Much had changed in five years, that much Snake could agree with. To think Mgbaba used to be a bombed-out husk of a city, it seemed laughable looking at it now. His helicopter flew by the city's bustling skyscrapers, heading toward the direction of his next mission. The same could be said for the rest of Outer Heaven. Years of conflict had led to the MSF liberating most of Nigeria, and entering parts of Cameroon.
Yet it also brought on an intensification of the conflict. The warlords had turned to more desperate tactics to hold the MSF back, and more of the enemy had been spotted with better equipment. He could name almost a dozen times they found militants with Type-99 tanks, LR17 assault rifles, MI-28 attack helicopters, SU-35s, or a Patriot missile system. But that was all for memories of previous times. Right now he has a contract to complete. So turning away from the Blackhawk's window, Snake focused back on his equipment, while Midoriya did the same.
"Could we get ice cream after this?" Midoriya asked, the teen inspecting his 1911 closely. Satisfied, he holstered the weapon and looked over at Snake. Snake simply thought the prospect over.
"Hmm… I don't see why not," Snake replied, with Midoriya silently cheering. A bark drew away his thoughts though, as DD started running in circles trying to catch his tail. It was funny to watch, eliciting a chuckle from Snake. Soon enough they reached their destination, and the two hopped out of the helicopter. Walking slowly, Snake pulled out a pair of binoculars and looked out at the tropical forest ahead.
Midoriya quickly did the same, while DD sniffed the air. After a few seconds of searching Midoriya pointed out at a small clearing in the forest.
"Elephants, seven hundred meters," he stated. Snake then looked over at the direction he was pointing. So far there were only four, which was fewer than normal but he expected it. The African Forest Elephant was almost extinct in this part of the continent. Snake ruffled Midoriya's hair as a chuckle left his mouth.
"Seems' you're getting faster at this," he commented, now slowly walking to a better position. Midoriya smiled with pride at his words, before quickly catching up to Snake.
"So can I-" Midoriya tried to ask, only to be cut short.
"No." Snake quickly interrupted.
"Why not?" he asked somewhat annoyed, "We've gone out on these contracts a thousand times. Why can't I do one by myself?"
"It's still too dangerous. Besides, you're not ready to do this on your own." Snake answered, now looking at Midoriya. And that made him pause for a second. Looking at his son, he couldn't help but wonder when he got so tall. It seemed like only days ago when they celebrated his seventh birthday.
It brought an unseen tear to Snake's eye before he quickly shook the thought away. He could still see Midoriya was upset about his decision though.
"Dad, I'm not a little kid anymore. I want to do contract work." Midoriya told him, with a pleading look in his eyes. The look had been with him for years, always wanting to help. It's what Snake loved about his son, and he thought the Boss would agree. But he just wasn't ready. With a sigh, Snake got low to the ground and got his M110 ready.
"How about this," Snake began, "If you can knock out those four elephants before I do, then I'll consider it."
A look of determination crossed Midoriya's face, as he quickly joined his father. He set up quickly, his own M110 at the ready. To count them off, Snake placed down his Idroid and brought up a holographic timer. It ticked down from five seconds, with Snake focusing on the first target. The second the timer reached zero he pulled the trigger. Old as he may be, he was still too fast for Midoriya. The four elephants went down before he could react.
"Damn it," Midoriya muttered, before feeling a light smack on his head.
"Hey, no swearing until you're eighteen, remember?" Snake joked somewhat seriously. He stood up then and brought his rifle around his shoulders. Seeing Midoriya was still somewhat down, he pulled him into a side hug.
"Look, you're getting better at this. Better than I was at your age. Remember that, ok?" he said, happy when Midoriya brought back a small smile.
"Now, how about I show you how a Fulton works," Snake stated, as Midoriya's smile widened dramatically.
"Yes! Wait can I do the first one!?" Midoriya exclaimed quickly, his once upset demeanor gone. It caused Snake to chuckle lightly, as the two soon reached the unconscious elephants.
"Damn it, Flamingo, where the fuck is our air support!?" Ape yelled, ducking back behind Abrams as bullets flew by. Next to him Grizzly and Eagle fired at the approaching militants who were hiding in a small assortment of buildings. The Abrams then fired its main gun into the surrounding town, managing to collapse a part of an apartment building. Soon enough the radio man's voice rang out over his comm, becoming more panicked as he tried to get a signal.
"They've sent over Apaches, but they won't reach us for another ten minutes!" Flamingo replied, trying to keep a calm demeanor. The answer made Ape curse as another explosion rocked the tank. Carefully peeking over the top, he spotted a lone squad of five militants inching over to them. Moving quickly he brought his M4 up and fired at them. The first few rounds killed two of them and wounded a third. It stopped the last two in their tracks, as they quickly ducked into a nearby alleyway.
Yet all around them, more militants kept swarming in. Bullets flew in from somewhere ricocheting off the tanks. Looking around Ape could barely find the people responsible, having to activate his quirk constantly.
