"I see that it's a little gnarly there…"
"Yeah, it wasn't exactly taken off neatly, or with permission."
"Nonetheless, I think I know what you're looking for."
Power Loader's workshop was cluttered, and that's being nice. Metal machinery, copper wires, and all types of junk I can't name littered the work desks. He thankfully didn't ask too many questions about my leg as he began to take measurements. He smelt like a mix of oil and exhaust, no doubt from the equipment he works with here.
After that little stint with Usagiyama, I spent the rest of my day doing my thing. Thinking about what I'm going to eat for dinner, If I should get a car, how the Hero Commission is rotten to the core and intends to use me as a puppet, just like all the others that they keep under wraps.
Stuff like that.
I'll play along, and take advantage of their resources as I do. And don't let me find out some really juicy stuff too.
How am I finding this stuff out, you ask? Where people blather them out, the internet. Forums and such while keeping my ears and eyes up, can be a really good place to collect info if you do it right.
Where was I? Right, I need a better leg. I have a feeling I'm gonna need a more stable and durable leg…
So I sat there as he measured out the lengths and the widths and the such, the silence was comfortable at least.
"I've seen the news."
He speaks?
"What about it?"
"All Might said some mighty fine words about you, y'know. Do you know him?"
Oh, with this shit again?
"Not at all," I say with a slight edge.
"I see." He murmurs as he finishes taking measurements. It falls into silence once again as Power Loader takes the sheet of measurements before swiftly scribbling down what looks like a model.
"I can make you a rather sturdy combat type, and with the right alloys, it can pack quite the punch as well…" He finishes writing before looking up again.
"You spoke of a weapon as well?"
"Oh yeah, here it is." I pull out the Kusarigama, letting him observe and feel it.
"This has some age and use, I see." He says as he runs his fingers along the blade.
"Yeah…" Some use, alright.
"I can make the chain longer, and lighter as well… Blade could be bigger and sharpened… The weight I can make similar to Nighteye's stamps…" He begins mumbling slightly as he takes notes of the weapon. I kind of just sit there, I don't know what to do here.
"All of that sounds good?"
"Good. I will get set to work. I'll call or text you when it is finished." He said before turning away. I guess that's that.
"Thanks, Power Loader," I say my gratitude as I prepare to leave, but I notice he has something to say.
"Usually I don't work with people like you."
"People like me?"
"You're a murderer, no matter how you slice it. A criminal. Not a hero."
"And where are you going with this?" I say as I take a step forward towards him. So quick to judge…
"But, when I look at you, I see none of that. If you are just a vile criminal, then how do you have people like Aizawa and Principle Nezu on your side? It doesn't make sense, I suppose." He said as we stood a few feet away from each other.
"My apologies, I'm rambling." He said with a shake of his hand.
"Don't worry about it, and besides," I begin to take my leave.
"You heroes should try to understand the people you vindicate," I say as I finally leave.
I hope I sounded cool…
Okay, I'm out of this fuck ass school. It reeks of paid heroism and bigotry…
I take a walk, trying to find myself out of this maze of a school. It's kind of nice, the colors are cool, but "Plus-Ultra"? That's the motto here? Surely there's better than that.
With a turn of my head, I see the doors are huge too, probably to compensate for the bigger students. A smooth and modern look to it…
I wonder who serves the food here…
"Enjoying the campus?"
I looked to where that voice came from, then immediately had to look down.
"Nezu."
"Mendoza. So?"
"... It's cool, I guess." I blankly say. I wasn't exactly sure why this guy was here right now. Was he watching me this whole time? Sheesh…
"Great! We pride ourselves on the sleek look we designed for this school, while also making safety and security our utmost priority." He happily hummed. That's cool…
"Awesome. I'm gonna get out of here, yeah? Don't need somebody controversial around a place that trains future heroes." I trail off as I try to walk away. Surely he understands that, right?
"Please, with someone like you, your character would do wonders for both students and teachers alike!"
Huh?
"What are you getting at?" I slow down and turn towards him. I didn't like the gleam in his eyes either. This rat bastard was definitely planning something. He stays silent, creeping me out even more. Say something, you little creature!
"I mustn't keep you, have a good day, Mendoza!" He waves before walking away, leaving me rather dumbfounded. Making me look stupid in this fucking hallway…
I get my bearings and resume my quest to leave, with a lot more haste.
What is with that guy?
~~~~~
[3rd Person POV]
Nezu comes to his office, opens the door, and walks in. He plops into his leather chair as he looks at the papers scattered around. Notes, they were, notes about the individual he just had a conversation with.
