Izuku continued to do as he was told. Continued to clear the beaches, continued to work out and train his endurance and strength, but he couldn't let go of that feeling. It ate at the back of his mind, even when he tried to focus on his school work and the exercise routine. As he threw another large, discarded metal crate aside with a short yell of determination, he stopped and took a breath. The spot where that homeless guy had nearly been dumped was still cordoned off. It nagged at him that this was how things were. Him sitting on the sidelines, told by All Might to wait for others to do something.
"You've been working hard at this." All Might's voice said, Izuku turning in shock. He was in his thin form. "I mean, you were always crazy into this, but now, something lite a fire in you."
He sounded slightly amused, but also a little fearful, worried his student was pushing himself too far. Izuku looked back over the trash and garbage thrown away and pushed aside. He had been so focus, and lost in the moment, he hadn't realized how much he pushed himself to get this done. Izuku was almost surprised himself over what he had done. He just thought about that man being hurt, and felt his anger take over, almost like a haze going over him as he worked.
All Might spoke again, his voice low and steady, putting a calming hand on Izuku's shoulder. "Listen, kid, I get feeling frustrated over this thing. I know you want to do something, cause we're pretty close. Maybe too much alike."
"You have to let me handle this, alright? Jumping into this whole situation without any powers or a plan could get you killed, okay?" All Might advised carefully.
"I know, but...just...sitting here when there's a bunch of killers and all loose just, feels wrong." He admitted glumly, shaking his head. "I just wish there was more I could do."
"The first hard lesson a Hero learns every now and again, that we can't often do anything in the situation we want to do the most in," He said, before giving a smile. "Sometimes, we have to trust each other and the police to do what is needed."
Izuku nodded, rubbing the back of his neck. It made sense. Logically, he knew it was true. Logically, he had to trust the Number 1 Hero and Police to investigate the matter thoroughly. But intuitively, he felt like a bump on a log. Sitting, wasting away and letting others do what they could for him. It made him feel sick, almost.
"You should end up, Young Midoriya, and get some rest," All Might said. "Your homework all done, and done correctly?"
"Before I even got here." Izuku said with a slight smile and confident nod to him.
"Good job, kid. Now get some rest, you've done more then enough." All Might replied, giving a small smile to him.
Izuku turned and left, but his mind was not at peace. Not yet. He needed to think things out. He had to make some things clear. He needed to get advice, from others around him, hopefully get some perspective on things from those that weren't involved in the Hero Life Style he was shooting for.
He made his way through the city, through the streets and towards a shop he liked. A small convenience store. A simple place where you could pick up anything from groceries, candies, and cough medicine and allergy medication. He opened the door, the bell tingling, as the lady at the front glanced up at him from her old magazine. She was an older Chinese lady, having moved here when Izuku was still a child, and had ran this very store for what seemed like forever to him.
"Hello Midoriya." She said politely.
"Hi Mrs. Chen." He greeted with a tired smile, walking by.
She pointed further into the small convenience store. "You know where to find the deodorant and soup."
He stopped, blinking, before looking at her confusion. "I'm not...looking for that."
She shook her head, looking back down at her magazine. "You should. You stick."
"I was just exercising." He said defensively.
"Well, shower before coming to my store." She remarked rolling her eyes.
He took a deep breath in, trying to focus himself. "Mrs. Chen, I have a question actually I needed answered."
"Shoot." She replied, putting down her magazine, and looking right at him.
"If you knew something bad was happening, even if you were powerless to stop it, would you still jump in?"
She furrowed her brow, looking at him in utter confusion. "You're the one that jumped a villain for that Bakugou brat, you of all people should know the answer."
He nodded quickly, swallowing hard. "It's just...I'm in this situation, okay, and there's Heroes and police involved, and I know I should stay out, but I always feel like I should be doing more."
Mrs. Chen sat back for a while, chewing over his words. She didn't know why he would often come to her for advise, and not his mother or someone else. Perhaps it was because she was the only adult to not treat him with pity or even veiled contempt.
'Stupid bastards and their obsession with Quirks,' She thought, biting her lip. 'He could've ended his life at any point, would any of those teachers and other parents have accepted responsibility?'
She spoke, realizing she had been silent for too long. "Izuku. I think you should help as much as you humanly can. They're doing their job, but you've got the intelligence and skills to be heroic too, to help them anyway you can. Just don't go getting yourself killed."
He nodded, his expression still hard to read. "Thanks, Mrs. Chen."
'I know he won't listen, but God or somebody, please give him some help, somehow, someway.' She thought, giving a tight smile to him. "Good luck, Izuku."
"You too." He said, waving good-bye and walking out.
He still had more people to ask around.
At the back alleys, away from others, was where Bakugou and his gang of friends usually hanged out. Izuku was usually keen to avoid their neck of the woods, not wanting to give them a reason to come after him and show him their tender mercies, but he didn't have time to worry about that. He was on a mission, and so stepped into the area. It was filled with trash and litter, empty beer cans and bottles, as well as discarded cigarettes. The place stank hard, almost making his stomach flip. He rounded the corner, only to run straight into Bakugou himself.
The blond already looked disgusted and annoyed, and his red eyes flared in disgust at the sight of his classmate and... 'friend'. He spoke his words with such Venom, Izuku thought he might die from their intensity alone. "Deku."
"Hold on Kacchan! Before you blast me out, just wait!" He said, holding up both hands desperately.
Bakugou's eyes narrowed as he grabbed him by the collar. "You think you could come here, rub it in my face you smacked that Tar Guy with your backpack? That was a one time deal!"
"It's got nothing to do with that, I swear!" Midoriya said quickly, hands shaking in front of Bakugou in terror. "It's a question about...something with the police."
Bakugou's jaw clenched. "You gonna go snitching about what those idiots are doing in there?"
