Entropy

by Imperium42

Midoriya Izuku didn't change overnight. The process was slow and gradual, the end result of a life filled with rejections and roadblocks- but everyone has a breaking point. Destruction brings renewal, and with the death of his old dream, Izuku has found a new one- one he intends to share. All orderly systems descend into chaos. No one is immune to entropy, heroes least of all.

32. All the World's a Stage

Chapter 32: All the World's a Stage

One Year Ago

U.A. High School, Class 2-B Dorms

---

"No, no, no. Don't you try and act like I'm imagining things, Air-Boy. I saw the way you looked at me just now!"

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about, man, I barely fucking glanced at you!"

"Look at me when you're talking to me! You sure as hell weren't having any trouble staring at me a second ago!"

"Both of you, just stop!"

Her stern, authoritative voice still echoing through the common room, Kendo enlarged her hands and took a step towards between Kamakiri and Tsubaraba, reaching out to try and pull the pair apart before their shouting match came to blows. From her vantage point a few meters back behind the couches, Tokage Setsuna watched with a grimace alongside a small congregation of her classmates as Jack Mantis backed away from Battle Fist's massive palm with a furious expression.

"Who the fuck asked you to get involved, princess?!" Sidestepping Kendo's hand, Kamakiri leveled an accusing finger in Tsubaraba's direction. "This is between me and him, and it ain't over until he mans up and apologizes!"

"Apologizes for what?!" Kendo shot back, her expression incredulous.

Still clad in her blue and silver hero costume, Class 2-B's president had returned from a shift at her internship just in time to witness the argument between Jack Mantis and Airshifter reach its boiling point; Tokage opened her mouth to try and explain the situation as she understood it, but Tsubaraba beat her to the punch, his eyes narrowed in anger and confusion.

"Hell if I know! I was just walking past him on the way to the gym, and all the sudden he turns around and starts yelling at me!" Clad in one of UA's blue-white PE uniforms, Airshifter gave an exaggerated shrug, shaking his head in disbelief. "I have no goddamn clue what he's talking about!"

"Oh, sure you don't! You still wanna play dumb, huh?" Running a hand through his lime-green mohawk, Kamakiri lowered his gaze to the floor and let out an exasperated sigh, pausing for a few moments to find the proper words. "Look, he was walking past me, and he… he gave me this dirty fucking look, like he was looking at a goddamn animal in a zoo!" Kamakiri glanced up again, and suddenly he was staring directly at Tokage. "You saw it too, right, Setsuna?"

"M-Me?"

Frozen like a deer in headlights, Tokage pointed an incredulous finger at her chest. It was true that she'd been standing closest to Kamakiri when it happened- she'd waved hello in his direction just moments before the dispute began- but apart from that one brief greeting, Setsuna had been preoccupied talking to Komori Kinoko and Kaibara Sen about their calculus homework at the time. Shemage and Spiral were currently standing just behind Reptilia as part of the modest crowd of observers that had gathered, and at the edges of her vision, Tokage could see the two of them watching her with uncertain expressions.

Outside the dorm's tall, floor-to-ceiling windows, the sun was about to set, and Tokage had to shift a few steps to the right to keep its orange-glow glare out of her eyes as she returned Kamakiri's gaze. In spite of the anger and frustration on his face, there was a spark of something profoundly desperate in his eyes, and Setsuna felt a sharp pang of guilt in her chest. I should've talked with him a bit longer, asked him how his day went. If I had, all of this wouldn't have…

"I… I was looking over at Kinoko when it happened," Setsuna finally stammered, "So, uh… I can't exactly say for sure. Maybe there was just-"

"Kaibara, what about you?" Cutting her off midsentence, Jack Mantis turned to Spiral next. Like most of his classmates, Sen had changed into casual clothes by this time of evening; currently dressed in sweatpants and a grey hoodie emblazoned with a drill logo, he shrank backwards a step when Togaru called out his name. "Come on, dude, you're telling me you didn't see it either?"

"Look, man, I've got no idea what went down- I was just trying to solve a goddamn integral when you guys started shouting."

"I don't think anyone else saw what happened," Kendo declared, shrinking her hands back down to normal size now that the threat of a physical altercation had subsided. "That doesn't mean nothing did, but even if it-"

"Oh, come on!" Tsubaraba cried out in frustration, both his hands balling into fists. "How can you take his side, Prez?! It's total bullshit, he's making it up!"

"I'm not taking anyone's side," Kendo replied, keeping her tone calm yet assertive as she held up one hand in Tsubaraba's direction. "I'm just trying to understand the basic situation here, okay?" She turned back to face Kamakiri, her brows furrowed in confusion. "Okay, let's be logical here- what reason would he have to give you a 'dirty look'? Were you guys already on bad terms or something?"

"Goddammit, don't you play dumb too!" Kamakiri threw up his arms, pure frustration in his voice. "We all know why!"

Silence fell across the room at that, and Setsuna felt her heart sink in her chest, her eyes dropping down to the floor. To say the past week had been eventful for Kamakiri would be a grave understatement; just four days ago, Togaru had been sparring with Yosetsu Awase for a training exercise when he severed his classmate's arm by accident. Reptilia had been just a few meters away when it happened, and she could recall the scene with vivid detail: Awase's scream of pain, the spray of his blood against the metal wall, and most of all, the sudden, powerful urge to vomit when she saw his arm lying on the floor. Although Hero Course students were trained to stomach blood and injuries in rescue and combat situations, there was still something deeply disturbing about seeing a classmate maimed in an otherwise routine training exercise, and a few of Tokage's classmates hadn't been as successful in holding down their lunches in the moment. All the same, though, the staff and most of the students had handled the situation professionally, avoiding a panic as they rushed Yosetsu to the infirmary and then to the hospital. In the end, the doctors successfully reattached the limb within hours thanks to Recovery Girl's help.

Awase himself had been in surprisingly good spirits once the operation was done- there had never been any indication that he held a grudge against Kamakiri, and once he was released from the hospital, he'd insisted on multiple occasions that it had been an honest accident on Jack Mantis' part, doing his best to shut down any gossip and badmouthing. With much of Awase's free time currently taken up by physical therapy, though, the rumor mill had begun to spin unabated in his absence; word in the dorm was that Yosetsu's parents were preparing to sue Kamakiri and the school, and the day after the accident, two agents from the Public Safety Commission had ushered Jack Mantis into a private conference room along with Principal Nezu after classes ended for the afternoon.

Relatively close friends with Kamakiri since they bonded during the joint training exercises against Class A last year, Tokage had done her best throughout the week to ignore all the whispers and gossip, but his predicament had grown even more bleak yesterday. Despite being scheduled for an early afternoon shift, Kamakiri hadn't returned from his internship until nearly midnight, with a different set of clothes from the ones he'd worn going out and a group of police officers escorting him to the school gates, or so a handful of eyewitnesses insisted. For his part, Togaru had adamantly refused to discuss what had happened, only admitting with considerable reluctance that he'd been suspended from U.A. and his internship with Gunhead alike. It was easy to assume that the punishment had something to do with the training accident, and Kamakiri implied as much when pressed on the issue, but no one knew with any certainty.

No one except Kuroiro Shihai and Yanagi Reiko, that is, Setsuna mused with a frown. Togaru's two closest friends, they'd spent much of the past week at Kamakiri's side, but they were both still at their respective internships for the evening, leaving Jack Mantis isolated in the face of his classmates' scrutiny.

"We all heard from Awase when he got back from the hospital," Kendo finally replied, breaking the tense silence that had settled over the room as she turned to face the crowd of spectators. "We're all clear it was an accident, right? It wasn't intentional, and Kamakiri doesn't deserve to be treated any differently because of it."

"I can speak for myself just fine, your majesty," Togaru shot back through grit teeth, his arms crossed and his brow furrowed in frustration. "You trying to treat me with kiddy gloves is the last goddamn thing I need right now, so if you're done showing us all what an amazingly kind person you are, I think that's about all the sentimental bullshit I can handle for one day."

In an instant, Kamakiri pivoted on one heel and shoved his hands into his hoodie's pockets, stalking back towards the hallway leading to his room. Just before he stepped out of the common room, though, he turned back to face Tsubaraba and held up a middle finger, his mouth turned down in a scowl.

"Oh, and you can go fuck yourself, Air-Boy."

A collectively held breath of air seemed to escape the group of spectators in unison once Kamakiri had disappeared around the corner; Tsubaraba, on the other hand, muttered a few choice insults before resuming his course to the gym. Tokage wasn't close enough to hear every word he said, but 'fucking psycho' seemed to be among them, and she felt her own frown deepen as the common room gradually returned to normal. After throwing a disapproving glance at Tsubaraba for his parting barb, Kendo sighed and set off toward her room with Kodai trailing close behind, and the other 2-B members present either dispersed or resumed whatever they'd been doing before the incident.

"You doing okay?" Juzo asked, patting Tokage on the shoulder as Kaibara and Komori stepped back to her side. "He kinda singled you two out there."

"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine. It's…" she rubbed at the back of her head and shrugged, her gaze dropping down to her dinosaur-patterned pajamas. "I'm sure it must be stressful for him, with the suspension and everything."

"Sure, but that's not an excuse to freak out on people for no reason." Kinoko frowned and shook her head disapprovingly as she sat back down on the couch and picked up her calculus notebook again. "I just don't get him."

Was it really for no reason, though?

It was no secret that Tsubaraba was one of the students who'd been quietly bad-mouthing Kamakiri ever since the accident, and throwing Jack Mantis a 'dirty look' of some sort seemed entirely in-line with that behavior as far as Tokage was concerned. Maybe Kendo's too trusting to doubt a classmate's word, but I'd bet money that Kamakiri was the one telling the truth. Not that he's doing himself any favors lashing out like that in response, though. Someone needs to try and get that through to him…

Lost briefly in thought, Setsuna finally snapped out of her daze, and glanced down the hallway with her hands planted on her hips.

"I think I'm gonna go check on Kamakiri, make sure he's okay."

"…If you say so," Kaibara replied after a moment, exchanging a skeptical glance with Juzo. "You sure you don't want us to come with you? Just in case."

"He might start yelling again," Juzo added, nodding. "Maybe it would be best to let him cool down on his own."

"Thanks for the concern, boys, but I think I'll be fine." Setsuna leaned over and gave their hair a playful tousle, a smirk on her face. "I get along pretty well with him, and he could probably use someone to talk to without Kuro and Rei around. I'll be back in a few."

Rather than stick around and listen to more objections, Tokage set off down the hallway with her mouth set in a determined line, the sounds of evening chatter receding behind her.

"Well at least she'll be fine if he decides to try and chop her arm off," someone's distant voice joked, prompting a faint chorus of laughter as Tokage turned the corner.

Goddamn, guys. Grow up.

Half a minute later, Setsuna was standing in front of Togaru's door, listening to the muffled notes of a heavy metal song drifting through the wood. The lyrics were definitely English, but she couldn't place the band, and paused to listen for a few moments.

'All day long I think of things, but nothing seems to satisfy

Think I'll lose my mind if I don't find something to pacify'

A lightbulb finally flashed in Setsuna's head, and a self-satisfied grin spread across her face as she reached out to knock on the door- fairly hard, to ensure that he could hear her.

"Yo, Togaru, it's me!"

A lengthy pause followed, and Setsuna tapped her foot in time with the notes of a brief guitar solo as she waited for a reply.

"It's open," Kamakiri finally called, his voice tinged with reluctance.

When Setsuna opened the door moments later, Togaru was splayed out on his bed, his feet hanging off the side and his head propped up on his pillow. Lifting a brightly colored can up to his mouth, he took a long sip as Reptilia stepped inside, watching her with a slightly skeptical expression as another verse belted from the speaker mounted on his bedside table.

'I need someone to show me the things in life that I can't find

I can't see the things that make true happiness, I must be blind'

"Black Sabbath, right?" Tokage gestured at the collage of music posters on the wall above Kamakiri's bed; the band in question was featured prominently among an array of rock and metal icons, ranging from old classics like Metallica and Iron Maiden to more obscure Scandinavian and Japanese groups. "Pretty sure this song is on one of my workout playlists."

"Yup, but you don't get full credit for recognizing their most famous album." A slight grin on his face, Kamakiri reached over and turned down the speaker's volume, reducing the song to background noise. "That's like listening to 'Thriller' and expecting to get a prize when you guess that the singer's Michael Jackson."

"Yeah, yeah, we know you're a music geek, no need to be an ass about it." Still smirking as she made her way across the room, Setsuna reached down and ruffled Togaru's light green mohawk, then shoved his long legs aside and flopped down beside him on the bed. I probably shouldn't come out of the gates asking about what happened with Tsubaraba, she reflected, gazing aimlessly at the ceiling. Just talk to him like normal, and let the conversation go there naturally. Togaru spoke first, though, nudging her in the side with his elbow.

"Want one of these?" Nodding at the can gripped in his left hand, he shifted his position on the bed with a grunt, then reached down and used a dull blade protruding from his palm to pop open the mini-fridge next to his nightstand. "I've got a few left."

"Wait, is that beer?" Propping her back against the wall to get a better view, Setsuna felt her brows hike in surprise as she inspected the cans' label more carefully. "Jesus, I thought it was soda or iced coffee or some shit. How the hell did you get these?"

"I'm over 190 centimeters, man." Kamakiri shrugged his shoulders, then leaned down to grab another can from the fridge. "You really think convenience store cashiers are gonna card me? I'm pretty sure most of them think I'm in college."

"There you go again, abusing those great genes." Winking playfully, Setsuna felt her heart speed up a bit, and faked a cough to cover up the brief flush of color on her cheeks.

God dammit, that sounded way flirtier than I intended. It was true that she'd been somewhat interested in Kamakiri for a few months now, not that he seemed particularly inclined to reciprocate. But maybe now would be good chance to… No, no, you're here to support him, not to try and confess to him. Just focus on being a good friend, you moron.

"So is that a yes on the beer, or…?" Seemingly unphased by her compliment, Kamakiri held a can out in her direction, one brow cocked. "I've got some coffee too, if it's not your thing."

"I mean, I'll take it, but…" Setsuna frowned as she took the can in hand, struggling to formulate a response that wouldn't come across as rude. "Are you really okay with taking risks like this right now? You're already suspended, dude- if they catch you with this stuff, you might get expelled."

"Present Mic's a chill dorm monitor, no way he'd report me. But it's not like I'm gonna bring it out in the common room or anything." Kamakiri reached up and rubbed at his eyelids with one hand. "I… I just needed something to help me cool down after everything that happened this week."

"Yeah, I get that." Setsuna nodded in affirmation and patted reassuringly on his shoulder, then reached down and popped her can open, savoring the small rush of adrenaline that came with breaking the rules. Not like it's a big deal- most of us will be legal in a few months anyway. The flavors that filled her mouth when she finally took her first sip, though, were far from what Tokage had expected- she very nearly spit the liquid out, a grimace on her face as she forced herself to swallow.

"Dude, what the hell is this?"

"Beer, the hell does it look like?" Kamakiri smirked, clearly struggling to hold back laughter. "What, is it your first time drinking or something?"

"Nah, I've had beer once or twice before, at my parents' place. But it sure as hell didn't taste like…" Setsuna paused for a moment to try and properly describe the experience. "…like a pine tree fucked a can of motor oil."

Kamakiri shrugged once again, his expression bemused rather than offended.

"It's an IPA."

"That tells me absolutely nothing. Why is it so bitter?"

"Hops."

"The fuck is a 'hop'?"

Kamakiri let out a long, exasperated sigh, and took one final sip from his own can before setting it aside and leaning his head back against the wall.