It was a mix of proposals and notes, all jotted down with his pen.
"He is unlikely to accept, but I can't help but try my hand, no?" He says as he looks at what he has written so far:
-Shows exemplary sense of purpose
-Good moral compass
-Shows passion and care
-Valuable life experiences and battle IQ
-Emotional intelligence
-Empathy
He looks down to see the notes of his flaws as well:
-Not likely to be obedient in the slightest
-Potentially biased against heroes (50/50 on this one!)
-Violent if provoked, student or teacher
-Most likely to go against all of my rules…
"Nonetheless…"
He hums to himself. Now, why would someone like Nezu, most likely one of the smartest creatures on this planet, be planning something like this for someone like Jason?
He leans back in his chair as he reflects on a memory, long ago.
The pain.
The experiments.
The humans.
Being shipped around the globe, country to country, being tested and experimented on by those too curious and focused on the "if they can" rather than "if they should". Vile.
So when he was able to escape that wretched place almost two decades ago, he vowed against this humanity. And so, he set out to fix it, so why not teach? Using the curses he had been dealt with for the betterment of the future.
And so, he passing curiosity, about what happened to his "caretakers". A few strings pulled here and there and he got what he wanted. Full footage. Not necessarily legal, but who could stop him? He ended up being surprised. It was a happy surprise more like.
He was rather happy to find that the suspected scientists were beaten and bloodied, the cameras catching nothing but blood, littering the previously hidden building.
One confirmed death. The rest would never be able to use their limbs correctly ever again, as they were found with severed tendons and gashes. One ended up paralyzed from the waist down.
The lab wasn't big, consisting of a single floor with a few rooms. A flick through the small files of footage shows the cages have been opened, most likely with brute force. The more disturbing part was the larger cages.
Big enough to fit humans.
Now then, who was able to find such a place and cause this much terror? A switch to another camera here, and zoom in there…
A man, a young man, at least 15 or 16. Nezu's beady eyes widened.
The young man was furious. Beyond furious. Why? The chimera ran the footage back some more and turned on the volume. The film was grainy and showed a lack of care and age, but it was visible enough.
"What the hell…" The young man stood in an alleyway, outside of the hidden laboratory, and what stood at the end was a boy. Nezu grimaced immediately. They didn't stop at animals? Their own kind?
"Kid, are you alright!?" The teen said, scrambling up to the bloodied boy. The child hicked, coughing up more blood as he clutched his arms.
It couldn't exactly be heard what the boy was saying, but he tried moving, away from the older boy.
"Wait! I'm here to help…" He said as he gently put his hands on his shoulders. The boy's eyes were glazed over before his lips moved. The teen stiffened as he then started crying on his shoulder. It couldn't be heard, but it was clear what he was saying by looking at his lips.
'Help me.'
The teen took off the coat he wore, putting the oversized clothing over the boy as he then asked where he came from. Using some context clues, the bandages, and the terror on the boy's face, he comes to a dark conclusion: He was being exploited in some way. With the boy's directions, he notes the small sewage manhole cover.
"Sheesh, how did you escape?"
The next thing couldn't be seen as the cameras went out into static before reappearing.
"Wow, aren't you a little clever!" He said with a smile and a small head pat, making the boy slightly visibly smile as well. A quirk helped him escape, Nezu thought.
He then instructs the child to go outside the alleyway, giving him his coat. The teen then disappears, and the footage cuts off there.
Flicking through the files Nezu starts up with the teen in the facility, looking around.
"What…"
He finds the cages.
Humans were in the cages.
Children.
The teen just… stands there. Not moving a single muscle before he moves and breaks the locks. They were nothing special, the lab wasn't exactly too advanced anyway. He instructs them to get out the way he got came in. They follow his command with some talking and a few jokes, with the added-on command to try and stay hidden. He dials up a number on his phone, most likely the police.
He then stands there again, his face growing angrier with each passing second. One or two hot tears accumulated in his eyes.
The children were gone.
The people who did this were still there.
Chaos then ensues as the young boy breaks off into a sprint, wielding what appears to be a Kusarigama as he busts through a door. The scientists were caught in shock, reaching for a weapon or using their quirk. The boy dodged and dived, slicing and bashing into the scientists with his blade and fists. They all fell as the boy continued his hunt. He went through every room, clearing them out of the disgusting filth. Each room held worse and worse atrocities, enough to make a man gag.
Nezu was locked to the screen, watching this teenager go on a rampage, sparing no man or woman. It then ends as he stabs into the last one, his breath heavy and his eyes brazen and shaking.
