6
A/N: There are manga spoilers in this chapter! Up to chapter 191. The spoilers will keep coming so I suggest either reading the manga or avoiding this story! I do not own anything!
The next day found the sky unusually blue and the wind unreasonably nice. It was a beautiful day to be outside. Yuri hummed an unknown tune as she walked towards the agency. 'I should really eat outside today!' Yuri thought. A large grin on her face as she took a deep breath. The meeting last night had gone so smoothly and they were hoping they could move their plans up before the League made their ultimate move. He was going to be going dark for a while to keep the coverup. It didn't sit well with her. Yuri's good mood dropped with each step until she was looking at the front door of the agency. Yuri was hesitant in opening the door. Hawks had gone to the random meeting place the coordinates had been set to, but would she be able to pass it off as a random fluke? Yuri shook her head. Maybe he wouldn't even be here! Hawks had been spending less and less time at the agency over the last couple of weeks. With a deep breath, Yuri pulled the door open and made her way to her desk.
Yuri trudged up the stairs where her desk sat in front of an unused and frequently empty office. She hadn't slept for very long and maybe that was why the stairs winded her so much. That good mood was brought further and further down as she went higher up the stairs. Yuri slumped into her seat as she booted up her computer. Why was all this so complicated?! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Yuri shot her head up as her computer chimed unstoppably. Then the phone. One light, two lights, all of them going off.
"Yuri! Yuri! We've got trouble!" Aiko was running up the stairs. Mockingbird hot on her heels.
"A Nomu has begun to attack downtown!" Mockingbird panted. Yuri shot up from her seat. "Hawks and Endeavor are already attacking and two more sidekicks have gone to assist."
"Start evacuations at least 5 miles out. I want a perimeter set up along those streets as well! I'll send out the emergency alert to the area. Keep it contained! And for Hel's sake, get the media out of there! I will not have this turn into a Kamino incident. Aiko, you start setting up the conference for phone calls. Grab a few more assistants from the office and start damage control from here." Aiko and Mockingbird nodded determination on their faces.
"Go now!" Yuri commanded as she forwarded the phone calls to various phones. Taking a deep breath, Yuri walked into the empty office. It was going to be a warzone and she would need a bigger computer. Yuri rolled her shoulders back and put her curly red hair into a messy bun on top of her head as she typed in the code for Hawks' computer. The whirling sound of gears grinding and air pressure being released sounded behind her as she hooked a wireless comm to her left ear. Yuri sat down in the large office chair spinning around to come face to face with a wall of monitors and started typing on the split keyboard. Newsfeeds popped up, security camera footage as well as satellite imaging. A real birds-eye view of downtown. Hawks' rarely if ever used this feature the Commission had installed as it was meant to be used as a makeshift war room should the need arise. Why they felt the need to put it in his office was a mystery to her since he would most likely be out fighting but she had a feeling it could come in handy with the way the world was going.
"What's the situation looking like from down there, Mockingbird?" Yuri asked.
"The Nomu it split itself into even more. This is unlike anything we could've accounted for." His voice sounded strained and loud as the crowd around him roared with fear. Yuri gritted her teeth as she continued to type out the emergency text system to keep anyone from entering the area as well as alerting those a distance away to possible evacuation and to stay indoors.
"The evacuation?"
"Going smoothly but the media is refusing to leave."
"Naturally," Yuri let out a huff. The phone started ringing again. 'They must be overwhelmed downstairs. "Keep me updated and keep people moving." Yuri cut the comm before hearing a response turning her attention to the phone.
"Thank you for calling Hawks' agency, what can I help you with?"
"Ms. Hirano, this is the Hero Commission President. I trust you have eyes on the situation?" The dead tone voice filtered through the commlink.
"Yes, ma'am. We are doing damage control and keeping an eye out for any other players at hand," Yuri answered stiffly.
"Good. We wouldn't want our prize to fall so soon."
"Yes, ma'am. If there is nothing else I have other obligations to attend to."
"Of course. Do not fail us, secretary. We are relying on you to keep him up in the sky." Yuri couldn't stop the growl that rolled in her throat. This whole situation didn't sit right. The President sounded too smug for this to just be another attack and to top it off at the same time Endeavor happened to be in the area. It screamed set up. The league was the only known organization to have these creatures so they must be involved but he never mentioned anything. Was this why he went dark?
"Yuri? The outer perimeter has been evacuated successfully. We are moving into the inner part now," Mockingbird's voice filter as a wanted distraction.
"Alright. I am sending out a map with all the hotspot locations of the Nomu split-offs. Avoid those areas and move people fast." Yuri turned towards the monitors with the live news feed. People were moving but were also trying to watch the fight causing people to block pathways and cause buildup. Making it more dangerous than it should be.
"Anyone near the center area that can clear the pathway to make it larger get the cars out of the way, get the people moving. Anyone out on the perimeter get the busses ready for evac," Yuri ordered.
"Roger that!" Yuri watched as Firebird pulled people out of cars and Sandpiper opened up tunnels to swallow the cars. Mockingbird projected his voice out calling the people to move while the white nomu were kept at bay by other sidekicks. The massive crowd started to thin out and dispersing any need to watch. The media footage raged about being evacuated but Mockingbird was quick to point out that the pros can not work with people in their line of fighting. Blackbird was quick to start throwing projectiles to draw the copies away as the black nomu drew closer. 'Was it talking?' She questioned to herself. Yuri vaguely heard a kid screaming about Endeavor still fighting, but she was more concerned with Hawks' safety. He had helped Endeavor while keeping an eye out for any casualties but at the expense of his feathers. The satellite screen showed that a majority of the people were a good distance away and the busses were starting to move people to an even further distance. Yuri tapped on her comm.
"Hawks? Can you hear me?"