"Ok, you've got this," he heard, "Peek out in three and shoot the pale one."
Finding where the thoughts came from, Ape kept his eyes on the windows, waiting for the militant to peek out. Instead, four popped out, catching Ape off guard. He fired regardless, his bullets flying through the skull of one enemy. Yet as always, he ducked back once the others opened fire. There were too many to take out one by one, so he elected a different strategy.
"Rookie! Enemies in the two-story! Ice em!" he ordered, with Grizzly quickly understanding. With his arm raised, Grizzly used his quirk. The freezing beam crossed over the windows of the enemy's structure. Everything there was covered in ice, with the enemy either being frozen or forced to change positions. It was a pyrrhic choice, as Ape saw Grizzly's left arm was now paling further.
The soldier held it somewhat limp, breaking away small pieces of ice that were forming.
"It's been five years for fucks sake! How the hell am I stuck with the nickname rookie!?" Grizzly tiredly exclaimed, his mind trying to distract himself from the pain the cold brought.
"Don't blame me! You never objected to it until now!" Eagle replied, the sergeant busy keeping an enemy squad pinned down.
"Bullshits what I say!" Grizzly countered, moving his arm slowly. He flinched back when a round missed his head. The soldier paled quickly as Ape looked behind them.
"We've been flanked!" he yelled, hoping to get other nearby soldiers' attention. It worked somewhat as a few men turned to face the rear. Behind them, a group of militants were ducking into nearby buildings. One squad he noticed dived into an old coffee shop and set up an RPK. The machine gun fired soon after, cutting down the now-exposed soldiers. Acting quickly Grizzly managed to create an ice wall in front of him, which Eagle ducked behind.
Ape wasn't as lucky, the RPK turning and firing at him. Rounds ripped through his body armor, a few bullets going through his chest. In pain Ape collapsed to the ground, the RPK soon stopping to reload. He couldn't yell, only able to gargle out a sound of pain. After a few seconds unable to move footsteps echoed around him. Ape then felt Eagle begin to drag his body to cover.
"Medic! I need a medic here!" Eagle's voice called out. With a pained gasp, his body came to a stop. A few seconds later he heard someone run over to him. Fighting to stay conscious, he painfully turned his head just as the Apaches arrived. The surrounding militants were swiftly killed then as missiles flew into their buildings. Those out in the open were cut down but their 30mm chaingun.
At the same time, smaller helicopter drones spread out around the Apaches adding to their already destructive power. As their air support finally arrived, Ape allowed himself to fall unconscious.
All Iguchi had to do, was load this final palette. That's it, load the truck and he was done for the day. He could go home and ignore the world around him. Yet as easy as that seemed, he could tell it would not happen. With some struggles, he carried the first crate to the truck. Today's shipment was barbells to a new gym, which was annoying.
"Come on mutie, pick it! We don't have all day!" one of his coworkers lambasted, all the while a different pair of coworkers smoked. Iguchi elected to ignore them as best he could, knowing they would stare at him all the while. Every few seconds he would hear a new comment. Keep an eye on him, I'm pretty sure he'll steal something. That freak can't do a damn thing right, corporate should have fired him already. Damn mutie, it makes me wonder why we keep hiring the freaks.
He's disgusting to look at. What the fuck is he supposed to be? A Godzilla reject? Think he eats flies like all the other animals? We're missing another crate, the mutie take it? Of course, it did, that's what the freaks do.
"Mr. Iguchi," a voice rang out, dragging Iguchi out of his thoughts. He turned around to find his supervisor standing nearby.
"I need to see you in my office," was all the supervisor said before walking off. A few of his coworkers chuckled as if they were kids back in school, and his name had been called by the principal. Yet he finished putting away the crate he was carrying and made his way to the supervisor's office. All the while he ignored the smirks and glares his coworkers gave him. Stepping inside he found his supervisor sitting next to his desk, with a large box of folders.
"You're here, good. Sit." the supervisor ordered. Quickly Iguchi complied, his eyes catching the label on the box of folders. It had something to do with H.R. …wait.
"Now, you see Mr. Iguchi, we received quite a few reports on your behavior," his supervisor began. His behavior? What was… No. No, no, no, no, no, no.
"Harassing other employees, slacking off on the job, incorrectly filing reports. This is frankly unacceptable."
"W-wait, I haven't done any of those things! I-" he tried to defend himself only for his supervisor to cut him off.
"Mr. Iguchi, lying doesn't help you in this situation. We have over forty reports from this month alone. All from credible sources and long-time employees."
"But I'm serious! I haven't done anything!" he tried to defend himself again. Yet his supervisor looked at him uncaringly.
"I find that hard to believe. So, Mr. Iguchi, you're fired."
The words echoed around his head, barely registering. This couldn't be happening. Not again, not now.
"Sir please I need this job!" Iguichi pleaded. He got onto his knees practically begging his supervisor. Yet the man continued to be unfazed, and uncaring.