"Don't worry about it, man. If it ain't your thing, it ain't your thing. So, you gonna tell me why you're here? I'm guessing you didn't come to talk about beer and metal."

"Oh, yeah, uh…" Suddenly at a loss for words now that the conversation had turned back to the actual reason for her visit, Setsuna did her best to summon up the explanation she'd rehearsed walking over. "Well… after what happened, I just wanted to, um…"

"She sent you, didn't she? The great and noble Battle Fist." Kamakiri's expression had soured, his arms crossed and mouth twisted back down into a frown. "Did she tell you to come see if I've 'cooled down'?"

"What?" Setsuna's eyes narrowed in confusion, and she reached a tentative hand back towards his arm. "No, no one 'sent me'. I came here on my own, because I'm worried about you, man."

"Worried?" Togaru scoffed and shook his head, closing his eyes for a moment as he ran a hand down his face. "What's there to be worried about? I fucked up, I got suspended, end of story. That's all there is."

"No, it's not." Her brows furrowed in determination, she edged closer towards him. "Look, people aren't being fair to you, I know that. The Commission, our own classmates, the school… I can't even come close to imagining how hard it must be, how much stress you must be feeling."

Tokage paused to search Kamakiri's expression; though he was still trying his best to put on a stoic, relaxed demeanor, she could see cracks in the façade, brief flashes of emotion in his eyes.

"So yeah, if I was going through all that shit, and a 'friend' of mine started treating me like a criminal, like an animal, I'd get pissed too."

"And it doesn't bother you?"

Togaru turned to meet her gaze, leaning down until they were at eye level- suddenly, their faces were only centimeters apart, and Setsuna felt her heart jump up into her throat. Judging by the rush of heat to her cheeks, she was likely red from ear to ear, and no amount of fake coughing would be able to hide it.

"Uh, what doesn't…?"

"That I don't take it lying down when people treat me like shit." Kamakiri was gradually shifting closer to her across the bed as well- by now, there was no chance it was an accident. Setsuna's hand was still on his shoulder, but now that same arm was moving steadily towards her waist. In the span of a few seconds, the air between them had grown charged with electricity, and Setsuna felt herself being swept willingly along with the current. "Ever since the accident, everyone's been giving me the same goddamn lip-service- they all tell me they know it wasn't my fault, that they understand it was an accident. Then they turn around and get mad at me when I call people like Tsubaraba out on their bullshit. They act like I'm crazy, but all I'm doing is sticking up for myself."

Togaru's right hand finally made contact with her waist, gentle and cautious to the touch. At the same time, his left hand was drawing towards her cheek; Setsuna nearly flinched away when his fingers brushed along her jaw, but after a moment, the instinct passed, and she pressed her face up against his palm instead.

"Setsuna… am I crazy?"

Though his actions seemed confident, Kamakiri's eyes were anything but- they were desperate for reassurance, for something, anything, to rely on, and his voice had dropped down to a whisper.

"No." Setsuna leaned forward and pressed her forehead against his own, careful not to cut her cheeks on the razor-sharp mandibles on either side of his mouth. "No, you're not crazy."

Then she kissed him, a gesture Togaru quickly returned in kind. Seconds passed in silent bliss, then a minute, then two; the world had become a blur of intertwined tongues, and before Setsuna knew it, she was pinned down against the bed, groaning softly in pleasure as he planted a series of kisses along her neck. Her breath hitched in her throat, she cracked open her eyes and glanced down at his hands, currently hovering just inside the hem of her t-shirt. Before they moved any further up her torso, though, Kamakiri slumped down beside her on the bed, wrapping his arms around her back.

"Something else happened." Togaru's eyes still had the same pained look as before, and a conflicted frown had spread across his face. "I… did something I can't take back."

"Does it…" Setsuna paused to swallow and clear her throat; her head was still spinning from the sudden burst of physical intimacy, and while it wasn't her first kiss, this one had been especially intense. "Does it have to do with last night? I, uh… I heard that you got back really late."

A long pause followed; Kamakiri opened his mouth to reply, only to close it again a few moments later, his brows wrinkled in frustration. Pinned beneath his body, Tokage's right arm was beginning to fall asleep- she detached it and floated it around to stroke his back as he finally began to speak.

"…At work yesterday, there was this-"

"Yo, Kiri, you in there?" A rhythmic rap on the door interrupted Togaru midsentence, accompanied by a familiar voice.

Kuroiro, Setsuna realized, suddenly jolting upright on the bed as Togaru stammered out a reply behind her. Shit, of course he's back early.

"Y-Yeah, what's up, man?"

Before either of them could offer up a warning not to enter, Vantablack phased into the shadow beneath Togaru's door, then expanded back to his usual form inside the room, rubbing at his bone-white hair as he gazed down at his phone.

"Rei says she's gonna be a little while longer on patrol with Majestic, but I think we…" Shihai trailed off as he glanced up towards the room's occupants, and his eyes widened. "Oh, shit, uh… sorry. Bad timing." Turning on a dime, Kuroiro began to hastily make his way back to the door, but Kamakiri hopped off the bed and held out a hand, his pale green cheeks flushed crimson.

"Dude, you're fine- it's not what it looks like."

Isn't it? Tokage wondered, blinking in surprise. Thankfully, they both still had their clothes on, and they hadn't been kissing when Kuroiro entered, but their hair was a mess, the bedsheets were in disarray, and it was impossible to hide the clear tension in the room.

"We were just talking," Kamakiri continued with an unconvincing shrug. "Don't worry about it, okay?"

"…If you say so," Kuroiro muttered in reply, his eyes lowered to the floor in embarrassment as he turned back to face Tokage. "Still, though… sorry."

"It's all good." Flashing a sympathetic grin in Shihai's direction, Setsuna elected to vacate the situation rather than stay and endure what would likely be a painfully awkward conversation. "I was about to go grab some dinner anyway, so I'll catch you guys later, I guess."

As she made her way back towards the door, Setsuna spared one final glance toward Togaru, and reached out to squeeze his forearm.

"There are lots of people who care about you. So just… take care of yourself, okay?"

---

Present Day

Downtown Tokyo, Chuo Ward

"Now arriving at Nihonbashi Station. Now arriving at Nihonbashi Station. Doors will open on the left; please, step back to allow heroes and other public safety workers to exit first."

"Yo, Sero." Detaching her right arm to elbow Cellophane in the side, Tokage took a sip from her thermos of lukewarm green tea and rose to her feet as the soft, artificial tone of the subway announcement system continued to echo through the car. "It's our stop, man."

Sero's earbuds were still in, and the notes of a rock song were faintly audible over the background chatter of the other passengers as he flinched in surprise, shifted his grip on the pole overhead, and turned to face Tokage with a dazed expression.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, sorry- zoned out a bit there."

"No sweat, dude. You see where Juzo and Mirio went?"

"I think they ended up on the other side of the door," Sero replied, rising up to his toes to try and secure a clear view above the sea of afternoon commuters.

It was just after 4:30PM, slightly before the beginning of evening rush hour but still busy enough to make commuting by train a pain in the ass; after a lengthy reconnaissance operation watching for suspected Syndicate arms deals, Reptilia, Mudslide, and a few others from Strike Team Fenrir were scheduled to attend a classified briefing at the headquarters of the Hero Public Safety Commission. The event's exact subject and purpose were still somewhat vague, but by now, Tokage had learned to go with the flow when it came to the strike team's activities. Given the train's destination, a good deal of their fellow passengers were either fellow heroes or HPSC staffers- Reptilia had run into Cellophane as she made her way to the station with Mudslide and Lemillion, apparently headed to the same destination, and she'd recognized the faces of half a dozen other local heroes as well on the ride over.

Over by the doors, the other passengers were already beginning to part ranks as the train slowed to a steady halt, pushing to either side of the car to make way for the heroes. As Tokage and Sero waited for a path to clear, the unpleasant sensation that she was being watched began to creep up Setsuna's spine- glancing to her right and left, she quickly located the culprit, a suited and bespectacled businessman seated just across from them, staring at the two high school graduates with cold contempt on his face. A copy of the morning's newspaper was splayed out in his hands, its front-page stories visible for all to see: 'U.A. Commencement was marked by massive security failures,' the largest headline read, above a picture of the now-deceased Vlad King speaking at a press conference, and a second image of sobbing families being evacuated from school grounds in the aftermath of the attack.

'Top-of-the-line security systems funded by taxpayer money utterly failed to stop the Syndicate's bloody rampage,' the caption beneath the image continued, 'and new polls show public confidence in the now-defunct school's quality of education has dropped to 19%, down from a high of 92% just three years ago.' A bar graph illustrated the precipitous fall in visual terms, and Setsuna felt her face flush red with shame and embarrassment, averting her eyes from the man's gaze. She felt the urge to hide her thermos as well; its blue and red exterior was emblazoned with a stylized portrait of All Might and the words 'U.A. Hero Course' in bright yellow letters. Once a mark of pride, it now only called to mind failure, humiliation, and death.

Don't engage, just don't engage. Reptilia glanced back to Cellophane- he hadn't noticed the man, and a few meters ahead, the doors had finally opened, starting a steady, awkward shuffle of passengers disembarking. There's nothing you can say to him in the next five seconds that could change his mind.

"Fucking pathetic," the man muttered, just loud enough for Tokage to hear as she turned and started towards the exit.

For a brief moment, the urge to wheel around and yell at him swelled up inside Setsuna's chest, to shove two middle fingers in his face and ask him how the hell he'd feel if he'd been forced to watch his teachers and classmates be murdered and maimed by cowards using hostages as leverage. What exactly do you expect us to do against an enemy who can teleport in and out of any location in an instant, and disintegrate buildings with the touch of a finger? Who can steal your appearance from a drop of blood, or brainwash you into doing whatever they ask?

Once again, the memory flashed unbidden through her mind's eye: Jack Mantis, a gleeful expression on his face as he severed Vlad King's head with a single, swift swipe of his arm. His laughter, echoing across the stage as he pivoted and turned his blades on Present Mic and Endeavor.

Togaru, what the hell did they do to you?

There was no more time to wonder, though, and now it was Sero's turn to reach out and prod her in the side, nodding towards the exit. Lost in her thoughts, Tokage had slowed down to a near halt in the middle of the crowd; she flushed even redder as she hurried the rest of the way out, murmuring apologies to the other commuters.

"You good, dude?" Sero shot her a worried glance as they stepped onto the platform, but before Tokage could conjure up a reply, a familiar, cheerful voice cut through the din.

"There you two are!" His hands planted on his hips and a wide smile on his face, Lemillion gave a friendly wave in their direction from where he and Mudslide were standing by the escalators. "I was getting worried that you were gonna miss the stop! Now come on, we don't wanna be late!"

"Sorry about that!" Setsuna called, forcing a smile back onto her face. No point in bothering everyone by mentioning what happened- be like Mirio, and move past it with your head held high. Don't let it shake you. "Let's get going!"

Newly minted sidekicks at Lemillion's agency after interning there for more than a year, Reptilia and Mudslide had become fast friends with the charismatic U.A. graduate. Setsuna could still remember how excited they'd been when he finally broke into the Hero Billboard Top Ten just a month and a half ago- how invincible she'd felt, before everything came tumbling down in the span of a few brief weeks.

Once again, Setsuna tried to banish the thought of the Syndicate from her mind as soon as it reared its head, to focus only on the present, but that was easier said than done. Since the Black Day, a growing pall had hung in the Tokyo air, smothering heroes, civilians, and police officers alike in a film of despondence and grim resignation. After the attack in Okinawa and the dramatic assault on U.A.'s graduation, an event the public had simply begun to refer to as 'the Commencement', the fog had grown even thicker. Despite Strike Team Fenrir's best efforts, despite the capture of Carmilla and a dozen of Overhaul's yakuza associates, it was clear in the people's eyes that nowhere was guaranteed as safe anymore- that the Syndicate could strike anywhere, at any time, and there was little to nothing the heroes could do to stop them. Anti-hero sentiment was skyrocketing to levels not seen in decades, fueled by rising perceptions of their incompetence and lingering conspiracy theories regarding Hawks' 'betrayal', and by now, protests on the street in Tokyo had become an everyday occurrence, a reality only worsened by the government's recent curfew and random ID-check policies in major cities.

Standing patiently on the escalator as it ascended toward the busy intersection above, Setsuna could already hear the distant shouts of protestors echoing through the humid afternoon air. Even in times of peace, a small crowd of demonstrators airing their grievances outside HPSC headquarters was a common occurrence; given the current circumstances, it was no surprise that the building and its adjacent plaza had been thronged by crowds almost nonstop for the past month. Violent clashes had already occurred more than once when the protestors refused to disband at curfew time, and the resulting negative publicity had sent the Safety Commission's public image spiraling even further down the proverbial drain.

"Man, these guys really don't give it a rest, do they?" Cellophane murmured, a frustrated grimace crossing his face as he popped one of his earbuds back in and turned up the volume. "You'd think their throats would get sore pretty quick with all that goddamn shouting."

"You gotta give 'em credit for persistence, I suppose!" Mirio chimed in, attempting as usual to find the situation's silver lining. Even Togata's optimism sounded somewhat half-hearted, though- there was a trace of weariness on his face, hidden behind the bright smile.

Nejire and Amajiki, Reptilia mused, letting out a quiet sigh of frustration as Lemillion turned back towards Mudslide, still grinning. His two best friends have each been maimed by the Syndicate- deep down, I'm sure he despises them as much as the rest of us, maybe more. I have no idea how he manages to hide it so well. If anything ever happened to Juzo or Kinoko or Awase, I'd…

Realizing with a start that she was on the verge of another vicious cycle of negative thoughts, Tokage glanced up towards Sero and blurted out the first string of words that came to mind, desperate for a distraction.

"So, what band are you listening to? Black Sabbath?"

Jesus, I'm a fucking idiot. Of course it's not Black Sabbath. Why did I even ask that?

"Nah, it's a newer band," Cellophane replied, thankfully unphased by Reptilia's oddly specific inquiry. "Have you heard of Expel 10?"

"Yeah, I loved their latest album!"

A genuine smile spread across Setsuna's face at the chance to talk about something other than doom and gloom, but the universe seemed intent on robbing her of that small victory; before she could ask Sero if he'd seen them in concert, they arrived at the top of the escalator, and the distant shouts they'd heard on the way up rapidly grew into a deafening chorus. Beyond the metal canopy and turnstiles marking the station's exit, the entire plaza was mobbed with protestors, brandishing homemade signs and bellowing their displeasure through megaphones as they surrounded the Public Safety Commission building on all sides. A series of police barriers had been set up to cut a path through the crowd for heroes and HPSC employees, and beyond that, a veritable barricade surrounded the tower itself, manned by officers in full riot gear.

"Jesus fuckin' Christ," Juzo muttered, shaking his head in frustration and disappointment as he slid on his orange and black-toned helmet. "It's even worse than the last time I was here."

"Looks like persistence isn't always a virtue," Sero replied with a sigh before donning his helmet as well.

Meanwhile, Lemillion's jovial expression had quickly grown serious- his brows were furrowed in concern as he turned back to face the trio.

"All of you, stick close to me, okay? Just keep moving, and whatever you do, don't engage with them, no matter what they say." Mirio lifted his yellow visor, laying a hand on each of their shoulders in turn as they waited just short of the station's exit. "Some of them might try and harass you, or provoke you. But we're heroes, right? It's our duty to set a positive example, no matter what. Understood?"

"Understood," Reptilia replied with a firm nod, a gesture swiftly mimicked by the other two.

"Alright, then." Turning back towards the crowd, Lemillion lowered his visor again and started forward. "Let's go."

