BEN 10 DOES NOT BELONG TO ME. MY HERO ACADEMIA DOES NOT BELONG TO ME. I USED TO HAVE AN ALIEN DOG, BUT I HAD TO GIVE HIM UP WHEN I FOUND OUT THAT HE WAS CONSIDERED A WEAPON OF MASS DESTRUCTION IN FOUR SOLAR SYSTEMS.

*cracks knuckles*

All right, let's do this.

(Akeboshi—LiSA, TV Version)

The music starts, and Deku steps out of the shadows, at the front of hundreds of Heroes. The Omnitrix flashes green, and the title appears. When it fades, the Heroes stand on one side, while the army of the Paranormal Liberation Front is on the other.

The scene changes to Dr. Garaki, who is observing Shigaraki in a liquid-filled tank. Garaki injects one chemical after another into the unconscious Shigaraki, until his eyes snap open, and he grins. We zoom into his eyes, which are now completely black, and the scene changes to Gigantomachia charging into battle, with Dabi on his back and shooting flames at fleeing Heroes.

When the scene changes again, Twice is on the ground between Hawks and Soldier, clutching a bleeding face, while two of his clones try to shield him. Behind Hawks, Hisashi is unconscious and bloody; Soldier lunges, and Hawks blocks her with a long feather in his hands.

There is a flash of light, and then Eri is being tucked into bed, and a shadow of a man moves away. Eri's horn briefly crackles with energy, until a hand partially covered by a white sleeve brushes her horn; the energy, and the hand, then vanish.

The scene shatters like glass, revealing crumbling buildings and defeated Heroes scattered around the battlefield. Deku is the only one left standing, covered in blood, but refusing to fall; he turns into Heatblast as the skies darken.

Just as the music fades, Ben Tennyson sinks to his knees, eyes wide with horror, and Azmuth looks away.

My Alien Academia

Chapter 55

Opening Act

Dr. Garaki walked the halls of Jaku Hospital, smiling and making idle chitchat with the doctors and nurses that he encountered. To the people working at the hospital and the patients alike, he was a kind old man with a passion for keeping up-to-date on all the newest innovations in medicine. He was beloved for his dedication to his job and those under his care.

Had anyone known what he was really like, even the most ardent follower of the Hippocratic Oath would have slit his throat.

In reality, Garaki was every bit the mad scientist. He was brilliant, yes, but he had absolutely no morals, and would stoop to any low to satisfy his curiosity. Garaki had tortured and mutilated thousands of people across his unnaturally long life, and if he was ever taken to court, he would have earned a death sentence from only a fraction of the atrocities he'd committed.

However, as far as he was concerned, everything he'd done was about to culminate in his greatest accomplishment.

Saying goodbye to his coworkers, he ducked inside a closet, and through a secret entrance in the floor. Deep underground, he passed by walls covered in research materials—genetic samples taken from almost every patient he'd ever had. He'd grown flesh from cells, and experimented on every single one in an effort to understand and improve upon their Quirks.

That was the one argument he'd had with All For One; for all his genius, the Symbol of Evil was too greedy, and couldn't just let Garaki get him a DNA sample for him to steal a Quirk from. Still, they'd had a wonderful working relationship, and both agreed to let the other work as they saw fit.

Garaki smiled when one of his favorite creations waddled over to him. Johnny was a Nomu, but he was only the size of a small dog; he had two stubby legs, with shoes to cover his tender feet, and an oversized mouth. Like all of Garaki's creations, Johnny's brain was exposed; it was a weakness that could be exploited, but it gave Garaki easier access to his creations, if he ever needed to further modify them.

"Ah, Johnny, how are you today?" he asked, as if speaking to a favorite pet.

The Nomu made a noise that sounded vaguely like a gurgle and a distant scream. It would have been horrifying to most, but Garaki nodded, as if it was speaking.

"Good, good, I'm glad to hear it." He scooped the little monster up into his arms and continued walking. "Shigaraki is due for his next modification. If he were awake, he would be excited for this one!"

In the deepest section of his secret lab, Shigaraki Tomura floated in his cylindrical tank. Dozens of tubes were injected into his flesh; some were for the procedures Garaki implemented every few days, but most were there to pump Shigaraki full of the nutrients he needed to keep his body at peak strength. If he wasn't as healthy as possible, there was a risk that his body would reject some of the Quirks he was given, and Garaki refused to let that happen.

"Let's see…" Garaki went over his list; he had already memorized it, but he enjoyed pretending like it was new. "Ah, yes, first is Comprehension, and then the next round of amplification Quirks."

Garaki took a sample from a shelf and looked at it fondly. Comprehension was a simple Quirk, by itself; it allowed the user to understand the physical makeup of whatever they touched. Interesting, certainly, but nothing too flashy; however, when combined with Overhaul and Creation, the only limit would be Shigaraki's imagination. And that was before all the enhancement-type Quirks Garaki was adding, not to mention the other powers.

