A Spark of Ingenuity
Chapter 5
The flash of the explosion from the docks brightened against the lenses of his binoculars, a black cloud of smoke rising from his vessel for a few seconds before the noise caught up to him miles away. Zooming closer, he saw the armored figure give one last glance towards the observer's loss before it flew off.
As soon as it had arrived to his job site Wolfram received word from one of his men in the ship. They had called for help, but he was too far to give it.
"Bakugo." He muttered with disdain before lowering the binoculars. An angry burn scar running over most of his face.
The design may have been greatly improved upon but it was obvious that the pilot, the creator within was the same. Crush, kill, destroy, all with a cold anger raging out from the eye slits. Twice now he had avoided the boy's wrath by luck, always on the edge of arrival before the attack.
Touching the sensitive skin of his face, he recalled the shock of the brat marching out of the cave, slaughtering everything in his path. Wolfram was caught in the large blast of his equipment blowing up as he had tried to intervene, and now he was too late to do so again.
His quirk was perfect to combat his armor, if he could get close enough.
Rolling up the window of the vehicle he was in, he donned his scrap metal mask once again before looking over to his driver. "Get us to an airstrip."
The black pick up turned around, leaving the rising pillar of smoke behind them as Wolfram knew he had to take care of this issue before he could do anything else.
Taking out another burner phone from the glove compartment, he dialed up one of his more expensive suppliers to see if he could get what he needed.
"What is it?" An impatient distorted voice spoke out.
"I need something to give me range to my quirk."
"A support device?"
"No, I want that enhancer that's been kept under a tight lid."
Silence choked the phone line, Wolfram waiting for a proper response.
"Even if it does exist, it wouldn't be cheap."
"I think this is something we could both benefit from." Wolfram attempted to get the most with paying the least. It was what he always did, and while he was willing to pay a hefty sum to get what he wanted he couldn't sound desperate.
"The price is flexible if you can actually provide a profitable result."
"You know I can make you more than you plan for." Wolfram eased into his seat, keeping an eye on the sky in case that armored menace came roaring down on him. "After all, I provided you with several prototypes you have been able to profit from."
"Yes, after you ignored what you were being paid directly to do."
"You never said to kill, only to take them out of the picture."
"What is it you're offering?"
"I have it on good word that the final prototype to leave that cave has been refined into a weapon that will make the hero industry obsolete."
Wolfram would get what he wanted, and so would his partners, and so long as each of them held up their ends they would both come out of this very rich. Their biggest obstacle, was also their golden egg.
It took longer than Mitsuki was comfortable with for the lab doors to open. When she dropped by it was empty before, and she didn't know where Katsuki was. The haunting voice of Melissa, or as her son referred to it as Liz, informed her that his position was known and that he simply had to take care of an undisclosed private matter.
When she asked to be told when he came back, she was grateful that within an hour she got the update that Katsuki was back at his lab. So how come it took a full ten minutes before she was allowed inside?
Finally entering, Mitsuki saw her son moving over to his stash of snacks and drinks over in the corner. But what he was wearing, she wasn't sure what to make of it. Some kind of diving suit?
His son yanked the fabric off his head, letting it fall behind him like a hood as his hair puffed in an instant.
"Were you out swimming?" That was the only explanation she could come up with, despite the fact that this was one of the highest floors of the building. Did he sneak a pool in here?
"I don't like getting wet." Katsuki muttered, grabbing a protein pouch before sticking the top of it to hang in his mouth.
Mitsuki heard something click, her eyes snapping over to see three high tech and very thick container pods. Two of them were open, one with the suit she could easily guess he made to escape with. This was her first time actually looking at it, something she didn't spend too long doing as she imagined what harships would have driven Katsuki to not just make it but use it.
Next to it was a more cleaner version, but still aggressive in appearance with the gunmetal color and rivet marks. Not to mention how thick the forearms were as the gauntlets peeked over the hands.
So this is what he's been working on.
"I don't think I've heard either David or Obadiah mention this." Mitsuki walked up to the suit, glancing to the closed pod beside it. She could hear muffled noises within, machines moving about hidden in the impenetrable walls. "Is it not ready?"
"It's fine, just needs to be cleaned up." Katsuki grumbled between his teeth as he went over to a computer, slurping through the end of the pouch while his hands were occupied.
"I heard you were going to make something to branch out the company into the hero industry. Can't say I-"
"I'm not making this for the company." Katsuki's words were barely audible as he still held the pouch between his teeth. "It's mine."
"What do you mean?" Mitsuki worried, wondering what on Earth these could do for him. Wait, that outfit he was wearing, the subtle circuit markers around the arc reactor glowing brightly on his chest. "You're using them?! What even for?"
His hands paused, Katsuki reaching up to squeeze the remaining pouch's contents into his mouth before tossing it into a trash can. "To be a hero."
A hero?
"I'm gonna apply for UA." Katsuki rolled his chair over towards another computer, working out some other project presumably. "We could move back to Japan, or not. I can get there and back here in the same amount of time it would take to use the train or a bus inland."
"Katsuki." Mitsuki set a hand on her son's shoulder, spinning him away from his screens so she could address this more seriously. "When did you decide you were going to be a hero?"
"I was always gonna be one." With a dismissive kick along the ground he tried to push himself back to his screen but she yanked him right back.
"That's dangerous work! Besides, you can do more to help people here by making things. Why not just turn those suits into robots and send out your own army of heroes?!"
Katsuki had already spent a lot of anger today so at the moment he didn't have much left to be anything more than mildly offended. "You never stopped me when I told you I was going to be a hero before."
"You were a kid with a dream!" Mitsuki got down on her knees, clutching his gloved hands that hid the scars underneath them. "I thought you grew out of it."
Despite her clear distress, Katsuki was beginning to doubt his views of his mother. "Did you ever believe I could be?"
"Of course!" She recalled the times he would come home with scrapes and bruises, always triumphant in whatever little adventure he had with his friends. He never cried over it, he always pushed through, just like she remembered her days as a kid. "But my tough little boy got hurt, I thought you would be stuck at home for the rest of your life. For years you kept trying to be tough again but your body just couldn't keep up. I was glad when you got help and could finally live a normal life without a quirk. Then you made a business, were successful, you did so much without being a hero. After you came back from being kidnapped I thought you learned how dangerous life could be and I almost lost you so many times! I don't want to lose you like Masaru!"
Katsuki was aware his mother was different when he came back, but despite hanging over him a little more and being huggy at random moments he still saw her as too stubborn to fall. Yet here she was, breaking down in his lap as she clung to him like he could slip away at any second.
He put a pause on his work, willing to let her have a moment to just be around him. Katsuki would never admit it but there were definitely nights in that cave that he wished he could have spent a little more time with his parents.
"Let me get dressed." Katsuki stood up, abruptly pulling his mom to her feet. "I'm still hungry so let's find someplace to eat a damn good meal."
