This wasn't supposed to happen. He was supposed to be dead! All that time spent gathering up a party, and planning out his attack, is now wasted! Currently, Shigaraki resides in a lone jail cell waiting for another interrogation, until he finally gets a trial. It was just like every other jail cell one would think of. The only difference was the steel box wrapped around his hands. It was designed in such a way to keep all of his fingers restrained at awkward angles while ensuring he could touch nothing.

He angrily paced around the room, rambling on to himself. All Might cheated, that's how he's still alive! It was supposed to be a one vs one, not one vs six! That's all this was! He cheated! All Might and that damn cowboy! And hadn't that been a shock, the same man who shot him during his escape from UA, had also helped in his loss. He wanted to kill him. His pace slowed as the fantasy came to mind.

Shigaraki simply imagined as the cowboy slowly cracked and fell apart, screaming in agony while he watched. He could only wish it was real. So instead he replayed the thought over and over until he got bored. There he switched to All Might and started up with something new. But then his fury came roaring back, with Shigaraki punching the nearest wall. His cuffs didn't dent or break, and the wall barely moved.

He didn't stop though, only focused on beating the closest thing available. How had everything gone so wrong? If Sensei saw him now, Shigaraki shuddered the thought away. To think he had failed Sensei, the man who had given him everything. He'd make it right somehow. He'd kill All Might and that cowboy. But how would he- Gunshots echoed down the hall suddenly, as screaming quickly broke out.

The gunfire became more sporadic and panicked as seconds ticked by, and the sounds of metal scrapping around followed. Some kind of fight was happening outside. Shigaraki moved to his cell door to try and see it, but couldn't get a clear look. Just then a pair of officers ran by his cell, shooting back at something. One was fearfully grabbing their radio.

"Come on, come on! Work damn it!" one of the officers shouted, in a panicked tone.

"Please tell me it has batteries!?" the other exclaimed, shooting at something with his service revolver. He quickly reloaded once all the rounds were spent.

"Yes, it has fucking batteries!" the first officer retorted, "Come on! This is Officer Kashiwagi, we've got an intruder attacking the holding cells! Send back up-argh!"

Something shot out from the hallway, engulfing the entire area in a cloud of thick smoke. The crunching of bone followed as Shigaraki took a small sadistic pleasure in the officers' deaths. But then the rational part of his brain caught up to him. What was happening? He wanted to peek through the cell door, but the smoke made it impossible to see. He didn't have to for long, as the entire door was ripped from its foundations and tossed to the side. When it was gone, the smoke slowly cleared, and Sensei stood outside.

Ocelot grumbled to himself as he looked out the conference room's window. Outside the gate to UA was a massive crowd of reporters and protestors. There had to be hundreds of them, and so far the only thing holding the tide of people back was the police, other members of UA's staff, and the UA barrier. It didn't even matter that it was the dead of night, they all came out regardless. The attack had only been yesterday, but here all these people were. In a nearby corner of the room, a TV had the news on, which Ocelot attempted to ignore.

"Madam President, has the HPSC elected to take any course of action regarding UA's failure to protect a student?" a reporter asked, as Ocelot slowly turned to face the TV.

"We are still in talks with UA, as Principal Nezu has been difficult to deal with. But rest assured, we will ensure this issue never arises again. It's just a shame it had to come at the cost of a child's life." Madam President answered, with Ocelot grumbling again. He drew one of his revolvers and started to spin it around.

"But what about All Might's statement to the press yesterday? Do you have anything to comment?" the same reporter asked, while Ocelot tossed his revolver into the air.

"It is a shame he decided to side with UA, but it is entirely understandable. Being a new teacher one would side with their employer, especially after getting the position so soon. That said, I believe the Symbol of Peace will see reason eventually." Madam President answered. Ocelot caught his revolver then, spinning it around as usual before glaring at the woman on the screen.

"Madam President, what is the commission's hope to achieve with these negotiations?" a different reporter asked.

"For one, better regulations. UA and Principal Nezu have done whatever they please for years now. I believe most of us can remember when they turned the school into a charity, or when they somehow became an independent territory. With all that madness it's a surprise the attack never happened sooner."

"So you said regulations, can you give us anything specific?"

"Well, we hope to get a Hero Commission Representative onto UA's staff. That way we can better monitor the situation at the school and ensure everything is going smoothly. If we're lucky, Principal Nezu might step down, and someone more capable could take his place."

By now Ocelot had heard enough and walked over to the TV. Very quickly he turned it off and holstered his revolver. He then looked at his watch, carefully tapping it as he waited. The meeting was supposed to start any second now. Sure enough, Nezu walked into the conference room, followed by a few other teachers. The moment they arrived, they all gave Ocelot a suspicious look. He didn't blame them though, he was technically HPSC after all.

They all quickly sat down at the U-shaped table. It was then however that Ocelot noticed a newcomer walk in. The best way he could describe the man was somewhat plain. An unassuming face, black hair, and a clean well-pressed suit was the best descriptor Ocelot could find. The newcomer quickly noticed him and gave Nezu a confused look.