Garaki cut off a small piece of his sample and placed it in what he called a Quirk-strainer. It peeled away all the nonessential parts of the material, until he had a pure sample of a single section of DNA—the Quirk Factor. He could have maintained containers of just the Quirk Factor, but he'd discovered long ago that it was easier to keep a larger biological sample intact. He took the purified essence of Comprehension and loaded it into Shigaraki's tank; he watched as the fluid traveled down the tube and into Shigaraki's neck.

Johnny mewled, and Garaki glanced over at the monitor the little Nomu was standing by. "Oh, darn, he's becoming unstable again. Time for another dose of Frog and Tape."

Those two Quirks had been a stroke of good fortune; both had stabilizing elements that worked brilliantly together, and applying regular doses of those Quirks into Shigaraki's system kept him from coming undone. Normally, he would have only needed to give Shigaraki those Quirks once, but every time Garaki added more Quirks, the stabilization had to be started all over again.

Garaki was a man of science, but even he sometimes wondered if there was some guiding hand at work. He had theorized that this work was possible, but even with All For One's data from the satellite, there were just too many pieces missing. Then came Shigaraki, a man with the same lack of morals as Garaki, and access to a bumper crop of Quirks to help his research along. His only regret was that All For One had been too damaged to risk trying this on him.

Then again, he never did truly believe in my artificial god project, Garaki thought. It was much easier getting Shigaraki to agree; all I had to say was that it was a contingency plan from his master, and he jumped at the chance to become all-powerful.

Johnny squawked again, and carried over a phone in his mouth. The Nomu was shivering, and Garaki raised an eyebrow, until he saw that the phone was vibrating; he took the phone and held it to his ear.

"What is it, Nine?" he asked crossly. "I'm busy."

"I need an update on Shigaraki," Nine said, wisely getting down to business. "The PLF has been asking about their leader, and our hold over them is not strong enough to completely function without him."

Garaki sighed; he was often called about this exact issue. "If you're asking when he should be up and about, my earliest estimates haven't changed—at least two more months. As for when he'll be at full power… that is more difficult to say. He'll need regular appointments with me, but I believe that the closer he gets to completion, the longer he'll be able to stay out of my lab."

"I suppose that will have to do." Nine paused. "And what about me?"

Now Garaki smiled. "Ah, don't worry about that, my friend! My work with Shigaraki has opened new possibilities to explore. I might have a more potent healing-Quirk for you very soon, and even if that venture fails, I think I've narrowed down a possible 'donor' for you that will suffice."

"I will hold you to that, Doctor." With that, Nine hung up.

Garaki huffed and returned to his work. "He could have at least said thanks."

…

Sero could be scarily observant when he wanted to be; maybe it was because he had to constantly be aware of spots he could use his Quirk on when he was swinging through the air, or maybe it was a natural talent. Either way, he often noticed things, but he usually kept it to himself, unless it was necessary.

Until now, he had seriously thought it was about to be necessary. Ever since Christmas, he had been worried about Midoriya; true, so was everyone else in the Rising Stars, but a small part of Sero had never forgiven himself for not doing something to help when Midoriya had been kidnapped by the League, and he was always on the lookout for a chance to make amends. In his mind, if Midoriya's anxiety got any worse, he would go straight to Aizawa and convince him that Midoriya wasn't fit for this mission, at least until he got help.

He had been about to do just that when they'd headed off to Gunga, but once they were on the move, it was like something had settled in Midoriya, and now he walked with grim determination. There was no worry or hesitation; he was focused, and ready for whatever was coming.

Now that he apparently didn't need to worry about his friend, Sero started worrying in general. This was the biggest operation he'd been part of, and even if he was in a rearguard position, it was still going to be one hell of a day. He should have been more used to the anxiety after the Eight Precepts raid, but all Sero could remember of that had been his fury when Eri had been kidnapped. There was none of that here; then, it had been personal.

Ashido got his attention with a gentle nudge. "You good?"

"I'm not sure," Sero admitted. "How about you?"

Her smile was shaky. "I feel like I've had six cups of coffee and not enough sleep. If that's how I'm like when I'm in the back lines, I'm not sure how I'll do if I ever get sent to the front."

Sero sighed. "Yeah, like Izuku."

Ashido bit her lip. "Actually, he seemed okay when I saw him a minute ago."

"You think he's just hiding it?"

"What, Midori hiding how he feels?" Ashido gave him a look. "That'll happen when Tenya stops doing his hand-choppy thing."

"So, never."

The two shared a laugh, until a nearby Hero got their attention. "Hey, we're heading to our positions soon. Get your game-faces on."

"Right, sorry!" Sero put his helmet on, and turned to Ashido. "Ready to go, Alien Queen?"

Ashido took a deep breath. "You know it, Cellophane."

…

"Deku, I need to speak to you before the operation commences," Nighteye said.

Deku looked up from where he was retying his boots. "What is it, sir?"

"You are aware of Hawks' involvement in this case," Nighteye said. "However, he won't be joining in our assault, not at first."

"Because he's inside the enemy stronghold, right? Even he would have trouble fighting his way out to us; it makes more sense that he would pretend to be on the enemy's side until it was safe to make his move."