Life for anyone quirkless could be difficult. Nearly everyone had amazing quirks, something that made them unique in their own way. It was hard to not have that, to struggle to do anything that was considered impressive, even if there was a natural talent one had it was brushed off because 'anyone could do it'.
There was also the fact that being quirkless meant being seen as weak, aka easy to push around. Izuku hated it, but he was aware of the consequences for fighting back.
The boy sprinted through the snow littered sidewalks, taking care not to accidentally slip on any ice. Occasionally he passed by a person here or there, but besides a curious glance none of them did anything as usual.
Even with three pursuers.
"Come on!" A boy with elongated fingers tried to grab the boy's school uniform to halt him, but in a quick jump to the side Izuku avoided it.
"You owe us!" Another yelled, bulkier with a thick forehead.
That wasn't true, Izuku didn't owe them anything. They claimed they were watching out for him, protecting him from any harm. A blatant lie given how many others targeted him openly and they never came to his aid.
He just had to get a little further, there was a hero agency just around the corner and they wouldn't dare do anything in front of a hero. The corner was just ahead, and a glimmering part of the sidewalk alerted him it was covered in ice. Slowing down a little, he prepared to maneuver around it so he could-
"Agh!" His shirt collar choked him, Izuku yanked back by the extended digits of one of his pursuers. He tripped, the boy grabbing him falling right on top of him as Izuku's body was used as a cushion.
"Got him!" His captor proudly stated, fine as he 'helped' Izuku get to his feet. All three of them had a hand on Izuku as they dragged him between the buildings, the bulkier one pinching his hand around Izuku's neck to keep him still.
"Let's see what you've been holding out on us." The rather slimy one with a yellow skin tone said as his hands waved over Izuku's person, the objects underneath his clothes being highlighted in a glow.
The boy with longer fingers slipped the bag off Izuku, searching through it and dumping out the school books into the dirty snow. A half constructed circuit board here and there soon followed with a few tools. "Just junk here."
"Holy shit!" Slimy had taken the bland case off Izuku's phone to identify it. "This is the new Spark that's supposed to come out next year!"
"How can you tell?" The bulky one asked.
"Look on the side! It's got this new projector and object scanner feature that lets you actually convert whatever you point it at into a really detailed hologram, in 3D! You don't even need to walk around it to get a good view from all angles!"
"Woah really?" The muscle of the group actually smiled. "Man don't only the high end models even have a hologram feature?"
"Hey!" The yellow one called out to the teen with quirked fingers. "Didn't you used to go to school with Mr. Bakugo?"
"Yeah!" The other boy proudly said. "We're pretty tight."
The bulky lad felt Izuku clawing against his hand, trying to free himself as his face turned a little purple. "Then how come Deku has got the awesome Spark phone and you don't?"
Thinking fast, the boy came up with a simple answer. "He must have snooped through my mailbox! Stolen it before I could get it!"
Acting all tough and offended over 'his' gift, he threw a kick towards the boy who rose a leg to block it before it hit a sensitive area. "You asshole! You were always jealous I was his best friend and not yours!"
They heard a door slam shut, the boys peering out towards the end of the alley to see a rather luxurious vehicle had stopped in the road in front of them. Exiting the back, was a teen dressed in a light gray suit with a darker tanned coat reaching a little below his waist. Sporting a pair of red shades, staring at them, was none other than Katsuki Bakugo.
In the stupor the bulky man's grip relaxed, dropping Izuku to gasp for breath before coughing out.
"Woah." The slimy one smiled in awe towards his fingered friend. "You really do know him!"
In an unsure smirk, the boy played along as he walked past the injured Izuku towards an old friend. "Hey man! Long time no see, what a coincidence. We were just talking how we were best buds in school together!"
"Who the fuck are you?" Katsuki rose a brow, looking over the boy.
"H-haha." The teen tried to play it off as a joke, because sure they hadn't been that close and it was years ago but they did hang out every now and then after class. "Good one, but seriously we-"
"Don't know don't care." Katsuki shoved him back towards the wall, giving Izuku some space to stand back up on his own. "And give him back his shit."
The boys just stared at one another, before the slimy one tried to tuck it into his own pocket discreetly. "He uh, must have dropped it in the snow, you see he-"
"Oh I saw everything." Katsuki snapped his fingers, the phone in the boy's pocket suddenly projecting into the alleyway a full hologram of when they entered, what they said, and what they were doing.
After a moment of shock, the slimy one hastily yanked out the phone, before holding it out with both hands and bowing deeply towards him. "W-we're sorry! H-here take it and we'll never do anything like this again!"
"Oi, dipshit." Katsuki spoke out with venom. "I'm not the one you're supposed to be apologizing to."
As much as the boy knew he probably should, his pride prevented him from actually bowing towards Izuku and instead he just held it out with one hand, not even facing towards Izuku. "Here."
Izuku, after having brushed himself off of the dirt was about to reach for his phone back.
"Don't bother." Katsuki told Izuku as he turned around walked back to his ride. "They got it dirty. I got something better for you anyways."
Still frozen in the winter day, they gawked at how familiar the wealthy teen treated the quirkless boy. It allowed Izuku to quickly collect his belongings, including his phone still hanging from the fingers, and walk around to the other side of the car.
Just as they thought they were about to leave, Katsuki gave them one last hateful glare before silently getting back in his seat. Izuku sat next to him closing his door, feeling bad for dirtying the fancy leather.
When the car began driving away, he suddenly realized there was no driver.
"It is good to have you with us, and to meet you formally for the first time. I am Mr. Bakugo's 'Logical Interfacing System' or Liz for short." Liz spoke from the console, Izuku's eyes nearly popping out of his skull upon hearing the voice. He silently glanced over to Katsuki for an answer.
"Melissa left me a gift and I didn't want it to go to waste." Was all he said on the matter as the scenery passed them by.
"How." Izuku didn't know which question to ask so he started at the beginning. "How did you know where I was?"
"I was tasked with monitoring you to make sure you quote 'didn't get yourself killed like an idiot'." Liz answered as they turned onto another street.
"We were going over to pick you up on our way to the new arc lab." Katsuki continued explaining as he kept his gaze watching out the window. "Then your dumbass started running so we picked up the pace."
"Um, ok." Izuku was very grateful, he just didn't know that Katsuki was in town, his computer was made to sound like Melissa, or that said computer had been spying on him ever since he abruptly got the new phone. "Thank you, but, now that they know you and I are-"
"That's why I said to let them keep the phone." Katsuki interrupted, a little annoyed by the whole thing. "I was gonna have the cops come find it in their possession and slap theft charges onto assault ones. Now I'll just have to settle for-"
"Y-you can't sue them!" Izuku protested, sliding his bag down his legs to rest on the floor before it skimmed his scraped knee where his uniform pants had torn. Letting out a hiss, Katsuki glanced over towards seeing Izuku's injuries. Not bad but they were completely avoidable in his point of view.