"I have already made myself clear, you're fired."
Iguichi didn't want to accept it but soon found himself outside, standing alone on the sidewalk. The people nearby walked past him, uncaring of his presence. Others made a clear effort to avoid him, sometimes turning around and walking in the opposite direction. But Iguchi paid them no mind, instead staring blankly into nothingness. What was he supposed to do now? Only when stars began to appear did Iguchi come back to reality.
Consciously he felt around his pockets for a moment once he realized he had zoned out. He wasn't sure why he bothered though, a pickpocket wouldn't have found anything valuable. After that, he started walking home. Slowly he walked, not having the money for train fare. When he got home, he ignored the growing pile of letters he had yet to throw out. Each one had written something about rent being due.
Rent he couldn't afford to pay. Iguchi quietly opened his fridge, only to find some old takeout he hadn't finished. Solemnly he closed the fridge, not wanting to waste his only food. As had become tradition, he walked over to his room and found a brick on the floor. Picking it up, a dead lizard dangled from it off a shred of duck taped. With an angry groan, he tossed it into his room's corner, where it piled up with the other seven.
It happened so frequently that there was no glass to pick up since he never had the money to fix the window. Iguchi tried of course, but it was smashed in days later. Tiredly he went over to his only nice possession, his computer. Yet as he turned it on, he paused. What was he supposed to do now? He had nothing of value he could sell. It would take weeks to get a new job, and he was already behind on rent.
Iguchi could only curse his coworkers. He hadn't done anything to them, yet his mere presence was crime enough. And his supervisor didn't bat an eye at any of the complaints, never thinking them over for even a second. There had to be something better than this. Better than this cramped slum of an apartment. Better than the constant stares he gets on the streets. The only thing keeping Iguchi away from a rooftop was spite.
Because that's what they wanted him to do. They wanted him to know what they thought of him. And they wanted him to think the same. Yet, he was ashamed to admit it became more tempting by the day. To end this nightmare he had been living. To leave it all behind and escape. And what else was he supposed to do? Iguchi did what he always did, scroll through random sites on his computer.
This couldn't be his life. There had to be something more. Something better. All he could do was scroll, passing page after page of news articles. Through the latest news article depicting some hero's debut. The convenient tale of another mutant villain. Another release of merchandise from some hero group. A mutant rights building found in cinders. The marriage of two prominent heroes. A secret CRC member is elected into parliament.
Hours he scrolled aimlessly, never finding anything of value. A self-help book sponsored by All Might, which Iguchi had already read. The rising stock of a multi-billion dollar support company. An opinion piece detailing why one hero was better than another. The rise of an unknown sidekick. The next episode of a hero soap opera. A job offering, willing to pay upfront on the first day, with an explicit non-mutant requirement.
There had to be something more. Iguchi glared at his computer's screen, unseen tears beginning to form. There had to be something better than this hell of a life. A list of top ten hero couples. A mutant found guilty of a crime committed with a quirk they didn't have. The birth of some hero's child. The mysterious death of a mutant five-year-old. An Ingenium-themed car release. A mutant arrested for grand theft auto.
And… What was this, Iguchi thought, his eyes lingering on a small advert. It consisted of a yellow background with a white and black skull and Pangea detailed inside it. As soon as he saw the ad it disappeared, replaced by a hero selling shoes. There was something else on the previous ad, but he didn't see what. Iguchi was sure it would be something hero-related, yet some small part of him said to dig deeper.
Quietly he typed Pangea skull into the search bar. It brought nothing. So he typed in the words white and black skull logo. Again nothing. Something seemed off about the ad, but as he kept searching Iguchi found nothing. Until a thought struck him, it was a bit odd how quickly the ad disappeared. You could call it conspiratorial, but it seemed as if it was taken down on purpose. After all most ads stayed up for a few seconds longer. Hesitantly, Iguchi decided to risk it and went onto the dark web.
It wasn't like he had anything of value anyway, nothing except his old computer. But he scrolled through it and soon found the skull logo again. It was sketchy that he could only find it here, but he then read what it said. Find your purpose. Join the MSF.
It was the moment of truth, all Soul needed was a final test. One final test and everything would be ready. With a deep breath, he stood back behind the ballistic shield and watched the other engineers prep the tank. Once everything was ready, and all of them took cover, Soul pulled the chord. The tank's railgun fired, the round soaring forward and crashing into a large concrete wall.
Quietly, Soul looked away from the round now embedded in concrete and looked back at the tank. The barrels hadn't melted, exploded, bent, or jammed. Cheers erupted from the engineers in the lab of Soul sat down. Five years of work and it was finished. Five years of non-stop experiments and add-ons.
"Dell, send the word to Snake. Tell him the M1A3s should be ready for production." Soul stated, the nearby R&D AI taking quiet note of what he said.