"That… is part of it." Midoriya didn't like the evasive tone in Nighteye's voice. "Deku, the attack will begin in thirty minutes. In order for this to succeed, I need to look forty minutes into your future."

Midoriya blinked. "But you can only use your Quirk once a day. Can you risk using it on me?"

Nighteye actually chuckled. "And here I thought you were getting past your self-esteem. You should really start appreciating just how important you are becoming."

"I'll… work on that, sir."

"Then do I have permission to use my Quirk on you?"

Midoriya nodded, and Nighteye put his hand on his shoulder, looked him in the eye… and gasped. It was small, but in such close proximity, Midoriya heard it, and his blood turned to ice.

"Sir?"

"Midoriya, listen to me carefully." Nighteye grabbed him by the shoulders hard enough to hurt. "After the enemy base is blasted open, you need to move as fast as you can. Go to the third story of the right side, take the second left, and then destroy the first door you see. There will be Twice clones; do not hesitate to destroy them, and whatever you do, keep moving. I dare not say anything else, because I truly want you to succeed. Do you understand?"

Midoriya nodded; after his experience at the beginning of time, he had an instinctive trust of anyone who could see its pathways.

"Good." Nighteye let him go and straightened his glasses. "You now know when you need to move. Until then, follow the plan and work with Gale Force to clear the path for the rest of us."

"Yes, sir." Deku glanced back at Cellophane and Alien Queen; they were already heading to the rear lines, but they noticed him looking at them, and they gave him a quick wave.

He took a deep breath; if he was going to be a real Hero, he had to trust that his friends could handle themselves.

…

"This is fucking stupid." Ground Zero couldn't cross his arms with his gauntlets, so he settled for cracking his knuckles as he paced. "We should be part of the attack, not babysitting a bunch of civilians too stupid not to follow the goddamn evacuation orders!"

Even if it physically pained her, Genesis agreed with him. An evacuation order had been sent out to phones and television sets for over half the city, but according to some tech-savvy Heroes who monitored such things, several hundred civilians hadn't heeded the warning. The problem was that the order had been phrased as a drill, in order to not cause a panic, and to not alert the Villains. Most drills were taken with some humor by people, since there hadn't been a need for such an evacuation since the rise of All Might; even the battle at Kamino hadn't shaken enough people from their stupor, since there hadn't been enough time to actually send out an evacuation order.

As Genesis and several other students went from door to door, she wondered if All Might had inadvertently caused this. Before his meteoric rise through the ranks, people might have been more scared of Villain attacks, but at least they followed the evacuation notices so that Heroes could focus on stopping the disasters before things got too bad.

"This apartment complex is almost clear, ribbit," Froppy reported. "I think that's our whole sector done."

Genesis went over their assignment in her head, and nodded. "You're right. We should head back to the rearguard position and await further orders."

"Hey, Ponytail." Ground Zero sneered at her, but there was none of the usual Bakugo hostility. "I need to talk to you and the rest of Deku's friends when this whole thing is over."

Genesis raised an eyebrow; despite her best attempts to be professional, there was a part of her that loathed Bakugo, not just for the years of torment of someone she loved, but also the constant disrespect he had shown to her and everyone else in their class. Despite this, there was something deadly serious in his eyes that stopped Genesis from brushing him off.

"I'll be waiting," she said evenly. "For now, we should stay focused on the task at hand."

Ground Zero scowled. "Yeah, back to getting these goddamn sheep to move." Still, he looked up at the apartment complex across the street. "I'll go to the top and work my way down."

Genesis glanced at Uravity, who had overheard that last part and nodded. "We'll work our way up and meet you halfway."

For a moment, Ground Zero looked impressed. "We jump out the middle window? At least that'll be fun."

For him, maybe, Genesis thought to herself. Ochako will have to carry me. Not exactly the most dignified way to exit the building, but at least I won't just be standing around.

Personal gripes aside, Genesis couldn't help but glance back at Jaku Hospital anxiously. It seemed innocent enough, but knowing that that was the source of the Nomu threat made it loom menacingly in her eyes. Suddenly, she was much less frustrated with not being allowed on the front lines; she was no coward, but she was honest enough to know that she wouldn't do much if a Nomu blitzed her.

Still, her pride made her scowl. I wish I could at least watch the fight.

…

"I kinda wish you weren't here for this, golden boy," Gran Torino huffed.

Lemillion glanced down at him. "Why? This is exactly why I became a Hero!"

"Technically, you're still a student," the old man reminded him. "I don't care how flashy you make your costume, you're just a kid."

"Hey, I like my new costume! Melissa designed it for me!" Lemillion put his hand protectively over his chest, where a golden M sat proudly. He had also simplified his costume, making it mostly white, except for his red boots, gloves and cape.

Gran Torino tried to hide his fond laugh with a scoff, but couldn't quite manage it. "Anyway, I wish the higher-ups didn't demand that you be up here. It's gonna get dirty, and the future Symbol of Peace shouldn't have to get mud on his boots."