Try as she might to keep her eyes fixed on Mirio's back, Setsuna quickly found herself gazing out at the mob of protestors as their group of four made its way across the square, compelled by a sense of morbid curiosity. It became apparent after a few moments that there were several distinct groups present- one contingent had clearly come to protest heroes themselves, sporting charming, hand-painted slogans such as 'Heroes = Thieves', 'The age of heroes has ended!', and 'We don't need them anymore'. One particularly large sign displayed pictures of Endeavor and Hawks with devil horns photoshopped onto their heads, along with the words 'CHILD-BEATER' and 'TRAITOR' in bold-faced lettering beneath their respective portraits.

The second, larger contingent seemed to be focused on protesting the Public Safety Commission and the government in general, with signs that decried the corruption and oppressive policies of the two institutions. 'Don't let them take your freedoms!' Shouted one sign, while another insisted that 'Curfews lead to martial law, martial law leads to dictatorship!'. Standing on a makeshift wooden podium with megaphone in hand, one grey-haired protestor who looked to be past seventy was brandishing a copy of the Constitution over his head; he was currently in the midst of making impassioned plea for the line of policemen to join the protestors and arrest the Safety Commission President.

"…and furthermore, she has violated Article 14, the guarantee of equal rights regardless of social status! Under her tyrannical rule, the Safety Commission has created a caste system, one where heroes are given special privileges, and ordinary civilians have become second-class citizens in their own country! Her blind arrogance has condemned the people to…"

Already tired of listening to his rant, Setsuna detached both of her ears and gripped them in her hands as she walked, plugging them with her thumbs and muffling the protestors' incessant clamor by a significant amount. A few moments later, though, she was forced to let them drift back up to her head- they were nearing the area where the crowd was at its thickest, and the entrance to the corridor the police had set up for their safe passage to the building. Demarcated on either side by metal bicycle racks fastened together with chains, the boundaries of the access route were patrolled by a dozen officers clad in helmets, gas masks, and body armor, many of their riot shields already stained with spray paint or other assorted refuse. One even sported a mushy red splatter from a rotten tomato, and Setsuna nearly burst out in laughter at the comic absurdity of it all.

"Heroes, this way!" The lead officer called, gesturing in their direction with his nightstick. "Just keep moving, the situation's under control."

"Of course- thank you, sir." Nodding graciously in the policeman's direction, Lemillion picked up the pace and gestured for the others to follow.

As they made their way along the corridor, flanked on either side by riot police, Setsuna felt a drop of sweat roll down her brow; her heart was pounding feverishly in her chest. Too loud, they're all too loud. Why can't they just shut up? The protestors' shouts were threatening to drown out even her thoughts, and although there were only a few dozen meters left until the building's entrance, it might as well have been a thousand. Halfway to the tower's doors, though, one furious voice cut through the noise.

"Hey, that's Cellophane! He worked for Hawks!"

Just an arm's length to Setsuna's left, at the very edge of the crowd, a middle-aged woman with a brunette ponytail and a 'Hawks betrayed us!' sign hoisted over her head wound back her arm to hurl something in Sero's direction. Her eyes widening in alarm, Tokage reached out to grab him by the shoulder and pull him out of the way, but she was a beat too slow- an egg splattered across Cellophane's visor an instant later, sending him stumbling backwards into Reptilia's arms.

"That's for All Might, traitor!"

"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" Setsuna bellowed in reply, leveling a middle finger in the woman's direction as a small group of anti-hero protestors began to congregate around her, booing and jeering at Cellophane. "He's a kid, you stupid bitch!"

In the span of a few seconds, the concept of not engaging with the protestors had gone out the window- Setsuna could see Mirio rushing towards them, reaching out to pull them away from the confrontation, but she didn't care. Her other hand gripped tight around her U.A.-brand thermos, and the urge to hurl it directly at the woman's face was growing difficult to suppress.

"The Syndicate are kids too!" The woman shot back, reaching into her bag for another egg as Sero pulled off his helmet and hurled it to the ground, his hands balling into fists. "I bet he's one of them, a traitor just like his boss was!"

Setsuna opened her mouth to retort that the Syndicate had nearly killed Sero, but before the words could leave her mouth, Lemillion wrapped his arms around the two of them, pulling them away. In the same instant, an officer rushed up towards the barrier, grabbed a small, cylindrical can from his belt, and fired off a wide arc of pepper spray. A chorus of agonized screams swiftly followed, and in spite of the burning anger she'd felt only moments prior, Setsuna's mouth fell open in dismay as the woman and the other protestors standing alongside her cried out in pain and clutched at their eyes, orange liquid dripping down their faces.

One tall, burly man surged forward against the barricade and blindly swung his fist in the policeman's direction; he missed completely, but moments later, a second officer stepped up and struck the man across the face with his baton, sending him stumbling backwards with blood spurting from a busted lip. The chorus of shouts from both sides had quickly grown deafening, and four more riot police rushed forward in the blink of an eye, raising their shields and batons.

"Wait, stop!" Reaching towards the officers, Tokage began to cough as the fumes from the pepper spray drifted past them, and her eyes suddenly grew watery. "Just hold on a minute, this doesn't need to get violent!"

Her words were drowned out by a cacophony of enraged voices from the crowd as a dozen of them surged against the barrier, whipped into a frenzy- more blows and projectiles began to rain down on the police, and more batons lashed out in return. A pained expression on his face, Lemillion released his grip on them dashed back towards the heart of the clash, shouting something that Reptilia couldn't make out over the chorus of furious voices and the ringing in her ears. Heedless of Mirio's words, the first officer raised his can of pepper spray again, but before he could fire another blast, two glowing rings made of silvery white energy descended from above, transposing themselves between the opposing groups.

"That's enough!" A loud, authoritative voice declared, and suddenly the protestors and police officers alike all stumbled backwards, as if pulled apart by some invisible force. "All of you, stand down!"

Raising up one hand to shield her eyes against the sudden glare of the sun as it broke through a sea of clouds, Setsuna breathed a ragged sigh of relief as Majestic and Poltergeist descended towards the commotion, both hovering on the rings of energy that the Magic Hero created with his quirk. While her mentor used his magic as a barrier between the civilians and police, Yanagi Reiko, his longtime intern, now sidekick, held out her hands and gave a grunt of exertion, continuing to physically pry the two factions apart with her telekinesis.

"You four, hop on!" Majestic called, producing new rings for Lemillion's group with a wave of his hand. "I'll get you out of here safely!"

At a loss for words, Reptilia nodded silently in gratitude, then hopped onto the nearest ring and pulled Sero onto his own. Currently ranked #14, Majestic had always held a reputation for skill and eccentricity- his costume was mainly comprised of traditional wizard's garb, with an orange robe and a pointed red hat wrapped in scarves. Yet another scarf covered his eyes, giving his appearance a decidedly mysterious quality.

"Are you guys okay?" Reiko shouted over the chaos, using her quirk to pull Setsuna, Hanta, and Juzo in her direction as the rings lifted their group into the air. "What did they do to you?!" Reaching up to pull down the black mask that covered her mouth and nose, Poltergeist grabbed Reptilia by the shoulders and pulled her into a midair hug once they were safely out of the crowd's reach.

"I'm fine," Tokage replied, patting at Yanagi's chin-length silver-white hair with a hesitant smile. "Just got a little secondhand pepper spray." Setsuna's expression quickly shifted back to one of concern, though, as she turned to face the others; Juzo looked shellshocked, his disbelief apparent even from beneath his helmet, and Lemillion's expression was a mix of frustration and regret. "How about you, though, Sero? You good?"

"I… I'll be okay." Contradicting his response, though, Cellophane's brows were still furrowed anger, his breathing hard and his mouth set in a scowl. "I just…"

Shaking his head, he spared a glance back down at the protestors below. Bolstered by another wave of reinforcements, the officers had the situation under control by now, and the instigators had retreated back into the depths of the crowd to nurse their swollen, stinging eyes.

"I don't even care about the goddamn egg. I'm just so fucking tired of listening to people say that shit about Hawks, man."

"I can only imagine how painful that must be," Majestic declared with a sigh, laying a sympathetic hand on Sero's shoulder as he floated alongside them. "You've held up remarkably well under the circumstances, Cellophane, but the fault lies with me today- I should have known to retrieve you directly from the station when I saw your name on the roster for today's meeting."

"It's all good." Sero forced a weak, unconvincing smile onto his face, and flashed a half-hearted thumbs-up. "The only casualty was my helmet, and I can get another of those."

"Don't count it out just yet." A faint hint of a grin on her face as she pulled her mask back over her mouth, Reiko stretched her arm down towards the ground before bringing it gradually upward; Cellophane's helmet shot upwards in unison with the motion of her hand, drifting into Sero's waiting arms with egg still dripping from its visor. "It might need a bit of a wash, though."

"Harassment and assault in broad daylight," Majestic declared with a sigh, shaking his head. "I was hoping the protests wouldn't get this… aggressive."

"You and everyone else." Lemillion's trademark smile was still showing no signs of return as he watched the crowd below. "But thank you for getting us out of there, Majestic."

"Think nothing of it! Now, we don't want to be late, do we?"

With another wave of his hands, Majestic propelled the six of them towards the building's entrance in unison, moving the rings slowly and steadily so as not to throw anyone off by accident. As they drifted above the chaos towards the more fortified police barricade set up around the tower's perimeter, another amplified voice caught Setsuna's attention, clearly audible above the rest of the shouting.

"…and that, my friends, is why I intend to ask the prime minister and his cabinet to resign, and trigger a new national election! We need fresh, strong, capable leadership in Tokyo, and if you choose to back Hearts and Minds, I vow to restructure the Public Safety Commission from the bottom up!"

Hearts and Minds? That sounds familiar… and so does that voice, come to think of it.

After a few brief moments, Setsuna located the source of the impassioned speech- a campaign van parked on the other end of the plaza, the bright red logo of the Hearts and Minds Party plastered across its side. Perched atop the van, a handsome man in a suit and tie was shouting into a megaphone, his glasses, slick black hair, and slight moustache almost instantly recognizable.

Hanabata Koku, Reptilia recalled, congratulating herself internally for remembering the politician's name. The leader of a small opposition party and a fierce critic of the current government, he'd been gaining significant traction in the media lately, making frequent interview appearances on the nightly news to lambaste the Safety Commission and the prime minister for their lackluster responses to the Syndicate crisis.

"If you give me the chance," Hanabata continued, his voice rising in fervor, "I will root out the corruption that has plagued this organization for decades, the bloat and the bureaucracy and the nepotism! I will remake the Public Safety Commission into a department that serves the needs of the people, not just the needs of the heroes!"

A thunderous cheer went up at that, as the sizable crowd that had gathered around Hanabata's van shouted and whistled in approval.

"But I can't make it happen without you! So if you want something to change, if you're tired of this government's incompetence, if you want to live in a safer and fairer country, then call your local representative and tell them that we need an election this summer! Tell them to let us vote!"

"Let us vote!" The crowd chanted in reply, growing louder by the second. "Let us vote! Let us vote!"

"He really does love the sound of his own voice." Off to Setsuna's left, Reiko shook her head in amusement as their group descended past the barricade and lighted back on the ground.

"Name me once politician who doesn't," Setsuna countered with a grin. "But hey, if he's gonna be hard on the ears, at least he's easy on the eyes."

Once he'd dissipated their rings with a snap of his fingers, Majestic turned to greet an older, mustached police officer who seemed to be in charge of the building's defense.

"Afternoon, Major Kagari- rough bunch out there today."

"You've got that right," the officer replied with a disheartened sigh, removing his helmet to run one hand through his greying hair. "The situation was already bad enough without members of parliament stirring them up! But don't let me slow you down- you know the drill."

"You betcha. Hero licenses out, everyone, let's be efficient for the major! And get ready to empty your pockets, they've upgraded the metal detectors lately."

Five minutes, two separate security checks, and one elevator ride later, their group had finally arrived at their destination, the building's twenty-eighth floor. To Setsuna's surprise, they were all headed to the exact same room, for the same meeting; when she, Lemillion, and Mudslide ran into Cellophane on the way over, she'd simply assumed that he was reporting for some other assignment, and the same had been true when they encountered Majestic and Poltergeist.

"Well, whatever it is, it's not starting for another few minutes," Majestic declared, glancing down at his watch. "Might as well make friendly in the meantime!"

The wide, marble-floored lobby area stretching out before them was bustling with heroes and suited HPSC staffers, a dizzying frenzy of activity; the same as the train ride over, Setsuna saw a dozen familiar faces in a matter of moments, local pros and high-ranking celebrity heroes alike. His smile finally returning, Lemillion rushed forward to embrace Fatgum with an enthusiastic peal of laughter, and Majestic likewise greeted Ryukyu and Ms. Joke with a tip of his wizard's hat, Poltergeist trailing along behind him. Yoroi Musha and Gang Orca were present as well, instantly recognizable by their distinctive appearances as they chatted quietly at the far end of the lobby. When it came to other heroes her own age, though, Setsuna's eyes searched in vain for a few moments before landing on two familiar faces, both graduates of Shiketsu.

"Oh, my, god, is that Setsuna Tokage?! My queen!"

"Good to see you too, Camie." Smiling bashfully as Bakugo' girlfriend rushed forward and wrapped her in a hug, Tokage exchanged a bemused glance with Sero.

"I am so stoked you're here, girlie! I have been dying to show someone these nails since I got them done yesterday, and Senpai won't even look at them!"

"Nor do I intend to," Shishikura Seiji muttered with a scowl, his eyes narrowed and his arms crossed. "The fact that you're more concerned with your physical appearance than the actual meeting is nothing short of disgraceful, Glamourous."

"Senapai's attitude is what's disgraceful," Camie declared with an exaggerated sigh and a roll of her eyes.

Her expression perked back up the next moment, though, as she held up her hands in Setsuna's direction. Her nails had a glossy black sheen, like gleaming shards of obsidian, with intricate red patterns laser-engraved on each one; a lotus on one finger, a heart on another, and so on. Though she was hardly a manicure expert, Setsuna could tell that the execution was high-quality, and the colors complimented Camie's hero costume perfectly. She was missing Shiketsu's signature cap now that she'd finally graduated, but her black leather bodysuit was marked with sleek crimson highlights on its collar, shoulders, and forearms, still calling to mind her alma mater.

"Goddamn, these are gorgeous!" Marveling at the detail and artistry in the miniature designs, Setsuna took Camie's right hand in her own and held it out towards Juzo and Hanta.

"Come on, even you guys can appreciate this, right? This shit's beautiful!"

"Pretty dope coloring and gloss." Honenuki popped off his black-orange helmet and offered a nod of approval, doing his best to sound confident on the matter. "They almost match with my costume too."

"You've definitely got a god-tier stylist," Cellophane added, flashing Glamourous a grin as she turned to face him. "What's good, Camie?"

"Aww, Han-Han, it's so good to see you! How've you been?!"

Setsuna had already been aware of Camie's nickname for Sero- she had one for all of Bakugo's friends- but hearing it said aloud still very nearly made her burst out in laughter. Holding a hand to her mouth to pass her resulting snort off as cough, Setsuna watched with a wide smile as Hanta's cheeks flushed bright red.

"I, uh… I've been good, just… y'know…" As Sero stammered out his response, Juzo stepped up and gave him a playful elbow in the side.

"Come on, Han-Han, don't freeze up on her!"

"Wait, wait, let's all get a selfie!" Seemingly oblivious to Hanta's embarrassment, Camie produced her phone and began to bounce with excitement, some parts of her more literally than others. "Katsuki's gonna be stoked I ran into you guys!"