"Ricardo… I… I'm so sorry… I couldn't help it!" He says, his voice slightly trembling as his breath rate starts to increase. It then cuts off as the teen begins his escape.
That was it.
Nezu was stunned.
Such a young person displaying such brutality, what causes something like that?
Nezu did appreciate the appropriate beating of his former captors. He was sure there were some still scattered around the planet, but that's fewer animals and children to be hurt. But murder…
"Who are you…"
He gets to digging even more, grainy pictures and videos, and witness testimonies. Before he stumbles upon something of recent.
The New York Incident.
A month and a half ago, he heard of this incident. A large-scale terrorist attack from what he heard of, but he had a feeling there was more to it than that.
With more digging, he finds what he's looking for.
The same boy, looking older with a few additional scars, and a name attached to it. It was an old wanted poster, sent out by the NYPD.
'Jason Mendoza'
The description follows:
'Jason Mendoza, also known as 'The Prophet' was last seen within Harlem. Dangerous individual known for combat prowess and cunning, along with his quirk, Epitaph, the ability to see into the future. Wanted for assault, breaking and entering, attacks against licensed heroes, and multiple First Degree Murders'
Nezu was confused, so he looked deeper into the charges themselves and the details that were provided.
The charges were odd. He could already tell. Someone was trying to silence him, but why? He stumbled upon a rabbit hole here, and he intends to find every single detail. He finds certain articles and bits of information scattered around in the backwaters of the internet.
He couldn't find too much, most likely that whatever happened is being kept hidden, and he'd rather not set off any alarms in foreign countries. He hums to himself, ruminating on what he has just learned.
Jason Mendoza seemed like a heavily misguided person, opting to go out and engage in vigilantism at a young age. Nezu immediately felt his urge to talk to this man, in some way…
He was a murderer, no doubt. He has killed people, but the type of people he killed is the issue. Rapists, murderers, human traffickers. In one case, it states that a man in his early forties sexually assaulted his wife… and two daughters. The rat didn't even blink at this, he was used to the cruelty of mankind.
Apparently, this was found out by Jason Mendoza, and by the next morning he was found dead, with multiple deep stab wounds and slashes all across the body. 45 to be exact. A little excessive, but fair.
Does this excuse these killings? A grey area, for sure. Nezu sighed to himself thinking of all the implications. The killing was an extreme, Nezu thought to himself. It would be preferable to put them behind bars for life, but…
Would Nezu even allow that himself?
Not at all, he concluded.
A grey area indeed.
So far, from the information he has gathered, Jason killed a total of 5 people and injured much more than that before the New York Incident. Notably, a few injured were heroes. He thought to himself, Jason most likely wanted to take things into his own hands. Incredibly dangerous, but brave.
What happened during the incident?
What caused such behavior?
Who is this person?
Nezu was beyond curious. The last thing he saw was that he was on the run.
He smirks to himself. He might find the answers to his questions at some point.
He had to know.
He had one question to ask.
But he can wait.
~~~~~
[Jason POV]
I finally made it out of that school! Took me a little while, I'm not exactly good with directions. The sun was getting ready to set as well, might as well go on a walk, right?
I love free will.
And so, I take a walk indeed, keeping my ears up and my weapon on the ready, who knows what could pop up. I wonder what Power Loader is going to make… This thing is getting old and I don't need it cracking on me, same with my prosthetic. I gotta think about my next moves now…
At this point, I realized I was some type of ploy for the HPSC. Either to be used as a puppet or some type of publicity stunt of a "criminal turned around to become a hero", legitimizing the committee. I couldn't not expect strings to be attached to the deal. Well, it's not like I am directly linked to them, but they're watching, I can tell, I just want to know who specifically.
I wonder if it's related to the red feathers I've been seeing around…
The other issue with the whole breakout thing in America is also rather important. I have no clue where she is or if she accumulated a following. Quite the issue, especially with her quirk.
Thankfully, there are drawbacks. She can't control too many things at a time before her brain practically explodes. Trust me, I've seen it. Man, there are too many things to be stressed out about!
Man, what should I cook tonight… Spaghetti? Tacos? Chili? Fried fish? Or something more sophisticated like a grilled chicken salad? Some of that Katsudon stuff I heard about? A small pizza? I can make do with the oven Aizawa has…
As I ponder to myself, I come across a small, quaint cafe. It wasn't too full as expected, but a person caught my eye. Said person was slumped over her table, seemingly groaning.