"Fine, I won't sue." He gave in as he reached up near the glove compartment where a small first aid kit rested. Tossing it onto Izuku's lap he crossed his arms. "But I'll still have to put the fear of the law in them in case they think about extorting you for my stuff now that they know."
"You're going to use that footage as blackmail aren't you?"
"Insurance policy." Katsuki countered. "They don't have anything I want besides keeping their damn mouths shut and leaving you the fuck alone. But I wouldn't have to do any of that if you just fought back!"
"You know I can't fight back!" Izuku began wiping away the dirt from the wound with the sanitizing wipe. "I would get blamed and wouldn't be allowed to apply for UA!"
"I caught their asses with the best surveillance tech in the world! Anyone tried blaming you for what their dumbasses are getting away with on a daily basis my lawyers, no, any lawyer could have them thrown in prison!"
"I'm grateful but you don't need to defend me. I can take care of myself." Izuku hissed as he applied the stinking ointment.
"Not completely." Katsuki grumbled, the struggle replaying in his glasses as he reviewed the footage, and the plenty others he had recorded without the boy's knowledge. Izuku clearly had been training his body and in some mixed martial arts. Not especially great but enough to keep his wounds to a minimum and get himself out of some holds. But it felt wasted when Izuku wouldn't throw a hit and end it before it got worse.
"Today, they went too far." Izuku would admit, the back of the empty driver seat suddenly revealing it was a screen as it began acting as a mirror for Izuku and pointing out other injuries that still needed to be treated. Namely the marks around his neck. "The bigger one never joined them before."
They had this argument countless times and even with Katsuki's added evidence to keep Izuku out of trouble so he could properly defend himself he still kept avoiding conflict even when it had its hands on him.
Katsuki grumbled, unsure of how much more he could take. "You know if you're going to be a hero you can't let a villain choke you out."
"I know that." Izuku said, adjusting the scarf around his neck to hide the marks. "But, they're not villains."
"Villains are criminals who use their quirks to break the laws, by definition all three of those guys are villains and you should have put them down."
The quirkless boy didn't respond to that, because the first part was technically right. But that would make a lot more people villains, and if he sought to handle them how Katsuki said to then he would pit the world against himself.
"We have arrived." Liz announced, Katsuki quickly getting out from the car with Izuku following soon behind.
The two left the argument be, because while they could never agree on that they still did their best to look out for one another.
"How long are you in Japan?" Izuku asked Katsuki, because usually it was Izuku and his mother who were flown to I-island especially during the harsher times of the year. The benefit of a floating island is that it could move to a more comfortable temperature zone during the changing of the seasons.
"Not too long but I'll be dropping by at least once a week." Katsuki mentioned as they approached the new facility's doors. The building was still unlabeled, and as Izuku looked around it looked like there were still some construction workers coming in and out.
There were two security drones, similar to the I-island ones stationed on each side of the door. Izuku saw a brief light pass over them as they entered through the first set of automatic doors, the second pair in front of remaining closed until the first ones were properly sealed.
Going inside was a wide open space, men in high visibility vests and lab coats walking all around the place occasionally carrying some equipment. Katsuki brought him straight to the thick doors in the back, and once they entered Izuku saw the large device resting in a lowered platform in the center of the room, railings keeping them from falling. Leaning over there were more men working below, the boy in awe of the new streamlined design for the next big arc reactor.
"This is going to power my home?"
"Yours and everyone else's in Japan who wants it." Katsuki took off his coat, throwing it onto the rails as he always felt a bit of pleasure showing off his genius. "Of course, Japan only wants to hook it up to the secondary grid first and let the reactor power about a quarter of the nation for five years before making a long term commitment. That'll happen in about six months, but in two months we're going to have a New Year's opening where we'll flip the switch."
"Wow."
Just as they managed to put the whole previous incident of the day behind them, a squeal erupted from behind them. "Izuku!"
A pair of slender arms wrapped themselves around the boy, making him sputter into a storm. "S-Stane?!"
Katsuki growled out a sigh as he regretted not checking to see if she would be here or not. He should add that to the background tasks for Liz.
The bleached blonde girl with noticeable masquera hugged Izuku tightly before letting him turn around to face her. "I told you to call me Whitney. Being called Stane makes me feel old."
"That's just how Japan is yankee." Katsuki leaned back on the rails, the two giving one another contempt glares. "Show some respect."
"Friends get to call each other by their first names." Whitney clung to Izuku's arm as the boy's face burned from the contact with a girl. "Izuku and I are besties."
Rolling his eyes, Katsuki tried to think of a way to get Izuku out of his current state. "I could count on my hand how many times you've talked."
"More than I'd ever talk with you." Whitney bit back before her eyes reexamined Izuku a little more closely. "Oh my gosh are you ok?! What happened?!"
"I-I-I-" Izuku may have lost most of his stutter but it always came back whenever it came to girls making any kind of contact with him. Melissa used to tease him on occasion for it. "It's n-nothing."
"Nothing?!" Whitney shrieked in disbelief.
"He got mugged." Katsuki decided to do his own kind of teasing, taking advantage of Izuku's inability to talk himself out when like this. "I saved him."
"You got robbed?! Did you get their names? Any evidence? You know what, I can have a private detective find that out in twenty minutes and my dad's lawyers will make sure they never get out of jail!"
Katsuki kept chuckling the longer Izuku tried to convince Whitney he was ok and that it wasn't that bad. Especially since he wouldn't actually stop her from doing anything. By the end of the day all three of those assholes would get cuffed and Izuku couldn't even blame him for it.
Hm, maybe he could pass along the recording to that detective Whitney was already calling. Nah, he would never hear the end of it from Izuku.
"Alright alright." Katsuki yanked the boy free from the manicured nails. "I'm going to help get him something that isn't filled with tears."
"Oh!" Whitney tried to jump along, attempting to sink her claws into Izuku's cheeks again. "Let me pick something out for him! I know exactly what can bring out those freckles!"
"W-why are y-you always b-bringing up m-my freckles?"
"Because they're adorable!"
The squeak cracked out from Izuku's mouth as Katsuki dragged him out from the doors and towards the more heavily secure areas. "Sure sure you can take him shopping later but for now I'm going to check him for any other injuries."
Liz already did that, but he needed an excuse to have Whitney back off.
"Let me do it!" Whitney tugged at Izuku's other arm defiantly, grinding her teeth towards Katsuki. "You'd be too rough with him!"
Take a hint you bitch! Before Katsuki really could butt heads with her Izuku managed to be the tie breaker.
"I-I think I better g-go with Kacchan." Izuku leaned a little more towards Katsuki to let him save any other embarrassment. "B-but w-we can g-go look at c-clothes later I-if you want-"
Whitney let go in a victory cry, because for the first time to even Katsuki's shock Izuku actually agreed to do something with Whitney.