I see some things never change, Setsuna noted, watching respectfully out of the corner of her eye as Juzo and Hanta each did their best to avert their gaze. I need to remind her to pull her zipper back up before the meeting starts- I feel like it keeps going lower and lower every time she jumps.

"I dunno about 'stoked'," Sero replied with a chuckle, rubbing at the back of his head. "But yeah, sure. You gonna join, Meat-Senpai?"

"It's Rodin, or Shishikura, if you must," Seiji replied, one eyebrow cocked. Unlike Camie, he'd kept a variant of the Shiketsu cap for his own black and red costume, and his lavender hair was tied up in a ponytail. "And no, I won't be joining. Need I remind you all that you're on the clock? You may be recent graduates, but you should still be able to abide by a basic standard of professionalism."

"Sorry, Shi- Rodin." Laying a hand on Sero's shoulder, Tokage step forward and gave Shishikura an apologetic smile. "I'll try my best to keep 'em in line. Are you two here for the same meeting as us?"

"She is," Rodin replied, nodding towards Glamourous. "I'm here on my own business. I came to finalize some paperwork for my next place of employment."

"New job, huh?" Setsuna nodded in approval. "Are you taking a job here at the Safety Commission, or heading to another hero agency?"

"I'm afraid the answer to that question is classified," Rodin responded curtly. "My paperwork is already complete, but seeing as my next patrol doesn't begin for several hours, I thought I might as well accompany Glamourous and Gale Force while they wait for their own appointments this afternoon."

"Gale Force?" Sero's eyes widened, and he glanced back and forth around the room. "You're tellin' me Inasa's here too? Where?"

"Yoarashi is currently in a meeting with the Safety Commission president," Rodin replied, his hands clasped behind his back. "Along with a few of your U.A. classmates, I believe. They'll be getting out momentarily if they keep to schedule." He turned and nodded towards the imposing set of black wooden double doors at the far end of the lobby- the entrance to the president's office. Two burly security guards in riot gear were standing guard, HPSC badges visible on their flak jackets.

"Classmates?" Juzo exchanged a glance with Setsuna, his brows furrowed in confusion. "Who is it? I haven't heard about any of us meeting with the Commission president."

"That's simply an indication that they're better than Yoarashi at keeping their mouths shut," Seiji replied, a brief smirk crossing his face. "Not a high bar, if you know him. But if they didn't tell you, that's their choice- I won't presume to make it for them."

"Y-Yeah, of course," Tokage replied somewhat hesitantly, still unsure what exactly to make of the development. Why the hell would anyone our age be meeting directly with the HPSC president? I always figured it was only major big-shots like Endeavor and Hawks who got called in for stuff like that. I guess it could be Kendo, but the Fenrir schedule said she was in Yokohama today…

"Such a stick in the mud, as usual," Camie declared with a huff. "Now come on, Setsuna, pose with me!"

Before Setsuna could even process what was happening, Camie had wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her in for a selfie, her lips puffed out in a comically exaggerated pout.

"Alright, now say cheese for my little Katsu-Pie!"

In the end, it took several minutes for Setsuna to finally extricate herself from Camie's grasp- Hanta, Juzo, and Seiji all bailed on them after the first few pictures, but it had proven considerably more difficult for Tokage to do the same.

Not that it's been an unpleasant experience, Setsuna noted, sparing another glance at the more aesthetically pleasing aspects of Camie's body as Glamourous tapped away at her phone. Bakugo's one lucky asshole, I'll say that. I just need a chance to talk a bit more with Shishikura…

Camie's fellow Shiketsu alum was currently staring down at his own cellphone a few meters away, partially obscured behind one of one of the tall, potted plants that ringed the lobby's walls; Mudslide had made his way over to Lemillion and Fatgum by now, and Cellophane was washing his egg-stained helmet in the bathroom. Just as she started off in Rodin's direction, though, Setsuna felt Camie's hand on her back again.

"Ohmygod, I have the best idea, babe! We both wear bodysuits, right? We should go to the bathroom and swap costumes before the meeting, it would be hilarious! I bet people wouldn't even be able to tell the difference!"

"The hair might kinda give it away, honey." Running a hand along Camie's golden blonde locks, Setsuna gave her a sympathetic grin, then glanced back at Rodin. "Sorry but is it okay if I…"

Seizing at a potential opportunity as Poltergeist made her way back towards their end of the lobby, Setsuna detached one of her hands and floated it over to Reiko's shoulder, ushering her in Camie's direction.

"Reiko, hey! Have you seen Camie's new nails? They're totally insane!"

"Huh?" Yanagi's eyes narrowed in confusion. "No, I, uh-"

"No way, it's Rei-Rei!" Camie let out another squeal, her hands cupped around her face. "I've missed you so much, girlie!"

Sorry, Rei, but I've gotta break away somehow. I'll make it up to you, I promise.

A guilty grimace flashed briefly across Setsuna's face as Camie changed targets on a dime, assaulting Reiko with a gleeful barrage of small talk, but another glance over at Shishikura steeled her resolve.

"Hey, Rodin."

A few seconds later, she was standing in front of him. Several long moments of awkward silence passed before Shishikura finally glanced up from his phone, a skeptical expression on his face.

"…Can I help you, Reptilia?"

"I've, uh… I've been meaning to ask you ever since the Black Day, but especially after what happened at our commencement." Pushing her reluctance and embarrassment to one side, Tokage frowned, her brows furrowed in concern. "How are you holding up?"

"Holding up?" One lavender eyebrow cocked in confusion, Shishikura slid his phone back into his pocket, then reached up and adjusted his cap. "I don't understand the question. If I weren't 'holding up', I wouldn't be here performing my duties."

"Come on, you know what I mean." Setsuna's frown deepened, and she resisted the urge to reach out and lay a hand on his arm- Seiji didn't seem like the type to appreciate touchy-feely gestures. "You've been through a lot this past month, just like the rest of us. Everything that happened to Gale Force aside, you were a sidekick with Gunhead while To… while Jack Mantis was interning there, and I know you two were close."

Setsuna shook her head, her gaze falling to the floor as she struggled to find the proper words to continue. It was only through Kamakiri that she'd met Shishikura in the first place, in fact. Togaru had introduced the two of them after an inter-school scrimmage with Shiketsu back during their second year, shortly before his suspension, and Setsuna had even bonded a bit with Seiji over the similar properties of their quirks- both of them primarily fought by detaching and levitating parts of their bodies, not exactly a common tactic.

"It can't have been easy for you, losing your boss like that on the Black Day- I know it wasn't easy for Kamakiri." Setsuna paused again and glanced back up, gauging Seiji's reaction- his expression was still stoic, but there was a bare hint of emotion in his eyes. Maybe I am actually getting through to him.

"And then the other day, they… I don't know how, I don't know when, but the Syndicate took him. And that double, what it did…" Sestuna shuddered, her hands clenching briefly into fists as the image flashed once more through her mind. "I-It must've been Synapse, right? Some type of mind control."

"That's certainly one of the possible explanations, yes." Though a frown had flit briefly across Rodin's face at the mention of the Commencement, his tone remained calm and even when he spoke up in response. "Assuming he's their captive."

"The hell else would he be?!"

Shishikura remained silent rather than answer, and Tokage let out an exasperated sigh, closing her eyes and pinching at the bridge of her nose. No, no, that's not possible. He would never do that, and I'm tired of people suggesting it.

"I have no idea where they're keeping him," she continued after a moment, "but he's gotta be in pain after what they forced that double to do, and I just… I needed to talk to someone about it, someone who understands."

"…You two were close as well, weren't you?" Shishikura's brows slowly raised in realization, and Tokage felt her face flush red once again. "Ah, I see."

"N-Nah, it's not like that." Setsuna let out a nervous chuckle and shook her head in denial, but her words felt hollow and unconvincing.

After their initial romantic rendezvous, they'd hooked up a few more times over the course of Togaru's suspension, but it quickly became clear that he didn't have the emotional bandwidth for a long-term, committed relationship; he'd insisted on keeping their intimacy a secret, turning Setsuna down each time she broached the topic of making things official. As the months passed by and his suspension ended, he'd grown increasingly distant, and their 'dates', if they could be called dates, grew less frequent. Around the same time, Togaru had met an undergrad from a major Tokyo university- Setusna couldn't remember which one- and began to spend a good deal of his free time out on the town with his snazzy new college-age friend, even ditching Kuroiro and Yanagi on occasion.

Goddamn, what was the guy's name again? Tomoki, maybe? I never met him in person, but for a while there, Togaru just couldn't shut up about him.

Despite the slow demise of their casual fling, though, Setsuna still held a lingering fondness for Togaru. Most of their memories together were good, and as far as she was concerned, he'd been dealt a bad hand by the school, the government, and above all, his own classmates, many of whom had continued to quietly shun him for months. Even after their intimate relations petered off, they'd managed to remain friends, and Setsuna had been planning to ask him, Kuroiro, and Yanagi about starting up a hero agency together after graduation, before the Syndicate made their world a living hell.

"Well regardless of exactly how close you were," Rodin declared, the pity steadily vanishing from his eyes, "I would recommend that you keep your personal feelings out of your work, if you wish maintain a basic standard of dignity as a hero. Though I suppose that's a rather pointless request, considering the composition of your illustrious task force." Shishikura glanced pointedly at the elevator a few meters away, and Tokage followed his line of sight just in time to watch Best Jeanist stride through the parting doors, followed close behind by Hado Nejire and Shindo Yo.

Holy shit, they're back.

Setsuna's jaw flapped open in surprise, a mix of elation and sympathy swelling up in her chest. Each of the two young pros still bore battle wounds from their encounters with the Syndicate, some physical and others clearly psychological. Epicenter, whose green and black costume showed a fair bit of skin above the waist, had jagged, faded scars on his torso, shoulder, and forearm, and Setsuna shuddered to imagine what it must've been like, trapped at the heart of a collapsing building.

All thanks to Synapse- another one of that brainwashing shitbag's victims. Setsuna felt her brows furrowing in anger as Shinso Hitoshi's sneering face filled her mind's eye, but she pushed the image aside and focused back on Epicenter. If Yoroi Musha hadn't been there to shield them, he, Ojiro, and Tatami would've all been smashed into paste. I heard Shindo's injuries were pretty gnarly, but honestly, it's a miracle none of them died.

While her physical injuries hadn't been quite as severe as Shindo's, several thin, diagonal white scars were still visible on Nejire's face from the glass bottle she'd been struck with, and a pair of fingerless grey tactical gloves concealed the severe burn damage her palms had sustained thanks to Dabi. Wounds aside, though, her entire aesthetic had changed since her last public appearance; not nearly as whimsical as Setsuna remembered it, her costume looked much more practical now, its color palate royal blue and ash grey rather than bright, loud cyan and yellow. Her spiral horns were gone, replaced by an electronic glass visor across her eyes, and she sported a utility belt around her waist, with pouches for field medicine, an emergency radio, and other basic survival gear. The cylindrical gauntlets on her forearms now had a less artistic and more mechanical design, with blinking yellow lights along the side displaying a power level of some kind. Most notably missing, though, was the feature that had never failed to enthrall Setsuna every time she saw Nejire; her instantly recognizable, mesmerizingly long hair was gone, replaced by a short bob slightly below chin-length.

A wave of murmurs quickly washed across the heroes loitering in the lobby, accompanied by shouts of excitement and happiness; within a matter of moments, the pair had been surrounded by a throng of pros and sidekicks. Nejire was quickly wrapped in a tight embrace by Lemillion, who pulled in Ryukyu as well a few moments later, while Yoroi Musha clapped a massive, armored hand on Shindo's shoulder, his eyes beaming with pride behind his samurai mask and helmet. Moments later, Ms. Joke rushed out from the crowd and nearly bowled Epicenter over with a hug of her own; his former teacher at Ketsubutsu, she'd been one of the top hero voices advocating for more aggressive action to contain the Syndicate since the very beginning.

Watching the series of emotional reunions with a soft smile, Reptilia glanced back at Rodin- by contrast, he was frowning, his arms crossed in displeasure.

"Not a big fan of Epicenter and Nejire-chan, huh?" One brow raised, Setsuna nearly elbowed Seiji in the side out of instinct, only to stop herself just in time. Yeah, I don't think we're close enough for that.

"It's not their professional conduct I have a problem with." Shishikura shook his head and let out an exasperated sigh. "But if they're here for the reason I think they are, then the Commission is doubling down on a clear lapse in judgment. Heroes with a significant emotional connection to a given villain's actions shouldn't be permitted to assist in apprehending that villain- it's simple logic, Reptilia, and it applies to you too."

At that, Seiji stepped away from the wall and strode briskly towards the men's restroom on the other side of the lobby, leaving Setsuna standing alone, confused, and more than a bit offended.

"No need to be a dick," Reptilia muttered under her breath, her brows knit in frustration as she took another sip of tea from her thermos.

A quick glance around the lobby confirmed that Shindo and Hado were still the center of attention, judging by the crowd gathered around them. Camie, meanwhile, was currently in the midst of showing Reiko a puppy video compilation, while Sero and Juzo had taken a seat on one of the couches in the middle of the room, chatting with Majestic and Yosetsu Awase, another former 3-B classmate and a newly minted sidekick at Yoroi Musha's agency.

I wanna go see what they're talking about, Setsuna mused, but then again, I should probably go rescue Reiko…

Glancing between the two groups as she struggled to decide, Setsuna was one of the first to see the doors to the president's office open a few moments later- and one of the first to watch Yoarashi Inasa step out into the lobby, followed by Komori Kinoko, Shiozaki Ibara, and Kodai Yui.

Huh? Setsuna blinked in confusion, her jaw suddenly slack. What are they…? Shaking off her surprise as best she could, Reptilia took a step towards the group and raised a hand to wave at them, only to falter when she looked more closely at their faces. Each one of the four looked either shocked, worried, or crestfallen, their eyes devoid of any positivity and their mouths fixed in frowns and grimaces. Even Kodai- gloomy, ever-stoic Kodai- wore an expression of clear concern and dismay, her neat black brows knit together.

What the hell happened in that meeting?

"Inasa!" Over by the couches, Sero leapt back to his feet and rushed towards his former partner with a jubilant grin, oblivious for the moment to the sudden pall in the air. "Holy shit, man, it's so good to see you! Why didn't you tell me you're a bigshot now?"

"I, uh…" Yoarashi's voice was uncharacteristically quiet, his demeanor restrained and cautious rather than bright and bombastic. "Sorry, man, I didn't know you were gonna be here too."

"You okay, dude?" A quizzical look on his face, Cellophane leaned to the side and tried to take a peek past Gale Force's massive frame and into the president's office. What happened in there?"

"…Sorry, I can't say."

Setsuna, Juzo, and Yosetsu, meanwhile, had been moving hesitantly towards their three classmates; Awase spoke up first, giving the trio a restrained wave.

"Hey, guys… is, uh…"

Yosetsu exchanged a brief glance with Setsuna as he struggled to conjure up the right words; after a moment's consideration, Reptilia opted to switch up their approach. Maybe a little humor would help.

"What's with the thousand-yard stares?" An uncertain smile on her face, Setsuna reached out to pat Kinoko on her costume's mushroom-cap hat. "Did the prez make you guys watch Grave of the Fireflies or something?"

Of the three girls, only Kinoko offered up a brief chuckle at the joke. Kodai, meanwhile, let out a deep breath and shook her head- her usual calm and emotionless mask had returned.

"No, she didn't. I'm sorry, Setsuna, but we can't discuss it."

"O-Of course, sorry."