This person was Midnight, all in casual clothes and the such. What the hell is she doing here? She must have felt me look at her as she turned her head towards me, a tired, irritated scowl on her face.
…
Well, shit.
She motioned me in. I guess I'm doing this, why not? I walk into the cafe, the smell of roasted coffee beans and sweet stuff hitting me like a frying pan. I walk over towards the poor woman.
"Hi…" She mumbled.
"Hey. What do you want?"
"I was lonely…"
"You want to talk to a criminal? Kind of odd, don't you think?"
"Shut up." She mumbled as she sat up. I can't sit here and deny that she was incredibly beautiful, any guy would be lucky as hell to land her…
I plop my ass down in the chair across from her, light jazz playing in the speakers above. This place is quite nice, I'd say.
"Now, what is Midnight doing here, looking exhausted out of her mind?"
"Today was an off day for me… Just been tired all week!" She said with a sigh.
"I take an off day every few months or so to keep myself kind of all the way there, you know?" She explains to me.
"I understand that," I say as I sit there awkwardly. Seeing my awkwardness she chuckled slightly, her light laughter was amazing to hear, but besides that, why is she laughing at me!?
"Sorry to drag you in here and everything… I must be losing it, venting to a former criminal…"
"Former is the keyword there." I point out.
"Right," She smiled, "I wonder, how is it someone like you is walking around as free as a bird?"
"Deals and the such, I'll have you know that I am a very valuable asset with an incredible moral compass!" I say, bullshitting the last part.
"I see… A foreigner?"
"You can't tell by the name alone?" I say with a brow raised. My elbows landed on the table as my hands clasped together.
"Just asking!~ American, I assume?"
"Correct you are, New York City to be specific."
"Really? Your Japanese is actually not bad."
"It was terrible trying to learn it so fast…" She laughed again, but I saw her face softening as we talked.
"I heard New York was super fun…" She mumbled, her eyes drifting off.
"Hell no, traffic sucks and people are trying to mug you every time you turn a corner!"
"But there's Times Square! And the Statue of Liberty!" She says with palpable excitement.
"You like to travel?"
"Oh, I wish I could, I'm just busy doing hero stuff." She says, moving her hand in circles as she sighs again.
"Don't get me wrong, it's not that I don't like doing what I do, the pressure can become too much sometimes…"
"Especially when you're holding that 'R-Rated Hero' persona," I say, making her scoff slightly.
"That's just how I kind of am, really…" she said with a small laugh.
"Really? So you're that sultry?"
"You want to see?" that smile was hot, I can't even lie.
"Please, I've seen far too much at this point," I say with a joking laugh.
She looks me up and down, before laughing.
"You… have your eyes on someone, huh? For shame." could she tell just like that? I'm not surprised at all, to be honest.
"Sure do. Sorry Midnight." I say with a small smirk.
"It is what it is, besides, at the moment I'm exploring the other side of the coin if you know what I mean…" She said with a tilt of her head and a gleam in her eyes.
"And I won't judge at all, I can be your wingman if you need one." She smiles at that.
"Well besides that, I have some questions, though…"
"Shoot."
And so, her and I went on to have a small conversation. She asked mostly about my past and how it was, I spared the more gritty details. I learned that her name was Nemuri Kayama, that's a beautiful name. I learned that she also liked to read as well, surprisingly.
"So, you don't exactly seem to like heroes…" Here we go.
"Not exactly."
"May I ask why?"
"For someone so tired, you seem rather lively asking these questions." I point out, making her freeze up.
"Haha, well talking with someone kind of woke me up a bit… Ah, you gonna answer my question?" Well, I'll give her a piece, I suppose.
"Well, in my opinion, too many focused on the popularity and the money. They do it for the wrong things, yes they save people, but it isn't genuine. Don't get me started on everything else, a lot of them can't do shit right." I finish, letting her digest what I just said. Now that I think about it, neither I nor her ordered anything… The staff don't seem to care so it's alright.
"Of course, there are exceptions. Heroes out there who put themselves on the line to save even just one life." I say. At this point, I can't exactly say I hate heroes. A heavy dislike, but not hate. A certain someone kind of flipped that idea on its head for me. Damn you Aizawa.
Kayama just looked at me, seemingly thinking about what I said.
"It's a little radical, but it's what I think because it's what I've seen." I had, looking her in the eyes as I leaned my head into my open hand.
"Well… fair." She begins.
"Yeah, I can agree that some are not exactly suited to be heroes, but we all strive, at the end of the day, to contribute, do something with the Quirks bestowed to us, you know?" She said as she trailed off at the end, before looking back at me, her face falling into a more serious and… sad look?