"That's not fair, to me or to other Heroes," Lemillion argued. "Just because you and Sir want to put me on a pedestal doesn't mean I can do any less than anyone else here."

"True, but a fight like this won't be good for a big debut."

Lemillion crossed his arms. "No offense, but I really don't care about making a big splash. There are bad guys, and we have to stop them; not just me, but all of us."

Gran Torino raised an eyebrow. "Sometimes, I forget that I'm not talking to Toshinori; that big idiot insisted he could take care of the world's problems so much that I started to buy into his hype. Thanks for the wakeup call, kid."

"Good thing I did; we can't have you falling asleep right before the big battle, old man." Lemillion smiled, which took the sting out of his words.

Gran Torino chuckled, and then glanced behind Lemillion. "Looks like your partner for today is here. What took you so long, Legs?"

Mirko rolled her eyes. "Just because you're too short to see past 'em doesn't mean you get to call me that, you old fart." She turned to Lemillion. "You ready for this, kid? You know what to do, right?"

Lemillion nodded. "You and I are going for Dr. Garaki. Satellites have picked up way too much heat underground that's normal for a hospital, so there should be a lab there. We go in, catch Garaki, and hold our position until Endeavor's team catches up to us."

Mirko raised an eyebrow. "And?"

Lemillion sighed. "And if things get too intense, I am to use Permeation to get to safety."

"Good kid." Mirko nodded. "I get that you want to help, but none of us Pros want a dead kid on our conscience. If you were in our position, you'd feel the same way."

As much as he wanted to argue, Lemillion knew she was right, and he worried how he'd feel if and when he had Sidekicks and interns of his own.

"Okay."

"Hey, you're not the only one all disappointed," Mirko said. "I was supposed to do this alone, but someone upstairs thinks I need the help."

Gran Torino scoffed. "Or someone upstairs thinks the kid is ready for the big stuff."

"Fair enough." Mirko looked Lemillion in the eye. "Just remember, you do what I say, when I say it. Clear?"

"Clear." Lemillion saw a police officer wave at them and point to his wrist. "I guess the evacuation of the area is complete."

Mirko nodded. "Then Endeavor's group will start evacuating the patients and staff inside the hospital, and we can move in."

"Hey." Mirko and Lemillion turned to Gran Torino. "Good luck, both of you."

Something deep in Lemillion's soul told him they were going to need all the luck they could get.

…

Unlike Taskforce Hammer, Scalpel had to be much more careful with their attack. Jaku Hospital was full of patients and staff that had nothing to do with Garaki; the first task was to get the civilians out of harm's way. With the guidance of Mandalay and Ragdoll, each section of the hospital would be handled by a team of Heroes, reinforced by several of Ectoplasm's clones.

The one potential hiccup in this part of the operation was the group of traitorous Heroes also inside the hospital. Officially, they were there to make some of the sicker children feel better, and they often volunteered for such duties. In reality, they were some of the most elite members of the PLF, acting as security for Dr. Garaki, and it would be the responsibility of Eraserhead's team to take them down right away.

"Hello," a nurse greeted as the first Heroes entered the hospital. "Is everything all right? Is there anything I can help you with?"

Endeavor loomed over her with a fierce glare. "All you need to know is that we are on a mission. Where is Garaki?"

The nurse wilted under Endeavor's gaze. "Dr. Garaki? Um, he should be doing his rounds. I could page him, if you want?"

"No, just tell me where he is."

"Uh…" the nurse pointed to her left. "He's right there."

Everyone whirled, just as Garaki stepped out of a hallway; he froze like a deer in the headlights, and then spun on his heel and sprinted the way he'd come. Or, at least, he tried to sprint, but a man his age wasn't capable of more than a fast trot.

"Mirko, Lemillion, go!" Endeavor's flames flared up. "All teams, secure the hospital!"

Two blurs passed overhead; one was white, and the other was covered in crackling golden energy. Endeavor had never worked with Mirko before, and had only been on the periphery of a few of Lemillion's fights, but he was confident that their speed and power would be more than enough to catch the old man.

With Mandalay guiding them, teams of Heroes poured into the hospital; their first duty was to evacuate the civilians, and they did their job well. Before two minutes were up, the lobby had been cleared, with only Heroes and a team of traitors to block their way.

One of the now-former Heroes stepped forward; he wore a costume of greens and blacks, with a wide-brimmed hat with a musical note stitched into one side. Endeavor knew this man; he was a little-known Hero, but according to his file, he had been a member of the Liberation movement since before he'd graduated high school.

"That's far enough, Endeavor," Whipcord said, his arms crossed imperiously. "I cannot allow you to take the good Doctor into custody. He is the key to our liberation."

"I don't care about your insane beliefs," Endeavor replied. "You betrayed your fellow Heroes, and the nation you swore an oath to protect. As far as I'm concerned, you're just criminals that are in my way."

Whipcord scoffed. "We are part of something much greater now, Endeavor, and we are willing to kill, or die, to achieve our goals."