Meanwhile, Shiozaki had closed her eyes and clasped her hands together, quietly reciting the words of a prayer with an archaic, priestly diction.

"The Lord is my shepherd, and I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters…"

While Ibara continued to pray, the click of heels on the stone floor became audible above the background chatter, and Setsuna's eyes widened as she turned to face the source of the sound. Stepping out of her office with a glass datapad tucked under her arm and a tall, black-suited bodyguard in tow, the president of the Hero Public Safety Commission brushed past their group, strode into to the center of the lobby, and clapped her hands together.

"Alright, is everyone present and accounted for?"

Over a decade into her tenure now, President Kengen Hokori had become a lightning rod for criticism against the hero system in recent years, a dynamic which had been amplified a thousandfold by the rise of the Syndicate. The stresses of her job were plainly visible on her face; her short, combed-back blonde hair was rapidly greying, and wrinkles had begun to spread across her hawklike features. All the same, though, the entire roomful of heroes snapped to immediate attention the moment her voice rang out, a dozen individual conversations extinguished in an instant. Setsuna found herself standing as straight as a pole, her hands locked in place at her sides as blood flushed once more across her cheeks- right now, the most powerful figure in the hero world was just a few meters away from her, far closer than she'd ever seen the woman before, and Reptilia felt likely to die of shame if she failed to display the proper degree of respect.

"Yes, Madam President, I believe so." the de facto representative of the assembled heroes, Best Jeanist stepped out from the crowd and bowed his head. "We're ready to begin the meeting if you are."

"Good, that's what I like to hear." The president glanced down at her watch, a frown on her face, and gestured towards one of the two conference room doors visible on either side of the lobby. "We're already behind schedule, so let's not waste any more time."

Kengen was wearing a dark grey blazer, complimented by a white pearl necklace and the ornate silver metal of her watch. God, I feel so underdressed standing next to her in a fricking bodysuit, Setsuna mused, thinking back to Camie's comment about their similar costumes; suddenly, her layer of green scales felt paper-thin. Shit, I never did tell Camie to pull her zipper up.

Before she could glance back over in Glamourous' direction to correct the potential wardrobe malfunction, though, the crowd of heroes began to move in unison towards the conference room doors, and Reptilia was swept up into the flow of people between Gale Force and Shepherdess. Though Shiozaki had opened her eyes and unclasped her hands, Tokage could still hear the words of her prayer as they made their way across the lobby, each whispered word charged with fervent piety.

"…though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil, for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff shall comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever."

---

Keiyo Industrial Zone, Chiba Prefecture

Syndicate Workshop and Testing Facility, Codename 'Etna'

"Care for any tea, Scimitar? I know you've been working exceptionally hard in preparation for today's festivities, so I brought out a special blend of Bai Mudan."

"Huh?" Glancing up from the floorplans he'd spent the last few minutes studying, Togaru paused his music, popped out his earbuds, and narrowed his eyes in confusion as Mr. Compress set a steaming electric kettle and a small, richly decorated box down on the desk, a smile on his unmasked face. A few well-worn white mugs were visible on the shelves of a cabinet on the far side of the sparsely furnished, dilapidated office, and Atsuhiro Sako began to whistle a vaguely familiar showtune as he strode over and plucked up two of them. "I, uh… okay?"

Damn, I'm still not used to seeing his real face yet, Togaru shook his head in disbelief, watching as Atsuhiro paused to straighten out his silken burgundy vest. He's way younger than I pictured him under that mask.

"Of course, if you're in the mood for something different," Compress continued, "I also have a bit of Bi Luo Chun left over from this morning. Both imported directly from China, mind you! Synapse's talents make luxury blends quite easy to acquire."

"Yeah, that's…" Hesitant to come across as rude when speaking to one of his newfound colleagues, Kamakiri forced an apologetic smile onto his face and shrugged his shoulders. "Look, I'm sorry, man, but I'm not exactly an expert in… whatever it is you're talking about, and I don't speak Chinese either, so…"

"White tea and green tea," Pandora declared, giving them both a curt nod of greeting as she stepped into the office and pulled off a pair of safety goggles. As opposed to Compress' elegant clothes, she was currently wearing her armored bodysuit, and Scimitar had to remind himself not to stare at her exposed midriff. "Two special varieties, that's what he's referring to. You'll have to forgive Mr. Compress for his overenthusiasm, Scimitar; sometimes, he forgets that not everyone in the Syndicate is a tea expert."

"Ah, but they will be soon enough, once you, Gentle, and I are through with them!" Compress declared, one hand perched dramatically on his chin as the other combed through his softly curled brown hair. "I find myself counting down the hours until Tobita's return, Pandora- just a day and a half now, yes?"

"That's correct," Pandora replied, a contemplative expression crossing her delicate features. "We'll keep you updated if anything changes, but there's much to do before then, and we have a timetable to keep. How are your preparations coming, Scimitar? You're at t-minus thirty minutes."

"Just peachy," Kamakiri leaned back in his chair and propped his boots up on the desk, an eager grin on his face. "I know the layout like the back of my hand, and the targets too." Holding up one hand, he produced a blade from his palm, half a meter long and serrated. "You think I should go for a slice or a stab when I get to her? That decap strikes I got on those two lackeys were pretty clean, but I might wanna mix it up, y'know?"

"Or you could make it your trademark," Compress suggested, one eyebrow raised as he poured a spoonful of leaves from the box of white tea into a mesh strainer. "Go by Robespierre instead of Scimitar, create your very own Reign of Terror!"

"…Yeah, sounds about right." After a moment's contemplation, Kamakiri opted to pretend he knew what Compress was talking about; he'd never been a model student at history. Sounds like something French, right? Whatever.

"Perhaps he fancies himself more of a Brutus, or a Miyamoto Musashi," Pandora quipped, a bemused grin flitting across her face. Something seemed to light up in Atsuhiro's eyes at that, and before Togaru could process what was happening, Compress had launched into a full theatrical monologue, his chest puffed out and one hand outstretched dramatically.

"Romans, countrymen, and lovers! Hear me for my cause, and be silent, that you may hear: If there be any in this assembly, any dear friend of Caesar's, to him I say that Brutus' love to Caesar was no less than his. If then that friend demand why Brutus rose against Caesar, this is my answer – Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more!"

The smile on Pandora's face had widened, and after giving Compress a polite, refined round of applause, she began to recite from the same speech, albeit in a less bombastic tone.

"As Caesar loved me, I weep for him; as he was fortunate, I rejoice at it; as he was valiant, I honour him; but, as he was ambitious, I slew him."

…What the fuck is going on? Are they quoting a movie or something?

It was all Kamakiri could do to keep the utter confusion from his face as he hesitantly joined Compress in clapping, one brow twitching from the effort. All the same, though, Yaoyorozu seemed to take note of his lack of enthusiasm, and gave him a sympathetic wave.

"My apologies once again, Scimitar- we both tend to get a bit carried away wherever Shakespeare is involved, but I understand that the Bard isn't for everyone."

"Such a shame that he hasn't had the chance to witness Gentle's Mark Antony!" Compress let out a sigh of disappointment as he lowered the strainer into his mug and began to pour in steaming water. "I do hope Tobita will feel up to performing again once he's back."

"So, will it be a yes or a no to the tea, Scimitar?" Stepping up to Compress' side, Pandora picked up the box of loose-leaf to inspect the label printed on the inside lid. "I might take a cup as well- I could certainly use a bit of extra caffeine on a day like this."

"Sounds like an understatement to me." Kamakiri rose back to his feet with a grunt and stretched his arms in the air. "Go ahead and take the tea- you haven't slept a damn wink since the attack, right? At least I got a nap in."

Thanks to Overhaul, the numerous wounds Scimitar had received in their early-morning clash with the Meta Liberation Army were already healed, and he'd even had the chance to get a few hours' rest before filming his debut. Seraph, Pandora, and the other Founders, though, had stayed up through the night and into the afternoon, reviewing the footage of the negotiations between the Syndicate and the MLA. Though Midoriya had been a bit cagey when it came to explaining the precise details, Kamakiri understood the gist of the situation: The raid on their base in Yokohama had been retaliation for the Syndicate's failed rescue attempt in Deika on the day of the Commencement, but now that it was done, the conflict was more or less over. There would be an official meeting for the bigshots to sign treaties and shake hands in around thirty-six hours, and Gentle and Spinner would finally be released.

They should've brought me to Deika, Togaru mused, shaking his head as he took one final glance down at the floorplans. I could've gotten those two out no problem, carved my way right into their cell. It's a damn shame that we won't get to fight those Liberation punks anymore- I was getting real close to slicing that gas mask bastard in two when they decided to run away.

"Pandora is quite notorious for her tendency to forgo a proper amount of rest," Compress let out a sigh of disapproval as he prepared a second strainer for Yaoyorozu. "Perhaps only second to Longshot!"

"Speaking of Longshot," Pandora cut in, glancing back up from her tea, "she'd like to see you downstairs once you're finished up here."

"Roger that, I'll head down. Enjoy your tea, and your, uh… Shakespeare, guys."

"That we shall," Compress replied, raising his mug in thanks. "And to you, my friend, the best of luck with your objective. We'll be cheering you on from the other side of the screen!"

"I have full faith that he'll find success." Pandora settled down into the worn leather chair Scimitar had vacated, a soft, serene smile on her face. "It's an ambitious undertaking, but as far as I'm concerned, he's already proven his talent for battle."

A bit of pride swelled up in Kamakiri's chest in response to Yaoyorozu's praise, and he gave the pair a final nod of acknowledgement before turning back towards the exit. The moment he opened the office door, the previously muffled clamor of welding torches, drills, and metal presses filled the air once again; Togaru slipped his earbuds back in to dampen some of the noise as he stepped out onto the catwalk and leaned against the railing, gazing down at the cavernous main floor below. Illuminated by shimmering trails of white-orange sparks and rays of dull yellow sunlight filtering in through the cracked and soot-stained overhead windows, Hatsume Mei, her double, and David Shield were hard at work on a variety of machines, support items, weapons, each of them garbed in welding goggles and gear. The air stank of grease, smoke, and fumes, and a few rusty industrial ceiling fans could only so much to combat the sweltering heat that had set in the moment Kamakiri stepped out of the office, but all the same, he couldn't help but grin as he watched Longshot in her element. Seated at a workbench just a few meters below him, Hatsume was currently bopping her head from side to side to the beat of a punk rock song playing over a nearby speaker, a wide smile plastered across her face as she finished attaching a muzzle brake to the barrel of a high-caliber rifle.

She's got a few screws loose, but I'm sure as hell glad she's on our side.

Previously an abandoned metalworks factory, the Syndicate had acquired the property referred to in their communications as 'Etna' thanks to Synapse around a year ago, and wasted no time converting it into their primary workshop and testing facility for Longshot and Pandora. While their respective headquarters each had enough equipment on-site for Hatsume to work on smaller-scale creations, many of her larger and more elaborate 'babies' required a more expansive workspace, and given the occasional accidents of an explosive nature that resulted from her failed trials, it was in the Syndicate's best interest to keep a majority of her weapons projects far away from their command centers.

Like most of their other bases, the Etna facility was meant to hide in plain sight- it was located on the outskirts of a dense industrial sector that spanned across much of Chiba Prefecture, one in a row of century-old factories and warehouses that had been decommissioned a decade prior. The buildings had been scheduled for demolition when the Syndicate first came across them, but a few careful Suggestions from Synapse ensured that the project was put on indefinite hold. Shortly afterward, the local zoning department had been persuaded that there was no need to send any more inspection teams to the area- in fact, they'd been kind enough to cordon off the entire decommissioned sector as a no-entry zone, ringed by imposing signs that threatened imprisonment for any trespassers.

In the months since then, there had only been two potential security incidents, as far as Kamakiri was aware. Shortly after securing the initial arrangement, Shinso had been forced to use his quirk on a pair of factory workers who wandered into the abandoned row looking for a place to smoke and drink during their evening break. Acting on his Suggestions, they returned to their colleagues and warned them that they'd nearly been arrested for trespassing beyond the signs; there hadn't been any more problems with nosy workers ever since. Around a month ago, though, a group of squatters hadn't been as lucky- sneaking through the industrial zone in the dead of night, they ignored the warning signs and tripped the extensive system of proximity alarms installed by Hatsume. Dark Shadow tore 'em to shreds the moment they tried to pick the padlock on the factory doors, Scimitar recalled, thinking back to the security footage of the incident that Carmilla had shown him at one of their meetings. That shit was brutal.

Frequently assigned to guard the facility overnight, the sentient quirk was currently lurking in a shaded nook along the exterior wall, far from the bright sparks and welding torches of the workshop area. It unfurled a few moments later, though, slinking towards the bottom of the rickety metal stairwell, where Synapse was currently chatting with Twice and Mustard. Togaru felt an involuntary shudder race up his spine as he watched it; concealed amidst the tendrils of shadowy energy at the center of the quirk, Tokoyami Fumikage's body was still partially visible when Dark Shadow moved, peeking out from beneath the umbral cloak for a few seconds at a time. His eyes were glassy and unfocused, his movements almost zombie-like; an avian-shaped metal helmet topped by a crown of electrodes covered most of his head, and according to Longshot, the suit of dark grey armor plates that covered his body could be locked into place like a strait jacket if he ever managed to break free of his quirk's control.

He had a chance to join us, Togaru reminded himself, frowning. He should've taken it.

"Scimitar has emerged," Dark Shadow declared in its harsh, croaking voice, gazing up at Kamakiri with two skeptical yellow eyes. "Took him long enough. What do you say, Master Shinso? Is this one worthy of my respect?"

"If his performance this morning is any indication, then absolutely." Synapse glanced up at Scimitar as well, a weary expression on his face; the purple bags under his eyes were worse than usual, and he took a deep sip from a thermos of coffee before continuing. "Then again, that was just three enemies. This next operation is going to be a different beast entirely."

"Three or thirty, what does it matter?" Beside him, Mustard scoffed, dry laughter echoing from within his red-eyed mask as he unholstered his black steel Colt Python and twirled it idly in one hand. "You've seen our plan of attack, Synapse- it's flawless. They don't stand a chance at stopping us."

"Not a chance!" Twice echoed, his hands planted proudly on his hips. "Man, I almost feel sorry for those guys, Scimitar- you're about to demolish them! No, you're all gonna die!"

"…Thanks, I guess," Kamakiri replied hesitantly, one brow hiked as he started down the stairs towards the main level. "Very reassuring, Twice."

Toga warned me that he's a bit confusing to talk to sometimes, but man, I didn't know it was this big of a split. Do we need to be giving him some meds?

"Hey, he means well!" Hatsume swiveled away from her workbench with a gleeful grin, perched atop a rolling stool. Reaching up to her face, she pulled up her welding goggles and clapped her gloved hands together as Kamakiri reached the bottom of the stairwell and stepped out onto the concrete factory floor. "And there he is, the man of the hour! How are ya feeling, champ? Ready for some good old-fashioned slaughter?"

"You kidding?" His mouth turned up in a smirk, Kamakiri sprouted a series of blades from his arms and hands. "I was born ready, man. That recording was just a warmup- I can't wait to carve these pathetic fuckers apart."

"That's the spirit," Mustard declared, pulling off his helmet to reveal a smug, satisfied expression on his pale young face. "You, me, Longshot, and Dark Shadow? It's going to be a massacre, nothing less."

"I'm all for a massacre, but are you sure you're still good to go?" Scimitar clapped a hand on Mustard's shoulder, then reached around and pointed at his torso. "You had a goddamn fist sticking through your gut twelve hours ago. I'm pretty sure Overhaul said you died, man."