"I'll go make sure we have a tailor place booked out for the evening!" Whitney skipped off despite wearing high heels. "Don't keep me waiting!"
Katsuki was appalled, his jaw hanging as he stared at the traitor in front of him. Sure he offered to get him a girlfriend but this was nowhere near acceptable. "Whitney?"
"What?" Izuku was slowly recovering from the contact, bashful and fidgeting with his hands as they walked up to the heavy door that looked like it belonged to a bunker. "S-she's always so n-nice to me and I feel bad for n-never doing a-anything to s-show my thanks."
"Fucking Whitney Stane?!" Katsuki let the secret scanning mechanism identify his arc reactor, the several locks undoing themselves as the two foot door retracted into the wall.
"I-I WASN'T G-GOING TO D-DO THAT WITH HER!" Izuku yelled out as they passed into another small room with a more complicated, heavier door before them.
Slapping a palm to his face, Katsuki groaned as it slid off while waiting for the big door behind them to close so that the one in front could begin opening. "Mother fuck-I didn't mean like that but you better keep her away from your pants!"
"I actually need new pants though."
"You dense little shit!"
He needed to stop before Izuku made things worse. Walking ahead through the darkened room, he led Izuku to the center of it before the heavy set door closed behind him, leaving him in pitch black.
Then, the lights of the holographic computer screens along the side of one of the walls lit up, bathing the floor in a blue hue before the ceiling lights kicked on.
Izuku shielded his eyes briefly, before he was left in awe yet again from Katsuki's work. The open space before him had similar workstations closer to the entrance, but they were all kept away from the center of the room where one of the armor pods rested on its back, connecting to some sort of rail system that ascended into the elevated ceiling area that had several numbered blast doors positioned in a circle. Off behind the two walls of screens running on the left and right side of the room, he could see were two main automated assembly stations that could be entered to have assisted construction of whatever could be made.
"It also has a private full bathroom, a mini kitchen, and a spot to chill in." Katsuki walked up to the central armor pod, clicking a button as it slid upright into the rail system to stand proudly.
Wait a minute, was that?
"You finished your armor?!" Izuku ran up to it, wanting to peek inside the small window to examine it firsthand.
"Yep." Katsuki smirked proudly, before pushing another button and having it rise to the blast door labeled with a one. "But before you get to even see mine you have to finish yours."
"That's not fair!" Izuku whined as Katsuki enjoyed tormenting him sometimes. In a friendly way of course. "I barely even have half of the operating system made!"
"Then you better hurry your ass up." Katsuki told him, pointing towards the assembly station with a little sign posted on the entrance labeled 'Nerd hole'. "The entrance exam is only four months away. So make sure to be here as often as you can to get it done. "By the way, I already had Liz download the schematics you made and ran through some updated simulations to identify some flaws. Seriously, find a way to make that suit haul ass."
"You already know what I'm making!" Izuku stared up towards where the armor was stored. Wait, eight blast doors? "How many did you make?"
"I just have the one finished set." Katsuki gazed up towards the empty compartments. "But eventually I'm gonna have enough reasons and ideas to make a new set better than the last. So I made sure to keep that in mind making this place."
Now that Izuku saw just how far Katsuki was planning, how fast he worked and how far ahead he was, he was burning with passion to make his own.
"I should remind you that Whitney Stane is in the lobby with a car outside. It wouldn't be nice to leave a lady waiting for very long."
"Traitor!" Katsuki shouted into nothing, Izuku recalling that he did in fact agree to go with Whitney.
"That's right!" Izuku looked around for the bathroom, running over to it with his bag.
"Wait!" Katsuki didn't follow him but there was something the boy forgot. "You need something to change into!"
"I have a sewing kit on me!" Izuku closed the doors to get undressed. "Just give me ten minutes!"
"Tch." Katsuki went over to one of the screens, pulling up that damn puzzle Melissa left him to work on.
"Do you plan on informing him?" Liz spoke up in a lowered voice from the computer that only he heard.
"Of what? That I can't synthesize a simple hunk of rock?"
"Of your recent activities with the exosuit. From several sources I can find it is best to have someone close to confide larger issues with that-"
"Check again." Katsuki went back to the drawing board to see if he could start the process in a liquid form near its boiling point. "And until you find reliable data that convinces you otherwise don't bring it up again."
"Yes sir, I'm sorry." Liz stated like he just grounded her, or that she was ashamed in some way. The program wasn't supposed to actually have emotion, or even be true AI.
But it got Katsuki curious on how a machine could even be given emotion. Nah, a question he didn't need to find the answer to. He had more important things to take care of.
Obadiah Stane held up the tablet as he stood on the railing overlooking the arc reactor. So far the project was going well, on schedule, with no flaws and a tight ship to make it happen. It was funny thinking about it, the first arc reactor was what secured not just the brand new company's future, but the world's confidence in a teenager.
Then he had died in a plane crash, the future resting on his lap until just after he got comfortable the boy came back. Now he had to prove it all again, how he is capable of taking the future into his hands and that he can secure a place for Spark Industries as the leader in technology.
Funny how it would be the arc reactor to do it again. A little unoriginal but it was a safe bet given how everyone has connected the arc reactor to being the future Bakugo could create and this was the first step in a nation. Should anything happen to it, well that would be unfortunate for him.
A call rang in his ear piece, the name of the caller briefly announced before he clicked it to answer. "Hello David, to what do I owe the pleasure?"
"Just checking in. This is going to be a big step for Katsuki and after what he's gone through…sorry maybe I'm just being paranoid."
"It's totally fine." Obadiah eased the man's worries as he walked around the perimeter of near operational arc reactor. "I understand where you're coming from. Hardly anyone, let alone a kid, could come out of something like that without a scratch."
"Have you noticed anything in particular yourself?"
"Well I can't say I'm as close to him as you are." Obadiah saw some of the engineers he recently hired come in through the door, bringing the most recently ordered supplies. "He's in his lab almost all the time, only his mother or his little friend pulling him out to do anything other than eat or sleep. Though that's not much different than how things were before."
"He's not ignoring his responsibilities for the company is he?"
"Oh no he contributes a profitable idea almost everyday." Obadiah had every now and then checked on the engineering department, seeing a rising stack of blueprints they planned to get to after they finished analyzing and applying the last one into several new products. "He's beyond schedule, and should he need a vacation he would leave us with months to catch up."
"Hopefully one of us can convince him to do exactly that, maybe see someone before he starts attending school."
That was new information, Obadiah looking through his personal notes to see if he jotted it down and simply forgot. "He's going to the academy? While I'm all for finding him some friends to simmer that temper of his I don't know if he'd actually learn anything there."
"Wait, no one told you his plans?"
"Thank you for being the first." Obadiah paused, questioning if school was the end of the boy's plans David was referring to. "But, what plans are we talking about."
"This is why I'm worried about Katsuki, he's not keeping those who need to be informed in the loop. He used to be better at this. Mitsuki just learned about this and I just heard it from her."