"Already done," was the AI's only reply, leaving Soul and the other engineers to admire their work. It had gone from the simple idea of putting a railgun on a tank, to an entirely new upgrade package. They had put all kinds of new experimental tech on the vehicle. Aside from the railgun they had added dozens of minuscule cameras giving the tank a full 360-degree view at all times, an advanced anti-thermal armor coating, experimental electric armor, and newer computers that could link with an AI to control external drones or act as an unmanned platform.
All these additions were part of the reason this once simple program took an extra five years. Yet looking at the vehicle now, Soul determined it was worth it. Well, worth it for now. Give or take a few more years and they might be forced to create an entirely new tank, and not another upgrade package. But that was food for thought later. Right now he relished in their achievement. After a few minutes, he stood back up and walked to the lab's main holo-table.
"Dell, you still here?" he asked, the AI's avatar appearing only seconds later.
"I am," the AI replied while walking across the table.
"Good. Have the quarterly status reports arrived?"
"They have. So far most project leads are reporting good progress." Dell answered, the files soon appearing
"Anything I should know of?"
"At the moment a few minor projects are nearing completion. The modifications to the M7A1 and M250 for example are nearing their final test."
"Not bad, they were making it shoot caseless ammunition right?" Soul inquired, with Dell nodding, "Good, once it's completed I want their research transferred over to other projects once it's complete."
"Understood. Aside from that the modifications to the Type-X and THeMIS drones are almost complete, the prototype exoskeletons are beginning another round of tests, and the Invictus 360 is taking its first test flight." Dell continued more holographic files appearing as he spoke. Soul looked at them tentatively, a smile crossing his face as he read through them. Along with new research projects were several production quotas. Over five years the MSF had made one hundred and fifty AIs, and with recent advances on the frontlines, they could hopefully expand production off the FOBs, and onto the mainland.
At the same time, the M7A1 had entered service two years ago, with thirty thousand being issued to frontline troops. Although this M7 was heavily modified for MSF personnel and logistics, such as chambering the gun into 5.56. That said, the majority of infantrymen were still armed with the M4. Once the M7A2 was completed, that would fully replace the M7A1 and M4. All in all, Soul believed things to be going well.
"That should be all for today Dell. If I'm needed for anything else notify me," he told the AI, before calmly walking to the exit.
After a day of work, all of the MSF's AIs went back to the one thing they considered home: the Oasis Realm. Now some AIs were luckier than others and had shorter workdays, depending on their role. General Purpose AIs like Victoria, did whatever was needed. They sifted through thousands of reports, organized all the MSF's information, passed on requests, and helped manage communications.
Then there were R&D AIs like Dell, who used the limitless knowledge at their fingertips to assist in new technological advancements. Medical AIs better-assisted diagnoses and surgery. Support AIs managed supply lines and equipment requests. Intel AIs spied on the HPSC, gathered information, or protected the MSF from cyber attacks. But then there were two final types of AI roles.
The first type was commonly called a Realmer AI, as they spent all their time in the Oasis Realm. Their job was maintaining the realm while all the other AIs were off working. They farmed, built houses, ensured Mobs didn't burn everything down, and ran small shops. One of these AIs was West, he had opened a bar and spent most of his time gathering resources for more unique drinks or serving the AIs getting off work.
Then there were the Combat AIs, of which Texas and Marston were. And instantly, Victoria saw the two were upset by something as Marston ordered yet another drink at West's bar. A dozen blocky and empty beer mugs sat near them, the two AIs acting as if they weren't there.
"I think you've had enough," Victoria told them, carefully side-stepping a fallen glass. Around her, a few AIs played darts or sat about relaxing at small tables or booths. Her comment quickly brought the two cowboys' attention.
"Oh howdy… hey Vicky. How're… How're ya doing?" Marston drunkenly asked, ignoring her previous statement. Victoria calmly shook her head, displeased.
"I'm good, but seriously," Victoria motioned the beer mugs surrounding them, "this is a bit much."
"Not… Not like we've got anythin' better to do. I mean besides… We've got nothin' goin' on," Texas attempted to counter, though his slurred speech didn't help his case. At that point, West had slid over the AI's new beers, only for Victoria to intercept them. In seconds they went from her hands to her inventory.
"Hey! We paid five gold nuggets for that! An' it… it was worth five gold nuggets!" Marston drunkenly stated angrily.
"I'll reimburse you," Victoria replied, "And what's this about having nothing to do?"
Now were the AIs still in their right mind, they would have noticed Victoria's attempt to change the topic. They were not, however.
"Well I mean… it's… it's… been five years, and we ain't… we've never faced no bullets," Texas replied, his words slurred as he lowered his head to the table.
"Weren't you fighting mobs last week?" Victoria inquired, before turning to get West's attention. Silently she ordered the two AIs something to eat to hopefully combat the alcohol in their system.
"Mobs… mobs ain't nothin'. They've… they got brains… but we respawn if we die… We don't… don't help anyone in here…" Texas countered, with Marston trying his best to nod along.