"I didn't know you hired new staff," he commented, with Nezu chuckling lightly.

"Oh no. I'm afraid All Might was our only new addition," Nezu replied, only giving the man more confusion.

"Then who is he?" the man asked, slowly pointing at Ocelot.

"This is Ocelot. He's a representative of the HPSC," Nezu answered before pouring a cup of tea. It left Ocelot astonished for a second as he hadn't seen the rodent get a kettle or a cup from anywhere. However both he and the unknown man elected to ignore it.

"Well, if you trust him, then that should hopefully be enough," the man commented. He then turned to face Ocelot, a friendly look taking hold of his face.

"Detective Tsukauchi Naomasa," the man introduced. Ocelot in return gave him a friendly nod. Quickly though, Tsukauchi turned to face the rest of the staff and counted the people present. At the moment it was only Nezu, All Might, Snipe, Midnight, Vlad King, and Ocelot. Aizawa would have been at the meeting, however Recovery Girl had done everything to keep him from going. Now that Ocelot thought about it, maybe he should visit her. If only to help in keeping the hobo under wraps.

"I assume everything is ready?" Tsukauchi asked, turning back to face Nezu. The rodent shook his head no and looked over at All Might while taking a long sip from his drink.

"Not yet," Nezu said, lowering the cup from his mouth, "First All Might needs to do something."

"And that would be?" Ocelot inquired before a big cloud of steam formed where the hero used to be. It caught Ocelot momentarily off-guard before coughing echoed around the room. When the steam finally dissipated, his eyes widened in shock. Where there had once been a living wall of muscle, now sat a skeleton of a man. The only thing telling Ocelot that the skeleton before him was still All Might, was the long uncontrollable blond hair.

All Might meanwhile, coughed up blood into a small handkerchief.

"What the hell?" Ocelot muttered, still surprised by the sight. All Might soon stopped coughing, and slowly put the handkerchief away.

"It's surprising, I know," All Might told him, "Though I'm a bit surprised you didn't know about this."

All Might motioned to himself then after the last line.

"I may be Madam President's right hand, but that doesn't mean she tells me everything," Ocelot replies to which All Might carefully nods. Looking down at the husk of a man, Ocelot couldn't help but wonder what had happened. At the same time though, All Might's state was almost fitting. It represented hero society in a way. Having both the loud boisterous positive side everyone always sees, and the quiet rotting side barely anyone sees.

"What happened?"

"That is a long story. The short of it was that I was injured by a villain five years ago. Ever since that day, I can only hold up my, well muscle form if you will, for three hours a day," All Might explained, with Ocelot slowly connecting the dots. And he did not like what he was hearing. One would think All Might's removal would be a good thing for the MSF. They'd be wrong.

All of society was built on All Might's reputation. His presence created a booming industry and more importantly a sense of safety. If he went away, so did that sense of security. Society was being held up by a single pillar, what happens when that pillar is gone?

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Well, my secret was already revealed to the staff a while ago. The only one who didn't know was you," All Might replied. And Ocelot could see the logic, it would be hard to hide this kind of secret from him the longer it went on. And now that he mentioned it, All Might had run out of the combat exercise pretty quickly. It seems he knows why now.

"Makes sense," Ocelot comments, with All Might slowly nodding, "I understand how important this kind of secret is."

"So I can trust you with this?" All Might asked, looking somewhat suspicious.

"In all of hero society, I won't tell a soul," Ocelot replied. That said, no one in the MSF was a part of hero society. And Ocelot figured Snake would be pretty interested in learning about the Symbol of Peace's condition. He then turned to face the center of the room again where Tsukauchi stood. Very quickly he began to pass around several files, which Ocelot assumed related to the break-in.

"If that's everything, then I'll get started then," Tsukauchi began once all the files were handed out, "We did some digging on the villains we arrested. After a few hours of interrogation, the best we got was their names. A Shigaraki Tomura, and Kurogiri to be exact."

"No second name?" Ocelot inquired, with Tsukauchi shaking his head no.

"Unfortunately no. Kurogiri wouldn't answer any questions asked. The best way I could put it was that Kurogiri was in a comatose-like state. We only got his name from Shigaraki rambling to himself."

"Hmm, if you're having difficulty with the interrogations, I'd be happy to help," Ocelot told him, his eyes holding a sadistic look. But that look was crushed almost immediately.

"Yours and the commission's help would be appreciated, but I'm afraid that isn't possible. Roughly three hours ago both men were broken out," Tsukauchi replied.

"Now hold on, they've escaped?" Snipe inquired, surprised. It caught Ocelot off guard as well. After all that work taking down Nomu and arresting both of these villains, they somehow escape a day later. But Tsukauchi simply nodded before bringing up one of the files he handed out.

"We're not sure what happened entirely, but we assume the rest of the League of Villains broke them out."

"How so?" Nezu asked while examining the file he held.

"For one, almost a dozen quirks were suspected of being used in the breakout. Random spikes were jutting out all over the place, solid steel was bent in half or melted, and every electronic device in the area wasn't working," Tsukauchi explained.