Endeavor wanted to roll his eyes, but instead launched a stream of fire at Whipcord. The traitor rolled to the side and let out a sharp whistle… and nothing happened.

"Wait, what!?" Whipcord looked around in a panic, until he saw Eraserhead staring straight at him. "You!"

"Yeah, me." A moment later, Eraserhead dragged the other man over with his scarf and knocked him out with two quick blows. He then glanced at Endeavor. "You should have let me handle them right away."

Endeavor shrugged. "He was annoying me."

Eraserhead sighed, and then turned his attention to the remaining traitors. "Last chance. Give up, or get knocked out."

The others were just as zealous as Whipcord, and they weren't stupid. They split up to divide Eraserhead's attention, but he countered by jumping back to keep all of them in his field of view. Endeavor stopped them from moving further by sending out a wave of fire to catch their legs; the burns weren't bad, but they were enough to keep them from running for a critical moment, which was all Tiger needed to bound over and knock them all out.

"The traitors have been neutralized," Endeavor announced over the comms. "Continue evacuations; my team is going to back up Mirko and Lemillion."

He barely took two steps before the hospital shuddered, and then the floor erupted as dozens of Nomu burst out to attack.

"We may be delayed."

…

Garaki swore under his breath has his single-seat, automated transport—otherwise known as a chair attached to a railing—zipped down the tunnel to his lab. He had grown complacent, and thought that if the Heroes hadn't found him after all these years, they wouldn't now. The addition of the PLF's rogue Heroes as security had only added to his confidence, and he was paying for it.

He drew a tablet from inside his coat and quickly typed in some emergency commands. He had once chance to keep his freedom, and it relied entirely on whether his greatest creations could hold off the Heroes long enough.

…

"How the hell is he so fast!?" Mirko raged.

"I saw him get on a chair attached to some kind of railing," Lemillion answered.

"Rhetorical question, kid!"

Lemillion almost smiled, until he saw five pods emerge from the floor ahead of them; they popped open with a hiss, and five monstrous forms staggered out. Lemillion saw the exposed brains and instantly knew that he and Mirko had a problem.

"H-Heroes…" a Nomu with the trunk and ears of an elephant rumbled. "M-M-Master woke us to c-crush intruders l-like them!"

Another Nomu, one with a body with female attributes, glared balefully at the Heroes. "Time for s-s-slaughter."

"Great," Mirko muttered, "more of these talking freaks. If they're anything like the last one, this is gonna be one hell of a fight."

Lemillion flexed his fingers, and boosted One For All to forty percent. "We can't let them delay us for too long; we need to catch Garaki."

Mirko laughed. "Then you go on ahead. I know how to fight these smart ones now, and—look out!"

Even with One For All boosting his reflexes, Lemillion barely activated Permeation in time; a fraction of a second later, and the female Nomu's fist would have pulped his skull. He then jumped through her, pausing only long enough to sweep her legs out from under her.

"Are you sure I should leave?" he asked.

Mirko bounced over the elephant-Nomu, and kicked another in the face. "Yeah, just hurry up and catch the bastard! That's the job, not a brawl! I'll keep 'em busy!"

Part of Lemillion wanted nothing more than to help Mirko in her fight, but the logical part of him knew that if Garaki escaped, it wouldn't matter if these Nomu were destroyed. With that in mind, he turned to pursue the doctor.

"You w-w-won't get away!" The tendrils around one Nomu's head grew and lashed out, but they just passed harmlessly through Lemillion; he then vanished in a flash of golden light, and the Nomu's tendrils were kicked with such force that they were torn off its head. "You b-bitch!"

Mirko grinned maniacally. "Oh, I'm just getting warmed up. Who wants to die first?"

…

Sir Nighteye looked at his watch and took a steadying breath. "It's time."

Cementoss nodded and stepped forward; it was fortunate that the Gunga Villa had plenty of concrete underground, because it gave him plenty of ammunition. With a grunt, a huge wave of cement moved like water and crashed into the front of the villa; there was the deafening sound of breaking plaster, wood and metal, followed by panicked screams.

"This is it." Nighteye looked at Deku and Gale Force. "Remember, sweep away the first wave and give us time to reach their base."

"All right!" Gale Force slapped Deku on the back, nearly toppling him over. "Let's get to it!"

Deku tried not to flinch at the other student's shout; it felt like he was dialed up to eleven at all times, and now he knew why Gale Force had kept his gloved hand over his mouth until now.

Deku took a deep breath of his own, and then turned into Terraspin. Gale Force carried both of them up into the air to give them a better view, just as dozens, then hundreds, of PLF soldiers streamed out of the villa.

"All we have to do is knock them down long enough for the Heroes to finish the job," Terraspin reminded.

"Yep, I got it!" Gale Force made a sweeping motion, and a huge gust of wind bowled over scores of enemies. "Your turn!"

Now flying under his own power, Terraspin blew a column of high-pressure wind, and slowly turned in place. Like a hose spraying over a garden, he swept his wind through 'his' side of the battlefield; those that weren't blasted through the air were smashed to the ground by the pressure. Both students had left the criminals with plenty of concussions and broken bones, but it spoke highly of their training that nobody was killed, or even critically injured.