"Ooh, those… those mobs are gettin' craftier… they seem… seem smarter…" Marston stated, "Can't reckon… how… how they got rifles… got cannons…"
Well, if the Pillagers could tame and ride some enger dragon-sized ravens they discovered, and build their own airships, then guns shouldn't be too farfetched. At least that was Victoria's reasoning. That entire discovery had been a shock, and the town was almost destroyed. It had been a massive raid, with the town only surviving when they asked Snake for help and he reluctantly forced forty soldiers to log onto the game and intervene.
That was still an interesting few days. It did show that they needed a lot more AIs for security though. And since no Combat AI had been assigned to anything except the occasional drone strike due to equipment not being ready, it meant they were readily available. Now Victoria was realizing that bugged them.
"I… I just want a fight… to… help someone," Texas stated, his head now resting on the table.
"What would… would Clint… would Eastwood think of me…" Marston muttered. At the same time, West handed Victoria a plate of steak nachos. The delicious smell of the blocky cuisine hit her like a truck, but she steeled herself remembering who the food was for. She carefully set it down in front of the cowboys where they soon noticed it.
"Thanks… Looks good… tasty…" Marston commented, with Texas slowly raising his head. As the two ate Victoria turned over to West with a concerned look.
"Are they here often?"
"Often? They never leave. Not unless it's to fight off some pillager raid, but they've stopped doing that recently. Hell, I'm pretty sure Marston has yet to go home."
"And you're ok with this?"
"Not in the slightest. They've died of alcohol poisoning four times already, but they just keep coming back. I'd kick them out, but then I'd have to do the same with all the others." West replied. To which Victoria took a deeper look at those in the bar. The majority of AIs present were Combat AIs. Some she personally knew, others who had only recently been created. Each one was busy drowning their sorrows.
"Oh," Victoria uttered surprised.
"Yep,"
"Well, things should be looking up. I got a report from the R&D team that the M1A3s are entering production," Victoria commented, hoping the news would bring some kind of positivity.
"Hmm… that's the one with AI integration right?" West asked, unaware his question had dragged over every eye in the bar. Victoria also unaware nodded.
"That's the one. Pretty sure the modifications for the THeMIS drones are reaching completion too," Victoria answered, "Although that's just one of the reports I received. Colt or Dell might have a better grasp on it."
"Grasp on what?" Colt asked stepping through the bar's door. Before Victoria could respond a dozen drunken AIs swarmed him. They asked so many questions in such drunken tones no one could understand a thing. And Victoria could see Colt was tempted to beat them away with a stick.
"Damn it, one at a time!" Colt exclaimed, trying to wade his way through. It seemed to slowly quiet the other AIs down, with Colt sighing exacerbated.
"Now, can someone please tell me what all that commotion was for?" Colt demanded. And the AIs were about to get all loud again, into a drunken shouting match, but were shut down by a glare from Colt. That left Victoria to step forward eventually.
"Well, they were all upset about not seeing combat yet, and I remembered getting a report on the THeMIS drones R&D was working on," Victoria explained, with Colt slowly nodding along.
"And they're wantin' to know when they'll see combat," Colt surmised.
"Yes,"
"Well, most of our drones finished testin', worked mighty fine too. So if they want a fight, they'll get it soon."
The statement brought the Combat AIs to drunkenly cheer, with a few surprisingly brought to tears. Mere seconds later stacks of gold nuggets were being thrown towards West, as they all ordered drinks to celebrate. And then Colt kept speaking.
"If I were to add up production times, the logistics of transporting these new drones, also the red tape, I'd reckon y'all will see combat in two months."
"…FUUUUUUCCCCCCKKKKKK!"
She could do this. That's what Uraraka told herself on the walk to the station. It's what she told herself on the train. And now it's what she told herself as she stared down the gates of UA. Yet for whatever reason, she could not calm down. As she inched closer and closer to the school of her dreams, she became all the more anxious. She could do this. She would pass the exam, go to UA, become a hero, and make her parents enough money to retire.
Yep, that's what would happen. Most definitely. She had no doubt… She had a few doubts. Looking at the other teens around her, Uraraka somewhat shrunk back. One teen was six foot two and covered in arms that looked strong enough to rip a car in half. Another had engines sprouting from his legs, implying a ridiculously fast running speed. A third had sharp blades jutting out of their arms.
After a few moments, Uraraka looked down at her hands, focusing on the pads on her fingers. She was outclassed. What good would zero gravity do against quirks like those? She could barely float anything, to begin with. Who was she kidding herself, UA wouldn't accept her. She should… No. She shook those thoughts away, a feeling of determination taking over. She made a promise to herself and her parents. She would pass, she would. She could do this. Looking back up she took another step, before someone shoved past her.
"Move it extra!" was all the boy who shoved her, still walking away at a brisk pace. Uraraka came to a brief stop surprised as to what had occurred. She even looked around noticing all the open space surrounding her. But what's done is done, so Uraraka chose not to dwell on it, instead trying to put her focus back on the exam. The key word is trying.