"I find that unlikely," Ocelot muttered, "This LOV group is new, brand new. We had over seventy low-ranked villains at the USJ, all of whom were either arrested or dead. For a new organization, losing seventy people is effectively a death blow. The most they would have for a break out would be far too few to accomplish anything."

"You think it was one of those Nomu things?" Vlad King inquired looking up from his file. Ocelot thought it over for a second before shaking his head.

"No. That thing was an animalistic killer. By the way this sounds, the breakout was calculated and thought out. That monster isn't smart enough to count, let alone plan a prison break," Ocelot replied, "Even then, for the hypothetical that they can be smart, we don't know if these LOV guys have more of them."

"Now that you mention it, the entire thing seems fishy," Midnight commented before going over the report again. She read over it for a few seconds before looking back at Tsukauchi.

"You said electronics weren't working, but did any officers witness the breakout happen," Midnight asked, only for Tsukauchi to shake his head no.

"None, those in the area are either dead or too out of it to talk," Tsukauchi replied, "The only hard evidence we have is that someone broke them out. Nothing else."

Somehow Ocelot found that too convenient. Any officer's first action would be to radio for backup. Of course, the electronics in the area weren't working, so the second option would be to send someone to get back up. At the very least to warn everyone that someone was there. The fact that no one did, either implies corruption, or the people breaking in were dangerous enough to kill them before they could.

"What about the rest of the villains arrested?"

"All are still locked away. Most were no-name grunts while others had been arrested for previous crimes. Other than that they're practically useless. Not one of them had useful information, so if I had to guess, the LOV views them as cannon fodder."

"A shame, I believe it best to focus on something else then," Nezu decided, with Tsukauchi nodding. It was then All Might snapped his fingers, a look of worry and curiosity taking hold. At least that's what Ocelot assumed it was, it was hard to tell with how skeletal the hero was.

"Right, you said you'd explain where you got those guns from," All Might commented while pointing a finger at Ocelot. Very quickly all eyes were drawn to him, a few with very confused looks.

"Guns?" Tsukauchi inquired, giving Ocelot a suspicious look. It was almost subconsciously but Ocelot could swear Tsukauchi had moved for his handcuffs.

"Oh nothing much, just a few pistols, some rifles, and some anti-tank missiles," Ocelot replied. That statement alone caused Tsukauchi to look at him wide-eyed, yet it was Vlad King who spoke up first.

"Wait a damn minute! You brought anti-tank missiles to the USJ!?" Vlad King exclaimed.

"I saw his men with assault rifles, and some light machine guns," Midnight added somewhat in disbelief, "But I didn't see any of them with missiles."

"That shouldn't even be possible. The only way you could have gotten that equipment is from a JSDF base, and everything there is locked down tight," Snipe added as well, but it made Ocelot give a small dark chuckle.

"That's the thing, it isn't,"

The dry comment left everyone quiet for a second, the only noise being Nezu drinking some tea.

"I believe a little more context is needed," Nezu commented, with Ocelot slowly nodding. Ocelot then pulled out his Idroid, with everyone except Nezu giving the device a curious glance. It lit up quickly and he held it out for everyone to see, displaying a long list of items he'd bought.

"See, after the break-in both Nezu and I believed in the possibility of the campus coming under attack. We of course now know that we were correct. At the time though I wanted the campus to be better prepared, so I decided to go on a shopping spree," Ocelot explained. Once the entire list had been shown, and the heroes present gave him worried looks, he turned the Idroid off and pocketed it.

"Drove out to a nearby JSDF base, and walked in."

"You walked in," All Might stated in disbelief. The hero slowly turned to face the detective who then nodded worryingly.

"Yep. No ID. No prior calls from the HPSC or Nezu. I just walked in and was greeted by the base commander. Who then guided me personally to the base's main depot, after I told him I was there to purchase some of his gear." Ocelot continued pushing his arms out to briefly stretch. He smirked when he saw all the disbelieving faces in the room.

"What makes it worse, was the base was half empty," he commented, "It wasn't just guns either. Tanks, howitzers, attack helicopters, mortars, anti-ship missile launchers, IFVs, all missing."

"You're lying," Vlad King attempted to reason before turning to Tsukauchi, "Tell me he's lying."

"He's not. Nothing's come up as a lie so far," Tsukauchi told him. The reply caused Vlad King to slowly slump back in his chair. The reply also caught Ocelot's attention, noting the keywords that had been used. A kind of truth quirk perhaps? Better to be on guard, Ocelot reasoned.

"So, you walked in with your men, and walked out with missiles," Snipe stated, still not believing the words he'd said. No one in the room looked like they wanted to believe him. The thought that someone could get their hands on a gun in Japan had been laughable for years. Yet here he was, walking into a military base, and leaving with explosives.

"That's what happened. Because let me tell you it was bad there. I could walk in with five thousand yen and walk out with a box of grenades," Ocelot commented. Here All Might let out a deep angry breath, running his hand across his face.

"This… This is fine. We can deal with this," All Might muttered, the rest of the staff slowly nodding in agreement. Ocelot meanwhile looked at them incredulously. It was as if they hadn't heard a word they said.