Izuku's brow furrowed, his expression filled with confusion. "What?"
"I'm not involved with those fucking chuckle fucks, I've worked my ass off to get into UA, I'm not blowing it on some cheap booze and smokes!" He snarled, pulling Izuku closer.
"No, I'm involved with the police, not you!" He said quickly, perhaps too quickly, wishing he had chosen slightly better wording.
Bakugou pulled back, looking him over in confusion, before speaking. "Let's get away from these idiots and talk. Man to man."
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
In the alleyway to Izuku's home, he and Bakugou stood, making sure no one else was around, as the blond looked at him with the barely contained rage of an inferno. "Now talk."
"I witnessed a crime...a...a murder." He said quickly, Bakugou's eyes widening. "And I told them everything, helped them get some info, and was told I did everything, and to just sit back and wait."
Bakugou paced back and forth, looking over his peer in disbelief. "You saw a murder. Seriously Deku, you know how fucked that situation is?"
"Yes, and that thing is, I want to solve it..."
"Forget solving it man, you need, like a therapist. Crazy Quirkless bastard." Bakugou shot back, shaking his head in amazement. "Does your mom even know? How much danger are you in?"
"There's other...complications, I can't get into it, I just want to know what you would do."
"Let the cops and Heroes do their fucking job," He snapped, shaking his head again. "Vigilante shit will go on your record and make your Zero Percent chance of getting to UA go to Minus One. Not to mention, you're a weakling who will just end up dead."
He was surprised Bakugou cared, when just a few weeks before he had told him to take a swan dive off a roof. But, out of everyone in class, Katsuki was the most singularly focused and attentive about the rules and following him. He was crass and violent, but being Hero was his one and only dream.
"Thanks, that's all I wanted." Izuku said, before heading home.
Bakugou let him pass without saying a word, though pointed an aggressive finger at him. "Listen, Deku, you bastard, you go doing anything stupid and get yourself killed, I'll murder your ass!"
'What a good friend I got.' Izuku thought, rolling his eyes to himself, as he made the walk home.
Bakugou simply glared at him as he left, smoke rising from his tightly clenched fists. 'Bastard got lucky and all of sudden thinks he can do Hero work.'
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
Izuku walked into his home, taking a deep, long breath, and sighing. His mom called from the kitchen.
"Izuku, is that you?"
"Yeah ma, I'm home." He said, cleaning his shoes on the rug and beginning to take them off.
"Well, I can smell you from here," She said cheekily. "Take a shower, dinner will be ready by time you're done."
He lingered there for a moment, contemplating what to do, before heading to the bathroom hallway, collecting the towels, change of cloths and starting up the water. He had noticed he was starting to bulk up, little by little, arms and pectorals gaining a bit of muscle and power behind them. The cold water rushed over him, spraying over his face as he gasped in satisfaction. This whole thing felt refreshing already, washing away most of the stress he felt from today. He slowly cleaned himself off with the soap and rag over himself. His muscles across the back of his shoulders and the like, loosening and sighing deeply.
He slowly washed himself all over, thinking over what Bakugou and Mrs. Chen had said. Both essentially wanted him to stay low, do what he could, or even just not say or do anything at all. This made sense, but Mrs. Chen had also told him to do what he could to the best of his ability. Yes, perhaps there was more he could do. He just had to think it over and put limits before himself.
He finished up, cleaning himself off, and stepping out, drying the water off. Izuku finished off drying off, then threw on some cloths and heading out into the halls. He thought about asking his mom. She was the one he wanted to talk last about this, but he didn't want to worry her about this. He loved his mother, but she could get stressed and worked up over anything. Perhaps it was better to just leave her out of this and handle it himself.
He came into the dining room as his mom was setting the dishes and food, Izuku taking two from her to set them down himself. He helped out with a few more plates, before sitting down across from her, taking a piece of cooked beef in his chopsticks, and beginning to eat. They were silent for a while as they ate, before Inko spoke.
"So, are you still doing that exercise routine?"
"Yeah, I'm hoping to improve my strength for UA's entrance exam, somehow." Izuku said, still looking down at his plate.
"Just make sure you don't hurt yourself." She said wearily, watching him carefully.
He nodded, not saying anything as he absentmindedly chewed on the food, though seemed pensive and nervous about something. She looked at him for a moment, before speaking in a worried tone.
"Is something wrong Izuku?" She asked, snapping out of his reprieve.
"Oh? Nothing." He said, perhaps too quickly.
"I know when something's wrong. You can tell me." She said, looking at him over her glass of water, as she took a sip.
His mind raced with what he could possibly say to cover his tracks, before setting on something. "I ran into Tsubasa. He saw something bad at his new school, and isn't sure how to handle it."
"Oh. Poor thing. He was one of Katsuki's friends, right?" She replied.
"Yeah, he told he was talking with the police and all, but feels kinda like he's not doing enough," Izuku explained.
"Good to see he's grown up, but he really should leave such work to police and the Heroes," She replied, still looking at Izuku carefully. "Like with that incident with Katsuki. Your heart was in the right place, but getting hurt will just make things worse for both the people who need help, and the Heroes."
He could tell she knew something more was afoot, that she was onto him and his act, and was trying to be as direct as possible. He swallowed quietly to himself, not sure if he should tell his own mother the truth or not.
"If he gave all the information to those in a position to do something, and is willing to help them further, then he's done more then enough." Inko said pointedly.
He nodded. "That's what I told him."
She took another bite of food. "I know you always want to help people, but remember your limitations before you do so. I really don't want you getting hurt or killed, okay?"
"I understand completely." He replied, giving an affirmative nod, before continuing his food.