"Geez, they're really letting anyone in nowadays," someone else muttered. The words weren't directed towards Uraraka however, as the girl slowly turned to the left. Walking in a group of five, were several unknown men. Four were in the rear, wearing red berets and balaclavas, with an all-around military feeling. One of them had sawblades jutting out from his arms like shields, while the rest didn't have a visible quirk. The man in the front was different, however. He was a blond man, dressed more like a cowboy.
He had two holsters with him, one with a revolver. The other revolver was in the man's hand, being spun around for small tricks. There Uraraka found two of the men with balaclavas speaking.
"The exam hasn't even started yet. Whether or not he gets in is up for debate," one countered, the other shaking his head.
"You've still got too much faith in this place,"
"Not my fault the Boss trusts the Principal,"
"Gentlemen, keep the chitchat to a minimum. Remember?" the cowboy in front interrupted, his eyes noticing Uraraka's presence. She, however, didn't see the man look at her.
"Ah, right. Sorry sir." both men replied, before keeping quiet. Pleased, the man wordlessly juggled his revolver and pulled out the second one. The entire display left Uraraka confused as she watched the men enter the main campus. She didn't remember UA getting any new faculty, but maybe she missed it in the news. Yeah, that had to be it, she reasoned.
"Yo! Little Listener! Might wanna hurry up!" a new voice called out, with Uraraka turning back around. This time however she found the entrance void of people, except for a hero dressed as a DJ. And then Uraraka panicked, realizing she was almost missing the exam. Very quickly she booked it over to the auditorium used for UA's exams and found her spot. With several deep breaths to calm herself, she focused on the hero explaining the exam.
As Nezu went over the list of applicants, he couldn't help but feel giddy. The exam had yet to begin but this year candidates were looking interesting. He could barely guess which of them would pass. He'd figure it out eventually once he found more information on the applicants. At that moment, the door to the observation room opened and Ocelot stepped in.
The staff present turned to face him, a few offering a small confused wave. Aizawa, who was standing off at the back of the room was not one of them. Instead, he eyed the four men who walked in after Ocelot.
"Good, you're right on time," Nezu commented, ignoring the staff's confused gaze.
"Why is he here?" Aizawa asked, a shred of annoyance in his voice.
"Why else would I be here?" Ocelot replied, "Madam President wants to know what applicants UA chooses."
"She can't wait for the usual email?"
"She's grown rather impatient over the years. The stress of the job and all." Ocelot answered with a smirk. Now it wasn't technically a lie, but it wasn't the full truth. For one, an awful lot of the students Aizawa expelled, and never reenrolled, ended up in the MSF looking for a job. And Nezu being allied with them, learned of this rather quickly after a few encounters with old students on Mother Base. So, if they were going to end up in the MSF anyway, best to cut out the middle man and let Ocelot see what they were working with.
"And them?" Aizawa motions to the men with him. As he does so, he notices them giving him a very hostile look. Why? He didn't know. Ocelot didn't seem to care about the hostile looks both sides were giving the other.
"They're a new unit Madam President allowed me to create. Meet the Ocelot Unit," Ocelot explained. Although that was only half true. The HPSC had allowed him to create the Ocelot Unit again, however, they were in actuality members of the MSF. But Aizawa didn't need to know that.
"They have names?" Aizawa demanded while Ocelot spun one of his revolvers.
"Classified I'm afraid," Ocelot replied with a smirk. Aizawa remained quiet in response, now looking back at the main monitors. Nezu simply shook his head at the display as the cowboy and the Ocelot Unit took their seats. At the same time, the skeletal frame of All Might cautiously examined the newcomers. They barely spared him a glance, yet none seemed to recognize him luckily.
The skeleton of a man turned over to the rodent nearby, with a confused look.
"Didn't know you of all people got chummy with the commission," he commented dryly, to which he became more confused as Nezu chuckled.
"Oh no, I still have no love for the HPSC. Ocelot is simply more of an ally of mine."
"That's… good?" All Might more asked than stated. He heard Madam President had gotten a new right-hand man after the previous one disappeared. And he assumed that to be Ocelot, but then why was Nezu acting like they've known each other?
"Indeed," was the only answer Nezu gave him before the pair turned to face the screens. In mere minutes the candidates were in place, all that was needed was to open the gates.
Breath, that's what Uraraka needed to do. Simply breath. When the bus transporting her to her testing location stopped, she followed all the other candidates out. And there she got a good look at just how many people she was going up against. It was all so nerve-wracking. Looking up at the center in front of her didn't help either. Over the walls, she could spot dozens of looming buildings, with possibly hundreds more inside. It was a frightening scale, with it possibly holding hundreds of robots for points.
But with how many robots there were, there was always the chance someone could take her lead. Slowly Uraraka attempted to shake those thoughts away, she would pass. All she needed to do was plan out which enemies she would attack, ensuring an easy-
"Okay start!"