"David." Obadiah set down the tablet, leaning his hand against the rail to give this his full attention. "What's he planning on doing?"
"He's planning on enrolling into UA to become a hero."
Oh, so that's the excuse the boy is using. It's not a bad one but Obadiah thought the boy was smarter than this. "Did his quirk start working again?"
"No, he's built a suit. I haven't even seen it but Mitsuki has apparently seen him testing parts of it before to mimic what his quirk could do. I can't say I haven't attempted similar feats before but he's dragging the company with him to Japan."
Now that, was very new information. "What?"
"You see? Exactly my point. This is the kind of thing he needs to discuss with you before otherwise he might cripple the whole business."
Pushing himself off the rail, Obadiah stretched his back to look up, then down, then up again as he really hated that boy sometimes. "I'll ask him about it as soon as I can. Maybe there's a miscommunication and he's just going to be doing some more work here in the Japanese branch while going to UA."
"I wouldn't be surprised. He's not the best at explaining things unless it's in strict numbers."
"Sir?" One of the head engineers of the project approached Stane, anxiously holding a few pages of the blue prints. He held up a finger to the man, Stane wrapping things up.
"I'll call you back David, and hopefully after I have a chat with him."
"Please do, thank you."
The line ended, Stane redirecting his attention to the awaiting scientist.
"Mr. Stane, these last minute modifications, where did they come from? I can't say I understand all of the mechanics of the arc reactor but this doesn't seem necessary or beneficial."
Giving a warm smile that put anyone at ease, Stane placed his hand on the man's shoulder to share that warmth directly. "They came from a reliable source. Trust me I had those triple checked. The arc reactor will function as we need it to."
"Yes, of course." The worry washed away from the engineer as he went back to implement the new designs.
Now to see to making sure the security system registered their new employees. Stepping out from the arc reactor's room, he cut through the lobby towards the elevator to lead into the security office in the floor above that overlooked the area.
He wasn't expecting his daughter to come skipping in through the front doors of the place though.
With a familiar freckled face looking rather exhausted behind her wearing a very form fitting winter sweater that matched Whitney's. He hoped she didn't spend too much given the level of enthusiasm she seemed to radiate.
"Hey Daddy!" She greeted with a wave. "Hope you don't mind but we had a lot of fun!"
"So long as you used your card this time." He firmly stated, but still cracked a smirk at seeing her joy never ceasing so long as she had a hefty share of his disposable income. "Isn't that Katsuki's friend?"
As if she was threatened, she reached over and clung herself onto Izuku's arm like he was going to be ripped away. "He's mine now, and I'm just loaning him back so he can work on his suit."
His suit? Was he making his own or was Bakugo helping him make one? Better yet, did the boy have access to the specs of that suit he kept hearing about.
"Whitney!" The flustered boy briefly panicked. "It's a surprise!"
"Oh don't worry my Daddy knows how to keep a secret. Your surprise is safe with us. Just show me once you make it!"
He did know how to keep a secret, but the more he examined the kid the more interested Stane had become. His daughter had mentioned him a few times and he seemed rather nice and never took advantage of the generosity she seemed to wish to shower him in. What would his future be like?
"Oh! Wait!" Whitney suddenly had an idea, pushing the one bag she held into Izuku's already full hands for her to properly express it. "Why don't we have him work for us? He would be better than that rabid dog."
"But, I'm going to be a hero when I graduate." Izuku reiterated, but Whitney was well aware of his plans and could see it fitting into an even bigger one.
"You can! But if you're making more things like your suit we could sell it and you get some of the profit to help make it even better! Spark Industries can sell your inventions you create to be a hero, while we publicly sponsor you!" Whitney beamed at the two of them, the boy thinking it over as Stane was grateful his daughter had paid attention to his business.
If he had even half of the kind of mind that Bakugo had from growing up right alongside the boy, Midoriya would keep this company's inventive mindset intact. Not just that, he would be a hero with very close ties to himself through his daughter. The public would eat it up given it would be a direct connection to a hero as they helped supply to the industry.
He definitely preferred a future with having Midoriya working for him, instead of himself working for Bakugo. Stane wanted to try and make that happen.
"I think it's an excellent idea Whitney."
Many had exciting plans for New Year's Eve, some were spending it in a club, others at home with family, and even some were out with friends and fireworks. But for some of the leading members of Japan, whether politics or business, it was to see the future taking shape in their very own country.
Some of them were on their way right now.
In the back of a limousine en route, sat four individuals. Two of them mothers, two of them sons, all dressed well for the occasion.
Inko Midoriya, who had never attended one of these events before despite numerous invitation from Mitsuki, fiddled with the hem of the simple violet dress. Only a brighter color of lipstick adorned her face with a small addition of blush. Her nervous demeanor was shared by her son, who too was inexperienced with formal events.
He was trying to tie his bright red tie again for the hundredth time, wearing a white dress shirt under a gentle forest green suit that matched his hair. The red shoes stuck out, only matching the outfit given his tie. The buttons along the suit and the cuffs of his shirts were a brighter gleam of metal, one that managed to make one notice his freckles in some way that no one but a fashion expert could explain.
Mitsuki was calm and relaxed, reclining into the massage function of the seat while sipping on a small glass of sparkling water in her hand. The woman had elected to go with a silky gold curtain that draped around her, as if she was a goddess wearing crimson jewels around her neck and wrists to accent the vibrant eyes.
Lastly there was Katsuki Bakugo, sitting in the very back with a dark black suit, deep magma dress shirt, and an iron gray vest. He wore no tie, and the only accessories he had were the golden watch and cufflinks that matched his hair and his iconic red shades.
"It's dark out." Mitsuki tried to pluck them from his eyes, only to have her hand swatted by the boy.
"I'm busy looking over something." He said as he analyzed the most recent data for his investigation. True to his prediction once Wolfram's main group had been annihilated, whatever was keeping the random mercenaries guarding his various hang outs began exposing themselves in the panic only to be picked off by global intelligence agencies.
Whatever they didn't get or whatever ones tried to organize themselves, Bakugo obliterated on the off chance Wolfram returned to one. Anything they discovered or found, was downloaded by Liz to see if they could figure out how to track down the man.
Wolfram was still out there, somewhere, anywhere. The longer time went on the more he kept trying to find any hint of the man's trace. Nothing could be found that hinted towards him even being alive since Katsuki's strike in Mexico.
"I hope you don't plan on staring at any revealing outfits." Mitsuki warned in a teasing way, not really caring too much if he did but not at these kinds of people at an event the media would be prowling through.
Putting his own personal sweep of the search aside, he let the sunglasses disable the screen for him to be more present. "Like I'd be interested in anyone there."
"Speaking of which." Inko turned to her son, who had settled for having the tie be extremely short. "Isn't Whitney going to be there?"
"Y-yes." Izuku nodded, his hands already sweating and clamming at the thought of being seen in an outfit like this. "B-but we're not like that."
