It was a typical night; people were rushing home, ready to relax, to immerse themselves in whatever distraction they could find. When the emergency channel broke through, and all the screens in Japan were filled with emergency notifications, hearts dropped. The airwaves blared with the emergency alert; everyone froze across the country, and echoed on every cell phone.
A dark room came on the screen, a single chair illuminated in light. A figure in black walked into view, covered from head to toe in black, with some mask on his face. He sat, staring down the barrel of the camera; then everyone could see his face, a white porcelain All-Might mask, devoid of color; the lights dimmed, and soon there was just the floating face filling their screens.
"Everyone wants to point to one event to say that was when everything fell apart; that was when it all began to decline. Most would point to that night in Kamino Ward where All-Might lost. He died that night before the whole country defeated his greatest villain. All-Might's frail form lay there on the ground as the people begged for him to get up and prayed for him to get up. When he didn't, and the screens went black, everything was silent for a moment; for one moment, everything in Japan stopped."
The man spoke; his voice was off somehow, it echoed. But it was a man's voice. In the National Communications building, they shook off the shock quickly and feverishly began to try to cut the signal; the phone for the director rang immediately, with the Prime Minister demanding answers the poor director did not have.
"When the first cry of anguish came forth, it was echoed by everyone, well, almost everyone. While All Might was the symbol of Peace to so many, he was the one who kept those who dwelled in the shadows at bay. Those in the shadows had waited and prayed for this day; now that I was upon them, they were ready." The man continued.
"Chaos erupted, riots, violence, and unspeakable horrors tore across the nation of Japan. An entire hero society built upon the shoulders of one man began to crumble when he was no longer there to bear the weight. Some other top heroes were in this for more than the glory of stepping forward and being a student—a student from the U.A. with an eerily similar smile and a desire to save one million people. The great war for all of Japan was bloody, with many hiding while children fought and died for them. The night was dark, but Japan was true to its nickname; the sun did rise. A red and bloodied sun, but sunshine nonetheless, once again pierced the darkness."
Images from the war flashed on the screen: people dead in the streets, hero course students bodies displayed before the whole country, Lemillion's hurt, battered and broken form from the final battle, fallen in an erie similar way to All-Might's.
"Hero society was in shreds. The smiling hero died in the end, along with the single greatest threat to perhaps all the world, a villain named Shigaraki. Most of his followers had been killed, but a few had slinked off into the shadows. For while the sun may shine, it will eventually set. People point to All-Might's death and say that was when it happened. While his death lit the explosion, it did not put the powder kegs there to aid in that explosion."
The man had once again filled the screen.
"You see, All-Might was the Symbol of Peace; he was the number one hero who was never contested once he attained that spot. Some tried, most notably Endeavor, and when All Might fell, he held it only briefly till his sins were exposed to the world by his son, the Blue Flame Dabi." Iconic images of the Hero flashed, the maniacal visage of the Blue Flame, standing surrounded by buildings reduced to ash. Endeavor, humbled, contrite.
"All-Might was such a beacon of peace and heroism that everyone looked to him; everyone watched him. So others began to move since no one was paying attention, a different type. When he died, they came forward, heroes who took things farther. After the mass prison break that was Tartarus, letting these monsters that had terrorized your city, killed your loved ones, and other unspeakable things, why would you lock them up again? What if it happens again?" News reports announced different heroes' victories, noting that the perpetrator did not survive and that any other deaths were in the villain's hands.
"So, a level of violence was accepted; it was allowed to be out in the open. It had, in fact, always been there, but like the monsters, it was hidden, masked away from the public. It wasn't hard; if people don't want to see something, they won't. If it wasn't affecting them, why would they notice? That problem was for those who didn't follow the rules and dared to thumb their noses at what society had deemed acceptable."
Footage of the Beastial Hero: Gevaudan savagely beating a person to death in the middle of the street. His trial when it was found that the woman he tore to shreds was not the villain he was hunting, that she just bore a similar appearance. Her cries could be heard on the tape, screaming her name, begging him to stop. INNOCENT: read the headline.
"A chosen few, a select crop. Those are the ones that were allowed to rise. Brutality be damned, violence be damned, as long as the villain fell and the hero was standing, all was well." Images of those who survived the war, King Explosion, posing in front of corpses of the villains he came in to subdue, Charge Bolt, Phantom Thief, Hawks, and others.
