Gamelover41592: I intend to flip the whole table by the time we're done.

Ghostboy138: Momo is still red in Eagle Vision, but I have implied that there are different shades depending on active malice. Izuku sees her as an enemy (thus red) but she's not out for his blood or anything, so only a dim red. EV's colors are dependent on several factors including Izuku's knowledge and the target's emotions toward him. It's not all-knowing.

LEGOBRICK13: I'm sorry to hear about your family troubles, and there's not really anything I can say to help. I only hope that my story gives you some relief. This chapter should answer some of the questions you had in your last review, and replace them with more.

Monkey D. Conan: Every twist I make, I want it to make sense in hindsight. I will promise nothing in the way of Dad Might, even though it's one of my favorite jokes. Rather, I'm going to cut you off at the pass and say no to that. Izuku and All Might just don't have the chemistry for that to happen in this story. Inko's reaction is that of a single woman looking up to the same person her son has always aspired to be, like meeting a celebrity.

Shadowwolf1997: I'm glad I caught you off-guard since that was the plan! I wasn't sure if Maria was the one Altair married since, at the start(?) of Brotherhood, Desmond has a vision of Altair chasing Maria to the top of a tower where they have an... encounter and he leaves the next morning but the focus stays on Maria, which implied to me that it was just a one-off. The main reason for that scene was just that you could only follow an ancestor until they passed on their genes (unless you have a direct blood sample a la Origins), not who Altair ended up marrying. I'm probably wrong about Altair and Maria and just didn't look too deep into it since it doesn't affect the story in any way.

*Reminder: Only Japanese is written without brackets as that is the main language of the majority of the main characters. Other languages do have brackets, most namely [English]. If you find the amount of brackets here annoying, please remember that Izuku is currently interacting with individuals who do not understand Japanese.

Chapter 36:

Reveal

["Alright kid, I need to fill you in on the details,"] Michael said, Izuku following him up the stairs two or three at a time. The other mercenaries barely gave them another glance, assuming he'd finished off the Hero student he'd been yelling about before and was simply returning to the boss' side. They were partially correct, and with the mask and hooded cloak Michael procured for him, Izuku's face and hair were hidden from view. ["This company is a criminal group called Jungle Law. As you can guess, that's how they operate; you can take over by beating and/or killing the previous boss in a duel. Kind of Old West style, if that makes any since for you. That's how we took control of the group for this mission. Technically, Jungle Law, not us, was hired by Samuel Abraham to help pull off an internal heist."]

["David Shield's assistant?"]

["The very same. Neither one knows our true goal, however."]

["I see,"] Izuku nodded, trying his best to ignore the wet stickiness of a dead man's blood against the back of his neck from his stolen uniform. His suit was going to be ruined by the end of the night and he was not looking forward to the talking to he was going to get from his mother about it. It was almost funny, he thought, how skewed his priorities seemed to be, but maybe that was just his way of not focusing on how he'd agreed to join the Villains in this instance. ["We're going to Wolfram now?"]

["That's the plan,"] Michael nodded. ["You'll need a codename we can call you in front of others."]

["It can't be anything that has anything to do with me,"] the boy told him. ["I met Melissa Shield earlier today, so anything about my appearance or skills might give me away."]

["Then how 'bout something unrelated to all of that? From now on, your codename'll be Prince."]

["Prince? Why Prince?"]

["First thing that came to mind. Don't think too hard on it."] He pushed a door open, leading Izuku onto the 130th floor. His legs ached, having had to run up nearly 25 flights, but the adrenaline was doing wonders to numb the pain. ["According to the schematics Tapper hacked for us, the locked storage is this way."]

Izuku continued to follow Michael through the hallways, the man only slowing as they turned a corner to see an open pair of double doors. Wolfram stood in the doorway, his foot impatiently tapping the floor as he glared at the people inside. Melissa knelt at his side, clearly aware of the pistol that could be turned on her again any moment, the metal ring from before still holding her arms against her sides.

["We're here, Wolfram,"] Michael announced, entering the room. The redhead chanced a look their direction, but only long enough to recognize his fellow Assassin. ["I brought Prince with me like you asked."]

["Right,"] the man responded, not asking questions lest he reveal his confusion to their hostages.