"He's right. We can handle a few guns. The more explosive items might be more difficult, but we should be able to round them up," Vlad King agreed.

"Hold on, this is military equipment we're talking about!" Ocelot exclaimed, "We're talking about anti-ship missiles strong enough to one-shot a cruise ship, or hell, a city block if a villain's creative enough."

"I'm not saying it isn't dangerous. Just that it'll be handled," Vlad King told him, with Ocelot still giving him an incredulous look.

"You're underselling the danger here," Ocelot attempted to reason.

"Ocelot, in this day and age a quirk is far more dangerous than a gun. And with the amount of heroes available that danger becomes even less likely," Vlad King countered, with only Snipe seeming to somewhat disagree. Still, Ocelot found himself overruled for the time being. With an annoyed scoff, he looked back over at Tsukauchi, who decided to keep going with his report.

He was sure the detective was thinking of arresting him, Ocelot did confess to illegally purchasing firearms. But considering no hero in the room moved to restrain him, Ocelot believed he was safe. Hours would soon pass though, as everything was broken down for them. One of the most surprising things was Nomu. Now Ocelot had assumed the beast had multiple quirks, but for Tsukauchi to confirm it? That was a horrifying experience. His mind went back to the Showmaster all those years ago. Ocelot almost suspected it to be his doing, but that couldn't be right.

They bombed him and his base years ago. If that didn't kill him, which Snake seemed to believe it wouldn't, then he was still stuck at the bottom of a miles-deep pit. That meant someone else was able to create these things, and worse, their experiments were successful. Ocelot wanted to think about this fact longer, but the meeting came to an end and everyone filed out of the room.

Everyone, except him and Nezu. Once everyone was gone, and a long silence permeated throughout the room, Nezu pulled out a cigarette. The carefulness the rodent had while lighting it told him much.

"So, has Madam President told you her plans?" Nezu asked, taking a slow drag of his cigarette. Ocelot held up his hand, giving a so-so gesture.

"Somewhat. She's got people writing up stories to get the public in a fury," Ocelot answered, walking away from the wall he stood by. He then sat in an empty chair across from Nezu.

"They're trying to make it seem like a public security crisis. That your incompetence led to Fudaki's death. And that message has seemed to resonate with the public."

"Well, I'll call that a good thing then," Nezu told him. Yet Ocelot gave him a confused and shocked look.

"A good thing? Nezu we've got at least four hundred protestors outside calling for your resignation," Ocelot pointed out. The rodent snickered in response, taking a puff of his cigarette.

"Exactly. Only four hundred protesters," Nezu told him, "Not millions, not thousands, just a couple hundred. And besides, the HPSC has unintentionally given us a way out."

"How so?" Ocelot asked. None of Nezu's points seemed to make sense. They were demanding his resignation, and sure it wasn't the majority demanding it. But it was still a very vocal group. And while the majority of people demanded less extreme action, that loud minority could quickly shift it to what the HPSC wants.

"Simple. The public wants to see we are addressing their concerns, they want to see we are protecting their kids and the heroes of the future. What they want is some course of action to prove we're taking security more seriously. And the HPSC is making it seem like we are not dealing with their concerns, thus giving an excuse for them to take over. So, all we need to do is make UA seem safer, with some help."

From there, Ocelot slowly began connecting the dots, with Nezu's plan coming to fruition. He couldn't help but chuckle.

"You want to use the MSF as a security force," Ocelot stated, with Nezu calmly nodding.

"I'd be willing to pay," Nezu replies with a small knowing smirk. Ocelot quietly chuckled in response.

"Heh, please, you're getting us a foot in the HPSC's house. I'm pretty sure Snake would do it for free," Ocelot told him, before going quiet. It was the moment the MSF had been waiting for—five years of planning for a potential operation in the area. And yet Ocelot still wasn't sure.

"You know, the moment boots are on the ground, there is no going back," Ocelot pointed out. Nezu simply nodded and took another puff of his cigarette. If they went through with this, then the MSF's existence would be revealed to the rest of the world. Nezu's ties to them would also be revealed, making them an even bigger target of the HPSC. The public would have questions, many of which involved horrifying truths. Truths about society, about the heroes they trust, the governments that rule them, and the institutions they put their faith in.

"Now, we've got a press conference in three days, and classes start again in a week. If we want this to go according to plan, we'll need to leave now." Nezu stated standing up from his chair. In a brief second, he stamped out his cigarette and moved for the door. Ocelot did the same while pulling out his Idroid.

"I'll get us a helicopter then."

For many soldiers, their first firefight is a terrifying experience. It starts not with a loud explosion or bullets flying everywhere, but with silence. Long, nerve-racking silence. A kind of silence that allowed the mind to wander, to anxiously think up all the ways something could go wrong. It gets into a soldier's mind building up that fear of something happening. And right now, that was Iguchi's experience.

He clutched his rifle tightly, eyes darting out to every nook and cranny of the surrounding rainforest. The thick line of foliage made it almost impossible to see straight. It provided some semblance of shade, but that barely helped against the heat. Hours had been spent walking through the dense jungle, sweat dripping down his face. Yet nothing happened. There was a crack of a tree branch, and Iguchi expected it to be the enemy.