"The forfeiture of freedoms was a simple trade for a mask of peace. These new heroes were different, but they had sacrificed so much to be here; they were entitled to some perks. After all, they were the ones who fought and died while the rest cowered in their beds or behind mighty walls. When the adults failed, they laid down children in the path of destruction and death." The Iconic image of Uravity, sitting surrounded by corpses, tears streaming down her face, as Lizardly holds her up.
"Let us look away; ignore what has been done, a simple transgression, an honest mistake. They shouldn't have been there; they shouldn't have broken the law; who cares why they did? Lessons had to be dealt out, and teachings of what is suitable and tolerable had to be dealt with a heavy hand. Discipline, honor, and a stable, functional society were needed." Only his face was on the screen.
"All of Japan is sitting watching and hearing my words; they are asking who is this monster that is poisoning the minds of children, the weak and vulnerable. Where are the oppressed, the ones screaming for someone to listen, for someone to tell them that I can all be different?" Live footage of people looking at the broadcast, turning, and finding the cameras placed by the Hero Alliance to help monitor and keep people safe.
The National Communication building cut the feed, and the screen glitched before the feed resumed. The man looked around before shrugging. They heard a light laugh from under the mask.
"Once upon a time, I thought that as long as I contributed, the system, though flawed and broken, would be there. No matter how often it failed me, it worked, and I was still viable."
Headlines of legislation being passed limiting what people could do with their quirk, showing how certain businesses were forced to close their doors without permission from the government. Captain Celebrity was found innocent of all charges, and accusers were ordered to pay restitution. The explosion at Little Beginnings Elementary School was ruled accidental.
"That no longer blinds me; I am no longer beholden to the lies that have been spoon-fed us our entire lives, that just because we are not part of the "Elite," we are just here to serve them and make their lives better. We should be thankful and humble for what Dane provides us." The screen was just him in the spotlight again; his head tilted to the side, the white mask gleaming that trademark smile hauntingly framed.
"They will scream and say that I am a monster for the things I will do, try to hide the truth behind those words. I am a monster, not a blind, rage-filled beast, one of their creation. I will make so much noise and bring so much chaos that I will be heard. And once you hear it, you will not be able to forget it. And I will bring this whole thing down with me," he tilted his head back to mimic All-Might.
"It is already happening, you hear me, don't you? You know that I am right. It is okay. You can scream, I am listening. You can rage, you can fight! We are not Deku's. We are what those who seek to control us fear. A mass of the nameless, our graves hidden under their shining towers. Thrown in jails and tossed aside for drinking from the river instead of the dry contaminated well, they shackle us to"
He got to his feet, and the camera followed him perfectly. Dramatically, he tossed his arms out to the side. "How many more lies will you swallow? The war is over; it is elsewhere; we are the chosen, the blessed. Can't you hear the promises rupture? As they continue to grow wealthy, their pockets and cups overflow. How many more times must the fuck you for you to realize that you are being fucked."
"When the school bells, factory bells, and office clock signal the end, when all these doors close, the jail cell doors open. Ready to greet all, like a reaper, they stand there ready for you to come inside and lay down with the dogs, the rats, the vermin, and filth and thank them. Worship them, honor them, elevate them, but never question them." His arms fell back to his side as he approached the camera, the white mask filling the screen.
"This will burn; the façade will burn away like ashes in the wind. I will make you all see, make it so it can no longer be ignored, and die doing it. When they find me, they will kill me, and they will attempt to wipe my name from history, but I will not be forgotten, and I will no longer be ignored. In the end, EVERYONE WILL KNOW…I AM HERE!" he stepped back, looking spent.
"Words are cheap. Now actions…those people remember," he turned and tossed the stool to the side. It could be heard clattering, the backdrop fell, and there, suspended above a pool of water, was Chargebolt. He had these metal wires running from his body into the water around his feet and coiled around his chest. His mouth was muzzled as he came to consciousness, beginning to thrash about. He glared at the masked man as electricity surged, running down the wires and shocking the hero. His muffled screams could be heard.