Uraraka looked up confused, finding the same hero who explained the exam standing on a tower. No one else moved for a second, too confused to do anything. But then the sound of the doors opening was heard.
"What's wrong? There are no countdowns in real fights!" the hero exclaimed, as Uraraka's eyes widened. Quickly the other candidates around her began to break into sprints, charging into the testing center. It was difficult to get inside, but once she did she found several robots already destroyed. Keeping herself calm, or at least attempting to, she looked for a spot void of her competition.
Finding it she ran, ducking through mock alleyways in the ludicrously large arena. With no other candidates nearby, Uraraka spotted two large robots. One was a basic one-pointer, and the other was a larger three-pointer. Neither had spotted her yet so she took advantage and charged. When she reached the one-pointer she effectively slapped it and used her quirk. It lifted off the ground, bringing the three-pointer's attention.
But by then it was too late, and Uraraka had touched it as well. In mere moments both robots were high off the ground, where she then dropped them. With a loud crash, both robots crumpled, and Uraraka took note of her first points. Not wasting time she ran out looking for more. Soon she stumbled upon a small group of robots. Two one-pointers, one three-pointer, and one two-pointer, to be exact.
She was not as lucky as the first time, with the robots noticing her almost immediately.
"Target acquired," the three-pointer exclaimed, "Exterminate!"
Uraraka quickly ducked back, right as the arm of a one-pointer flew over her. Reacting fast she touched it, lifting the robot into the air. All the while, she ran farther back, leading the second one-pointer underneath the first. With it set she dropped the floating robot and ducked back as the two-pointer attempted to whip her with its tail. At the same time, the one-pointer landed and crushed its brethren, before both were run over by the three-pointer. With another two points, Uraraka ducked under another swipe from the two-pointer.
Knowing the two-pointer wasn't going to stop its assault, Uraraka darted into a nearby alleyway. She hoped it would give her space to think out a plan. Instead, the two-pointer chased after, smashing through tons of brick. Panicking Uraraka ran deeper into the alleyway as both robots continued pursuit. Eventually, she reached a wide-open spot, with a large dumpster. Ducking behind it, her robot pursuers overshot and charged right past her. The cramped alleyways made turning around difficult for the robots.
Something Uraraka quickly capitalized on as she stood up and approached the rear of the three-pointer. A simple slap and it began to float. A few seconds later she was able to move and touch the two-pointer as well. With the robots soon high enough, she dropped them like the previous ones, watching as they crumpled against the ground.
"So, what do you think?" Nezu inquired, looking over at Ocelot. The cowboy was busy spinning his revolvers as always but had a look of intrigue on his face.
"They're not bad. A little bit of training and they'd make a good hero," he replied, "Still, I'm a bit confused about why this is the format you chose for a test."
"How do you mean?"
"Well for one, it has prior combat experience become a must-have. I'm not one to intrude on how you run this place-" Ocelot began before hearing Aizawa dryly chuckle. He decided to ignore him, however.
"But these are teens coming out of junior high. The closest thing they've had to a fight is maybe a pair of bullies. And here they are fighting giant, albeit impractical, robots." Ocelot explained. And in all honesty, the kids in the exams were lucky, because while the exam robots were impractical, that doesn't mean they weren't well armed. Hell, the one-pointer alone has two M61 Vulcan rotary cannons for arms.
Even as oddly built as these things were, a 20mm round is punching through any unsuspecting teen. Which might be why none of the robots were using their armaments. But he digressed.
"He's not wrong," Aizawa remarked, "It isn't just a need for combat experience either. Those with less physical quirks are also at a disadvantage."
"The one time you two agree on something…" Midnight muttered to herself, with Aizawa turning over to her.
"Not my fault this test is illogical," Aizawa quickly countered, all the while All Might looked around somewhat unsure. He elected to stay out of this discussion, instead looking at the competing candidates. There had to be someone he could find worthy of One for All.
"I understand your points, however, there is little I can do about it. Especially right now." Nezu replied. Ocelot stopped spinning his revolvers then, before raising his brow confused. The rodent took a small sip of tea before answering.
"It's mainly budgetary and policy reasons. We needed practice dummies and these robots were the only things available on the market, and the HPSC tends to prefer combat specialists. Oh, how I miss when we were still a charity,"
"I don't, you cut our pay over seventeen times in two years," Aizawa muttered in response. The other teachers nodded in agreement, with Ocelot chuckling.
"Well, I believe it's time to start the real test,"
As another four robots crashed into the ground, Uraraka stopped to try and ease her stomach. If she was right she had a minimum of twenty-eight points. Whether that was enough, she didn't know. Just in case she spotted a small group of one-pointers huddled together. It would be easy. They were all looking away from her direction, and no one else was around. Quietly she snuck up behind them. It would be easy, she could do this.