Izuku studied the room. It was large and circular, the tall walls lined with nothing but safe deposit boxes. David Shield and his assistant Samuel Abraham whispered to each other at a terminal, typing into two different keyboards as they tried to crack the digital lock and locate whatever it was Sam had hired Jungle Law to steal.

["Prince, take over guarding the girl,"] Michael suggested, standing beside the Assassin in charge. ["Wolfram, don't you think these two are moving too slowly?"]

["W-We're moving as fast as we can!"] Sam stuttered, his words followed by a short curse. David chanced a look back toward Melissa, just in time to see as the newly-dubbed Prince take up stance behind her, his rope-dart in hand to hold the point by her neck. Satisfied with the arrangement, Wolff led Michael several steps closer to the male scientists, expecting a quiet explanation.

["Why are you doing this?"] the young woman questioned, Izuku having to bite his tongue. Melissa was smart, both the daughter and student of David Shield. There was a good chance she could recognize him by voice alone. ["What could possibly be so important that you all would break into I-Island?"]

Izuku sighed. Deciding he needed to play a more villainous act, he set his free hand on top of Melissa's head, a silent warning reminding her of her current situation. That she was in no real danger as an innocent was something he simply could not explain.

["I've got it!"] Sam announced, his typing moving to a faster pace as David rushed to his shoulder. ["It's here. I found it. Safe 16-59."]

["Call it down,"] David ordered. Sam nodded, a device set onto the wall whirled, rotating around the room to the correct column before lowering to the correct row. Two arms reached in, locking around the box in question and pulling it free of the wall before lowering to where David waited. He took the box out, finding it protected by a combination dial.

["Open it,"] Wolff demanded. David complied, pressing his ear against the side of the lock as he turned the dial. Several minutes later, the safe popped open, revealing a silver briefcase inside.

David took the case reverently, Sam joining him as he popped the hinges and opened the case. Inside was a device in three parts, a small smile coming to the lead scientist's face.

["We did it,"] he chuckled. ["We got it. With this, All Might can keep being a Hero."]

["Dad?"] Melissa questioned. ["Dad, what are you talking about?"]

["Bring it here!"] Wolff demanded. Sam squeaked out a "Yes!" and grabbed the case from David's grip, taking it to the redhead.

["Sam, what are you doing?"] David questioned. ["We're done! We don't actually need to give it to him!"]

["Dr. Shield,"] Wolff muttered with a shake of his head. ["You've been played, duped, and goddamn bamboozled."]

["Here!"] Sam said, handing the man the suitcase. ["Now do your part of our agreement. Get me to the site."]

["Site?"] David questioned. ["Sam, what's going on?"]

["You don't understand!"] the blond yelled, rounding on his boss. ["All that work and it was just tossed aside because they don't want to change the status quo too much. They wanted to keep ruling from the shadows like they always have, not wanting our creation in the hands of the public! And then I couldn't convince you of the right way, all that noble heroism from All Might, they were ready to kick me out! To cut me away like a dead leaf! But others came to me, David. They saw my work. They saw what I'd contributed. They saw me. They knew I could understand their cause when you didn't, and they gave me knowledge. I know so much more than you do now. This creation, the Meta Amplification Device, it's my buy-in up the ladder of the greatest organization in the world!"]

["The Knights' Templar,"] Michael breathed.

["Even—!"] Sam smiled. He paused, turning. ["Wait, how do you—?"]

["You played your part well, Templar,"] Wolff said. ["Now finish your part the same way every damn Templar should: at the end of our blades."]

A blade of metal shot out from under Wolff's sleeve, spearing Sam through the throat. He choked on his own blood, his hands shooting upward in an instinctive but futile attempt to stop the bleeding. He fell to his knees, his eyes going dull, before he slumped over and gurgled his last breath.

["Sam!"] the Shield's yelled. Izuku tightened his grip on Melissa's head, keeping her in place despite her struggles.

["You bastard!"] Melissa screamed, tears rolling down her cheeks. Izuku felt his heart break at the desperation and grief in her voice. ["You killed him! You killed Sam!"]

Flicking the blood from his metal, Wolff retracted his own version of the hidden blade and dropped the case containing the MAD. The case opened, revealing the device again.