"Pretty insane, right?" Mustard chuckled and shrugged his shoulders, his nonchalant attitude entirely unbefitting the existential nature of his situation. "I feel fine, though. And before any of you ask, no, I don't remember anything about what happened after I passed out. I didn't see any 'other side' or bright light, I just went straight from bleeding out on the ground to waking up with Overhaul standing on top of me."

"Alright, alright, that's enough about the afterlife," Hatsume cut in, tapping a button on her gauntlet to turn down the music she'd been playing while she worked. "None of you are gonna have to worry about it anytime soon, as long as you stick to the plan and trust my babies. Speaking of which…"

Hopping off her stool, Hatsume strode over towards Kamakiri, one gloved hand perched on her chin. As usual, her entire face was coated in a layer of grease and sweat, and beneath her canvas welder's jacket, her black tanktop was similarly stained; Mei's pink hair was tied up in a ponytail, and her gold, crosshair-marked eyes were gleaming with a manic, stimulant-enhanced fervor.

"…How's the new costume working for ya?" Longshot finished, glazing up and down along Scimitar's towering figure. "Looks like you got the blood from earlier cleaned off just fine, but does the material still feel alright?"

"Yeah, it feels great."

Stretching out his arms, Kamakiri glanced down at the new outfit Hatsume had made for him. Midnight black with lime and forest-green highlights, it was a decidedly unorthodox design, meant to compensate for Scimitar's tactic of sprouting blades from across every part of his body, a fighting style that tended to shred most clothes to pieces. Attached to a central harness, long, loose-fitting rectangular strips of fabric made of Kevlar and carbon fiber hung from his limbs, chest, waist, and back, each around fifteen centimeters wide, tapering to pointed, triangular ends, with varying lengths depending on their placement. Black with green edges, they were all soft and flexible, allowing his blades to extend from between and beneath them as needed, but when struck from the outside with fast-moving projectiles such as bullets, they instantly hardened to diamond-strength. When Kamakiri wasn't using his quirk, the segments could join together into a multilayered cloak and matching pants.

It kinda looks like a big black and green poncho, Togaru mused, clicking a button on his belt to separate it into individual strips again. One that someone sliced to hell, that is.

Dark green combat boots and a black domino mask completed the costume; reaching down to one of the utility pouches fastened onto his belt, Kamakiri pulled out the mask and pressed it down over his eyes, then gave Hatsume a nod.

"Fits like a damn glove, Longshot. Nice work."

"Oh please, call me Mei!"

A look of sudden revelation crossed Hatsume's face, and she darted back towards her workbench. Before Kamakiri could think to ask what she was doing, Longshot had grabbed hold of the rifle she'd been working on and aimed it directly at his chest, her mouth still turned up in a wide smile.

"Hey, do you wanna go ahead and test the ballistic weave? I promise I'll be careful!"

"I… uh…" His eyes wide with apprehension, Scimitar threw a confused glance back at Mustard and Twice- both of them had already begun to back away, until Synapse finally spoke up.

"Darling, let's not point loaded weapons at our own members. You've already tested its defensive capabilities several times during the development phase, remember?"

"Yeah, true…" Hatsume gave an exaggerated shrug, the rifle swaying back and forth in her grip. "But no matter how much testing you do, you never know if they'll actually work in the field! You can perfect it as much as you want, but sometimes shit just decides to malfunction for no reason." Without warning, Longshot snapped back into a firing stance and raised the rifle in her grip once more. "What's wrong with being certain? I'm sure Togaru doesn't mind!"

"Madam Longshot, you've told me before to stop you when you threaten the lives of your comrades in the Syndicate, intentionally or otherwise."

Kamakiri felt his brows hike instinctively in surprise as David Shield suddenly spoke up, pulling up his welding mask to reveal an expression even more beleaguered than Shinso's. His eyes were bloodshot, his brown hair damp with sweat, and as a matter of insurance, a metal cuff was fastened around his ankle, a small green light steadily beeping to indicate that he was within a fifty-meter radius of Hatsume.

At the moment, David was standing midway up a ladder, assisting Hatsume's double as they put the finishing touches on a three-meter-tall combat robot. The machine was locked in a tall metal maintenance frame set against the wall, and though its design was based on the combat drones used by the Public Safety Commission and schools like U.A., Longshot had clearly modified its specifications and capabilities extensively. Its color scheme was dark grey instead of the usual army green, its glass lens 'eyes' scarlet red. On one side of its steel and titanium chassis, a name was stamped out in bold white letters: 'Alecto'.

"Testing, testing," the duplicate Longshot called out, holding a radio up to her mouth. "Unit 27, designate 'Alecto', begin weapons check, run targeting sequence alpha."

A series of garbled electronic beeps served as the drone's reply, and its massive left arm, mounted with a hefty, tri-barreled gatling gun in place of a hand, detached from the maintenance frame with a hiss of steam. The sounds of whirring servomotors filled the air, and Kamakiri watched with his arms crossed as the drone planted its feet and took aim at the far wall of the factory. A moment later, the gun's barrels began to spin, and the crowd of onlookers lurched backwards out of instinct- all of them except Shinso, who continued to stare up at the drone without a hint of concern on his face.

"Oh, don't get your panties in a wad!" The double shouted down, brandishing her oil-stained wrench in their direction. "It's a weapons check, not a firing test! The gun isn't even loaded! Uh, well…" Her brows furrowing in sudden concern beneath her welding goggles, she shifted in her perch atop a pulley-supported platform suspended next to the robot's head and glanced down at Doctor Shield. "Dave, this thing isn't loaded, right?"

"No, Madam Longshot, it isn't loaded. As you likely recall, I'm not permitted to work in proximity to any live ammunition."

"Right you are, Dave! Now go make nice with the others- mama's gotta keep working on this baby's command circuits."

Descending from his stepladder, David turned and bowed his head toward Scimitar, Synapse, and the real Hatsume, who was distinguishable from her double only by a large number '1' spraypainted in white on the back of her jacket.

"I hope my work remains up to your standards, Madam. If I may be so bold, I-"

"You may not," Hatsume interrupted with a mocking pout, then clapped her hands together. "I wish we had a while to chat, but it's time to head back to your cell, Doc!"

Before David could reply, Longshot reached down and tapped another button on her gauntlet; a swirling black and purple portal from Kurogiri opened moments later, and Shield stepped meekly through, his head hung in exhaustion and defeat.

"You wouldn't believe how convenient these things are, Scimitar." Hatsume let out a sigh, shaking her head in wonderment as the portal flickered shut. "You got lucky, cutting ties and joining up when you did. Now, I can just snap my fingers and hop down to Okinawa, but before we had Kurogiri, every single time I was done with work here, I had to shower-" Mei punctuated this particular word with a revolted expression and an outstretched tongue- "make sure my hair dye and colored contacts were in, prep my fake ID and tickets, and sit on the goddamn bullet train, all the way back to one of our bases. Two and a half frickin' hours if I was headed to Nagoya, four if I was going to Osaka!" Hatsume threw up her hands in exasperation, then turned to Shinso and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "I used to spend whole weeks camped out here working rather than commute, just me and Dark Shadow- I would've probably gone primal if I didn't have this guy going on supply runs for me."

"You wouldn't believe how easily she forgets to eat food and drink water if she's unsupervised," Shinso added, running one hand down his face in exasperation. "And don't even get me started on hygiene. But we're getting sidetracked, dear- you wanted to speak to the team about the mission, yes?"

"That I did!" At the drop of a pin, Longshot changed gears once again, and reached out to grab Scimitar and Mustard by the arms. "Now that the Doc's gone, we can finally get down to business- give me ten seconds to wrap things up here, and then we're gonna head over to the staging area and make sure all our equipment's ready to rumble. Sound good, boys?"

"Sounds good," Kamakiri replied, exchanging a nod with Mustard. "Take your time, man."

"Alrighty!" Hatsume shot them a thumbs up, then cupped her hands around her mouth and turned to face her double, who was busy soldering one of the robot's circuitboards three meters in the air. "You good up there, Mei?! Need anything?"

"I could actually use another soldering iron!" The double called down. "This one's almost shot! Alecto needs a few backup servomotors too, and now that Dave's gone, I can start loading her up with bullets and attach the missile launcher! You got a spare double for me, Jin?"

"Of Pandora?" Kamakiri gestured toward the windows of what had once been the factory manager's office up above them. "She's right upstairs, I can just go get her."

"Why bother when I can double her in half the time?" Twice countered with a shrug. "Besides, it's protocol not to waste the real one's Creation fuel unless we really need to!"

By the time Kamakiri could open his mouth to retort, Bubaigawara had already created a perfect duplicate of Yaoyorozu; she didn't show so much as a hint of confusion, appraising the situation with a single glance.

"What do you need, Hatsume? Just give me the schematics and I'll get to work."

Half a minute later, Pandora's double was in the midst of creating a rack of homing missiles from her stomach, Synapse and Twice were back to patrolling the perimeter, and Longshot was leading the members of today strike team to a separate area on the other side of the factory floor. The facility's expansive main chamber ran for around half a kilometer in length, and though much of the old machinery had been removed when it was decommissioned, several large structures remained- the massive, rusting metal frame of a smelting and casting assembly stretched across the center of the factory, looming above them like the skeleton of an ancient beast.

Man, this thing looks like it's about to fall apart. Kamakiri stepped away from the rest of their group to gaze up at the support struts of a hulking metal casting frame, covered with patches of rust. It's almost a meter thick, but I could cut through this thing like goddamn butter.

It arrived like a bolt of electricity, prickling at the distant corners of Togaru's mind. The urge was faint at first, but quickly grew in strength, until a few moments later, it was pulsing through his brain- a singular, primal instinct, hardwired into his genetic code.

Carve it. Carve it. Carve it.

Choosing to obey the reflex rather than fight it, Scimitar lunged forward and swung his arms together; two long, slanted blades bisected the strut just as easily as he'd anticipated, and Togaru felt a rush of pleasure surge through his chest as the rusted metal cleaved apart amid a shower of sparks.

Ah, that's better.

"Scimitar? Everything good?" Beside him, Hatsume and the others had paused, gazing at him with expressions ranging from curious to confused to apathetic.

"Yeah, all good." Kamakiri let out a deep sigh of satisfaction as he retracted the blades back into his arms and planted his hands on his hips, gazing proudly at his handiwork. "Sometimes I get this… itch, y'know? When I see something like that, I just gotta carve it- feel like I'll go crazy if I don't."

"Oh, I know exactly what you mean," Dark Shadow purred, letting out a harsh cackle. "Whenever I'm in the dark, I need to tear and destroy to stay sane. The more violent things get, the better I feel."

"I suppose it's similar for me as well," Mustard added with a shrug, gazing down at the red eyes of the masked helmet in his hands. "If I go too long without using my gas, I begin to feel a strong urge to do so- a dangerous instinct, given that I suffer my own quirk's effects without proper protection. Thankfully, though, that hasn't been a problem for years now."

"Well, good news for all three of you," Hatsume declared, a wide grin on her face, "you're gonna have plenty of chances to scratch those itches in about twenty minutes. Now come on, let's pick up the pace!"

The group resumed their trek across the cavernous facility at a slightly brisker clip, passing by more workstations and maintenance racks; each one housed another of Longshot's projects, all in varying stages of completion. Several more combat mechs of varying designs occupied one section of the wall, while dozens of different pieces of body armor- and armguards and helmets- covered the benches running along the center of the chamber. Some were clearly components from Seraph and Pandora's sets of armor, but others looked unfamiliar to Kamakiri- discarded prototypes, perhaps, or designs for the other Recruits, once they joined. One particular set looked considerably larger than the others, though- poking out from beneath a canvas sheet, Togaru caught a glimpse of a pair of what looked to be massive metal gauntlets, far larger than the arms of any Syndicate member.

An equally oversized chestplate was suspended on two chain winches above the workbench in question, easily two to three meters in width; standing precariously atop one of the highest rungs on a ladder, another Hatsume double was currently welding a segment of armor plating onto the hulking frame. The number '5' was spraypainted onto the back of her jacket, and Kamakiri's eyes narrowed in confusion for a moment before Monoma Neito strode into view, pacing idly back and forth beneath the double's ladder with a book in one hand and a steaming cup of tea in the other. Notes from a slow, melancholic violin track drifted up from a speaker perched on an adjacent workbench, where a David Shield double was hunched over and sketching away at a blueprint of some kind with feverish intensity.

"Madam Longshot," Shield called, wiping a sheen of sweat from his brow. The number '3' was scrawled in black on the back of his white lab coat, and he looked somewhat less exhausted than the original Kamakiri had seen earlier. "What do you think of this revision for the helmet design?"

"Hmm, not half bad." Hatsume Five pulled her goggles up onto her forehead as she turned away from her own project and gazed down at the blueprint- the piece of paper was easily ten meters away from her, but thanks to her quirk, the distance was hardly a problem. "I kinda like the little crest thing you added, and… ugh, enough of this mopey orchestra crap, Neito!" Switching subjects midsentence with an exasperated groan, the Hatsume double craned around and waved her welding torch in Monoma's direction. "You know I can't concentrate to anything under 150BPM!"

"And you know that you agreed to switch playlists every thirty minutes while I'm on watch," Chaudron retorted, sipping deeply at his tea. "Am I to read Kundera while listening to 'thrash metal'?" He scoffed, then glanced up at Scimitar's passing group with an apologetic grin. "Apologies, Togaru- I know you're a fan of that genre as well." Pausing again, Monoma spared a glance down at his watch, one blond brow cocked. "Ah, it's nearly time. Ready for your moment on stage?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," Scimitar answered, grinning. Though they'd only been classmates in 1-B for a few short months, Kamakiri had always admired Monoma- though Neito appeared snobbish on the outside, they shared an intense competitive drive, as well a fervent disdain for Class A's habit of stealing the spotlight. From the moment I realized the truth about where he and the others had vanished to, I was always jealous of the way he broke away from all the bullshit. I just wish I'd followed him sooner.

"So what are you guys working on over here?" Togaru gestured at the massive chestplate and accompanying gauntlets. "Armor for giants?"

"In a metaphorical sense, perhaps," Chaudron replied with a chuckle. "It's a bit of a… special project, one that the dear Doctor has been assisting us with for some time."

"Assisting me with!" The Hatsume double protested. "Don't act like you're helping too, Brahms Boy."

"I believe that creating the both of you counts as 'helping'," Monoma retorted. "Furthermore, this concerto wasn't even composed by…" Trailing off, Neito let out a long sigh of defeat, then turned back to face Togaru with a cheery expression. "Apologies, friends. Don't let us keep you here with our bickering- best of luck to all of you!"

"Who needs luck?" The original Hatsume gave them a shrug, rummaging about at one of the other workbenches nearby. After a moment, she produced a bandolier of bullets and a belt of grenades, a widening grin on her face. "I have ammo."

"You sure you don't want me to go instead of you?" Hatsume Five asked, peering down at the original from her ladder. "Sure, I can't take as many hits, but put me in enough armor and it wouldn't matter."

"Are you kidding me?" Longshot dismissed the idea with a snort of laughter and a wave of her hand. "I barely get to go out and stretch my legs in the field as is, no way I'm passing up a chance to join in on the fun now!"

"It would be the safer option," Monoma chimed in. "Theoretically, it would be safest to carry out all of our combat operations with well-armored duplicates, but most of our members dislike the idea of accomplishing their missions by proxy. There's something about being there in the flesh to fulfill your role that can't be properly replicated by a stage double." He paused and met Kamakiri's gaze once more, a knowing look in his eyes. "Some things are just that important. Wouldn't you agree, Togaru?"