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
Everybody had told him to stay out, but their words still rang in his head. Stay away, do what you can, don't get killed. The problem he had was that that felt just like doing what he had done before he gained All Might's attention. Sitting and waiting, not able to do anything to change his lot in life. Sure, he could've trained, like what his mother thought he was doing now, but good was that? Muscle and endurance training couldn't stop that guy made of tar from filling his lungs up and drowning him. Strength training and enhancement couldn't stop a guy that turn 30 stories tall. Between being busy with school, and the realities before him, Izuku knew he needed All Might to achieve that dream.
He also knew he couldn't rely on him forever. Izuku wanted to be a Hero, like All Might, but that meant having to take charge and lead the way. Seeing that man's body tossed out of the truck and almost forgotten like trash in the street reminded him that All Might was going to need him now more then ever to pick up the slack.
He closed the door to his room and locked it, before getting his phone out of his pocket and sending Dr. Skirth a text.
"I want to talk about boss and Corp. Any place work for you?"
He hit send, and went to his desk, starting to work and review on his class assignments and passing the time, so she could either reply, or he would have to go to bed, and wait til tomorrow morning, or even later, to get a reply. He kept on going, until the time came, putting away his books, notes and everything else, and pulling out his phone to see if she had read it or replied. When nothing came up, he put it on the charger, and slumped into bed.
Izuku decided he wasn't going to get directly involved, but some information gathering would never hurt. Whatever he got would be safe, and help Tsukauchi and All Might. Everyone would be happy.
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
Izuku woke up, shaking himself off, and rubbed his eyes off. The first thing he did was grab his phone, turn it on, and checked the messages. His excitement was almost too much to contain, wanting to already get in and start up his independent plan, but tempered his own feelings on the matter. He found Dr. Skirth had still not responded. That was fine. He could wait however long it took for her. After all, even with his new goal and mission in mind, he couldn't abandon his studies and training.
And so he got up, took a shower, changed his cloths, got breakfast and was out the door, keeping his phone's alert volume high as he did. There was so much he wanted to do, so much he felt needed to be done, and he just couldn't afford to be caught unaware by it. For the rest of class, he was too jittery to focus, so on edge by everything, that he just wanted to get a text, any text, to confirm where the future would take him.
'I know it's melodramatic, but this could really push my Hero Career to the next level,' He thought, tapping his pencil on the desk hard. 'Taking down a psycho murderer like that Price guy, bringing him to justice for that guy, and who knows how many others.'
It was during lunch, where Izuku was by himself, and eating alone, checking his phone. He was half-way finished with his food, when his phone buzzed and an alert popped up. He almost jumped out of his seat with excitement, muttering to himself immediately.
"So this is the text, THE text from Dr. Skirth. I can finally chip in, get info All Might needs, and..." He stopped himself, looking around, and checking to make sure no classmates were around to snoop or steal his phone, before turning back to it.
"I am available after school hours. Pick the place. Out of the way." Izuku read and reread it. He wasn't sure what to do next, before taking a deep breath and calming himself.
"I know the spot." He typed, before sending her the location of Mrs. Chen's shop, before putting his phone away and taking a deep breath.
What was going to happen next? What would she say? What would it lead to? The questions kept building, his excitement almost too much to contain. God, he just wanted to ditch school and run off now, but Skirth seemed insistent on waiting, and he didn't want to attract attention from the school and authorities for truancy. That would raise too many questions already. No, he'd just have to focus and wait.
And wait he did, sitting through glass, writing everything in a quick, stiff manner, and answering everything, while shifting and shaking ever so slightly in his chair. The others noticed, but chose to ignore him, figuring it was Deku being his usual Deku self. All except Bakugou, who couldn't look at him without turning, but remained ever so aware of the movement and jitters his classmate had. His brow furrowed, and his nostrils flared. He knew what was going on. Despite everything, Izuku was involved in that case somehow. It pissed him off, well, more then usual. He had told Izuku exactly what he needed to do, and the stupid nerd still didn't listen.
'He's gonna end up dead.' He thought gruffly to himself. 'Why won't he fucking learn?'
Izuku had left in a hurry, heading for the doors, and making his way to the shop, texting Skirth he'd be there soon, as Bakugou stood on the steps to the Middle School, watching him run through traffic. Two of his minions joined, following his gaze to Izuku.
One of them turned to him, looking eager to follow through. "You thinkin' of beating him down?"
"Nah, you guys meet up with the others, I got something I gotta do." He said, before glaring at both, holding up a finger to them. "Don't follow me."
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
Dr. Skirth looked around nervously as they entered the shop. This was a rather beat-up, old shop, having clearly seen better days. She looked around, nervous, but not saying anyone around. The only one here was an older woman, sitting at the front, reading a magazine. She briefly glanced up, giving a small smile, and nodding to her.
"Hello."
"Um. Hi." She replied, before hurrying to the back. She wasn't sure if this was the right place, as she went past the instant Ramen and sugary snacks, and into a corner where milk, juice and other cold-storage drinks were kept.
A moment later, the bell rang again, someone stepping in. Her heart briefly skipped a beat, before the lady at the front greeted the newcomer. "Hello Izuku."
"Hi Mrs. Chen." He greeted in turn, before looking back towards Dr. Skirth. He practically wanted to run over there, but kept things under control and simply walked over in a calm fashion. It took every ounce of self-control to not completely lose himself in the excitement.
Dr. Skirth kept her gaze locked on the milk in front of her, Izuku coming up, hands in his pockets, smiling nervously. "Hey, uh. You...like the milk Mrs. Chen carries?"
Skirth didn't look back at him, too nervous and terrified of what she was about to do. "I'm glad you made it here. Bob is making sure I don't do anything with All Might. He's worried about you too."
Izuku leaned back in surprise. "Me? Well, I guess..."