["Power like this,"] he began, shooting the main component of the device with his pistol, ["should belong to no one, much less the Templars who seek it."] He shot the device several more times before he was satisfied the device was in too many parts to be rebuilt.

["I… I don't understand,"] David gasped, his eyes darting between the cooling body of Samuel Abraham, the Villains, and his daughter being held at dart-point. ["Sam said you were just actors. We agreed on the terms!"]

["Actors?"] Melissa demanded. ["Terms? Dad, you knew?"]

["You don't know the half of it, Dr. Shield,"] Wolff told him. ["Your assistant intended to betray you, offering your device to the Templars in the hopes it would endear him to those egomaniac shits enough that they would put him in charge of their excavation after we eliminated the current team. That would have, unfortunately, included you to cover his tracks."]

["What…? What excavation? You mean to tell me Sam wanted you to kill my dad for some sort of promotion?"]

["Kill me?"] David gasped. ["He wouldn't—"]

["That is correct, Ms. Shield,"] Wolff confirmed. ["And not even a promotion in the system of I-Island. What he didn't count on was that the Brotherhood would catch wind of his plans."]

["I don't understand,"] Melissa said, her breath hitching. ["Who are you?"]

["We can't hide it now,"] Michael commented. ["The rest of the plan requires they know and cooperate."] He and Wolff snapped to attention, setting a hand over their hearts. Izuku jumped back and did the same, all three giving the Shield's a shallow bow. ["We are members of the Assassins' Brotherhood, protectors of the free will of humanity and sworn enemies of the Templars."]

["We can't just accept that!"] David hissed. In response, Wolff snapped his fingers, the metal ring around Melissa snapping open and returning to the man with the metal Meta Ability. She staggered to her feet, hurrying to her father's side.

["This situation is more complicated and more volatile than simply stealing a goddamn power-up for All Might, Doctor. Beneath I-Island, this very moment, there is a facility that predates humanity itself, built by the race who engineered humans as a fuckin' workforce. We were pack mules to them, and their technology remains in the world, its abilities including manipulating humanity and the surrounding world on levels that top any overpowered Meta you've ever seen. Even moving one has been known to level entire goddamn cities with earthquakes, and that was before the First Wave."]

["What? No, that... That can't be true! Do you expect me to believe that when you just murdered my assistant?"]

["Whether you want to believe it or not is irrelevant to the facts, but know that we mean you two no harm. One of our primary tenants is to stay our blades from the innocent, of which your assistant was not. Our spies told us Melissa is one of the best damn hackers and computer techs on the island. It is for that reason we brought her along with you and Sam, not as true motivation for this shitshow of a heist you asked for. We only played along to get here and destroy that overpowered machine. This terminal is the most secure on the island, so it's the only one that can promote a scientist's clearance to that needed to gain access to the Precursor site underneath us. Ms. Shield, to reach it, your father will need a clearance level equal to or higher than the island's council, but one hidden to even some of them. Can you do it?"]

["I don't have anything to prove to you!"] Melissa yelled.

["Melissa,"] her father sighed, staring Wolff in the eyes. ["Try it."]

["Wha— Dad! He killed Sam! He—!"]

["I know, Mel. I know. But if we don't move fast, a secret with a lot of ramifications could get out."]

["What secret? Dad, what aren't you telling me?"]

David Shield was quiet for a long moment. ["You guys. Do you have any plans for Japan in any way?"]

["While there is a branch of the Assassins in Japan, my companions and I are American,"] Wolff said. ["Jungle Law has nothing to do with the Heroes of Japan or their struggles. Whatever shit you're worried about us learning, our members there are probably aware already, and Jungle Law will be disbanded with the capture of most of their members at the end of our mission."]

David chewed on his lip, his hands balling into fists. He made a choice.

["Melissa, your Uncle Might is hurt. He's been hurt for several years now and he's limited how long he can work. He's at about four hours of Hero work a day, but most of the time, he's stuck in a shrunken form, and even then it shrinks every time I see him. If this robbery goes on for too long, he won't be able to maintain his muscle form and everyone at the party will see. His reputation could collapse, emboldening Villains, and the peace he's fought for in Japan may disappear like dust in the wind. I agreed to stage this heist, without his knowledge, to give him the MAD so he could keep being a Hero. At least, that was the plan."]