"Absolutely." Kamakiri gave a firm nod, frowning as he thought back to his strategy meeting with Toga leading up to the Commencement- to the disappointment he'd felt when it was decided that his task of killing U.A.'s principal would be left to a double. "I got a hell of a rush running a blade through Eraser and pulling the trigger on the bombs, but I still wish I could've offed Vlad myself. I mean, I didn't hate the guy, but everything he represented needed to die, and it should've been me who did it. It would've felt like… closure, y'know? Instead, I have to watch grainy footage of some punk-ass double getting all the glory."

"Oh, I know exactly what you mean," Monoma replied, his expression suddenly wistful. "All of us still need closure on something or another, Togaru, and I suppose I'm no exception. But now's no time for reminiscence." He tapped again at his watch and gave the group a final nod. "Tick-tock, tick-tock."

At that, they were back to walking- as they neared the staging area Hatsume had referenced, located at the far end of the factory, Mustard spoke up again to Scimitar's left.

"Funny you should mention closure. I was reviewing the footage from outside- you might have a class reunion on your hands when we get there."

"So what if I do?" Kamakiri answered, shrugging. "Doesn't matter if the whole class is there, I'm not gonna let 'em get between me and the target. Besides, they should all clear out before we attack if they fall for the bait."

"And what if they don't fall for it?" Mustard unholstered his revolver once more, inspecting the firing cylinder. "Are you going to be able to do what needs to be done?"

"What the hell kinda question is that?" Kamakiri's grin had turned to a scowl, and he felt his hands curl into fists; blades began to sprout reflexively from his forearms, but he quickly retracted them. "You heard Pandora earlier- I've already proven myself. In case you forgot, I put my ass on the line to save your goddamn life."

"And what, that means I can't question you now?" Mustard let out a bitter, sarcastic chuckle. "You were dealing with zealous thugs this morning, not your former 'friends'- I just don't want this mission to fail because you lose you nerve when you face them again."

"Ohoh, it's a fight!" Dark Shadow crowed, his glowing eyes narrowed in amusement and anticipation. "Come on, nothing better than an old-fashioned scrap to solve your differences! I'll referee!"

"Ah ah ah, I don't think so." Reaching in to separate the two, Hatsume hooked her arms around theirs and began to lead them forward in tandem, a wide smile still on her face. "Gotta save that energy for the mission, boys! If you're both still feeling sore about it after we're done, I'll set up an official sparring match for ya, okay?"

"Wouldn't be much of a match," Scimitar muttered beneath his breath, smirking.

"I agree," Mustard replied with a chuckle. "Assuming you're not provided with a gas mask."

"Well as long as the new babies I'm using today work like I built 'em to," Longshot countered, a smug expression crossing her face, "it's safe to say I could kick both of your asses. And here we are!" Releasing her grip on them as they finally reached their destination, Mei rushed forward with a squeal of glee. "Oh, come to mama!"

Demarcated by a border of yellow and black caution paint, the staging area occupied one of the factory floor's four corners, and looked to be empty at first. After Hatsume entered a passcode and a handprint into a keypad and scanner on the wall, though two massive metal shutters retracted up into the ceiling, revealing towering racks of weapons, armor, and support items. Every type of gun imaginable seemed to be represented, from pistols to sniper rifles to rocket launchers and miniaturized railguns, and for a brief moment, Kamakiri found himself wishing that he was more of a ranged fighter. Nah, screw that. Carving beats shooting any day of the week.

"So, uh… how are we supposed to reach some of this stuff?" Togaru asked, gazing up at the higher sections of the racks; some of the most intriguing-looking items were dozens of meters in the air. "Do we have Mount Lady on our payroll or something?"

"I keep forgetting this is your first time here," Mei replied with a grin, tapping another button on the wall; with a loud groan of metal and hydraulics, the slightly raised metal platform they'd all stepped onto when they crossed the line of caution paint slowly began to lift upwards, and safety rails sprang into place around the edge. "Behold, the wonders of engineering!"

Swaying slightly in place for a moment thanks to the platform's sudden, unexpected movement, Scimitar quickly regained his balance, then shook his head in bemusement.

"Yeah, I guess I should've known to expect something like this."

Overhead, the dappled light filtering through the windows had begun to dim, and as they continued to ascend higher along the walls, Kamakiri could smell more of the acrid, noxious smoke from outside, mixed in with the distinct odor of salt from Tokyo Bay- just a few hundred meters from the waterfront, Etna's two closest neighbors were a steel smelting plant and a petrochemical facility. As a result, the air quality in the area was unpleasant enough to discourage all but the hardiest souls from venturing through, warning signs aside; thankfully, a few industrial air filtration units installed by Hatsume kept Etna personnel from choking on smog.

Midway up, the platform finally creaked to a halt, and Hatsume reached out to take hold of what looked to be a large metal backpack, complete with corded straps that fit around her shoulders. Moments later, the central case opened with an electric hum, unfolding into a jointed frame that wrapped along Mei's spine; a separate visor slid into place over her eyes, and once it had flickered to life, four segmented metal appendages began to unfurl from within the case, each ending in a tri-tipped metal claw.

"Ah, that's better." Reaching up to let her hair down from its ponytail, Hatsume let out a sigh of delight as the bottom two metal limbs planted onto the ground and lifted her up into the air- each one of the four appendages stretched around five meters in length. "I've been working on perfecting this particular baby for years, if you can believe it. I used the first protype all the way back at the Sports Festival our first semester, remember?"

"Of course we remember," Dark Shadow replied with peal of cawing laughter. "You were using it to keep away from the boy with the engine legs. What was his name again? The one who got himself killed by Stain!"

"Iida, right?" Hatsume let out a bemused sigh from her new perch high above the rest of the group, shaking her head as she perused a row of weapons. "Man, what a dope. Nice quirk, but he would never've been a good candidate for Recruitment with that stick-in-the-mud personality."

"Speaking of the Recruits," Kamakiri cut in, frowning, "we did coordinate this attack with Hierophant, right? I don't wanna off one of our own members by mistake in all the chaos."

"Don't you worry, Scimitar- Hierophant's been briefed. I'm a bit more concerned with Justice and Empress, though. Since they're still just potential candidates, and they don't know it's Toga they've been talking to, we can't really give 'em a warning to stay away without tipping our hand."

"Monoma mentioned earlier that he's starting to doubt whether Empress will work out as a Recruit after all," Mustard declared, his arms crossed. "She has a few promising inclinations and vices, but her intellect leaves a bit to be desired, and her personal relationships could prove to be a complication rather than an asset in the long term. Carmilla seems to like her, but Chaudron's considering cutting off contact."

"Well, let's just hope she and Justice are good at dodging bullets if they end up sticking around for the fireworks!"

Grabbing a tri-barreled gatling gun off its rack with her two upper servo-arms- the same model that she'd been installing on the combat mech from earlier- Mei lowered the hefty weapon into her waiting hands with a grunt of exertion, then let out a sigh of relief when two exoskeletal strength enhancement frames locked into place around her arms to help lighten the load.

"Sorry, Mustard," Longshot quipped, shooting him a wink as she lowered herself back towards the platform and nodded at his revolver, "but mine's bigger."

"Well, size isn't everything." A smirk crossed Mustard's face as he pulled a multi-shot grenade launcher from the wall and began to load the firing cylinder with the shells from the bandolier slung across the front of his trench coat, each filled with a compressed dosage of his gas.

"Is there anything for me?" Dark Shadow asked, craning his head over Longshot's shoulder. "I never get to play with your toys!"

"There is actually something I've been working on for you…" A hand perched on her chin, Hatsume used a claw to retrieve a small case of grapefruit-sized metal cubes from one of the upper racks. "These little babies," Mei continued, taking one in hand, "should help you deal with any heroes who try and shine light on you. Observe!" Motioning for Scimitar and Mustard to clear out of the way, Longshot tossed one of the cubes out onto the platform floor- within a matter of moments, it unfolded into a towering rectangular mirror, easily three meters tall and four wide. Though the hundreds of tiny panels that composed the mirror were only around two centimeters thick, the device looked sturdy, rooted to the floor by a series of small clamps, and upon further inspection, the metal plating on the opposite side was pitch black.

"Looks like I had it turned the wrong way around when I threw it," Mei admitted, rubbing at the back of her head, "but ideally, it'll reflect their light right back at 'em on a moment's notice, and give you some portable shade. Whaddaya think?"

"Oh, these will do very nicely," Dark Shadow crowed, taking the remaining two cubes in hand and strapping them to the utility belt around Tokoyami's waist. "Let's see them try to use their little flashbangs on me now!"

"A most inventive solution to his weakness," a familiar voice declared- his eyes widening, Scimitar pivoted to find Seraph standing a few paces behind him, Kurogiri at his side. "Very well done, Mei."

"B-Boss! Good to see you!" Kamakiri bowed his head in respect, then cursed himself internally for forgetting Midoriya's advice the previous night. 'This isn't an army, and I'm not a general'. Well, maybe that's true, but I still owe him at least something like this, right?

"Likewise!" Midoriya replied, grinning affably as he strode closer. "I've given Re-Destro his advance warning for the operation, and you'll be glad to know that La Brava is nearly done editing the footage for your debut video- it's going to make a magnificent spectacle. But more importantly, how are you feeling? Just a few more minutes, and your vengeance will be complete."

Seraph reached out and laid his prosthetic hand on Scimitar's shoulder, his grin steadily widening.

"Ready to introduce yourself to the world?"

---

Former Syndicate Headquarters, Yokohama

"So, remind me why we have to plant these stupid things again?"

"Like it said in the briefing, it's to detect them in case they come back here." Kendo shot Bakugo a skeptical glance as she leaned down to drive another metal stake into the ground, shaking her head in exasperation as she flipped the switch to activate the signal emitter. "You did read the briefing, right, Ground Zero?"

"Oh, I read it alright," Katsuki retorted, his blond brows furrowed in frustration. "I just think it's a stupid plan. Just take a look around, they're obviously done with the place!"

As she rose back to her feet, Itsuka glanced back and forth across the walled compound, a frown on her face. Strike Team Fenrir's Unit Gamma was currently standing amid the ruins of what had previously been a luxurious private villa located in a quiet, affluent neighborhood of Yokohama. 'Ruins' might be overstating it, though, Kendo noted; whatever had happened here, it seemed that the Syndicate had adopted a scorched-earth policy on the way out. The entire main building had been reduced to a fine pile of dust, the traditional Japanese courtyard paved over into a flat, desolate surface of rock, dirt, and carbon. The only feature that remained somewhat untouched was the koi pond, though the fish living inside it hadn't been as lucky, floating lifelessly atop the water.

Twelve police officers and one local hero, Kesagiri Man, had fallen victim to Chisaki and Kurogiri when they arrived on the scene around 4:30am- now, over twelve hours later, it was up to Mirko's unit of the strike team to piece together exactly what had happened. They would've come sooner, but throughout the morning and early afternoon, their squad been preoccupied guarding the first of three groups of Syndicate families as they relocated to a government safehouse. Despite Fenrir leadership's suspicion that the Syndicate might try to intervene, though, it had been an entirely uneventful assignment, with no sign of any unusual activity. We'll have to see if the next two go as smoothly.

"It's common for killers to return to the scenes of their crimes," Kendo finally responded, measuring out another four meters forward and three meters to the right as she pulled another stake from her bag. "It's psychological, they get a kick out of watching law enforcement try and figure out what they did. If there's even a tiny chance that the Syndicate could do the same, then there's no excuse not to monitor the area."

"That's the thing, though- this wasn't one of their crime scenes!" Driving a stake into the ground a few meters ahead of her with a grunt of frustration, Bakugo threw his gauntleted hands in the air. "Why is everyone ignoring that?! Intel says this was probably their own base, not one of their targets, so why the hell would they attack it? If I had a million yen, I'd bet that someone else attacked them."

Kendo felt her frown deepen, unsure how to respond. In the hours since the initial report of fighting and gunfire that had drawn the police and heroes to the villa, and the confirmed sighting of Overhaul and Kurogiri on-scene, investigators had been working frantically to determine who the house belonged to, and for how long. A conversation with a local realty agent had all but confirmed Synapse's involvement; he recalled selling the property to a young man with green eyes and black hair around two years ago- a visual match for Shinso's disguised appearance- and despite the agent's sincere belief that the villa was paid for in full, an inspection of his company's bank accounts revealed that no deposit had ever been made. The president of the local homeowners' association seemed to have been brainwashed as well, earnestly convinced that she'd been instructed by a city official not to subject the property to any periodic zoning or utility inspections.

Since that determination, interviews with neighbors and a thorough review of security camera footage from surrounding houses had produced frustratingly little in the way of actionable intel. If the villa had truly been a Syndicate base, they'd done an excellent job of keeping a low profile. Up until two months ago- around the time the Syndicate seemed to have acquired Kurogiri- black sedans with tinted windows had been recorded entering and exiting the compound on a frequent basis, but it quickly became apparent that the cars' plates were duplicates, identical copies of license plates belonging to random civilians living throughout the country. Not that tracking down their cars would do us much good anymore, Itsuka reflected glumly. Not when they could just open a warp gate right over our heads and drop a bomb on us. She found herself gazing listlessly upwards at the cloudless blue sky, but shook herself out of the stupor and gazed back down at her work. Well, that's exactly why we're planting these stakes, to make sure Kurogiri can't get the drop on us.

"How's it coming over there?" Kendo called, throwing a glance over towards Mirko, Real Steel, and Tentacole's segments of the circle. Shoji, for his part, was easily planting three at a time thanks to his Dupli-Arms, and Mirko was hopping from point to point with ease. Over by the compound's shattered entrance, Kamui Woods was talking with a few of the police officers and detectives who'd been investigating the scene before their arrival.

"Almost done!" Mirko called, a wide grin on her face as she leapt forward to drive in her final stake. "And not soon enough, if you ask me- this has gotta be the most boring assignment we've had all week!"

"Perhaps," Shoji replied, grabbing another three stakes from his bag, "but despite the menial nature of the work, it could prove to be incredibly important, as Battle Fist said. If this technology helps us detect and capture Kurogiri, it could be key to crippling the Syndicate's operations."

Kendo nodded, taking a moment to gaze out at their progress. Nearly three-quarters deployed by now, the metal stakes they were planting would synchronize to project a powerful electromagnetic field across a five-kilometer radius out from the central circle, one that was designed to detect the unique signature created by Kurogiri's Warp Gate. Similar detection fields had already been planted in several key locations throughout Japan's major cities, and dozens more were planned; if one of the portals was detected, a silent alarm and the exact location data of the signal would be sent to Strike Team Fenrir and the Public Safety Commission in real time. The U.A. Barrier was using prototypes of these things, Kendo mused, shuddering as the memory of watching the formidable metal redoubt crumble before her eyes flashed to the forefront of her mind. But that's different, they had time to plan for that attack. The goal of spreading the detection fields around the country is to catch them off-balance, make it harder and harder for them to keep relying on those damn warp gates to get around if they don't want to get caught.

"You didn't answer my question," Bakugo declared, snapping Kendo out of her thoughts. "Why the hell would they destroy their own base? And who the hell other than us would have the balls to attack them?"

As far as Itsuka could tell, Katsuki was asking her a genuine question, not trying to one-up her and flaunt his own knowledge- it was still a strange sensation, talking with him like normal peers rather than rivals, and Kendo was still half-expecting him to snap and start viciously berating her at any given moment. It's been what, a few days since we had that talk in my apartment? Hopefully we can make it a whole week without him calling me 'Little Ms. Perfect'.