Instead, it was some random animal, skittering away into the bushes. Those animals were being a nightmare in more ways than one. Every few seconds a bird would chirp loudly, or fly by ruffling up a bunch of leaves. It made the jungle both annoyingly loud and worryingly quiet somehow. Simply put it was loud enough that he couldn't think, but quiet enough to feel as if something was wrong.

After another hour of trekking through the jungle, unsure as to what their goal was, Iguchi found the platoon being ordered to stop. He wanted to enjoy the brief moment of peace he had, but instead found annoyance at the mosquito he found crawling up his neck. Swatting it away, he turned to face the Lieutenant. Ape for his part was talking to the platoon's drone operator with Eagle.

About what, Iguchi wasn't sure, yet it seemed worrying from this distance.

"Gone? Reports said… over a dozen…"

"Don't know… drone's feed… Marston?"

"Afraid not partner… got nothing… hold on… East, forty… rapidly approaching…"

That last part Iguchi did understand. What was rapidly approaching? And what was it rapidly approaching? Was it them? To calm himself, Iguchi grabbed his canteen and opened the lid. In this heat, a little water would help. He raised the canteen to his mouth, about to take a sip, when he spotted Grizzly running toward him. Confusion took hold of Iguchi for a split second before the corporal slammed into him. Just as a gunshot echoed around them. It was all that was needed before someone yelled out "They're behind us!"

Every other soldier dropped down behind cover in an instant, as more gunshots echoed as well. Bullets whizzed by as Grizzly got off of Iguchi and ducked behind a nearby tree. Iguchi meanwhile in a panic, stayed low to the ground breathing quickly.

"You good?" Grizzly asked, before turning and shooting into the nearby foliage. Iguchi still panicking, looked himself over. It helped him calm down briefly, seeing he was alright. He slowly sat up from the ground, moving behind a large rock nearby. Grizzly meanwhile kept firing into the jungle, aiming at something Iguchi couldn't see.

"Gonna need some help you know!" Grizzly exclaimed, just as he ducked back behind cover. The second he did, bullets collided with the wood behind him, splintering off bits of the tree and throwing it into the air. It caused Iguchi to flinch back for a second, fearfully looking away. Why was he here? Poverty seemed better at this point, at least while he was poor he lived in the first world. He could walk into any building and feel cool air from an AC. He could get clean water from any random bathroom sink. He didn't have to hide away in this dense jungle, pleading to whatever deity to spare him.

"Damn it Gecko, we've got a job to do!" Grizzly yelled to him, before turning to fire around the tree. He did so in incrimate bursts, before ducking back and reloading his gun.

"We're going to die," Iguchi muttered, Grizzly's words not registering with him.

"Maybe we will, but how we go out is our choice!" Grizzly shouted at him, flinching back as another round hit his cover, "Why did you join the MSF?"

The question caught Iguchi off guard for a second.

"I… I needed money,"

"Bullshit! You could have joined logistics, R&D, or construction if you wanted money! What's the real reason?" Grizzly countered, with Iguchi going quiet. Why were they having this conversation now!? They were going to die and he wanted to start asking personal questions! Iguchi could barely believe this. Yet his mind wandered the question, latching onto it. Throughout all the chaos it was the only thing he could think of. Why did he join?

He could have done any other job in this military, yet he chose the combat teams. Why would a villainous freak like him…

"I did it to prove a point!" Iguchi realized, with Grizzly looking at him surprised, "All my life I've been viewed as a villainous freak! That at any moment I'll turn on someone and tear them apart like a rabid animal! And I'm sick and tired of it! I wanted to do something meaningful with my life, something that would prove all of them wrong! That I'm not some damn villain!"

His little anger-fueled spiel gave him an insurmountable amount of courage. Courage he used to peek over cover and fire at a group of approaching militants. Grizzly quickly assisted as they picked the pair off. Seconds later a new more cautious group came up, crawling from tree to tree. Iguchi dealt with them quickly, calling out and tossing a grenade. It exploded seconds later, tearing the two men apart.

With the anger slowly subsided Iguchi ducked back behind cover again, as his breathing slowly calmed.

"Now that's some good shooting!" Grizzly complimented, before ducking back as well, "We've got more of them moving up. Think you can keep going?"

Iguchi thought about it for a second hesitantly. All of this was to prove them wrong. For an odd reason he couldn't place, that realization seemed to help. If he was going to die, he was doing it his way. Dying not as a freak, but as Iguchi. He nodded back to Grizzly, before checking the magazine of his M7A1.

"Mind if I take the right?" Iguchi asked, peeking over the cover again.

"Well, my left's always been my good side," Grizzly replied.

"You know, I think I understand why the AIs like this game so much," Snake commented, as his character placed down another few blocks. It was oddly satisfying in a way, to be able to build a house so easily. It brought a sense of accomplishment while not involving thirty hours or more of back-breaking labor.