"I've heard him talking to people. Something he's calling the 'Absent Throne'," She explained, before turning to face him. "He calls you 'All Might's disciple'. I have no idea what is going on."
"Why...why does he want me?"
"I don't know. Me taking you aside set him on edge. Bob's nervous." She explained, she looked around for a moment, rubbing the backs of her hands slightly. "He's worried what he's working on will be leaked."
"Leaked?" Izuku asked, worried, shifting in his shoes. This was getting crazier as times went on.
She looked around the store, before leaning in. She spoke in a tense whisper, sweating slightly. "We have aliens in there."
Izuku reared back slightly, looking at her as if she had lost her mind. Her expression was dead serious. He couldn't even think of a response. Was he being played? Was this a trick to throw him off the trail and frustrate All Might, Tsukauchi and his investigation? Was she trying to get him to leave?
"So...like, Worfe...or Bortus?" He asked in complete shock and disbelief.
"Come with me and I'll show you." She said, detecting his disbelief, and growing annoyed with it.
Izuku wasn't exactly sure he wanted to now. This seemed like a bad idea. Going into the facility just for a...bet essentially? To prove that she wasn't crazy. Every cell in his body was telling him this wasn't good. That he shouldn't do this. But it had been the reckless disregard for safety and doing what was needed, not what was smart, that made All Might choose him. What kind of hero would he be if he walked away, just because things were weird?
He'd have his phone anyway. If things went south, he'd just call All Might or someone else and they'd raid the place in a second.
He followed her hurriedly out the door, waving good-bye to Mrs. Chen, and making their way through the streets. They did not see Katsuki Bakugou, peaking around the corner of an alley, watching them, before he too hurried off and went after them.
\\\\\\\\\\\\
Skirth's car was an old rust bucket, with an old school song in the stereo, and beat-up old seats with plenty of old, cleaned up, but still present stains from old coffee, sports teams climbing in, and other things.
"Sorry, kids. You know how they are," She said, before cringing slightly. "I mean, you were one not too long ago."
Izuku gave a nervous laugh. "It's okay, I understand."
The car made its way slowly around the corners and streets of Mustafu, a slow and steady ride. It gave him time to look around, and note the streets, and make sure they were going where he was supposed to. Skirth didn't seem like the type to do it, but that was the deal with assassins, right? To blend in and never stand out, and make it so you would never expect them to be the killer. Izuku was on edge the whole ride, to the point that, at some point, he could've sworn he saw Bakugou following their car. It seemed ridiculous. He looked back, and saw nothing of him following. He simply blinked and shook his head, before focusing on where Skirth was going.
'How could he even be following us?' He thought.
The drive continued on, coming over the bridge and onto the security gates leading into the rest of facility of Ararat. Izuku had to call on every bit of will power to keep from shaking as they came up to the security check point. Skirth held her key card out nonchalantly, not seemingly bothered at all, as the guard came up to them. She glanced back at him, briefly looking nervous herself.
"Act natural, okay?" She said.
"This is the best I can do." He muttered, giving a nervous smile.
The guard came up, Skirth turning back to him, who looked it over, before hitting the button. "Whose the kid, Skirth?"
"Middle School student, interested in Quirk research and all," Skirth explained nonchalantly, relaxed as ever. "I'm giving him a bit of a run down on things."
The guard looked at Izuku, who forced a smile, trying not to look suspicious. The guard looked at him for a moment, stroking his chin as if he recognized him, before nodding to Skirth. "Alright, you know the rules about visitors."
"I've already told him to not mess with anything." She replied with a pleasant smile as the guard waved them through.
Once she had driven into the underground parking lot and was away from security, she glanced at Izuku. "Do not touch anything when we're in there, and do not release any of the samples, alright? It is extremely important things don't get leaked, okay?"
"Trust me, I don't think I'll release ET out and about." He replied dryly.
Skirth looked annoyed for a moment, before sighing and shaking her head. "Take some pictures of what's going on. This is getting too big and All Might needs to know what's going on."
How would they even explain it to him? Corporations running experiments on human beings to test Quirks and all, that happened. A disturbing amount of times. It was history, until Heroes started popping up, and especially All Might to crack down on that. Of course, the optimistic version was that Heroes wouldn't allow such things anywhere, from America, to Ethiopia, to Japan. The cynical side said whatever experiments they wanted were largely a success, that Heroes got their start with a lot of Quirk marriages and IVF treatments so families could get the children they wanted to enrich themselves.
'Ararat almost seems like a relic of some bygone age.' Izuku thought, almost amazed at the idea. 'And throw in supposed aliens?'
He may have wanted to laugh, but Skirth was deadly serious, and he would wait to see for himself. There was an old saying, that if Quirks had not happened, humans would be vacationing on Mars right now. Perhaps Mars had decided to pay them a visit instead?
They made their way through, Izuku making sure to keep his head down and look as inconspicuous as possible while sticking to her. She gave the same story to the other guards and security around, largely what you'd expect from guards, dressed in cop-like uniforms. The types like Treece and Lee were nowhere in sight, probably seeing to more important stuff, or staying out of the public eye. Izuku was fine with that. Getting through here was nerve-wracking enough. He didn't want to imagine how bad he'd crack just seeing that Lee Price guy.
They stopped by her office, Skirth opening the door and shepherding him in. "Now, as for jobs here, we have a lot of research into Quirks. It starts with gene-coding and processing."
"Right." Izuku said, as he quickly took a seat, Skirth reaching into her desk and taking a folder, before handing it over to him.
A simple beige folder, like so many other office folders. Izuku carefully opened, minding the camera in the corner watching them intently. He looked closely at the contents, and within were the bodies and corpses of various homeless people taken for study. He swallowed slightly, hoping he didn't look ill now. Then, on the third page, was various vats filled with strange, round, slime or goo like structures. Black, Silver, Blue, Purple, Green, Yellow with some red, and orange. What where these?