"I don't know," Itsuka finally answered, "and it's driving me crazy. My first guess would be that Overhaul and the yakuza betrayed them, but Overhaul was definitely still cooperating with Kurogiri when they escaped, so that doesn't really make sense." Stepping past the remnants of the koi pond, she hunched down and frowned, watching the corpses of the fish as they bobbed listlessly along the surface. "The forensics team said these guys were killed by sudden-onset hypothermia, right? Literally flash-frozen. And one of the only eyewitness reports we have claims they saw huge chunks of ice flying through the air…"

"You think it was Half-and-Half?" Crouching down to activate another stake, Bakugo frowned, his brows furrowed in contemplation. "Maybe an escape attempt? But why would he only be fighting with ice? Why didn't the witness see any big blasts of fire too? He's not the type of guy to hold back on his enemies if he had a chance to break loose."

"I can't say, but I do know that Endeavor is asking to come inspect the scene once Unit Beta is done with their assignment. Well, more like demanding, actually. Todoroki aside, though…" Kendo lowered her voice as she glanced back over towards Bakugo, her tone growing cautious and reluctant. "…did you see the part in the report about the electricity?"

Ground Zero nodded, one brow raised.

"Yeah, what about it?"

Dammit, I keep forgetting he doesn't know too.

It had been a day since Kendo's interrogation session with Toga- a day since the discovery that Kaminari had been recording her inebriated tryst with Bakugo in the days before their graduation- and it seemed that Sir Nighteye and Ryukyu were still proceeding cautiously when it came to Chargebolt. Only a few members of the strike team seemed to be aware of the development, and it was still possible that Kaminari was solely guilty of voyeurism, not treason. Maybe he's just a harmless perv who spread the video around to his friends, and the Syndicate found out through Ochako, Itsuka had attempted to reassure herself half a dozen times. But the seed of doubt had already been planted in her mind- she could no longer think of Denki without thinking of Toga's sadistic taunts as well, of the shame and humiliation she'd felt when Carmilla exposed her mistake for all her colleagues to hear. For Tetsutetsu to hear…

Kendo shot a brief, furtive glance in her boyfriend's direction, but he seemed entirely absorbed in his work, diligently planting another stake in the ground. Despite their tearful reconciliation, despite his promise that nothing would change, he'd been notably quiet over the course of their shift, his usual upbeat attitude almost entirely absent. As far as Itsuka could recall, he hadn't spoken a single word to Katsuki all day, and for hours now, she'd been dreading the prospect of a fight breaking out between them. Bakugo was still unaware that Toga had revealed their rendezvous- Sir Nighteye had specifically instructed those present at the interrogation not to spread the rumor, reminding them that 'gossiping about colleagues' personal lives is unbefitting of a professional hero'.

But damn, I kind of wish someone had blabbed already, Itsuka mused, her cheeks flushed red as she turned back to face Katsuki. Because I'm really not looking forward to telling him myself.

"Hey, you done zoning out yet?" Bakugo reached out and snapped his fingers in her direction. "Come on, don't go daydreaming on me. What about the electricity?"

"Well, uh…"

According to the report, a massive surge of electricity had wiped out the electronics and cameras in most of the surrounding houses during the course of the mysterious fight that had drawn law enforcement to the area; the moment Kendo read that particular line, her mind had jumped immediately to Kaminari Denki. His location last night was accounted for- he'd been asleep in the Tokyo apartment he shared with Sero Hanta, and there was no evidence that he'd departed in the middle of the night- but thanks to Twice's doubles and Kurogiri's warp gates, his involvement still couldn't be discounted. As far as Kendo was aware, he was still out on assignment with Unit Beta as usual, aiding in their task of investigating yakuza members, but Sir Nighteye had confirmed that he would personally take charge of monitoring Chargebolt while the Public Safety Commission quietly conducted an investigation into his movements and activities.

If he really is a spy for the Syndicate, we can't pull him off the team without tipping our hand that we know. For now, we just have to act like everything's normal.

"…I just… thought it seemed weird," Kendo managed, shrugging her shoulders. "Powerful electricity quirks are rare, but I guess it could've been one of Hatsume's weapons too, so…"

"So what? What are you trying to say?" Bakugo took a step towards her, the gears turning visibly in his head. "'Powerful electricity quirks'… are you talking about-"

"Hey Mirko, I'm done with my section." Tetsutetsu's voice interrupted Bakugo midsentence- suddenly he was standing a few yards to their left, near the middle of the circle. "Could I take a quick five?"

"Huh? Yeah, sure." Mirko waved a gloved hand in Real Steel's direction, nodding dismissively. "Take fifteen if you want- we're almost done here, then we'll all go grab some dinner."

"Cool, thanks." Turning his gaze squarely toward Bakugo, Tetsutetsu started forward again, a determined expression crossing his face.

"What's up with you?" Bakugo called, one brow raised. "You want something, man?"

Just a few short paces from Ground Zero now, Real Steel remained silent; Kendo's eyes widened in alarm as the dots swiftly connected in her mind, and she held out one hand towards him, taking a step forward to try and place herself between the two.

"Uh, Tetsu, is everything good?"

"Something's been up with him all day," Bakugo declared, instantly subverting Kendo's strategy by sidestepping her and starting towards Tetsutetsu of his own accord. "Come on, bro, what the hell's-"

Real Steel interrupted Bakugo once again- this time, with a swift right hook to the jaw. Tetsutetsu's quirk hadn't activated, but all the same, he clearly put his full force into the blow; in the span of an instant, Bakugo was sprawled out on his back, a look of utter shock and rage in his eyes and a weak trickle of blood leaking from his lip.

"Hey, what the fuck was that, you asshole?!" Katsuki's furious shouting quickly drew the attention of anyone in the lot who hadn't already been watching- Kendo was preparing to rush over and hold him back when Tetsutetsu leaned down and extended a hand, his usual smile slowly returning to his face.

"Sorry, bro- I hope you get it, but I just needed to do that. We good now?"

"Good?" Bakugo slapped Tetsutetsu's hand away, then proceeded to scramble back to his feet of his own accord, minature explosions firing off from his palms. "The fuck do you mean, are we good? What the hell was that for?"

"Take it easy, boys!" Striding over with an exasperated look on her face, Mirko stepped between the two young heroes and held out her gloved hands before Ground Zero could continue. "I know you little shits have all those teenage hormones going, but we've still got work to do, okay? If you've got beef, you can talk it out after we're done here, and I'll be watching to make sure you play nice."

The Rabbit Hero shot a knowing, sympathetic glance towards Kendo- she was one of the only people Itsuka had told about her night with Katsuki, and she'd been present for Toga's 'grand reveal' as well.

"Hold up," Bakugo cut in, confused. "I still don't know what fucking 'beef' he could possibly…" Slowly, steadily, Katsuki trailed off, and Itsuka watched with growing horror as a look of sudden revelation struck him like a thunderclap; he turned to face her with a shocked, indignant expression. "…oh, you're fucking kidding me. Now? Today?! You waited this long?!"

"Back to work, kiddos, back to work! Isn't planting stakes in the ground fun?" Wrapping her muscular arms around both of their shoulders, Mirko began to forcibly lead the pair over to the other side of the courtyard, one brow twitching in annoyance. Tetsutetsu tried to speak up again, but his protest was quickly drowned out by Mirko's loud, insistent voice. "Listen, boys, I've got a proposal for you- you two are gonna patrol the perimeter, and if either one of you says another goddamn word to the other before we break for dinner, I will personally kick your balls into your stomach. Forget anything I said about breaks- that's off the table now. We clear? Good! Now go do your jobs."

Mirko's friendly proposal seemed to have its desired effect, given that Real Steel and Ground Fist both set to their task moments later. The swift resolution of the dispute did nothing to relieve Kendo's abject embarrassment, though.

Well, it's not like I can blame anyone else. Itsuka reached up and ran one hand down her face, her mouth set in a grim line of resignation. At least Tetsutetsu feels better now- hopefully Bakugo will understand.

"…Are you alright, Battle Fist?" Concern evident in his eyes, Shoji had made his way over to Kendo's side of the lot- he'd been present for Carmilla's reveal as well, but mercifully, he made no mention of the incident itself. "I see that Ground Zero left a few stakes unplanted- I could pick up where he left off."

"Thanks, Tentacole." A weak smile on her face, she nodded appreciatively. "That would be a big help, yeah. And don't worry, I'm fine."

As Shoji extended his Dupli-Arms and took hold of the stakes Bakugo had abandoned on the ground, Kendo found her gaze drifting back down towards the dead koi. Poor little guys. Didn't do anything wrong, but you got caught in the crossfire anyway, huh? Just as Itsuka was about to turn away, though, something caught her eye- a murky white shape at the bottom of the shallow, discolored pool. At first glance, it looked like another fish, but it was pure white instead of multicolored, and its shape was decidedly rectangular.

"Hello, what have we here?" Reaching down into the pond with only a slight wince of discomfort at the dead fish she was brushing past, Kendo wrapped her gauntleted hand around the object and pulled it up; she felt her brows hike in confusion as it emerged from the water. "Now where the hell did you come from?"

Of all things to find in a koi pond, it was a carton of heavy cream, according to the label. The cap was open, the contents replaced by water and mud, but the cardboard container looked relatively intact, indicating that it had only been submerged for a short time. Something from the villa's kitchen, maybe? But how did it get all the way out here? Kendo glanced back down at the water to check whether any other food or beverage containers were submerged, but found none. Just litter, then? I guess I shouldn't exactly expect the Syndicate to be law-abiding, environmentally conscious citizens. Turning the carton in hand to check for any further clues, Kendo was about to set it aside when her eyes landed on the nutrition label. Jesus, 100 calories in a 30-gram serving? That's insane. But I guess it'd be good for someone with a quirk like Sato, or…

Itsuka's eyes widened in sudden realization, her heart slowing to a near-halt in her chest.

…or Momo.

"Holy shit." Kendo rose to her feet, memories of her first-year work study with Uwabami flashing vividly through her mind- of one of her talks with Yaoyorozu in the dressing room, preparing for the next commercial shoot.

"So you have to eat to fuel your quirk, right?". Kendo gestured to the plate of grapes, crackers, and cheese that Yaoyorozu had retrieved from the catering table on the other end of the studio, a smile on her face. "It must be amazing to get to have whatever food you want!"

"Oh, it seems thrilling at first," Momo replied with a sigh, tilting her face to the left as Uwabami's makeup artist applied another layer of blush to her right cheek. "But when it comes to consuming high-calorie food for my quirk endurance training, it quickly becomes a chore rather than a pleasure. I've always adored sweets, but one can only eat so much cake and ice cream before the concept of dessert begins to lose its original appeal!"

"It's her goddamn fuel," Kendo murmured, shaking her head in amazement. "If there was a battle here, and Creati… Pandora… fought in it, then maybe she needed to refuel in the middle of the fight. Maybe she stocks up on things like this, just in case."

"Found something, Battle Fist?" Finally done speaking with the police, Kamui Woods was making his way across the barren courtyard, and had noticed her expression; Tentacole was glancing curiously towards her as well.

"Yes, I think so," Kendo replied, holding out the carton. "Evidence that Pandora was present during the incident this morning, sir."

"Heavy cream?" After a moment of confusion, Kamui's eyes widened as well, and he nodded in understanding. "You think it was fuel for her quirk, then? It's certainly a possibility. Wait here, I'll fetch one of the detectives and have this submitted as official evidence. We won't be able to get any prints off of it, but perhaps we can identify where it was purchased from, and work from there."

"If we could identify the Syndicate's shopping patterns," Kendo added, nodding eagerly, "we could apply them to our search efforts in other cities, use them as a filter! Given how much they must have her using Creation, I bet Yaoyorozu's been going through high-cal food like a small army. There's no way they can hide that completely, they have to supply her from somewhere!"

"An excellent theory," Shoji chimed in with a nod. "We could search grocery stores' records for periodic, large-scale purchases, likely paid for with cash."

Battle Fist began to pace back and forth next to Tentacole as Kamui Woods carried the carton over to the police- her mind was firing in overdrive now, producing idea after idea.

"I still remember a few of Yaoyorozu's favorite foods from our work study- I'll write down everything I can think of, and we can see if any of the purchases match up! I'll check with Jiro too, she might actually know better than me." Kendo's phone suddenly buzzed in her pocket, and she continued to speak as she pulled it out. "Actually, I'll go ahead and text her now, see if she…"

Kendo trailed off, her brows furrowing in confusion as she read the text that had prompted the notification. It did happen to be from Jiro, but the message itself was vague and enigmatic, just three words: 'Are you okay?'

Moments later, another text came in, followed shortly by a third and a fouth- they'd been sent in the Class 3-B groupchat by Pony Tsunotori and Shishida Jurota.

PT: This can't be real, right?

SJ: No, it must be a fake. They're either brainwashing him or using Carmilla.

PT: Someone needs to take this video down right now

Video? What Video? Kendo was about to type out a message to that effect when a news notification flashed across the top of her screen, the bold-faced headline marked as 'Urgent' and 'Breaking News':

'LIVE NOW- New U.A. Traitor Unmasked, Syndicate Releases Another Murderous Stream'

…What? Itsuka's heart had begun to pound in her chest like a drum, and she felt a drop of sweat trace its way down her brow as her finger hovered over the notification, and the live video it linked to. No, that's not…

"Kendo!"

Itsuka's phone had begun to buzz almost nonstop in her hand as more texts poured in, but she tore her panicked gaze away from the screen and towards Mirko's voice- standing in the center of the courtyard, the Rabbit Hero had her own phone in hand as well, and wore a pained, frustrated expression on her face. Ground Zero was already standing alongside her, watching the screen with cold fury in his eyes.

"Kendo, I'm sorry, but you need to come here… Tetsu, Tentacole, Kamui, all of you, get over here!"

Kendo's feet refused to move, though- her legs remained rooted in place, trembling along with the rest of her body as she turned back to her phone and pressed her finger against the notification. The livestream opened moments later, apparently still in progress, and after a few moments of buffering, the subject of her classmates' concerns became perfectly clear.

"…good, good, looks like we've got some more people tuning in."

Pacing back and forth across the screen, Kamakiri Togaru chuckled, then paused and created two long, slanted blades from the palms of his hands. Two hostages dressed in suits were kneeling on the ground before him, a man and a woman, both with black hoods over their heads- signs had been hung around their necks, each labeled with the words 'Corrupt Commission Dog'.

"Well, if you're just joining us, allow me to introduce myself." Planting his boot on the male hostage's back, Kamakiri stretched out his arms and grinned. "My name is Scimitar, and for today's entertainment, I'm going to bring two criminals to justice."

---

Happy New Year and happy holidays to all! I was hoping to get this chapter out around Christmas, but as usual, it turned out to be longer than expected, so I hope a belated new year's present can suffice! As always, let me know what you think in the reviews!

I was really excited to write this one, partially because I like Kamakiri and Setsuna as characters and partially because of all the new and returning heroes I got to bring in! Majestic has a really cool design and quirk, so I'm looking forward to giving him a bit more of a chance to shine than the manga did, and the same goes for Yoroi Musha and a lot of the others. Any guesses as to what the purpose of the meeting is, or the nature of the Syndicate's plan?

Also, it was so incredibly fun to finally flesh out Etna, Hatsume's workshop of wonders! And in case you can't tell from her gear, I greatly enjoyed both Arcane and No Way Home.

Next time on Entropy, Kamakiri has a touching reunion with his classmates, and they all ride into the sunset. Right? Right.

P.S. For any current manga readers, I swear to you that I wrote the section about Nejire's new short haircut like two days before that chapter came out! Clearly, Horikoshi and I have a psychic link.