"Oho?" Mitsuki leaned forward, very invested in knowing that Stane's daughter had it out for the boy. "Did she get you that suit? I know Katsuki didn't because his taste is so terrible I have to do it for him."
The blond boy grumbled, undecided between being angry at Whitney putting Izuku on a hook or his mother making fun of his fashion sense. Both, he'd be mad about both AND being unable to find Wolfram.
"Ah, well she did." Izuku said as he reflected back on the more recent weeks in his life. It had changed, a lot. Since Stane had been more focused on completing the first stepping stone for Spark Industries in Japan Whitney had also been staying in the country. Since she didn't speak Japanese, she had been routinely having him picked up by a private driver right after school to help her in studying part of the language or translating for her to wherever she decided they should go have fun.
Of course, his classmates quickly picked up on the fact that between his more routine bullies suddenly being locked up and his sudden connection to wealth they backed away. He hoped they didn't think he was a part of the Yakuza or something. "I don't understand why you can't get along with her Kacchan, she is genuinely nice. She's even willing to let you hang out with us as long as you don't say anything rude about her."
"He's right." Mitsuki tugged on her son's ear to make sure he heard him. "She is nice, and if she's willing to play nice then so should you."
"Let go!" Katsuki again had to defend himself from his mother's hands. "No way that's true, and if it was then she can't act so fake around me."
Inko wasn't sure how to feel about how Izuku's friends were both wealthy. It was one thing with Katsuki since they grew up together and then the boy gained money. It was another for a girl who grew up rich to suddenly love spending time with her son. Still, she was aware that they were nice to him and hardly asked for anything above his company. That was enough to make her happy.
So, she tried to offer some advice for Izuku's two friends to be ok with one another. "Maybe, for tonight, you two could at least tolerate each other? You don't even have to say anything other than hello."
After a moment of considering the idea, Bakugo conceded because he knew he had to play the social game anyways. Especially with cameras ready to publish his face or comments at any moment for the night. "Fine. I'll be busy anyways making sure to keep my guests from feeling ignored."
"That means we can take it a little easy." Mitsuki spoke towards Inko and Izuku who had no responsibilities for the night other to enjoy themselves.
"Pardon my interruption." Liz's voice startled Inko, who while informed and made brief introductions to the computer hadn't heard a peep from it in a while as it drove them to the party. "But do the Midoriya's intend to be known of their close relation to you?"
"Um, well." Inko wasn't sure exactly what that would mean but she couldn't see any issues. "Izuku, do your classmates already know?"
"No." Izuku answered, and he really didn't care if they knew. But, he wanted to have a fresh start in UA, as a hero, and just like Kacchan did not want the public to know about his age or his health issues before revealing his accomplishments Izuku didn't want the world to know him as quirkless or friends with Katsuki Bakugo.
"But, I want people to see me for me and what I do first. Not as a quirkless kid helped out by his rich friend. Does, that make sense?"
"It does." Mitsuki glanced out the window, seeing the spotlights and the cars lining up ahead. "But I think most of the attention will be on Katsuki tonight. Either way it's not like you aren't going to see him again."
"In that case I shall drop off the Bakugos before circling around and dropping off the Midoriyas. Will that be acceptable?"
"Plan on it." Katsuki saw the flashes outside as they pulled up to the carpet. He stood up from his seat as the door automatically opened for him, letting his shades protect his eyes from the increased barrage of stunning lights and voices demanding his attention. Holding out a hand, he helped his mother out before the two of them made their way inside.
"Well if it isn't thee Katsuki Bakugo." A man in a pinstripe suit with a receding hairline and incredibly long nose smiled upon the boy's arrival. "I was hoping to be the first to greet you in your first act outside of I-island."
"Mr. Yotsubashi." Katsuki simply greeted. "My father routinely sold some of his stuff to Detnerat."
"He was an inspiration." Yotsubashi briefly hung his head in respect for the deceased. "I would have loved to have started a partnership with Spark Industries while he was still around but I trust his son can carry on his legacy."
While something was off about the guy Katsuki could at least be open to what his father had done with them before he suddenly cut ties.
"After all I've heard such marvelous things about your intelligence quirk."
And right at that moment Katsuki was done talking to him. "You heard wrong."
Up near the doors Katsuki saw where Obadiah routinely placed himself to greet the many people. Whitney, appearing slightly impatient as she kept checking every car that arrived.
"Katsuki." Stane gave him a hearty hug, one that Katsuki never received from the man before and it threw him off. "Glad to see you've been adjusting to things."
"Still don't like it." One thing Katsuki was glad for is being able to be more open with the man. Pulling himself out Stane's hand lingered on his shoulder.
"Well tonight is going to be your big night. I guarantee you'll have a blast."
Whitney saved Katsuki from having to pry the hand off himself when she cut in between the two men. Playing to the cameras she gave him a hug, but her words were nothing but toxic gas against his ears.
"Izuku said you were bringing him here."
"Relax princess, he just wants to make his own entrance so they're doing a loop." Katsuki's words kept the redone nails from stabbing into his neck, Whitney pulling away with a content smile.
"Hm, so you can be thoughtful."
"Yeah, I expect the same courtesy for him. He doesn't want to be known as anyone's groupie before he makes his hero debut." He warned, his shades doing well to hide his emotions to any spectators.
"Well what do you know?" Obadiah picked up on the two actually managing to not hurl any insults or threats against one another. "If I knew all it took to make you two get along was a common friend I would have invited that boy to our events years ago."
"He was there." Katsuki reminded him just as the Midoriya's arrived, awkwardly staring at some of the cameras that decided to snap a few photos of them despite not knowing who they were. "First reactor, remember?"
"Oh, right. I didn't get a chance to say hello back then. I'll have to correct that this time."
"Just don't drag them into the spotlight." Katsuki requested as he made his way inside.
Momo shouldn't be surprised she ended up here, her parents had been incredibly vocal in any attempts to be present at anything that involved Spark Industries. She wished they didn't keep using her to bridge the gap between their business. It was entirely possible to have a successful relationship without getting her involved romantically, or even at all. Let her parents run their business, and not stuff her in such a raunchy attire.
Not that the hero suit she would wear for her quirk would be any better.
Could they have at least had the designer make something that didn't have a diamond shaped window in the center of her torso?
Hardly in the mood to properly socialize, she glanced over to do a little people watching. Over near the doors to the room they would eventually enter to witness the reactor's activation stood two pro heroes of the prestigious Iida family. While the world loved its heroes and these events typically hired them to serve as a flashier security, she questioned if this choice was influenced by what Bakugo had said to her before.
Without the vulgar language.
Speaking of whom, it was hard not to be aware of where he was at any given moment. Reporters all waited in the area for a chance to get a brief comment from him, waiting their turn as a perimeter of anxious owners of businesses or political figures pretended not to be hovering around him until he finally acknowledged them.