"That was some of the gene sequencing I was telling you about." Skirth said, emphasizing gene sequencing especially. Izuku nodded quickly, before closing it.
The door opened suddenly, Izuku almost jumping, as Lee Price stepped in without wasting a second. "Skirth, security, right now."
Izuku looked back at him nervously, Price locking eyes on him and glaring at him, his cold, almost reptilian eyes boring into Deku's soul as he focused on the student for a second, before Skirth stepped up, clearing her throat.
"You here to scare a hopeful?" She asked sharply. "Quit the tough guy act, he's a middle schooler."
Price grunted, turning away and gesturing for her to follow, leaving Izuku alone there for a moment. Skirth was lead along through the halls, into the labs, past several of the other scientists, and into the security room, a simple black room filled with the screens displaying all video feed taken from around the lab and the facility, Treece waiting for them both, leaning against a wall with his arms crossed in front of him.
"What's the kid doing here? I thought Bob said to leave him out." Price snarled, grinding his teeth as he glared her down.
Despite being a head shorter, Skirth did not seem at all bothered, putting her hands on her hips and standing firm before him. "He's just a student looking into Quirk theory and study."
"He shows up the same time All Might starts looking into what's going on here?" Treece questioned from his corner of the room. "It is a bit weird, ain't it?"
"The kid's a wet blanket, he can barely talk to the girls in his class," She remarked with a chuckle, shaking her head. "You really think he can commit Corporate Espionage?"
"It takes all kinds." Price remarked, moving behind her to get between her and the door, as Skirth turned towards him, backing away. "I just want you to remember, if anything gets out, we all go to prison."
"I don't know what you mean." She said firmly, taking a step back towards the control panel.
"You know what this job meant, right? Bob hand-picked soldiers like me, and docs like you." Price said, stepping towards her, looming tall, like an unstoppable beast. "All Might and the cops find out, we all go to prison. Don't go thinking a guilty conscious will keep you out of bars, or worse, Tartarus."
She took another step back, feigning a submissive, demure appearance to him. "And, if I go down, I have no issue taking what you love from you before I'm caught."
Treece stood from the wall, looking at the other guard with some annoyance. "Price."
"I can make those kids of yours vanish, I can make that husband of yours bleed like a big at the slaughter house," Price said, his voice as cold as a blizzard, not a single hint of feeling in it. "And I can make it so you see it all, and they know it was you that brought this on them."
She clenched her jaw, not blinking as she glared up at him, before Treece called again. "Price. Jesus fuck man. Calm it down."
Price turned back to him, Skirth feeling behind her and finding what she needed, hitting a button and pausing all security feed for a moment, the videos locked, before she hit another, playing back a five second loop of things on the monitors.
"Actions have consequences. She needs to know that."
Skirth pushed herself away from the counsel. "Trust me, I do. I'm sticking to this job for my kids, alright? I wouldn't give them up."
"Good. We're all square then." Price remarked. "So you won't mind if we come with you and the kid, just to make sure everything is fine?"
She was counting on them doing that. Price was too controlling and petty to let her out of sight. "Fine, go right ahead."
He gestured for Treece to go on ahead, who opened the door and stepped out, shaking his head in annoyance. Lee turned back to Skirth, cold eyes locked on hers. "Just remember, every action has consequences."
She pushed past him, trying to think of the next step. Something had to happen now if they were gonna pull this. Pausing and tricking the camera feed was already a massive risk on her part. If Izuku was gonna be here, she was gonna have to think up something to get Izuku in there, and show him the proof of what was going on.
'Alright, Skirth. Time to be a big girl and think fast.' She thought, before thinking of her favorite hero from a while back. 'What would Shimura do?'
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
They made their way to the lab, into the 'common' area, where the research for Quirks and genetics was going on, scientists looking over X-rays, blood samples and other chemicals as they went along. Izuku played the part of attentive student, mostly because, he was actually interested in what was going on. Quirks were his bread and butter, and he couldn't deny the excitement he felt at the sight of this stuff. Nor, could he deny the fact he was getting closer to the truth.
The two guards shadowed them, making sure to never be too far behind. He could feel their eyes boring into the back of his skull, sometimes looking to Skirth as she explained their research methods, how they got certain samples, how best to preserve them, but most of the time, their glares were focused on him.
Especially Price.
Izuku didn't know what to make of a complete sociopath having a grudge against him, but even his angered, focused, predatory glares made Bakugou and his gang of assholes look downright cuddly in comparison. Izuku fought back the urge to look over his shoulder at the man to make sure he was still glaring at him, focusing completely on Skirth.
'Is this guy gonna try and kill me next?' He thought, sweat building all over his body. The fact it was even a possibility filled him with unspeakable levels of dread.
Price spoke, his tone cold and unfeeling as always. "We're getting close to the end of the tour, Skirth. You might want to..."
The intercom sounded, as Bob's voice came on. "Lee, Roland. To the Security room, now."
His voice was all business, and very annoyed. Price and Treece looked to each other for a moment in surprise, wondering what could've been done to make their boss so on edge, before Treece turned back to Skirth.
"Don't move, got it?" He ordered, before both turned and left.
Skirth obediently nodded, watching them intently as they beat a hasty retreat. She waited a while longer, eyes never leaving the corner where they had turned to leave, before turning to Izuku, and whispering.
"You see that last hallway, ahead of us, where you have to turn?" She said quietly, as he nodded quickly. "Beyond that is the bathrooms, but at the end is the door leading to the Symbiote Research Labs. The password is 84-93-07. Do you understand?"