"I told you it was fun," Midoriya replied, watching as Snake continued to build. He stood off to the side watching, happy he found something they could enjoy together. Snake simply chuckled, before placing the last block on his small shack. With it done his character walked off the roof, falling for a second before hitting the ground. He then took a few steps back to admire his work.

"Not bad if I say so," Snake stated to himself somewhat.

"You built a box," Midoriya pointed out, laughing a little as the house came into full view. It was a small, basic block of a house. The only semblance of uniqueness was the bits of wood placed to appear as the flaps of a cardboard box.

"All one needs is a good box," Snake countered lightly, but all it did was cause Midoriya to laugh more. Snake could see the humor in it though, and part of it was why he'd built a box. Looking over his box house though, he thought over some things that could be added. That was until his codec began to ring. He quickly answered it, as Midoriya gave him a curious look.

"Snake, glad you picked up," Ocelot said over the codec, the sound of something chopping in the background. It was loud, sounding almost like a helicopter.

"Ocelot, has something come up?" Snake asked, passing the controller he was holding to Midoriya.

"You could say," Ocelot replied, "Have you checked the news recently?"

"Outer Heaven news or international?"

"Well, Nezu's school was just attacked, I'd say international,"

The information had Snake caught Snake off guard for a second.

"I'm assuming you're coming here?" Snake inquired standing up from his seat. He began to move for the door when he felt Midoriya grab his arm. He turned to face the boy and found him using sign language. Midoriya still needed practice with it, but Snake understood most of it. Snake thought it over for a few seconds, before quietly nodding, much to Midoriya's joy.

"We are. We should be arriving in ten minutes, tops," Ocelot answered, "We'll discuss more then."

"Agreed," Snake said, before turning off the codec. He stepped out of Midoriya's room and gestured for the teen to follow. Midoriya did so happily, closely following along as Snake entered the command room. There he found Miller and Nagant present as well, and both he and Snake sat down. After a few minutes, Ocelot walked in to join them, with Nezu riding along on the cowboy's shoulder.

They both sat down around the holo table, before giving Midoriya a confused look. Snake simply gave them a look that said he approved it. Once they were all finally settled, the meeting began. From there Nezu went on to explain the prior events leading up to now, with Snake following along easily.

"-which brings us to now. I'm sure you can already tell by now, but I want to sign a security contract with the MSF," Nezu finished. Once he was done he took a sip from a cup of tea one of the officers had provided him. The rodent seemed pleased, or as pleased as Snake could tell, with the beverage.

"After all these years, we've finally got our way into Japan," Snake commented, with Miller slowly nodding along, "We should be able to get everything up and ready. But are you willing to go through with this? Once everything's revealed, there is no going back."

"Ocelot said the same thing. But to be fair, I think I could also ask you. Is the MSF ready to reveal itself to the world?" Nezu asked in return, with Snake thinking the question over. The moment they stepped foot in Japan, the world would change immensely. Many people would have questions. About who they were, about why they fought, what they've done. The kinds of questions that could shake up society.

This wasn't just another proxy conflict, in some small quarter of a third world nation. This, as Snake saw it, could affect the world.

"I don't think anyone is ready," Snake decided, "But there isn't much of a choice."

Snake then turned to face Ocelot, before taping the holo table. It lit up quickly displaying several old leads and cold cases over the years, with the most prominent always being Night Owl.

"If your reports are correct, then whatever he's up to is coming to a head. If we want to take him down, for everything he's done, then this contract is a necessity," Snake stated, before tapping the table again. He swiped it a few times switching the displays over to a map of Nigeria, with the frontlines a visible blue and red.

"So, how big of a security force were you thinking?" Snake asked. Nezu thought it over for a second, before taking another sip of his tea.

"On the smaller estimates, I'd have to say at least a division,"

The response caught Snake off guard and had Miller cough out surprised.

"A division!?" Miller called out surprised, "You want six thousand men to defend a high school?"

"As crazy as it may sound, I'm gonna have to agree with him," Ocelot commented, before unholstering one of his revolvers. He spun it around for a few seconds and zoomed out the map on the holo table. He then moved it over to Japan and right on top of UA, with Snake and Miller looking down at it surprised.

"As you can see, UA is rather large," Ocelot states, while tossing his revolver into the air. He quickly caught it, and then spun it upside down, the revolver somehow staying in the air. Snake meanwhile determined that large was an understatement, his eyes glancing over the several small city-sized training centers.

"So, a division then," Miller muttered, quickly moving the map back to Nigeria. Miller then looked over the map examining all the units currently present.

"Let's see, you think the 14th Infantry Division will work?" Miller asked looking over at Snake. Looking down for a second to find the 14th, Snake quickly shook his head no.

"They've got the western flank secured at the moment, and I don't think pulling troops away is a good idea," Snake replied before looking over the map again, "How about the 3rd Mechanized?"

"I… don't know. I was supposed to get a report from them an hour ago," Miller answered, before searching through his side of the table for the right files. He continued for a few minutes finding only one file.