Izuku felt like someone had just punched him in the gut. He tried to breathe, but it was like he'd forgotten how to do that. All Might injured? Sure, he'd been performing fewer heroics over the last couple years, but he'd chalked that up to a combination of age and his teaching at UA. The thought that something had happened that permanently damaged him, and that such a thing never made the news, was a shock. If anyone in the Brotherhood knew about this, it was probably Aizawa as a fellow UA teacher, leaving this information as a need-to-know if he and Tsuyu were never made aware even as All Might's students.

Still, which Villain could have been strong enough to do that to Japan's #1 Hero? Were they still around? Probably not after fighting All Might if the fight was that tough. He'd need to ask Aizawa and the Mentor when he returned.

["There you have it,"] Wolff said, spreading his arms. ["By that metric, we're on a damn timer. If you can get us to the Precursor site, we'll finish our business quickly, prevent the Templars from getting their hands on the advanced tech there, and retreat. If you want, I'll explain why in greater detail on the way down."]

["But the MAD—"]

["Too much for this world,"] the Assassin interrupted, shooting the device again just for effect. ["You're a brilliant scientist, Dr. Shield, but your Meta Amplification Device was dangerously-close to mimicking Isu tech. Too fuckin' close. It is too much for the hands of man, and you'll see why. We're only lucky none of that shit has reliably worked since the First Wave and is rare enough to begin with. We don't need you making more that actually works. So, Ms. Shield, what will it be?"]

["…Ok,"] Melissa relented. ["But I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing this for my Uncle Might."] She walked across the room, sitting heavily in the chair before the keyboard. Her fingers flew across it, opening and closing various prompts too quickly for Izuku to keep track of. She reached out with one hand, David handing over his clearance card so she could slide it into a slot nearby. She blinked, a new prompt with the symbol of the Templars in the background blocking her. She tried several words, but none were accepted. ["There's a clearance password, and not one of the ones I know."]

["Why do you know—?"] David blinked.

["That's not important,"] Melissa deflected. ["There is something here, but I don't have the first clue how to get through."]

David's eyes studies the page before they fell to the keyboard, his fingers gripping the table. One of his hands raised to his head, the man flinching.

["Mel?"] He asked. ["What are our current coordinates?"]

["Why is that—?"]

["Mel, answer me."]

["We're…"] Melissa paused, trying to remember when last she checked the location of the floating island. ["We're somewhere around 11.5 degrees north, 141.7 degrees east, near the Marianas Trench. Why?"]

["Knowledge."] He flinched again. ["The password is knowledge."]

Studying her father like he'd grown another head (something that could be surprisingly normal in their current world, but not for a simple inventor), Melissa typed out his chosen word. Only for the computer to BZZT!

["That's not it."]

["Then try this: W-A-D-J-E-T."]

She expected a failure message, but was shocked when the bar turned green, a new prompt opening. Very aware of the Assassins' eyes on her back, Melissa scanned through the files' titles before upgrading her father's clearance to the highest level possible. She then backed out of the message, instead choosing to study the file of photos that had been hidden behind the password.

They were a set picturing the outside on an underwater structure, grey stone of some sort with black lines running over it. An elevator tube had been lowered next to it, a section covering what appeared to be the entrance having been drained of water so that even people without gills could freely approach. A small group appeared, two of their members approaching the doorway. As the pictures progressed, the black lines were illuminated with a bright green light, the door opening.

The latest timestamp was dated for that day, only a couple hours before the gala. It featured nearly three dozen researchers entering the building, none of which were part of the initial group.

["I know that thing,"] David muttered, barely loud enough for Melissa to hear. If anything, she suspected he hadn't meant to say it at all. His fingers' grip tightened on his blond hair. ["Why do I know that thing?"]

["Do you believe me now?"] Wolff questioned. ["That temple —or whatever the hell it is— is probably packed to the brim with technology that could wipe out a country if it's anything like some of the others. We can't let Templars like your late friend here get their grubby little hands on that kind of shit."]

["It doesn't look like they've taken anything,"] David commented. ["They've only opened it."]

["Heh, if we're lucky, the place's defenses will have incinerated the bitches for us, but we've never been that lucky. Waste all our luck jumping from high places and not dying."] He raised a hand, tapping the earpiece he wore. ["Tapper? Tapper, come in. It's time."]