He nodded again, before hurrying off. This was the time to be quick, get the pictures and evidence, and get out before Price and Treece found him. He was shaking all over as he ran into the hall, running for the door. He put in each number and dash, grunting with frustration as he tried to keep his fingers calm and not shake so much to screw up the password. He seemed to do it right the first time, the red light over the door glowing green as a beep sounded, and the mechanisms unlocked.
Izuku hurried inside. The lab was dark, a few blue lights illuminating the way as he ran through, his heart hammering away in his chest, as he made his way past the desks of equipment and devices, past the charts and readouts, and into the rest of the area, looking around for any sign of the evidence Skirth had told him about. Izuku was honestly scared out of his wits. He had no idea why he thought there would be aliens here. He felt like he had been made a fool of. This had to be a trap, a way to trick him and isolate him here so he couldn't help All Might.
'That Price is gonna torture me for info, I just know it.' He thought, rubbing at his eyes as he felt the coming desire to cry. 'What if he goes after mom...?'
He breathed in deeply and focused. That just met he needed to work all the harder to expose this company, Bob and Price, and see them brought to justice. He continued on, ducking and weaving through the lab, before he came to a section filled with see-through, 4 Plexiglas cells, essentially. Inside were a number of test subjects in scrubs, all of them in various states of illness it seemed. Pale, gaunt, shaking. Izuku stopped, before looking around, and seeing what was behind him.
A bunch of cylinders. 7, in fact. 4 were missing, while the remaining three had colorful slime or goo morphing and twisting within. His eyes widened, as he grabbed his phone and snapped several pictures of the strange slime. It seemed to react to his presence, the green, purple and blue slime balling up and throwing themselves at the cylinders to try and reach him. Next, he turned to the test subjects, taking pictures as he went of all four of them, making sure to get them all in the shoot and a good picture of all their afflictions. As he approached the last to get a picture, the man, splayed out on the floor, suddenly snapped up, like his body was being jerked and yanked about, as he slammed his palm into the glass, his head rolling about before pressing his forehead in and staring right at Izuku with pure black eyes.
"Please, you have to let me out!" The man begged, body shuddering and twitching. "They will kill us."
"I can't help you...I need to get this to All Might." Izuku whispered in fear, shaking his head.
"Please, I have a daughter!" The man begged.
Izuku looked at him for a moment, before his body moved without him meaning to. 'This is insane, this is insane, this is insane.'
It was all he could think, as he typed in the same code Skirth had given him. The lights on the control panels turned green, as all four doors opened. He lurched back in horror, as alarms began to sound, the lights above and all around them now flashing red.
"Containment breached! Warning, Containment Breached!" A synthetic voice yelled over the intercom.
Izuku looked around in shock, as three of the people ran off, bodies twisting and yanking themselves along, as if something was pulling them along. He blinked, unable to believe people so sick and damaged could move so fast. It looked like their bodies could barely stand the movements, legs tensing and twisting, muscles looking ready to break as they disappeared into the rest of the lab.
He didn't have time to register what was going on, before the man he had saved crashed into him, clumsily ramming into him, body essentially flopping ontop of him. Izuku yelled out in horror, as the man's bony hands gripped his shoulders, and his mouth opened wide, practically splitting his checks and the corners of his mouth, as he leaned in inches to Izuku's face, a foul stench coming from his body and mouth. Midoriya wanted to vomit, the young man gagging and struggling, before an odious black substance began to leak from the man's eyes and mouth, and into Izuku's own orifices. He gagged and cough, mind flashing back to the Tar Villain that had attacked him.
His blood ran cold, his body stiffened and shook in terror as he couldn't get the first attack that All Might had saved him from out of his mind. The Obsidian slime came out thicker and thicker, pouring into his mouth and eyes as he couldn't breath, choking on the lab floor, with no one to stop it.
'I'm going to die.' Was his last thought.
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
Lee and Roland stepped into the security room, where Bob was waiting, hands in his pockets, tapping his shoe expectingly. The two glanced at each other nervously, as Bob looked over his shoulder at them.
"Come in, and tell me what you see." He commanded, gesturing to the feeds with his right hand.
The two came in, looking over them, nothing out of the ordinary. They wondered what was going on for a few seconds, before both jumped slightly at the sight. The footage was playing back every 10 seconds to look normal.
"Who did this?!" Bob demanded, turning towards them, face red with anger.
"I didn't mess with it! We came in, Price was grilling Skirth about that green-haired little bastard, and..." Price began to defend.
Before he could finish the thought, alarms began to sound. "Containment breach! Warning, Containment breach!"
The words echoed across the lab, as Bob's eyes widened in disgust, before he turned to the two. "Get Security teams down to the lab, now!"
The two nodded and bolted for the door without a second to waste. Bob turned back to the feeds, resetting the cameras to show things in real-time, before hitting his earpiece. "Frankie, Vickie, get down here."
Price, Treece and the rest of Ararat Security made their way down, preparing and loading guns, doctors and scientists going for cover and making way for them. Price had a feeling it was either Skirth or that stupid kid that had done this. He was gonna bleed em before he got his answers for them doing this. Treece sighed in annoyance. He knew Price was gonna be gunning to butcher some people, and Treece couldn't exactly play innocent. He knew what the job entailed when he was contacted. He just wished Lee showed as much consideration for practicality and doing things by the book.
One of the soldiers put the key code in, the doors opening, as the soldiers rushed in. Price turned to them. "Fan out, don't let any of the test subjects escape, understand? We can't risk an outbreak."
Roland signaled to two others. "Stay back and guard here, make sure no one doubles back."
The teams went in, applying goggles and pulling out handguns and Sub-machine Guns. The teams spread out, going in smaller groups to cover more. They couldn't hear anything, just the distant sound of liquid dripping, and the alarm beeping every so often. The soldiers cleared the sections of the lab, Price leading the way, clearing the room one portion at a time.