"Yuri?!"
"Downtown has been evacuated for the next 5 to 6 miles and counting. Rescue efforts and damage control are already underway. You should have more room to breathe."
"All that done already?" Yuri huffed.
"We are your agency! Do you really expect us not to be fast and efficient?"
"You've got a point." Yuri could hear the sheepish smile that was probably on his face.
"Go get 'im, birdbrain. I'll keep you up to date should anything change."
"Roger that." The comm went dead. Yuri sat back and watched as the fight hit its peak. The destruction was not nearly as bad as Hosu or Kamino, but it was more than Kyushu had ever seen. Thankfully, Endeavor and Hawks saw it fit to keep to the skies. She knew from experience that Hawks was taking into account any damage or potential casualties, but any report on Endeavor showed the exact opposite. Yuri had seen the destruction the flamed hero could accomplish first hand so this amount of restraint was very new. It was going to be a shit storm with the media afterward too. Interviews, photo ops anything they could request would probably be going through and they were still dealing with the aftermath of Hawks' little speech at the billboard showing not long ago. Not to mention what the Hero Commission will want with him should he fail. Yuri shook her head. Now was not the time. Focus.
Seconds ticked by like minutes. Minutes like hours as the black nomu persevered. Yuri's body was wound up as tight as a coil in anticipation. The battle seemed to trudge on as Endeavor flew to the sky with the last of Hawks' main feathers as support. The sky glowed with the sheer intensity of Endeavor's flames. Like a star going supernova. It was beautiful. Relief flooded her body as the images cut to Endeavor standing in an eerily similar pose to All Might. 'Well if you can't beat 'em. Join 'em,' Yuri thought. Yuri watched as Hawks swooped in to help him stand and walk towards help. Cheers could be heard below her as Yuri let herself sink into Hawks' large office chair. Her eyes flickered across the screens to give him the best route and give the first responders their location when a dark figure was moving toward their location.
"Hawks! You've got incoming at your 6 o'clock. Lone figure and looks to be human," Yuri said.
"Shit any idea who it is?" Yuri focused the monitors onto the satellite image blowing it up pixel by pixel. She sucked in a breath.
"Dabi," Yuri breathed, "Hawks get out of there!"
"The League? Out here in the open?" Yuri switched her comm wave over.
"Anyone in the area get over to Hawks now!" Yuri demanded, "We've got a LOV member heading their way." Yuri opened the comm wave completely.
"Well Endeavor, should I say hello?* (CH190)" A raspy voice filtered through the comm wave. Yuri felt her heart stop.
"Firebird and Jay are almost to their location, Yuri!" Mockingbird said, "Do you have eyes on them?"
"I-" Yuri started typing to get a better image of the two and to try and find the two sidekicks. Blue filled the screens.
"Shit! Hawks? You there!?"
"-still got my baby feathers."
"-burning hot!"
"-collect the nomu." Yuri was only getting bits and pieces of the conversations going on. 'The heat from the flames must be interfering with the communication lines.'
"-chance against… top dudes… beat-up and bloody.*(CH191)" 'Fuck this was not happening!' Yuri typed away as she tried to bring up any footage she could. The satellite had moved and she was no longer getting up to date shots.
"Yuri! Yuri! What's happening?" Aiko rushed into the office.
"Not now Aiko!" Yuri typed away as she hacked into the news broadcast and any satellites that could give her something to work with.
"Yuri, Mirko is on her way in. She's going to try and hop over the flames since there seems to be an eye open in the middle," Mockingbird explained. The whirlwind of blue flames had completely encompassed Endeavor and Hawks leaving only the opening from up top.
"Okay," Yuri took a breath, "It looks like there's only one member and the Nomu seems to have been burnt to a crisp as well."
"I'll relay the info." Yuri had never felt so helpless in her life as she watched on. Endeavor was on the ground completely out of commission and Hawks had baby feathers left. Mirko came bounding in.
"Ujiko-" The name was rasped out as black sludge spurt out of Dabi's mouth consuming his whole body until he disappeared. Yuri let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. She fully slumped into the chair letting her body go lax completely as the stress of the day's events passed through her. She took the earpiece out and flung it on the table before her. First responders were quick on the scene with an ambulance to take each of the top heroes to the hospital separate. Yuri could distantly hear Hawks trying to decline before Jay told him to shut up and go.
"Did we win?" Aiko asked.
"For now," Yuri said, "We'll take this as a win."
"What even was that?"
"A test," Yuri hummed, "Someone was testing the two top heroes out."
"But wh-"
"I don't know, Aiko," Yuri shook her head as tears were beginning to form in her eyes, "I'm just thankful both of them are alive."
"You did amazing today," Aiko wrapped her arms around Yuri's shoulders in silent support, "You turned from office secretary into a commander in like 3 seconds flat!"
"I only did my job nothing more," Yuri stood up as she typed the passcode in to deactivate the war room addition, "Now come on! Let's go check on our hero!" Yuri headed out of the office her head held high as she tried to tame her anxious thoughts about what today's events meant. Aiko trailed after her just one step behind. Mockingbird was waiting for them outside with a car already ready to go.
"He's putting up a little bit of a fuss at the hospital but overall seems okay," He explained as they entered the car, "Jay is keeping him there."
"Good," Yuri let a small smile grace her lips, "What of Endeavor?"
"He is currently in surgery and Recovery Girl is on her way to help with any other healing as well," Mockingbird said, "He took the brunt of the attack." The rest of the car ride was in silence. The occupants of the car mulling over everything that had happened as the adrenaline seeped out of them. Yuri pointedly did not look out the window instead choosing to focus on the back of the car seat in front of her. The damage had been done and it would probably take a few months for Kyushu to return to its previous state but with the strong community they had, they will pull through.