He could be polite, the bare minimum of it, keeping his words concise and to the point of whatever topic arose. Many would consider it incredibly rude to skip any light conversation, but when so many people demanded his time and how he clearly demonstrated great success they heeded his words.
Sometimes though, she noticed that he would drop his pleasantries after hearing something the other party would say and only spared a short reply before finding someone else to prove their worth.
He seemed to have very little patience and didn't care to explain what they did to offend him. So how come he bothered to explain what she said was baseless gossip?
In any case, she wouldn't try and push an apology onto him. If the opportunity presented itself she would but Momo did not see that happening tonight.
"Oh hello Momo!" A girl called out to her, and facing in their direction she saw Whitney Stane. The two had occasionally met one another at events like these, more so when Obadiah Stane was working under David Shield that held several parties a year.
She did not recognize the boy who she seemed to be very keen on keeping at her side.
"It is good to see you again Whitney." Momo said in English for the girl. "Your father seems to be especially excited for tonight."
"Spark Industries actually has a chance at beating out the famous Shield name." Whitney said what many were already guessing. "If only he didn't have to give the company to someone who-"
"Hey." The freckled teen appeared displeased about the direction of Whitney's sentence. "You promised you wouldn't talk about him tonight."
An ex lover? Momo couldn't help but come to that conclusion after last night's enticing reading educating her on those jealous of their partner's past relations.
"Oh fine." Whitney didn't say anything more on the matter, only giving a sharp glare of her eyes off towards Bakugo. Wait, he was the past lover? It would make sense they would be close given Bakugo's close working relation to her father.
Oh wait, she had yet to introduce herself to this friend or new partner of Whitney's. "I'm Momo Yaoyorozu, of the Yaoyorozu family and corporation. It's a pleasure to meet your acquaintance."
"I-I'm Izuku Midoriya." He gave a bow in return. "Nice to meet you too."
"Oh hey." Whitney piped up now that the introductions had concluded. "You're still planning on going to UA to be a hero right?"
"Yes." Momo was actually surprised the girl remembered that because she hadn't particularly spoken up about it to her in recent years. "While my parents aren't keen on the idea of me being a professional hero they've allowed me to attend my schooling there, and should I pass the recommendations exam I will be in their hero program. By the time I'm of age to be an adult I will have already received all of the proper education to pursue the profession."
"That's amazing!" Midoriya was absolutely beaming, the perfectly symmetrical freckles on his face pairing well with the dimples. "To get into the recommendations exams takes proving to an active hero you have incredible potential! You must have had a lot of training with your quirk!"
"Yes, I have." He was so passionate, and so innocent. Momo had an innate desire to protect that. "My quirk is very versatile so training it was something my parents had encouraged ever since I manifested it."
"It's also really convenient." Whitney spoke up, brightening a little more now that she managed to recapture the boy's attention. "She can make anything with the fat of her body, literally anything."
"Really?!" Midoriya's already blinding enthusiasm rose to greater levels.
"So long as I know the atomic structure of the components." Momo was curious as to why Whitney brought the topic up in the first place. "Do either of you have an interest in heroics?"
As if she were showing off a prize, Whitney gestured widely with her arms to the boy's frame. "Izuku here is aiming for UA to be a hero too!"
He was? Now that Momo took another inspection of him she did notice that while the outfit he wore seemed to push attention up towards his face it did tighten at his movements to highlight the muscular frame. She suspected Whitney was very particular in the design if it allowed her to peek at his body without his knowledge while also keeping others distracted by pushing the attention to the features above his neck.
This woman was more cunning than she previously presumed.
Whitney must have not taken kindly to her pause and her prolonged staring as she cut back in. "He's outsmarted Bakugo and made his very own hero suit."
That first part was likely overly exaggerated but now she was curious. "What kind of suit? Does it have anything to do with your quirk?"
"Oh wait!" Whitney suddenly realized something as she too became invested in discovering another aspect about the boy. "I never asked you what your quirk was! Momo's right, does it help your quirk?"
The boy's demeanor shifted to a subtle downcast expression, one Momo suddenly felt very guilty for potentially causing. His quirk must be a rather sensitive topic. "Y-you could say that."
She couldn't help but be incredibly curious now that she was aware he had goals of entering UA to be a hero and also did not think fondly of his quirk.
"Excuse me." A rather stiff and proper voice came up to them. A boy, tall and well built with blue hair and glasses wearing a blue steel dress suit approached. His english was correct but the japanese accent was thick. "I couldn't help but overhear that the two of you were planning on attending UA this upcoming school year, is that correct?"
"Yes." Midoriya collected himself rather quickly. "I'm Izuku Midoriya."
"Whitney Stane."
"And I am Momo Yaoyorozu of the Yaoyorozu family and corporation."
"Greetings." He gave a quick bow. "I am Tenya Iida from Somei Private Academy. I too plan on attending the entrance exam for the hero course of the prestigious UA!"
"Wow." Whitney reanalyzed her company. "I feel a little left out. Maybe I should go to UA too."
"You wish to be a hero as well?" Iida questioned her. "I wouldn't delay your choice of school any longer. This is a decision that will be a determining factor for the rest of your life!"
Iida seemed incredibly, passionate, which is a polite way of putting it.
"I don't plan on being a hero." Whitney informed them with assurance. "But maybe the business course could teach me a couple things my dad doesn't know."
"That would be amazing!" Midoriya was very pleased with the idea. "Even if you don't plan on being a hero we could all-"
The music that had been playing in the background came to a soft halt, the lights dimmed slightly, everyone pausing their conversation and pleasantries as a spotlight landed onto Obadiah Stane standing in front of the doors to the device that they all arrived for.
"I can't thank you all enough for showing your support tonight." Obadiah spoke in ever so slightly choppy Japanese, likely listening to a translation in his ear or simply needed more practice. "Spark Industries may have started in I-island, but the only reason it did is because someone sent a design crafted in a humble home here in this country. Just a few years ago I had come across a submission to David Shield's youth innovation, I admit I am no engineer but this was beyond anything I saw. I thought someone tried to pass off a randomly drawn up bit of sci fi nonsense to give us a laugh. But each engineer, each technician, all with vast knowledge of physics and electrical sciences all were baffled by what they saw. None of them could fully understand it, so I took it to the one person who could. Yet even when I showed it to David Shield he had the same reaction of everyone else. While none of us fully understood how it worked, there was one thing all of us saw. The future."
The doors opened up behind him, lights gently guiding everyone closer to see what stood behind him. The new arc reactor, resting inside of the lowered floor to let everyone have an eye level view of the circular transparent ring that would soon be brought to life.
"Spark Industries started with the arc reactor and grew exponentially." Obadiah Stane continued as he pointed to the device inside. "It's time that the country the idea was born in to have a glimpse into that same future we saw that day. And who else to show us that future than the mind behind its creation, Katsuki Bakugo!"