The Heroes below them were moving before the first gust of wind finished blowing. Some teams broke off to secure prisoners, while others fought disoriented groups of criminals who had managed to regain their footing.

"Deku!" Terraspin looked down at Sir Nighteye, who was pointing at the villa. "You must go now!"

Terraspin glanced at Gale Force; the other student didn't know what was going on, but the operation's commander had given him an order.

"Good luck, Deku! Show 'em what's good!"

"Thanks." Deku turned into Jetray and flew ahead, Nighteye's directions still fresh in his mind.

Maybe Hawks needs my help, he wondered. It would be cool to work with him again.

…

Ten Minutes Earlier

Hawks walked over with the ease of a man greeting a close friend. "Hey, Jin! How's it hangin'?"

Twice looked up from his phone and waved excitedly. "Hey, Hawks! Nothin' new so far, but that chair you brought me is so friggin' relaxing that I had to get up and walk around! I didn't want anyone telling Shigaraki I was sleeping on the job."

"Probably a good thing, if half the stuff you've told me is true." Hawks laughed. "Hey, I wanted to introduce you to someone, if that's okay."

Twice scoffed. "Dude, I've been playing guard-duty all day for a guy who's in a coma. I'd kill for a distraction."

Hawks grinned and stepped aside. "This is one of my Sidekicks, but she's the only one who's also part of the PLF. You can call her Yuki."

Soldier was nothing like Takeda, but she could imitate her personality just fine, and she bounced over to Twice. "Hey, so you're Twice! So cool to finally meet you!"

Twice blinked, and blushed behind his mask; Takeda was cute, and she'd gotten well within his personal space. "Uh, you know about me?"

Soldier grinned. "Of course! You're kinda infamous among Heroes. Did you know the only people more wanted than you are Nine and Shigaraki?"

Twice blinked again. "N-no, I didn't, actually."

Hawks clapped his hand on Twice's shoulder. "Take it as a compliment; it just goes to show just how important you are to the PLF."

"Well, when you put it like that, it's kinda cool," Twice said.

Everyone in the League had been surprised that the current Number-Two Hero was actually a top operative of the Liberation Army. Shigaraki had learned right off the bat that Skeptic kept him under constant surveillance, but he'd been nothing but helpful—Hawks had even run interference several times when MLA cells had been about to be discovered, often at great risk to himself. Still, before Shigaraki had left to undergo his Quirk-related procedure, he'd ordered his lieutenants to never let their guard down around the turncoat Heroes.

Despite his leader's warning, Twice had quickly become friends with Hawks; he was just so earnest and funny, and was always eager to swap complaints about the world. The best part was that Hawks listened; even his friends in the League ignored his issues, which were often brushed off as his eccentricities. Whenever his trauma started to rise to the surface—it was far less common now, but it did happen now and then—Hawks drew him to the side and helped him calm down with soft words and quiet humor.

"Hey, are you busy now?" Twice asked. "I'm bored out of my mind, and I could use someone to talk to."

He'd considered making a clone or two of his friends, but he'd been asked not to by Re-Destro, since anyone who saw the clones might get confused.

"Don't you need to watch the prisoner?" Takeda asked.

"Good point," Twice said with a sigh, and then brightened. "Oh, I know! We could just chat inside his room! He's knocked out most of the time anyway."

"Sounds good to me," Hawks said. "I brought some cards, in case you wanted to play a game."

"Oh, thank you!" Twice opened the door, revealing a well-furbished room, though only a chair had been occupied in recent times. Midoriya Hisashi was firmly tied to that chair, unconscious and hooked up to an IV; puncture-marks dotted his other arm, evidence of the many times Toga had drained his blood. "Anyway, yeah, park it anywhere; it's not like this guy's gonna complain."

"Sounds good to me," Hawks said, as Soldier closed the door behind them. His tone was as friendly as ever, but with Twice's back to him, he didn't bother smiling.

Twice was only aware of the treachery when a long feather slashed across his back from shoulder to hip. Blood sprayed out, and Twice immediately collapsed to the floor; despite not knowing what was going on, he began making clones out of reflex. Before his doubles could finish forming, two more of Hawks' feathers tore them apart.

"Not happening, Bubaigawara," Hawks said evenly. "I'm giving you two choices: surrender and live, or fight and die."

"Personally, I'm hoping you pick option two," Soldier said idly. "It'll be much easier on us if we don't have to carry you out of here."

Twice looked up at her. "W-why—"

Soldier's body was surrounded by yellow energy as she punched Twice in the face; his mask tore on one side, and his cheekbone cracked.

"The next words out of your mouth had better be 'I surrender'," Hawks said. "Otherwise, we will kill you."

Twice couldn't quite believe it. "You betrayed us?"