There was silence for a moment before his eyes widened, whatever he heard on the other end of the line being not what he expected.

["Tapper? Tapper‽ What's wrong? Hey—!"]

The sound of a gunshot, loud enough that Izuku and Michael could hear it from beside him, painted a pretty grim story. Wolff pulled the earpiece out, staring at it in his hand sadly before crushing it in his grip.

["It was an honor,"] he sighed. ["Fuckin' luck would have it. Alright, get your asses moving! Get to the goddamn elevator!"]

["Who the Hell are you?"]

The de Blanche family stepped out of the elevator, seemingly unbothered by the guns the guarding mercenaries pointed at them. Alexandra sighed quietly, looking down her nose at the masked men. She pouted.

{"I don't suppose you men speak a more civilized language?"} she asked in French. Their eyes narrowed. {"I suppose not.} She switched to English. ["Very well, then. Let us pass or you will regret it, Messieurs."]

["Listen, lady. You and your little troop here are gonna get on your knees and put your hands behind your heads, or we're gonna shoot."]

["You are welcome to try."] The woman snapped her fingers, Andre stepping before his sisters and mother. A sheen like metal rose up from his legs as the floor deformed, covering the front of his body. True to their word, the mercenaries fired, their bullets bouncing off of Andre's metal skin from his Meta Ability. He stomped forward, reaching ahead to take the men's heads in his meaty hands. He squeezed, the men dropping their guns to paw at his fingers to no avail.

["Should I kill them, Mother?"] he questioned, his words only making the men double their attempts to escape Andre's giant-like, metal-handed strength.

["…No,"] Alexandra decided after a moment. ["Dead bodies may raise too many questions in the aftermath."]

["Tch. You guys are lucky,"] he announced before swinging their head together. They fell like stringless puppets, Andre clapping his hands together as if getting dust off. As he did, the metal he'd stolen from the floor flaked off, returning his skin and clothes to their normal colors.

"Abrielle?"

{"Yes, Mother."} The eldest child closed her eyes and focused, bringing her hands up in an unnecessary but helpful movement as she gathered her thoughts the way her grandmother had taught her to. Opening her eyes and pushing her hands outward, an almost-physical pulse went out from her. {"The leader is not on this floor, but the cameras' systems are. There is a guarded man there typing at a computer. He may be the one who hacked the system."}

{"And the leader?"}

{"Floor 130, along with the scientists he took. The others are scattered throughout the floors between us. Nothing else of note."}

{"I trust the contact is one of the scientists?"}

{"Yes, Mother."}

{"I see."} Alexandra considered their options. Making a decision, she bent down to the unconscious guards and took their pistols, handing the second one to Abrielle. {"Let us go liberate the system. Please, lead the way."}

Abrielle nodded, her family following her as she walked down a hallway. Several mercenaries tried to stop them, but the women never broke their stride as Andre pulled metal from the walls, shaped them into balls, and threw them with enough force and accuracy to knock each one unconscious. Between their leisurely pace and the width of the building, it took them a short while to reach the room.

A pair of guards stood outside the door, one raising a hand with a nozzle in the palm and another pulling needles from his hair. Again, Andre stepped in the way, but these mooks were more powerful than the other riffraff. The one with the nozzle fired a pointed chain, its end sharp enough to stab into Andre's shoulder before he could absorb the metal from the wall. The chain pulled taut, dragging him forward as the second guy threw his needles.

They pinged off the French-American's growing armor, Andre grabbing the chain and planting his feet. The mercenary's eyes widened as, with a grunt, the heavyset man yanked him off his feet with his own Meta Ability. He could do nothing as Andre's fist came around, smashing into the side of his face. Ignoring the needles the other man threw with increasing worry, he squeezed the iron chain, snapping it with brute strength before absorbing that which still hung from his chest.

Turning his eye on the remaining mercenary, Andre frowned and stepped toward him. The man cowered, pressing his back against the wall. Looking for a way out, he flung more hair-needles, but these he aimed at the women behind the metal man. Andre didn't flinch, automatically spreading himself wide to nearly fill the hallway.

["You shouldn't've done that,"] Andre growled, stomping toward the offender. ["You really should not have done that."]