A mighty applause erupted as another spotlight flickered to the center of the crowd, the boy himself strolling through the guests as they parted ways for him. Katsuki gave a short handshake to Obadiah Stane before the unseen microphone picked up the boy's voice.
"Thanks Stane. Glad you didn't throw out my drawing for thinking it was from Star Wars. Probably the smartest thing you ever did." That got a lot of laughs from the crowd, Katsuki giving his own amused chuckle at his own joke. He grew quiet, waiting for the guests to settle down as he glanced back to the arc reactor. Where he started from, what he intended for the device, and who had helped make it happen.
"I want to thank my dad." Katsuki's mention of the man brought about a more respectful silence over the crowd. "I don't think I really gave him enough credit. He didn't try to point me towards a right answer, or teach me what I should be doing. But he always believed in me, guided me along whatever path I chose. I can't say I'm religious but I'd like to believe he's still guiding me today."
Feeling for his breast pocket, he felt the note cards inside, the same ones his father helped him write for his first speech. "He helped me be able to find a way to make the future. Though one thing to make clear is that I never saw the future. If I could I would have never let any of us on that damn plane."
Taking a moment to collect himself, the sensations and flashes that had run through his mind settled back into a memory. "Probably the moment I was most unsure about the future was when we did activate the first arc reactor."
Alongside those old worn notes, he could feel that same birthday present years ago with a memory card resting on the back of it. "But we saw the next step, and when we made it we took another one. Step by step Spark Industries has continued to push into the future, not because it was predestined but because we're making it. If there's anything I've learned, is that no matter the circumstances each one of us can make the future. Today we all decided to take a step towards Japan's future, and let me say it's going to be the biggest. So step forward with me now as we all make that leap together."
Katsuki motioned towards the inside of the chamber, allowing everyone to walk past him and find their place to see Japan's newest, most efficient power source. While they were doing that the microphone switched off, Katsuki placed his hands in his pockets as he was finally glad to get that speech over with. It's not something he would naturally say, or even close to how he would say it, but he still meant every word.
"Hey." His mother briefly brushed his arm with a proud smile. "That was great."
"I know."
While he was waiting for the folks to have their chance to enter the reactor's chamber, an unsettling sensation coiled in his chest. Was he nervous? No the updated arc reactor design was flawless. Was it the people? None of them could intimidate him like this.
Something was dangerously familiar about it though, urging him to find out the source of it immediately. Trying to be discreet, he merged with the flow of the crowd, trying to squeeze between some of the bodies to walk around the reactor. Something wasn't right, but so long as the ones building it followed the specs to the letter it would do as it was designed to do.
"Hey." Obadiah Stane came up to him, pulling his attention away from it. "Just relax and watch the fireworks, I'll handle things from here."
No, if something was wrong he had to fix it before it was switched on. "I want the reactor checked over."
Making sure no one heard that, Obadiah leaned down to be eye level with him. That comforting, personal smile he had seemed to ease that sensation he had in his chest by washing it over with warmth. "You know I wouldn't let this chance go to waste. I've made sure that there were no deviations from the updated blueprints."
"Y-yeah." Katsuki hesitantly agreed, a storm of paranoia and confidence fighting inside his own mind. Deciding to just roll with it, he clenched his hands around the rails as he stared down to see the engineers were going through their checklists with diligence. Obadiah left a few hardy pats on his back before going off to take care of things. Perhaps it would turn out alright, of course it would this is his tech not some cheap knock off.
"Kacchan?" Izuku's lowered voice asked from beside him, Katsuki glancing over to see him staring at him in concern. "Is everything alright?"
He didn't know. All logic said yes but something kept itching its way into his chest like it was trying to grab his very heart. His eyes kept searching, his mind running a mile a minute as he tried to find out what the hell was wrong.
Then it flashed in the corner below, among all the white lab coated individuals someone was wearing something that didn't match the rest of them. Katsuki began circling around to get a better look, uncaring who he bumped into as Izuku hastily followed him.
Kastuki's eyes locked onto the person once he saw that greasy bloody hair, his back towards him but Katsuki saw the mask in his grasp he was donning onto his face. Then he knew exactly why that sickening feeling clenching around his heart was so familiar, it was the same damn quirk.
"Ladies and gentlemen." Obadiah Stane spoke up, the crowd all eagerly awaiting the new arc reactor to activate. Katsuki shoving his way in a frenzy towards the stairs leading down to the reactor. "Presented by the Spark Industries Arc Reactor, we give you, the fut-"
"GET HIM AWAY FROM THE CONTROLS!" Katsuki roared as all these people were still in his way, his eyes never leaving the man who grinned up towards him from below. There was a confused murmuring around him that began to be drowned out by the thrumming charge of the arc reactor.
It didn't sound right, something was terribly wrong and the man who was responsible for it was right fucking there!
"Hey!" Izuku tried shouting over the noise, attempting to get the heroes who were posted just outside the doors to assist. "Help!"
It was too late, whatever Wolfram was up to he got as with a snap the arc reactor had reached its peak charge. The powerful aurora inside of it flooded the facility with renewed power, and especially into one particular device mounted around the intruder's chest.
"I told you." Wolfram rose into the air, his voice carried through the vibrating energy all around them as he stared down towards Katsuki. "You would never see me coming."
"Stop!" The two heroes dressed in knightly racing armor entered into the doorway, identifying the obvious villain. "Surrender now before-"
Their armor dented in on itself, their limbs twisting as an unseen force lifted them into the air. Seeing the heroes who were supposed to keep them safe thwarted without the villain so much as twisting a finger finally sparked panic into the guests. They began rushing towards the exit, flooding out of the reactor chamber to scramble through the lobby and out towards the front entrance. A creaking sound echoed out from the walls, emergency blast doors tucked inside the walls slamming themselves shut in front of the doors.
"MOTHER! FATHER!" Iida had screamed out as the two heroes were thrown through the air above them, crashing just above the doors to fall in front of the crowd. He ran to their aid, desperately trying to pry the crushed armor off of their bodies to assist.
Katsuki had heard it all, understanding the hell that Wolfram wanted to enact against not just him but everyone involved. He had destroyed their heroes, he had taken over Katsuki's own invention to somehow use it to fuel his quirk to feats never before seen, he had ripped through the safety mechanisms to block their exit, and he had caught Katsuki off guard.
Worst of all, he wasn't wearing his armor.
Ok, I was originally going to have this be one big chapter but then it got longer than I anticipated. I decided to split it here, that way I don't feel rushed or pressured to condense the major conflict that is about to go down.
Class rosters are being made now, anyone from 1A or 1B that you would like to see involved with the story please let me know.
Izuku's fate is already decided.
Oh, and I should quickly mention Whitney X Izuku isn't going to be a real thing.
Thanks for reading. Any errors in spelling or inconsistency please point out.
Reviews are my crack, keep an addict happy.
Only Iron Man content and MHA will be used for this story. No other marvel characters will be used.