As they walked through, a man appeared before them, the same thin, gaunt features of most test subjects. Price aimed his gun at the target, along with the three soldiers with him.
"Get on your knees!" He shouted.
Orange and black slime spread over the man's hands, turning into long, bladed claws, as the man released an inhuman, moaning scream, before Price and the others fired, machine gun and pistol rounds shredding through his body and instantly dropping him. Price and the others ran up, as some strange orange substance began to leak out from the wounds, before trying to pull itself together. One of the soldiers slammed a cylinder down atop the body and substance, before the Symbiote was sucked into the cylinder, the goo struggling and twisting within, trying to escape, before the cylinder closed up and locked the Symbiote in.
Treece lead the group, before coming to the cells, opened now. The Green, Blue and Purple Symbiotes were still locked up. They looked around, before seeing the discarded body of one of the test subjects. Treece approached it, the others keeping their guns trained, before he knelt down and put his finger to the man's thin, wiry neck. Roland tried to find a pulse, but couldn't. He stood up, pulled out his gun, and fired it into the man's head and body. Blood barely dripped from his wounds, but, as they watched, no sign of the Symbiote seemed to appear.
He grabbed at his earpiece. "One of the Symbiotes has jumped hosts! I repeat, the symbiote has jumped hosts!"
As they scoured the rest of the lab for the remaining Symbiote test subjects, Izuku ran for the exit. He looked down at himself, seeing his body almost completely transparent. Was he hallucinating? Going crazy from the PTSD and near-death experiences he had? He didn't care. He ran for the exit, his legs and lungs burning from exertion. He ran into the hallway leading out of the lab, his form flickering and returning to normal, as the two guards spotted him.
"Hey, stop!" One of them shouted, beginning to prepare his gun.
Izuku felt his body jerk about, jumping onto a wall, splintering the granite and metal wall, as if he weighted 3 times his actual weight, before slamming into the guard and throwing him into a wall. As the other guard aimed, Izuku felt himself slide across the ground and sweep the man's leg out from under him. He snapped upwards, looking back at them, before running for the exits. One of the guards sat up, firing at him, as Izuku ducked out from the hall and into the rest Ararat's labs.
He kept springing out of there, ignoring the scientists and doctors yelling and screaming for him to stop, to not let whatever he had out. Izuku could barely hear them, his heart hammering in his ears, the alarms blaring into his ears. Two more of the guards chased after him, firing a few rounds at his back, as Izuku felt his body twisting and turning all about, every bullet coming inches from hitting his body, as his legs barely stopping as he kept sprinting onwards.
He had no idea what he was going to do. He was on autopilot, no plans or thoughts, just running largely on instinct. Price and three other guards chased after him, yelling for him to stop, but Izuku didn't listen, dodging through a hail of gunfire that struck the walls and desks around him as he made it out of the labs, the doors closing right behind him as he did. He hoped that would buy him some time to get out of here. He looked around before seeing another door close and lock down. For some reason, Izuku felt himself running towards it, his eyes widening as he pitched forward and lowered his head and tipped his shoulder forward.
He slammed into it like a linebacker, smashing the door and two and sending splinters flying. He was shocked by how easily it fell, before running through another set of hallways.
Bob could only watch in silence from the camera room as the mere child smashed through every security doors and locking mechanism in his way. It seemed impossible, and yet here he was. Behind him were two young women, muscle along their arms and shoulders, wearing black long coats and dark purple body armor, with metallic machines built into their wrists and collars. One had short blond hair, the other long red hair.
"Look, Frankie and Vicky, look!" He declared in amazement, looking back to them in excitement. "The symbiote has already begun to strengthen and alter this boy's body without even manifesting fully."
"Should we consider hunting him?" One of them asked, stoically, not taking their eyes off Izuku.
Bob turned back to the cameras, before shaking his head. "No. Let's how long this boy can go. I want to test his limits, so our future research can go further."
Both nodded obediently, as he watched Izuku reach the parking garage, smash through the guard post, and continue on. Bob wondered where he would go. This station was built on an island. All the ways in and out he controlled tightly with security. He tilted his head slightly, giving a small smile.
"What now, Izuku Midoriya?" He muttered, grinning to himself. It wasn't a matter of Bob thinking he was trapped. It was a matter of just how this boy would get out.
The boy ran further out, moving far faster then even trained adults, teams of Security troops waiting for him. Then, before any of them could react, Izuku veered off and jumped over the side. Bob felt his mouth drop in shock as the boy seemed to simply throw himself to what seemed to be his death. Bob blinked several times, before tapping his ear piece.
"Price, Roland. Get diving crews ready, we need to search for a body." He ordered coldly, before turning to Frankie and Vicky. "What of the Symbiotes."
"Subjects Lasher, Mayhem, Agony and Phage have been retrieved or kept in storage." Vicky reported. "Subjects Riot and Scream are currently missing, and we believe Subject Venom bonded with the child."
Bob nodded. "Have teams search for Riot at once. Prepare my office comms system for another communication. I might have to request Stegron's services."
Both bowed their heads to him. "Yes sir."
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
Izuku felt himself snap awake in the bathroom. He looked around in shock, not remembering how he got here. His toothbrush and a cup of water were in his hands, and he had changed into nightware. What had happened to get him here? He blinked several times, trying to focus and cut through any confusion. Wasn't he at the lab? The last hing he remembered was that slime or whatever being sprayed into his eyes and mouth. He remembered the disgusting taste, the feeling of it clogging up his throat, then running like he had never run before. Then, without even thinking, he dove over the bridge.
'Why did I do?' He thought groggily, shaking his head as he put the water down.
He heard a knock at the door, turning to it, as his mom called from outside. "Izuku, are you alright in there?"
"Uh, yeah. Was...Why?" He answered, looking at the door uncertain.
