MAGNETO

"All finished. I made some last minute adjustments."

Wolfram eyed the Quirk Magnifier skeptically. "Why did you make it look like a helmet?"

"So it can't fall off easily."

"And what's with that garish red paint?"

"That's a highly special alloy, designed to resist mental-manipulation Quirks! U.A. has one in their hero program!"

"Are they down here?"

"Well… no…"

"This helmet barely fits." Wolfram examined the slits in the helmet. "Is this a letter M?"

"Don't be silly!" Wolfram turned it up-side-down. "It's W, for Wolfram!"

Wolfram took a deep breath in, then let it out. "You realize that blood has iron in it, right?"

"Well, yes, it forms the core of hemoglobin, which allows oxygen to form a ligand bond so-"

Wolfram held out a hand. Samuel cut off as his throat constricted.

"I find your lack of faith disturbing."

Samuel's eyes bugged out. "Please… air…"

Wolfram let him go. "I always wanted to do that."

"What, choke me?"

"That too."

David Shield cleared his throat. "Well, now that we've confirmed that the Quirk Magnifier works, perhaps you could get us back to the surface? Our oxygen recyclers burnt out, and the goat cultists have started a religious schism."

"I could do that," Wolfram said. "Or, I could take a submarine out of here, crush this entire facility, and rule the world with an iron fist."

Absolute silence filled the room. Then David Shield burst into a full gut-busting laugh. Samuel nervously joined in with him. Wolfram, all the while, watched impassively.

"Oh, I needed that," David said, wiping a tear from his eye. "Good one."

"Yeah," Samuel said. "That was a great joke. Right, Wolfram?"

"Who said I was joking?"

David's smile froze. "Samuel? Did he say what I think he just said?"

"Just another joke!" Samuel anxiously chuckled and reached for a remote in his pocket. "Of course he wouldn't do that!"

"I already reprogrammed that detonator in your pocket," Wolfram said. "And deactivated the explosive in the helmet."

Samuel pressed the button. The lights in the room turned off.

"Wait," Wolfram said. "I didn't make the remote do that."

The lights turned back on. Wolfram looked around and asked, "Why am I up-side-down?"

"I'm the one asking questions here."

Shinso sucked on a jam pouch from his sleeping bag in the corner. Samuel startled and asked, "How long have you been here?"

"Long enough to overhear your plans to sell the amplifier on the black market for millions, his plans to backstab you and take it for himself, and Shield's plans to be a useless idiot. Now, let's see who our mystery villain is."

Shinso took off the helmet. Wolfram struggled against the capture scarf holding him.

"Is the W for Wumbo?" Shinso asked.

"What? No! It's W for Wolfram!"

"Cool." Shinso put on the helmet. "You will turn yourself into the authorities."

"Understood, my lord!"

As Wolfram ran for the submarine, Shinso scowled at the helmet. "This thing turns me into Lelouch, doesn't it?"

499

To my profound embarrassment, I forgot to post this on Tuesday. Oh well.