between them, and Michael could swear her look at Toga was mixed with concern. But then she grinned at him and hefted her double headed mace over her shoulder. "This should be fun! Can't wait to see what you can do, Michael."
"Same here. You any good with that thing?"
"I could use some practice." She admitted as her grip slightly loosened. "I'm still kinda new to the whole supervillain thing. But this is a great opportunity to learn!"
"Oh great. Nothing like on the job training. That's how I learned, at least."
Shigaraki was next to cut in. "The three of you will head to this spot. Leave no survivors. Get to it."
"I'll be keeping an eye on the new recruits, too. Don't you worry, Shigi."
"Yeah, watch over your stray. Make sure she doesn't scratch anything she's not supposed to."
Magne put up a thumb to affirm the point. She then placed the hand on Toga's shoulder. "Let's go, hon."
Toga smiled at the remark with a playful clawing at the air and an exaggerated hiss directed towards Shigaraki. "I finally get to go play with Big Sis!"
The three headed out into the darkness, quickly tracking down their destination. Toga led the pack with effortless somersaults and cat-like reflexes. Magne was only a few steps behind, levitating a couple feet above the ground with her mace in hand. Michael, for once, was in the rear. The weight of the armor limited his speed, but served as a source of heat and momentum.
In the distance, Michael's thermal vision picked up multiple heat signatures in an alleyway. " Eight walking dead up ahead, how we wanna do this?"
Toga had vanished from sight, evading even his snake eyes for the moment. Magne simply gave him a knowing smile before floating to the end of their alley and peering around the corner. She waited, and waited, until eventually her target had no eyes on him. Her left hand started to glow a faint red, and the man was enveloped in the same aura, then torn off his feet and flew towards her. With barely enough time for him to even scream, she readied her mace and knocked his head directly into the wall, blood splattering everywhere. Her smile had gone away, replaced with grim determination.
Rolling his eyes at the lack of a plan, Michael charged ahead, opting to roll with it. Two of the thugs that were sent to check out what happened only had enough time to see a dark mass of armor before being charged into. One was trampled, neck broken under the weight of his heavy boots, the other being caught in Michael's vice grip before being rammed into a dumpster. The sound of a spine snapping was the last thing heard, before hell broke loose in the alleyway. Toga was nowhere to be found, but one of the thugs had gone missing. 'As long as she's doing something, I guess.'
One of the thugs was barreling towards Michael, until he started to glow blue. The snake looked up at Magne and saw her throw him into one of his friends before sending her mace flying through the legs of one more. Seeing the two on the ground, Michael slid out his machete, the rasp of metal on metal sending sparks out in the darkness. A few quick steps and the machete found its way inside of one's skull. Bending down to the other, Michael wrapped his armored gauntlets around his neck and began squeezing until a crunching sound reached his ears.
The sound of the last thug running away in a panic was all that was left. His footsteps racing away from the two before being slammed into a wall. Swapping to his thermals was almost painful from the amount of flare that greeted him. Fresh blood was being spread about like paint on the walls of the alley, one figure tearing into the other like someone possessed. The body on the ground was rapidly turning cold, the other glowing white hot with the fresh kill marking her body. Swapping over to color as she came closer, Michael could see the slits in her eyes had contracted dramatically. Blood dripped from the corners of her mouth, reminding him of when Toga gave him a demonstration of her quirk.
"Toga?" Magne called, "You feeling clear, hon?"
Taking time to lick a stray drop of blood from her lip, she gave Magne a feral grin. "Never felt better."
"You tell me if you're not, you know that." A quick nod was all she gave in return before running off.
"Hey Magne… Is Toga always like this?"
"For as long as I've known her. Not that long, really. I can't say she's harmless, but I think she mostly knows how to keep herself in check."
"Right… Well, we got our group cleared and I imagine Toga is heading towards the big group. Let's head that way; we can chat on the go." Michael said, shaking the image out of his head as he began to run.
"Take the lead, Mr. Heat Seeker." She started to levitate and follow Michael.
"Fair enough, Ms. Magneto. What all got you into this biz, anyway?"
"It's not all that complicated, like Shigi's deal. Living alone is tougher than anyone prepares you night Shigi stumbled in front of me, looking like he needed help. I can't explain it, I just felt like I had to. People like us, the outcasts, we've gotta have each other's backs. Cause nobody else does."
"I can respect that… Respectable as killing can get, at least. I take it you got tired of people giving you shit for being yourself or something?"
"Like I said, it's tough being a lone girl in a big city."
"Fair enough. Keep an eye on Toga for me. She seems… off."