"I'm a spy, I betray everyone." Hawks rested his feather against Twice's neck, and then glanced at Soldier with narrowed eyes. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Eliminating a snag," Soldier said, with the tone of one discussing the weather as she approached Hisashi. "We can't extract Midoriya and Bubaigawara, and it's far too easy to pin his death on the enemy."

"I distinctly remember telling you exactly what would happen if you tried that."

Soldier shrugged. "It's like you said—spies betray everyone."

A dozen feathers launched at Soldier, but she'd already spread her aura around her entire body, and the feathers bounced off.

"There's a reason I was made your handler, Takami," Soldier said. "All I needed was enough time to set up my defenses, and you won't be able to—"

Another feather speared clean through her aura, and left a deep cut across her cheek. That feather returned to the small cloud orbiting Hawks, who smirked.

"I'm a better actor than you give me credit for. After I realized what the Commission was grooming me for, I started hiding just how strong my Quirk is. I may not like fighting power-types, but I can if I have to." His gaze turned dark. "And I'm pretty sure I have to."

"This is the worst thing you could do," Soldier warned.

"No, the worst thing I could do is let you kill an innocent man." Hawks felt movement through the feather in his hand. "Don't even think about it, Bubaigawara."

A half-formed hand tried to force the feather away, while another clone tried to shield Twice as he moved with agonizing slowness. "My name is Twice! That's the name the League, my real friends, know me by!"

A handful of feathers destroyed the clones in seconds, and Hawks slashed Twice again, this time cutting the tendons in his left leg. Two more feathers impaled him through his hands, pinning him face-down on the floor; several more hovered over his skull, ready to kill him in an instant. That was all Hawks could spare; he had a much more pressing matter to deal with.

Soldier expanded her aura, until it reached almost a foot beyond her skin. "I really should thank Twice; he gave me even more time to prepare."

Hawks grinned, but there was no humor. "You missed a spot."

Soldier frowned, but it took too long for her to figure out what he was talking about. By then, two of Hawks' feathers had forced their way between the floorboards and through the plaster, and then back up through the thinnest part of her aura—the bottoms of her feet. Soldier grunted in pain as the feathers impaled upwards through her feet, and she fell to her knees; not out of shock, since she had been programmed without that aspect of her psyche, but simply because the muscles in her feet were too badly damaged to keep her upright.

"Last chance," Hawks warned. "Give Yuki control again, or I'll kill you."

"You'd kill an innocent girl, but spare the man the enemy is using as Midoriya's weakness?"

Hawks shrugged. "What can I say? I like Izuku more than you." His eyes turned solemn. "Yuki, if you can hear me, I want you to know that I'm sorry."

"You're sorry?" Both Soldier and Hawks glanced back at Twice, who was glaring at them with inhuman hatred. "Oh, you're going to be sorry, you bastards!"

Hawks' eyes widened as clones burst forth from Twice's mangled hands faster than he could destroy them. Each clone created another Twice from one hand, and a member of the League of Villains from the other; the only one that Twice didn't replicate was Shigaraki, though Hawks didn't have time to wonder why.

Just as Hawks began thinking that he might have a problem, the building shook violently, and the door exploded inward a few moments later. Jetray flew into the room, and even though the scene had to be bewildering, he didn't hesitate; he turned into Diamondhead and fired a storm of crystal shards into the clones. A small part of Hawks took pride in knowing that his lessons of faster reaction times had played a part in Deku's efficiency. Diamondhead focused on the Dabi clones first; the last thing any of them needed was a bunch of him setting the entire mountain on fire with their combined power.

Diamondhead didn't stop moving; he barreled through the clones, shooting crystals with one hand and slashing with a massive blade on the other. He only stayed put when he placed himself between his father and the remaining clones. Of course, by that time, Hawks had destroyed them, and Twice was all that remained.

"Glad you're here, Deku," Hawks said lightly. "Look, a lot's going on, but your job is to get your father out of here. He needs medical attention."

"Right!" Deku turned into Big Chill; he froze and shattered his father's bonds and then picked him up. "What about Overclock?"

Right, the kid doesn't know she's a Commission spy, Hawks thought wryly. Hell, Yuki doesn't know she's a spy.

"I'll handle the rest," he said vaguely. "Just go; I'll explain when this is over."

"Okay." In seconds, Big Chill was headed for the massive hole in the villa, out to the safety of the rear lines. Hawks felt both pride and guilt at how much Deku trusted him; he could only hope that any of that trust remained when he told the truth.

"I suppose you got what you wanted," Soldier remarked. "What happens now?"

Hawks sighed as he walked over to her. "Not sure about me, but I'm pretty sure you've failed as my handler. I imagine your bosses will erase you as a failure."

For possibly the first time, Soldier looked afraid, but only until Hawks chopped her neck hard enough to knock her out.

"As for you, Bubaigawara," he continued. "You've made it perfectly clear that you won't be taken alive, and you're too dangerous to risk escaping. I really am sorry."

Twice glared up at him from the floor, tears mixing with his blood. "Go to hell."

"Oh, I'm already going there." Hawks raised his feather, and brought it down.

…

"Well, this is bad," Dabi said calmly.