"Ah, no. They just got out of a major battle an hour ago, and the majority of them are going on paid leave," Miller answered. It caused Snake to grumble for a second as they kept scouring over the map. Eventually, he found a division suitable and placed his finger on the map pointing at it.

"What about the 5th Armored?" Snake asked. Miller went over what files he had on the division and gave Snake a hesitant look.

"Maybe," Miller answered, "At the moment they're locked in a battle, but estimates say it should be over in a day."

"I'm going to assume there's something else," Snake noted, with Miller nodding.

"They've also been equipped with all of our newest weapons. M1A3s, the first of the M7A1s, the first exoskeletons, practically all of the experimental weapons R&D has been cooking up," Miller explained, with Snake slowly seeing why Miller had been so hesitant. That said, the 5th seemed to be their best choice.

"Once they're out of the chaos, I want them sent over to Japan. Until then, we should have an expeditionary force nearby, correct?" Snake inquired, moving the map away from Nigeria again.

"Well, yes we do. The 22nd Marine Expedition isn't far from Mother Base, but Snake, I don't think it's wise to be sending all of our best gear to Japan," Miller pointed out. Snake simply shook his head, confusing Miller.

"That tech is exactly why I want them to be sent over. For years the HPSC has done everything in its capabilities to terrorize our nation," Snake told him. He didn't have to finish for Miller to understand Snake's intentions.

"So this is a show of force," he realized with Snake nodding in confirmation.

"I want the HPSC to see that we outgun them. I want them to realize none of the funding they've given the warlords will matter. Not when we can equip thousands of our troops with exoskeletons strong enough to rival strength quirks, or railguns able to punch through solid steel and concrete," Snake explained.

"I agree with the sentiment, but this could spark an arms race,"

"Even if it did, it's not one the HPSC could win," Ocelot suddenly countered, bringing everyone's attention to him.

"They haven't built a new gun in centuries. Even if they wanted to they don't have the industry needed to build it on a large enough scale. Hell, all the personnel with experience on what works in the military, and what doesn't are under our employ, our allies' employ, or are all dead, and have been dead for centuries," Ocelot explained. Miller wanted to disagree, but couldn't find a true flaw.

If the HPSC were to design a new gun to one-up the MSF, who would they turn to? Support companies, but most of their equipment was too hyper-specialized. If one hero with a fire quirk used a different fire hero's support equipment, chances were it wouldn't work. Both due to possible differences in the heroes' quirks, and how the piece of equipment worked. That kind of system didn't work in this case.

If the MSF had a soldier with super strength who was too big to carry an M4 or the new M7s, then they gave him a different gun. A gun that any other soldier could use, like an M249 or the new M250s, or if the soldier was genuinely massive, a modified M2 Browning. Guns were adaptable and could be constantly modified for new parameters. Support equipment was uber-specific in its function, design, and user. And it's difficult to shift a company's entire manufacturing method to something new quickly.

"I still don't like the idea, but I can't see any problems with it," Miller conceded, with Snake giving him a solemn nod. He then looked out across the table one last time, thinking over if they missed anything.

"So, anything else?" Snake asked to be sure.

"Can I join you?" Midoriya asked, now deciding to ask after waiting so long. Snake hadn't noticed it, but Midoriya had stars in his eyes the moment the possibility of a new contract came forward. Snake though gave him a wary look.

"I don't think that's a good idea," he said, much to Midoriya's displeasure.

"Why? I want to do contract work, and you won't let me do it alone. So why can't I come along when you have an entire division with you?" Midoriya asked.

"Izuku, this is Japan we're talking about, the HPSC's base of operations. I'm not risking the possibility of them getting their hands on you. It's too dangerous," Snake replied, hoping to bring an end to the discussion.

"I know how to defend myself, you taught me yourself. And besides, it won't just be you or Uncle Kaz, it'll be six thousand soldiers all loyal to you," Midoriya countered. Snake sighed bringing a hand to his face before turning to Miller. He gave his second in command a look that silently said to back him up, only for Miller to hesitantly tap his finger on the holo-table.

"Well, he's got a few points there," Miller said to Snake's shock, "Considering everything else, this might be one of our safer contracts. At least safer than the animal preservation ones."

"It would be good for him to get some contract experience as well," Nagant added hesitantly. That said, Midoriya did go with them she was keeping the strictest watch on HPSC activities. Snake meanwhile couldn't believe what he was hearing, and turned to Ocelot. The cowboy simply said nothing, electing to stay out of the familial matter. So Snake turned to Nezu, as unlikely as he thought the rodent's support was.

The rodent stayed quiet for a second, taking the time to enjoy his tea. Once the cup was empty, he set it down on the holo-table and brought a paw to his chin.

"I can admit, it isn't safe for him to come along, not with the HPSC having its sights on both the MSF and UA. However, a key part of any hero's career, or in this case soldier's, is on hand experience," Nezu reasoned.

"He's gotten that from other contracts," Snake attempted to counter, with Nezu raising his paws to concede that one point.

"I'm not saying he hasn't, but it's good to diversify those experiences. Heroes and soldiers don't spend all their time saving animals after all," Nezu countered, which Snake agreed with. If all a soldier ever did was one type of mission, would not know how to handle another. But… it was too much of a risk. One Snake didn't want. Yet as he turned to face Midoriya, he saw the determined look in his eyes.