"Look, everybody, it's Charge Bolt!" the man said, clapping enthusiastically. "Play the tape."
An image of Charge Bolt sitting in an interrogation room filled the screen. The public immediately recognized a man in a black suit as the Hero Alliance agent. "Did you know that the medical wing at Kyoto had been filled with gas by the villain Mustard?"
"Yes," he said wearily. "Earphone Jack said something about it."
"Yet you still decided to discharge your electric shock anyway? Didn't you know that it would trigger an explosion?" The MIB said.
"I knew, but I wasn't about to let that bastard get away. He and the LOV attacked us during our first year, the little bastard got caught during the war, and then he gets paroled over some bullshit." Charge Bolt looked up with a sick grin. "That motherfucker isn't going to get paroled again, now is he? Besides, how was I supposed to know that his gas had mixed with the natural gas tanks?"
"And the people?"
"Innocent bystanders caught in the crossfire," he smiled. "Isn't that how it is going to get written up?"
"Yes, it will Charge Bolt; letting you dance in the wind isn't in our best interests right now," the MIB said as the screen went black and the Headline appeared. "Tragedy at Kyoto Hospital. Villain Mustard detonates gas in an attempt to flee, kills himself and 200 others."
The screen showed the hero struggling as the masked man walked back into the frame with a baseball bat. "Now it is time for JUSTICE!" Charge Bolt rereleased his electric shock; his muffled scream carried across the airwaves.
The man reached out and pulled the gag away. "Any last words?"
"Fuck you, you don't know what it was like out there! Sometimes shit has to be done." He eyed the masked, then the bat. "You don't want to do this; they are going to hunt you down and kill everyone who you love."
"It is a little late for that," the masked man said as he swung the bat connected with the hero's knee, breaking it; Charge Bolt screamed. "IT IS TOO LATE FOR THAT!" the masked man roared as the next strike crashed into the hero's rib cage. The knees, the legs, arms, even across the face, a symphony of screams and brutality played out live.
There, on live television, the whole nation witnessed the masked man beat Charge Bolt with anger and the fury of a man possessed. The hero just hung there bloody and broken, crying for mercy; he couldn't defend himself, so he screamed.
"You don't get mercy," the masked man said, dropping the bat. "You don't get to cry; she cried, she begged you and you just fucking laughed." The heroes' eyes widened as the masked man lifted the mask with his back to the screen, revealing himself to the hero. The audience could see the man pull an old-fashioned-looking revolver from his pocket.
"No fucking way! NO FUCKING WAY!" Charge Bolt screamed. The next sound was the gun being fired. The masked man stepped aside, revealing Charge Bolt's body, then stumbled towards the camera, his white mask now splattered in blood.
"I AM HERE! I AM HERE! I AM HERE!" He yelled over and over, laughing manically. "I AM COMING FOR YOU! SCREAM FOR ME, RAGE FOR ME, I AM LISTENING!" he yelled as he walked off camera. The image of Charge Bolt's broken and dead was on the screen for two more minutes before the feed was finally cut.
-Outside-
The masked man exited the studio and broke into a run; the van was waiting for him as he came out the side door. He climbed into the back as it sped off into the night. He pulled the hood down and removed his mask, spilling messy green curls.
"You would have looked so much better if you didn't have the mask on; then I could like the blood off you!" an ash blonde with two messy buns cooed next to him as she liked the porcelain mask.
"They don't get to see my face yet," he said. "Did the whole thing get broadcast?"
With a mountain of electronics around her, the girl in the back of the van pushed her pink braids to the side. "The whole thing is that they didn't break the feed for two whole minutes after you left. They just finished the trace and are going to the studio."
"Good," he leaned back. "Blow it when they arrive; I don't want them to get inside."
"Why?" the blonde whined. "They all deserve it."
"They are going to send first responders, maybe a few low-level heroes first; the big ones won't show till later," he sighed as he flopped over his head in his lap. He reached down and began to stroke her head like a cat. "Little fish may change; I want the big ones to bleed."
The get-a-way driver adjusted his blue headband as they made their escape. "Who are we hitting next?"
"Her teacher, her mentor, Present Mic, dies next." His head fell to the side as he gazed out the window. "It all has to start somehow; what better place than here? What better time than now."