"This goes way beyond 'bad'!" Skeptic shrieked. "Our entire organization's leadership is here! If the Heroes succeed at capturing us, everything we've worked for will be for nothing!"

"That would be disappointing," Nine said; his tone went beyond calm, so much so that he almost sounded bored. "The chance of discovery was always there, which is why we must take this opportunity to strike at our enemy's heart. With so many Heroes here, we may never have another chance."

Skeptic blinked. "Wait, I know what you're talking about! That plan was never fully ironed out!"

"It's still our best chance," Nine said, and turned to Kurogiri. "Prepare the warp gate. I will lead the attack."

"Want me to go with you?" Dabi asked.

"No, you'll be better in the open." Nine handed him an old tape recorder. "This has Shigaraki's instructions on it. Take it to Gigantomachia and get him moving; do as much damage to the Heroes as you can, and then get to Shigaraki. We can always rebuild if he's free."

"Sure thing." Dabi shoved the recorder into his pocket and lightly slapped Chimera's arm as he walked by. "Have fun; burn a few of those Commission pricks for me, would you?"

Chimera grinned with a mouth full of sharp teeth. "I'll carve your name into their hearts."

…

If anyone had been around to hear him, the things Garaki muttered would have made no sense. He listed off chemicals, side-effects, and terms that would have gone over the heads of anyone without several decades of medical expertise. Despite the aches that came with his advanced age, his hands were a blur as he typed frantically on the console before him.

He glanced at the progress bar on the screen: only thirty-eight percent complete.

"It could be possible to wake him," he mused. "His stability is within the bare minimum requirements, but only theoretically. It will take far longer to finish without such a controlled environment."

Garaki looked back the way he'd come; he could hear the distant roars and screams of his precious High-Ends as they battled his pursuers. If they'd had the requisite twelve hours to settle, the battle would have been over by now.

It was always time, the one resource he seemed to be out of. With that in mind, he activated the final keys on the console, just as a golden blur struck him in the side. Garaki screamed as his ribs cracked, and he fell to the ground.

"Sorry about that," Lemillion said, arms crossed and cape flapping. "I don't like hitting the elderly, but I had to be sure you weren't one of Twice's clones."

Garaki coughed out blood, and then glared up at him. "You could have asked!"

Lemillion shrugged. "I didn't really feel like it." He glanced up at Shigaraki, still floating in the tank. "Huh, so that's Shigaraki Tomura. I think this is the closest I've gotten to him since Kamino, but at least I don't have to fight him. I can handle an easy win once in a while."

As Lemillion spoke, Garaki had stared at Shigaraki, hoping that he would awaken and save him from certain capture. However, the heir of All For One remained immobile, and Garaki's heart sank; it seemed that his hasty theory had been wrong.

Lemillion hauled Garaki to his feet, and as they headed for the door, neither noticed Shigaraki's fingers twitch.

…

"Hey, big guy." Dabi kicked Gigantomachia's foot. "Wake up. The boss has a job for us."

As expected, Gigantomachia didn't react; in fact, he only spoke to someone other than Shigaraki if Shigaraki himself explicitly ordered him to do so. Still, his unswerving loyalty to the grand commander of the PLF helped cement the rest of the organization's loyalty to him, and that was all Shigaraki and the rest of the League cared about.

Dabi sighed, and pulled out the tape recorder. "Okay, Machia, time to wake up."

"Machia," Shigaraki's voice said, and Gigantomachia's eyes snapped open. "I have a task for you. Follow the next order from this messenger, and then come to me."

Gigantomachia whipped his head down to stare at Dabi. "What is the order?"

Dabi grinned up at him. "There's a bunch of Heroes attacking us. We're gonna smash our way through them to cause some chaos, and then we'll join the boss."

Gigantomachia nodded and held out his hand. "Come with me."

"Oh, this is gonna be fun."

So, the battle has begun! In some ways, things are going well for the Heroes, but you can never be too sure what'll happen when the bad guys have backup plans. I'll be honest, the part I was looking forward to the most for this chapter was the confrontation between Hawks and Soldier. Hawks warned her what would happen if she tried to kill Deku's dad, but she's programmed to follow orders, and look how that turned out. Deku might not have done much this chapter, but he'll have plenty of time to shine soon enough.

As always, please consider buying my book, Alpha Sanction, by Josh Gottlieb. You can find it on my website (link in my profile), or on Amazon, in both eBook and physical formats. Sales really help boost my confidence in myself as a writer.

You can also support me by donating via my P-atreon (link in my profile). I had to pay for a lot of stuff lately, so I'm kinda broke; finances cause me anxiety, and anxiety makes it hard to write.

I'd like to thank the following people who help alleviate my anxiety:

Serious Muffins: Nimrod009, Aaron Meek, Matthias Matanovic, Red Bard, Lokthar, Hakuryuken, Anders Lyngbye, Kristen Tyler, Patryk kawalec

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Next Chapter: The battle rages, a plan unfolds, and a horrifying discovery is made…

Plus Muffin!