"Please, I want to help," Midoriya told him. Snake wanted to say no, he really did. But he couldn't bring himself to. All Midoriya ever wanted to do was help, it was something Snake thought the Boss would love about him. Slowly Snake turned to look back at Nezu, as an officer handed the rodent a new cup of tea. Nezu thanked the officer quietly before turning to face Snake. He could read the man's face perfectly, silently understanding what Snake wanted to know.

"If it helps at all, UA has been looking for a teacher's assistant for a while now," Nezu told him, taking a sip of tea afterward. Snake thought it over for a second, grateful for the rodent's offer. It worked though. Midoriya would be safe from the HPSC behind UA's walls, and the MSF's troops. While also gaining experience assisting soldiers and teachers. He might even get to join some of UA's combat exercises.

Snake turned back to Midoriya again, seeing the teen nodding rapidly at the offer. He silently begged that Snake would say yes. With a sigh, Snake told him "You can come."

"Yes! Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you-"

"But, there are going to be some requirements. Number one is disguising you. Even if you're surrounded by friendly forces, I don't want the HPSC recognizing you," Snake told him. Midoriya didn't really care, instead, he was far too happy he still got to go. Snake then reached for the holster near his leg, and took out his sidearm, holding it for Midoriya to see.

"Number two is always having your gun with you. It doesn't matter which one you bring, you carry it with you at all times," Snake told him, before holstering his gun. He then looked down at his watch and looked back at the map.

"Finally, I suggest you get to bed. If you wanna come with us then you're doing it our way. Which means up bright and early," Snake said, "So, pack whatever you want to bring that you can carry, and be ready for tomorrow."

With a content sigh, Night Owl walked around the laboratory he once resided in. This was where it all began, the first experiment with Agent Matter's body, and the Dimensional Constant. It was all so long ago and was of such simpler times. Now that he thought back to those times, he should go back to that Cafe he discovered back then. He could still remember the scones.

The slight electrical hum from a nearby machine drew him out of those thoughts though. He had a task at hand, Night Owl reminded himself. Everything had been cleared out, everything of importance. All the beakers and syringes of Trigger were moved to a new location, and the old chair they used to strap the constant in was thrown out. All the lights were shut down, and all the furniture was packed up and shipped out.

All that was left, was one final loose end. So Night Owl gazed upon the only machine in his lab, the glorified steel coffin Agent Matter resided in. It was an inhuman contraption, holding Agent Matter like a cursed sarcophagus. Most of Agent Matter was covered by a large metallic box, but his head was fully exposed. Dozens of wires connected to his brain; if you stood far enough away, you could mistake the wires for hair.

Underneath the boxy machine was a similar display, Agent Matter being hooked up to hundreds of pipes, tubes, bits of prodding metal, and even more wires. All to manage his basic bodily functions, or at least the ones deemed necessary. Night Owl couldn't remember how many organs they cut out of the Agent, simply due to the belief that they weren't necessary. Were he awake, and not stuck in his coma, Night Owl was sure Agent Matter would feel nothing but pain.

Were he awake he wouldn't be able to move without some bit of metal or pipe stabbing into something. He would feel all the wires and tubes move under his skin while he breathed. And throughout it all, he wouldn't be able to scream. Agent Matter's mouth was wired shut, and his eyes had been removed. Both were due to an infection he gained some years ago, and the HPSC wanted the cheapest option to fix the problem.

Throughout it all, Night Owl wondered if Agent Matter had actually woken up. If he was still in a coma, or if he'd been awake for who knows how long. It wasn't like they could tell at this point, too much of the man was gone to learn the truth. Carefully, Night Owl drew the pistol he carried with him. He gazed over the gun carefully, before aiming it at Agent Matter's head.

"You know, I don't know if you're awake, but I really must thank you," Night Owl said, "We're it not for you, none of my plans would be possible. So truly, I am grateful. Unfortunately, I don't need you any longer."

He turned off the safety of his gun and brought the slide back to see if a round was in the chamber.

"I know I know, it's terribly sad. But that's just the way life is. Death comes for us all sooner or later. Well, sooner for you it seems, heh," Night Owl monologued, while checking his watch. Finding more time than he thought he had, he waited for a second. Might as well have a bit of fun with this, Night Owl decided as he looked back at Agent Matter.

"…Oh, don't give me that look. Yes, I get that you dying while the Dimensional Constants staying alive is unfair, but… no I'm not getting you a last meal, even if I was why the hell did you want Mcdonalds'… Yes, go ahead beg and plead… ok seriously what is taking them so damn long-"

An explosion echoed around the facility angering Night Owl. He had a whole speech prepared and those dumbasses couldn't get the dramatic timing right! Honestly, why had Reaper put up with them? With an annoyed groan, he pulled the trigger, killing what remained of Agent Matter. Very quickly, he holstered his gun and walked out of the room, and soon the facility. Before watching the place where it all started, burn to the ground.