"You just seemed out of it when you got home. I think this training regime you've been doing might be a bit too much for you." She said, worried.
"I'll take it easy from now on." He said reassuringly. He cringed from behind the door. What did that mean, out of it? Had he somehow walked all the way here and talked? What had he done between then and now?
"Okay, you make sure you do. Get to sleep right away." She said, before hurrying off.
'I'll just get to bed, and wake up tomorrow refreshed.' He thought.
"Izuku." A Deep voice whispered to him. He snapped up, looking around as he did, trying to find the source for it. His eyes darted around, before he went back to brushing. 'I must be going crazy.'
Nothing good sleep couldn't help alleviate.
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
Bob stood in middle of the lab, with Vicky and Frankie at his side, overlooking the damage to the lab. Thankfully, most of the symbiotes were secured in their containment units, and the damage to the rest of the research portions had been largely negligible. It still did not make him very happy to note three of his subjects were gone. Reporting to his boss and peers had been rather embarrassing, to know a mere child had caused a containment breach.
"All things considered, these breaches can easily be fixed, especially now that we know the source of them." He remarked, turning to glare at Dr. Skirth, who Roland held tightly by the shoulder.
Price looked over at Skirth, then back to Bob. "Want me to...take out the trash?"
Bob held up a hand, stopping him. "No. You're going to fix this, Dr. Skirth, understand?"
"So you can continue to experiment on people?" She questioned, clenching her fists.
Bob held up both hands this time, eyes closed, before nodding. "I understand things have been less then ideal. But letting a child loose on our lab, letting three hostile Xenoforms loose into the city. That isn't good either."
Bob smoothed over his suit, as he took a deep breath. "Dora, if you work with me, we can fix this problem. Move forward with something more...controlled. Better starts to experiments. But we need to find that child. You see how quickly adults burn out when the Symbiotes drain them and devour their insides."
Her expression softened to one of incredible guilt. "I didn't want him to do that...it was just supposed to be evidence for All Might."
Bob nodded sadly, putting both hands in his pockets. "I understand your concerns. I have not been happy with this. But, we can't let the government find these things. Do you think they would be any better?"
He continued. "With your help, I think this program can go much better."
He turned to Roland and gave a small nod, who lead her way. He knew exactly how to make this 'better'. Skirth was going to help quite a lot in that regard.
Until then, he'd have to focus on getting back the Symbiote sample stolen by Midoriya. First getting the attention of All Might, now this. It seemed that Quirkless brat was developing a talent for getting things and rewards he shouldn't. This one though, would quickly burn him out.
He made his way out of the lab, flanked by his twin bodyguards, gesturing for Price and his teams to secure the perimeter, while he attended to other matters. Going off into a corner of the lab, he opened part of the panel off, leaned into a machine and let it scan his eye. A moment latter, the wall began to collapse and crumble away, leading to a large pathway hidden away. Bob and his bodyguards went in, and let the wall fold back into place behind them. He traveled through the narrow, darkened hallway, through its twists and turns, before arriving in a large open area, far below the rest of the lab.
There, was Stegron, one of All for One's bodyguards and followers, flanked by three reptilian creatures. They had blue, green and red scales, and were humanoid in build, though easily 7 feet tall. They had long, clawed arms, strong legs and long tails. Their long, fang-filled jaws and faces were adorned with long crests, and their eyes were yellow and predatory. They hissed and snarled, before the larger, more powerful Stegron lifted a clawed hand up, silencing them. The three bowed and got on all fours, crawling back and away from their master.
Stregron turned back, a smug glint in his eye. "So, a child outsmarted your security?"
"A mere setback, nothing more." Bob remarked in annoyance, narrowing his eyes at the gigantic Dinosaur man. "Now listen, Stegron. My teams are good, but if that Symbiote fully metastases into a full form, it could be too much for even Pro-heroes."
"You want my pack to eat the child's meat and drag what's left to you?" Stegron asked, a hungry glare in his eye as saliva dripped from his beak-like maw.
Bob gave him a dirty look. "No. It's not the olden days of chaos and anarchy. Covering up your, and now your tribe's 'feeding' habits is much more difficult."
"The flesh of warm-bloods and soft-skins is a treat mine kin miss dearly," Stegron remarked, grinning at Bob, showing him full well he included him in that category. "So, why are you making me abstain for a little longer?"
"The symbiotes, even from our brief tests, have incredible combat skills and abilities," Bob explained. "Even my Nomu creations and Top Heroes would struggle against such beasts. You are top of the line hunters. If my teams cannot capture this Midoriya before Venom reaches 'completion', you will bring him in, understand?"
"And not a bite taken?" Stegron asked.
"No." Bob said definitively. "I need this boy for study."
Stegron and his warriors nodded, the three hissing and barking behind him, as Bob added one final note. "This boy is close to All Might. Do not engage if that brute is near-by."
Stegron's eyes flared, snarling to himself. "Master's enemy? I can take him now that half his insides are outside."
"No you cannot. There's not enough warriors in your little tribe of C.H. to take that one on." Bob said gravely, shaking his head. "There's nothing mere about that mortal."
"We will observe from a distance, and strike when the cub is isolated." Stegron said with a grin, his warriors hissing and smiling in turn.
Bob nodded. "Good. Let us begin."
Notes
Anyway, there's Chapter two, finished just after I saw Venom:TLD. It's given me some ideas, and although I'm including a lot of comic stuff, don't think I'll leave out the movies.
Bob is based on a character of the same name from Venom's 2004 run, mixed with Dr. Garaki. Figured it would tie things together rather nicely.
The Dinosaur-men from Mike Costa's 2016 run were included as a better version of the Serpent people that were in the Cult of Knull in Lethal Hero. Also, I really liked Dinosaur people, so why not?