"I'm sorry."
Excuse me?
"What?"
"A hero failed you, huh?" Damn… Did she read my memories or something? She's smart…
I didn't respond. How could I respond to that?
"Mendoza, I am a teacher, I can see these types of things, you know?" She said with a small smile.
"I guess I got to give you more credit then."
"And I'll gladly accept."
Me and her laughed a bit at that before her look became serious once more.
"You sure are a complicated person, huh?"
"I've heard that too many times to count…"
"Well, you certainly aren't a devious villain, like how many make you out to be either." She said.
"Thanks. That means a lot." I say with a serving of sarcasm. She chuckles at this before looking at her phone. With the way her eyes widened, I assumed we were here for quite some time.
"Shit, an hour and a half!?" She sighed as she got up, and I followed suit. Shit, I didn't think I was here this damn long…
I don't mind, though.
She stretches her body as we both leave the place. She gives me a small look, before opening her hand.
"Give me your phone."
"Sure thing, Kayama." She smiled at hearing her name as she punched in her number.
"I'd say we make good friends, don't you think?"
"Yeah, for sure."
"Take it easy, Mendoza. You're a good man."
I don't think so, but I appreciate it. She then goes in for a hug out of all things, before planting a small kiss on my cheek. Damn, don't be doing that to me, woman!
Stay calm…
"Thanks for letting a girl like me relax a bit, finally."
"If you ever need to talk, give me a ring."
"Gladly. Don't drive Aizawa insane, and good luck with Mirko! She's a good one!" She says as she walks off. I'd accompany her, but she could probably beat the shit out of anyone with malicious intent.
And of course, she had to say Mirko. She wasn't wrong, though. She ended up capturing the space in my mind like a fucking parasite. I couldn't fight it, she checked too many boxes.
It also helped that she had a fat ass, but I digress. Enough horny thoughts about hot-ass women, me, this isn't high school.
Well then, what was I doing before this? Right, dinner. I wonder if Aizawa would like Spaghetti…
~~~~~
[3rd Person POV]
Night soon befell the land of the rising sun, and in more of its darker parts, blood was being spilled.
One unlucky man seemed to have caught the ire of a vengeful, devilish man, soaked in blood not his own. The man glared down with so much hate it could make Satan sweat. With a thrust, he stabbed into the downed person once more. His colorful clothes now stained a deep red from the amount of blood spilled.
And he couldn't move a single muscle.
"Please…"
"Stains… nothing but stains! You are a stain on heroism! On All Might!" A final stab silences the hero permanently, his clothes and the dirty face band blew with the wind, his matted dark hair shadowing his crazed, evil eyes.
"They must die…"
He skillfully leaps against the walls of the alley, landing on a rooftop above. He liked his sword, giving the blood another taste. He then remembers a news report he saw a few days ago. All Might himself, defending another hero…
He wasn't a hero!
"A fake!" He growled out. How dare this man, vile and pathetic, sully All Might's image?
"Jason Mendoza… You must die!"
He takes off once more, to resume his everlasting hunt.
~~~~~
[Jason POV]
Man, I just felt chills right now. What is that about? Don't tell me some shit is about to go down… Usually, these feelings I get are right, so I won't be surprised if there was-
"This… is pretty good," Aizawa mumbles out as he takes a bite of the marinara-covered noodles.
Those thoughts can come later, there's spaghetti to eat.
"Of course, I made it."
"Shut up."
~~~~~
Annnnnnnnnnd that's a wrap, folks! Not exactly an action-heavy chapter, so sorry if you guys were looking out for that.
*Spoiler Warning below:
…
Right off the bat, I wanted to write about Midnight. When she ended up dying in the manga/anime, I didn't really feel much of anything. Nothing was really there to build her up to where I should care. She was a teacher and a hero, and that's all we really know as readers. I personally wanted to build upon her character of based off my own image of her and how I'd imagine she would act. I wanted to write her outside of that persona, outside of that costume and look deeper into her character.
You guys are going to see this type of writing for a few characters as well. There's so many people that don't get the proper exposure I feel. Well, that's probably because they're side characters, so yeah, but still. They are not getting together if I made that clear.
The scene with Nezu looking back to the past was quite the scene for me, I had the idea for it, I just didn't know if it would work out right. Jason only ended up murdering one person, but murder is still murder. It makes you think, and I like things that make me think.
And Aizawa gets to eat spaghetti. Good for him.
Anyways, thank you so much for reading, and I hope to see you in next the chapter! Buh bye ;)