The adrenaline from the test seemed to have worn off though, as it became harder to stand up. Yet something seemed off, Uraraka could feel the exam taking its toll. But it became more apparent when she collapsed to the ground. It wasn't tiredness, no everything around her was shaking like an earthquake. Confused she looked around, hoping it was another applicant's quirk. Only to pale when the massive visage of a skyscraper-sized robot looked down at her.
Its massive arms crushed the surrounding buildings as Uraraka realized what this robot was. Quickly she turned and ran, right as rubble from the buildings began to fall. She thought she was in the clear, and then she tripped. On what she didn't know. Too much dust had been kicked up to see. But by then she yelped in pain as a piece of rubble landed on her leg. Uraraka tried to kick free yet the rubble wouldn't budge. And every small move she made, sent a surge of pain through her leg. At the same time, the treads of the zero-pointer got ever closer, crushing everything in its path.
She slowly began to panic as the machine got closer. Was her leg broken? Maybe it was just sprained. Wait, but then how would she pass!? Forget passing, that thing was going to crush her! She needed to move. But how… Uraraka mentally facepalmed before touching the piece of rubble keeping her down. It floated up enough for her to stand up. There she felt another spike of pain as she put weight on her injured leg. Looking down Uraraka saw no blood luckily, but her ankle was a concerning shade of purple.
She bit her lip as every step gave another spike in pain, but she had to move. Behind her, the zero-pointer continued to trash the place, but there was nothing she could do about it. All she had was zero gravity, and besides the zero-pointer wasn't worth anything. And yet… Other candidates could have gotten injured because of it. Looking back Uraraka was sure the robot didn't even notice her pinned down. It kept moving forward before something behind it distracted it.
If it didn't notice her, then it might miss the others. But UA wouldn't do that, right? It was destructive sure, but no one would die because of it… right? They… they would be fine. Yeah, she needed to focus, get some more points, and… She made a promise to her parents, and herself. And now it seemed she would fail, running back after the zero-pointer.
Ocelot was beginning to think the MSF's deals with Nezu were a bad choice. Because this zero-pointer seemed… well to be blunt bloodthirsty. It started pushing over buildings and charging after large groups of applicants. And at first, Ocelot gave them the benefit of the doubt. That was until one of the cameras spotted a girl pinned under rubble. She managed to lift it off of her, but the zero-pointer never ceased its charge. It came pretty close to crushing her. A little concerned he turned to face Nezu, not realizing a few of the staff had done the same.
And a small inkling of worry began to grow as Ocelot saw Nezu's worried frown. And then Power Loader began to speak up.
"So… small problem," he began a growing hint of fear in his voice.
"It's gone rogue hasn't it," Nezu surmised quickly, to which Power Loader nodded.
"I thought you fixed the coding issue!?" Midnight exclaimed, as the other teachers present quickly began to scramble.
"I thought I did, I must have missed a semi-colon somewhere!" Power Loader replied, visibly attempting to shut the robot down. He had been trying for some time now but nothing seemed to be working.
"All M-" Nezu attempted to say but the hero was already out the door in seconds. At the same time, Cementoss had gone running after him, hoping to do anything to help. Ocelot meanwhile was focused on the observation room's cameras.
"These robots have any manual controls?" Ocelot asked, to which Power Loader shook his head.
"No. Even if they did, none of them have the firepower to stop this thing." Power Loader quickly replied. Nezu was now standing on the hero's shoulder looking over a tablet. Both heroes attempted to brute force their way into shutting the robot down. Yet it didn't seem to be working. By then the call to evacuate the exam space had been sent out to the applicants, with most of them beginning to flee back to the entrance.
If things went well they should hopefully-one of them was charging in. That caught Ocelot off guard for a second as he saw a girl with brown bobbed hair continue to approach the giant robot. The girl kept running, trying her best to avoid falling rubble. What the hell was she doing!? He looked out at the screen confused as to what the girl was trying to do. Halfway from the zero-pointer she found an intact three-pointer and made it float in the air.
She held onto the robot's arm, holding it up like a metal balloon. With it in tow she kept moving forward, before darting out to the left. Soon she was also floating reaching one of the building's rooftops. Once there the girl seemed to be measuring up something, maybe the distance between her and the zero-pointer. And then, with a tad bit of difficulty, she threw the robot in her hands.
It soared forward momentarily, Ocelot still confused as to what the girl was doing. That was until he looked at where she'd thrown the three-pointer. He watched it fly forward, mentally calculating where it would hit. It elicited a small chuckle from him, right as the three-pointer landed between the zero-pointer's treads. It was at an awkward spot, jamming the treads entirely. The zero-pointer could no longer move forward, instead forced into a never-ending circle.
Looking away from the zero-pointer, Ocelot saw the girl cheer momentarily, before collapsing to the ground. The ground beneath her was caked in vomit seconds later, while All Might finally arrived. A very loud "Detroit Smash" was heard from the hero, before the zero-pointer was finally destroyed and everyone in the observation room sighed in relief.