The man's legs wouldn't move, no matter how much he begged them to. Andre reached forward, grabbing him by the face and banging his head against the wall. It wasn't enough to kill the man —probably— but it did leave a trail of red dripping down from the impact site. Letting his latest augmentations flack away, Andre turned to his mother. He raised a hand, a green glow forming at the tip of his finger. He circled his stab wound with it, each revolution closing the wound more and more until it was gone. Healed, he raised a hand in salute as all students at Marvel U were taught.

["Targets neutralized."]

["Thank you, my son,"] Alexandra grinned. The man stepped aside as she and his sisters approached. Abrielle and Annabelle hurried ahead, the former opening the door so they could step in on either side, as if announcing royalty.

The man in the chair turned slowly, his frown hidden by his mask. His golden eyes glared at the family as they entered, his fingers flexing over a keyboard. He was dressed in the same black as the rest of the mercenaries, his top with an additional hood pulled over his white hair.

{"You don't happen to speak French, do you?"} Alexandra tried.

{"Actually, I do,"} the man replied, causing the woman's eyebrows to rise.

{"What a delightful surprise. I thought you would all be monolingual oafs."} She giggled to herself, offering the man a moment to study them.

{"I don't particularly care for most of them,"} the criminal said slowly, his eyes darting between the four who had intruded on his work. He swallowed. {"I would say they get the job done, but I can't say that at the moment, seeing as you are in this room."}

{"So, what is it you all are here for?"} Alexandra questioned.

{"I'm sorry?"}

{"What,"} she repeated, {"are you here for, Villain?"}

{"That's such a loaded word, Villain,"} the man said, his shoulders tense. He tried to play it off, but this family had enough power to force their way past all the guards and the only sign of any damage was a small hole in the young man's suit. If only he'd kept an eye on his own floor's cameras and not the ones on the students or Swordkill and his surprising ally. He needed to delay, to find an escape, and warn Wolff. He was just glad he'd learned French during his training with Bishop. {"You make it sound like I'm evil."}

{"Well, you are part of a group that broke onto the most heavily-guarded artificial island in the world, took several pro Heroes and civilians hostage, and even now your boss is forcing two scientists to cooperate by holding one of their daughters at gunpoint. That doesn't seem exactly 'good' to me."}

{"Yeah, well…"} He didn't have a proper response, grasping at straws. {"Good is such a circumstantial viewpoint when you think about it."}

{"You believe so?"} Alexandra questioned. {"I don't."}

{"How did you get past the guards?"} Tapper questioned, inching his hand toward the keyboard. If he could just reach the button for the room's defenses…

BANG!

Tapper screamed in pain, the bullet ripping through his left hand before destroying the keyboard in totality. He fell to his knees, clutching his wrist as blood dripped from his mangled hand. His teeth clenched, stifling his cries of pain as he turned his gaze on the family, seeing them in a new light.

Alexandra's green eyes were cold as ice, her and her children's all lacking any hint of remorse or empathy. He'd seen those eyes before. They were unique to only those of a certain group.

["Tapper?"] a voice questioned in his earpiece. ["Tapper, come in. It's time."]

What horrible timing.

A sad smile crinkled his surgical mask. He'd been watching the cameras, so he knew his role was not one only he could fulfill. Leaving his mangled hand to hang uselessly at his side, his other rose —slowly so they family of four could see it the whole time— and he tapped his earpiece.

["Sir, it's been an honor working with you. When you see Bishop, tell her I'll need a raincheck on that date."]

["Tapper? Tapper‽ What's wrong? Hey—!"]

The white-haired man threw himself toward Alexandra, the clear leader of the four. His hidden blade shot from his sleeve, ready to carry out one more kill. Alexandra and Abrielle both fired their stolen pistols, shooting three rounds each into the Assassin. The force threw his aim off, his blade missing the mother's neck to slash across her cheek in a spray of blood.

She fired one more shot into his chest point-blank with a pained scream. He coughed, red staining the inside of his mask, and staggered backward into his seat. The Assassin stared at the ceiling, but it was not the panels that he saw. Remembering the woman that had trained him, he whispered her name as his final words. Terian Soml breathed his last, thinking of his love.

And he'd worked so hard for that date, too. Damn.