The two arrived to see Shigaraki and Kurogiri waiting at an entrance to some alleyway. Multiple hands covered Shigaraki, his face sporting one as well. Kurogiri didn't have a costume, merely still in his casual clothes. 'I doubt he really needs one, not much to be seen regardless.'
"You two are back early… Where's the blonde?"
"Her name is Toga." Magne corrected.
"Right. Well then, where is Toga?"
Michael was the one to answer this time, "Not sure, but she was alive and kickin last we saw. Sure she's somewhere round these parts."
"Fine. Well, the others are on their way now. When they get here, we clean them out and leave."
Both nodded in silence, waiting only a few minutes for the other members to arrive. Dabi was the first back, the faint smell of burnt flesh marking his arrival. Twice, Spinner and Compress were next, followed by Muscular and Moonfish. "So, everyone is here, and we don't have a plan. Any ideas?" Michael asked, not really expecting an answer.
Muscular simply laughed, shoving Farron aside as he rapidly grew in shape. Muscles swelled across his body, the hulking man opting to run into the alley as shouts of alarm came from the rival gang. Gunshots rang out along with screams. "GO GO GO!" Michael shouted, his hands already reaching for his pistol and machete. The villains rushed to join the fight, eager to take advantage of Muscular's distraction.
The gang was much larger than what Shigiraki had implied, at least thirty members with varying quirks and weapons. It wasn't long before Michael felt two hard impacts slam into his chest, his ribs feeling as if they'd been broken from the force. Looking up to see the offender revealed a man fumbling to reload a small handgun. "Someone hasn't been practicing gun drills, huh bitch?" He taunted, the words being punctuated with him returning fire.
Three shots roared from his revolver, the muzzle flash highlighting the faces of fear on the gang members. The .44 magnum bullets punched straight through their target, leaving two gaping holes in the chest and the third tearing a canoe through the skull. The man was dead before Michael saw him hit the ground, his attention being ripped away by the sight of Dabi's blue fire consuming another.
Anarchy reigned as the League members fought the gangsters. Mustard had elected not to use his gas, instead taking potshots with his much smaller revolver. Magne was keeping the enemy off balance, their bodies being flung towards danger or away from opportunities to fight back against their attackers. Multiple copies of Twice were stomping another into the ground as Muscular tore a man apart with his bare hands. Moonfish managed to spear two of them with his teeth, dragging them away into another alley for things Michael would try to forget he saw through the use of his thermal vision. Mr. Compress was fighting in close combat before taking a stray round sprayed in panic at Toga, the blonde having rejoined the fight in a blood soaked frenzy. Kurogiri and Shigaraki simply watched the carnage unfold, only acting to avoid being splashed in blood.
Seeing Mr. Compress go down triggered something inside Michael. The ghost of his father's voice screaming at him to stop hesitating and act. Two gang members were rushing his downed ally, looking to get a kill on the board in revenge for their fallen. Michael would not allow this.
Rushing forward, Michael's revolver roared his disdain for them, two shots managing to send one of the gang members to the ground without a head, the third shot only grazing past its target and into a wall. "Gun's dry, switching to melee! Cover me!" Michael said on instinct, his body rushing forward as if possessed.
The second gang member turned to swing a fist at his new attacker, only to see a bleeding stump where his hand used to be. Confusion was quickly replaced by a mixture of pain and fear and his arm fell to the ground as well. An icy cold crept from his stomach as he looked down to see a line of blood staining through his clothes. The last thing he saw before his world went black was from the ground. His legs stood alone, falling to rejoin his upper half in death.
Mr. Compress laid on the ground in pain. The cold asphalt feeling somewhat nice on his back when compared to the agony of trying to breath. Each breath felt more strained as his vision swam, the last he saw before passing out was Michael's masked form reaching out for him. He wasn't sure if he should feel relieved, instead deciding to accept the welcoming embrace of sleep.
Michael was already grabbing his medic bag, the tools being laid out as he hurriedly sprayed his gloves with disinfectant. A quick slice of Compress' costume revealed a small hole where he took a shot to the chest. He was applying the chest seal when his back erupted in pain, another gangster was rushing him with a small pistol firing wildly. Michael covered Compress with his body, shielding him with himself. His armor was struck with two more rounds in the back before the gunshots stopped completely. Deciding to risk it, Michael turned to see Shigaraki with his hand stretched out, a pile of dust on the ground in front of him. "Kurogiri. Everyone else can finish up here, get these two back to the hideout and assist Farron. And by the way Farron, remember that you owe me now. Go home when you're done helping Compress."
A few hours later, Michael had stabilized Compress and shed his armor, the weight off his body was a welcome feeling. He'd already thought of a few improvements to the outfit, small things to keep himself and teammates in better condition. He'd just stepped through the portal back into his room when his phone's morning alarm went off in his pocket. "Fuck."