{"Assassin,"} Alexandra spat, the word nearly identical in all romance languages. She reached out, taking hold of Abrielle by the arm. The cut on the mother's cheek rose off the skin, turning into a blood-red snake that slithered over her collarbone, across her arm, and up onto Abrielle, settling onto her face in the same position before sinking into the skin. That same cut opened on Abrielle's cheek only for it to heal nearly-instantly. They only sign it ever existed what a thin, pale scar on Alexandra's cheek, a blemish —though one that would be easy to cover with make-up— on what had been perfect skin before. {"Where there is one, there is always more, like rats in the dirt. They must be here for the Precursor site."}

{"They are going there now,"} Abrielle commented as her mother released hold of her arm. She walked to the computer the Assassin had been using, casually wiping blood off the monitor's screen. She pulled the destroyed keyboard from its spot, looking for a replacement. {"There is a group combatting the island's security robots on floor 105. I can't tell whose side they're on; EV doesn't work through cameras. With our current distance, the Assassins will easily beat us to the elevator. I cannot tell if it is by force or cooperation, but the Shields are going with them. Three Assassins, it seems. Our man is dead."}

"Merde," Alexandra hissed, the curse catching her children off guard. {"Abrielle, work on the system. Andre, Annabelle, go assist the group fighting the robots, but approach them from below. Helping should endear you to them and I-Island and give us something of an alibi if we need it. Only eliminate them if they prove to be enemies."}

{"Should I turn the bots off or lower their settings?"}

{"No. If anything, raise them a level. Monitor the situation to ensure that things don't get out of hand, though."}

{"What shall you do, Mother?"} Andre asked.

{"I will follow the Assassins."}

{"But Mother—!"} her children tried, but she waved them down.

{"I will not go unprepared. Abrielle, once you hack the system, unlock all of the displays in the Expo. Since we are already behind, I will stop there before descending to the site. In the meantime, stage things here to look like his own men turned on him. Be safe, my children. I expect to see all of you alive at sundown, lest our family be dishonored."}

{"We will honor them, Mother."}

{Good. Now go."}

Despite having known, based on the photo evidence up to this point, that the Assassins had been telling the truth about the underwater site, Melissa still felt her eyes widen as the elevator shot past the ground floor, picking up speed far beyond that which it normally used. The blurry colors that were each floor gave way to the darkness of the artificial island's bedrock, the elevator losing all light save for the dim bulbs set in the circular rim above.

The three Assassins and two scientists were a small bunch, the elevator easily big enough for them not to need to stand in close proximity. Still, the Shield's found themselves in the center, the masked and hooded members of the Brotherhood surrounding them in an equidistant triangle. Melissa studied them; even in the dim lighting, their body language was telling.

The one called Wolfram stood between them and the doors, his arms crossed. He had yet to take his metal mask off, but his frown was clear to see. He was a serious man, not prone to jokes, and remorseless based on what he did to Sam. He was the leader, after all.

The one called Swordkill was to their back and left, his arms at his side in a loose stance. Unlike his boss, he didn't look like a mountain waiting to tank a hit, but more like a massive leaf ready to move on the wind and cut someone in half in the interim. His smile was apologetic, the pink-haired man offering the blonde shrug when their eyes met.

Finally, Melissa turned her eyes on the third and smallest of the Assassins. He stood half a head shorter than her, his face and hair covered by the equivalent of a ski mask, all topped with a hooded cloak that covered his arms. His stance was much more rigid, but not in the confident way that Wolfram's was. The one they'd called Prince nearly buzzed with a nervous energy, his eyes darting around to look everywhere in the elevator except her. His left hand jerked in patters of two, as if in muscle memory. Melissa cleared her throat, the noise making Prince look at her unconsciously.

Wait. She knew those eyes. She knew those green eyes.

["You—?"] she gasped, Prince automatically looking away from her. His nervous energy all but doubled. "How? Why are you here? Why are you with them?" she demanded in Japanese.

Wolfram's eyebrows shot up at the language change, his focus going to the girl's father. He, too, seemed surprised at the outburst.

The bedrock gave way to blue, the swirling colors of the ocean surrounding them as the elevator shot past the lowest boundaries of I-Island and into the water on which it floated. The shadows of hundreds of fish moved about around them in their own schools, but Melissa cared for none of it.

"That is you under the mask, right?" she asked.

Prince shook his head.

["He can't speak—"] Swordkill tried.

"I know you can speak," Melissa hissed. "Don't give me that bullshit. You did an awful lot of speaking when I was giving you, your friend, and you mother a tour just this afternoon! Take the mask off, Izuku Midoriya!"

Prince's eyes widened, the young teen —for a young teen Melissa was certain he was— sent a pair of panicked looks at the older Assassins. Wolfram's eyes rose higher while Swordkill, despite not knowing a lick of Japanese, was still able to pick out the boy's name from Melissa's demand.

["No point hiding it, Prince."] Swordkill sighed. ["You did warn me she might figure you out. Sorry."]

Slowly, Prince pulled his hood off before doing the same to his mask, revealing his wild, green hair and freckled cheeks.

"You were at the gala," David realized. "You were with a group talking to All Might." The scientist rounded on Wolfram. ["You said your group had nothing to do with Japan!"]

"I didn't have anything to do with their mission, Dr. Shield, nor am I a member of Jungle Law" Izuku muttered, speaking for the first time in what felt like forever. "I came to the I-Expo as a Hero student of UA, but I am also a member of the Osaka Brotherhood of Assassins. Their attack surprised me just as much as everyone else, but Swordkill explained the situation to me when it came out while we were fighting that we were both members of the Assassins. With the threat of the Precursor site falling into the hands of the Templars for too long, I couldn't stand by. I'm sorry."

"And what about what Dad said about Uncle Might?" Melissa questioned.

"I swear, I won't tell anyone," Izuku promised, raising his hands. He gave a sad chuckle. "What's one more secret?"

"Then, your friend…? Your mom…?"

"They don't know anything about this," Izuku answered. "The Assassins took me in and trained me well enough that even a Quirkless nerd like me could make it into UA's Hero Course after a year of hard work, but I hid the whole thing from my mom. As far as she knows, I joined a gym of adrenaline junkies that were really supportive of my dream. Momo… That whole situation is complicated. She's…" He glanced at Wolfram and Swordkill, both of whom were not following the conversation in the least thanks to the language barrier. He sighed. "She's a classmate, but we're pretty sure Momo's a Templar since it's confirmed her parents are. How much she knows, though, is a mystery."

"If that is the case, why did she bring you and your mom here?" She blinked. "Wait, you're Quirkless, too?"

"I don't know," Izuku answered, running a hand through his hair. "I mean, yeah, I'm Quirkless. I mean I don't know why Momo brought us here. I don't know if she's got some sort of angle or if it's really just as simple as me being her class Vice-Rep. I tried to say no, that I needed to spend more time with my mom, but Momo's answer was to just bring her along. Now we're in the middle of this mess of an evening. Mom's probably worried sick since, last she saw, I was chasing after Swordkill while leaving her, Momo, and Iida to fight the robots. And here I am, having joined the bad guys."

"You shouldn't have to worry about your friends," David commented. "Unless the guy who highjacked the system amped up the danger level of the security system, they should only be set to capture."

"That's what I thought after Swordkill's explanation, but it's still good to hear," Izuku said, relaxing slightly. "I really am sorry about all this, Dr. Shield, Melissa, but Wolfram was right about what he said earlier. You and the civilians aren't in any danger from us. 'Stay your blade from the flesh of the innocent' is our first core tenant. We only go after Templars and warmongers."

"Why, though?" he asked. "What's so bad about Te—?" David grunted, a hand coming up to grasp his head. He screwed his eyes shut, his breathing getting heavier as Melissa caught him, keeping him from stumbling. The light from the outside was getting darker, to the point where seeing each other was difficult.

["Look alive and cut the chitchat!"] Wolfram ordered as the elevator started to slow. ["Put your hood back on, Prince. We're arriving at the Precursor site."]

End of chapter 36

Hoo-boy, that took a turn even I wasn't expecting! I sure hope you all are enjoying the changes I've made here and the red-and-blue morality we've got duking it out. What is going on with David Shield? How will Izuku learning of part of All Might's situation change the game, if at all? How will the de Blanche's interfere further and who do they serve? What will be the total fallout of David and Melissa learning of Izuku's loyalties? What awaits them in the Precursor site?

Read and Review!

-SwordOfTheGods