Alright! After quite some time... Here's Chapter 6! Enjoy!
The reviews now:
hdzalex084: Yup! It's beginning!
Jevil77: It's a little more difficult than just a 'Broken Masquerade' scenario. I think we both know what's exactly is that scenario since you evoked it, but I'll repeat the basic explanation for myself. The Broken Masquerade is a scenario in which the Foundation fails containment that bad that the anomalous world is shown to broad daylight. Basically in canon they nuked Korea so hard everyone learned about the Foundation. Here, the Foundation is still very secretive, unfortunately, it starts to crumble bit by bit. However, our friends from the GOC, and several others, kind of took over the lead to keep anormality a secret while the Foundation struggles. So... Yeah... They are a little FUBAR.
Chapter 6: Preparation
/
The man slumped into his chair, crossing his arms and gazing at Izuku with a tired look. Just like the HR representative earlier, his features were equally marked by exhaustion.
Izuku honestly wondered how exhausting the job would be. After all, the battery of tests he'd undergone today, tactical, physical, and memory-based, had worn him out since the start at five in the morning.
And yet, he hadn't even begun the theoretical part. That would come tomorrow.
The man in front of him, an Australian psychologist in his sixties with neatly combed black hair streaked with gray and white strands, sighed and began to speak.
"Alright, let's go over the results of your psychological evaluation. This will be the last one for today, but I need you to pay close attention. Overall, you show strong willpower, a relatively healthy mind, and a positive attitude."
Izuku had a feeling a 'but' was coming.
"That's a good thing. You don't enter this field with a defeated mindset, it's the fastest way to run into problems. Your willingness to help others will also play a key role. However…"
Ah, there it was. Izuku had anticipated it. The man leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.
"If we look at the negatives, you have a mild case of spheksophobia, fear of wasps. Additionally, you mentioned that being around attractive women makes you slightly uncomfortable. It's not a major issue, but be aware that this weakness could be exploited against you."
Izuku nodded slowly. That had been following him for quite a while now, and he hadn't been able to shake it off at all.
"So, I suggest you work on resolving that issue as soon as possible," the psychologist concluded in a neutral tone, closing the file with a snap and setting it on the corner of his desk. "We're done here, Mr. Midoriya."
The man pressed a button on a console he had, and the office door slid open. A man with his face completely obscured by a black balaclava, a carbon black helmet, and large tinted tactical goggles entered. He wore a dark gray uniform with full black gear.
"Get up and follow me. No trouble," the guard instructed, gesturing with the barrel of his HK-416.
Izuku rose from his chair and, as directed, followed the man. If the green-haired boy understood correctly, he was only on the first level of the facility. Apparently, there were three in total. The corridors were white, appearing relatively clean and well-maintained. Suddenly, a cable on the ceiling detached, releasing continuous smoke.
The guard startled briefly, stepping back and raising his weapon slightly before calming down.
"Goddamn it."
Lowering his weapon and letting go of it with one hand to grab his radio, he pressed one of the buttons.
"Agent Benkei reporting. We need a maintenance team in Corridor B-05. A cooling cable has burst."
Releasing the button, Izuku waited curiously for the response for a few seconds. Finally…
"Copy. We'll send someone as soon as possible."
A voice replied, and the guard reattached the radio to his chest before signaling Izuku to follow him without fuss. The two continued walking, and Izuku decided to break the silence.
"Is this something that happens often?"
The guard didn't even seem to react, keeping his gaze fixed ahead. They passed a patrol of two other guards, and the agent Izuku was following quickly saluted them. The two guards returned the salute silently.
Well… not very talkative, apparently.
"Yeah, so, uh… I was asking if technical issues happen often."
"…"
Izuku sighed and muttered under his breath.
"Yeah… not very talkative," he confirmed to himself. They reached the elevator, and the guard called it. Still silent, the only sound breaking the tension was the –ding– of the elevator's arrival. Both entered, and the guard pressed the button for the ground floor, confirming the selection with a special pass.
As the elevator went up, Izuku noticed the man slightly leaning on one leg. Good grief, he was under so much tension, it was impressive. When the elevator reached its destination, the guard shoved Izuku out with the barrel of his weapon without a word.
However, the greenette knew how to recognize an order when he heard one. So, he stepped out, and the elevator doors closed.
"Rude person..." Izuku mumbled before heading toward the exit. The receptionist, who hadn't changed, and the two burly guards watched him leave.
Once outside, with the air quite chilly, Izuku pulled up his hood and shoved his hands into his pockets. Well, he didn't have much to do on this late afternoon... But he was too tired to do anything anyway. He looked up at the sky. Hmm. Maybe he could muster up some energy to take a walk in the park, right?
Yeah, why not?
He blended into the crowd heading out at this time of day: couples going for dinner, running errands, and so on.
Finally reaching the nearest park, he began strolling along the paths, his red sneakers, of the same brand he had as a kid, crunching the gravel with each step, a sound blending with children's laughter, dogs barking, and people chatting.
Seen like this, it might seem abstract to believe something could be wrong somewhere. But yet, that could be the case. For all he knew, the couple across from him could be a highly dangerous anomaly capable of destroying the entire planet in mere seconds...
And...
Damn, he was getting carried away already. He'd end up paranoid with this second job.
His phone vibrated, and he pulled it out. Ah, tomorrow's schedule. Izuku looked around to see if he could spot an available bench... Bingo. The greenette approached it and sat down before unlocking his phone. The message had a document attached, and Izuku opened it. Yep, the schedule.
He'd start at 8 a.m. and finish at 6 p.m. Okay. At least he wouldn't have to wake up at 2 a.m. to get ready... Well, he'd still have to get up at 4 a.m., but it was better. At least he wouldn't miss All Might's conference tonight at 9:30 p.m. for going to bed early...
Oh crap, he'd almost forgotten about that! Quickly closing the document, Izuku opened his location app and checked if there was still a store open. Yeah, two kilometers away.
Izuku got up from the bench and activated the route to head to the store. He'd grab one or two things and head home.
Back in the urban jungle, the relative calm of the park gave way to the honking of horns, the hum of engines, the clicking of women's heels, and businessmen's boots on the pavement.
Agitated dogs barking everywhere, bikes and scooters... Occasionally, insults exchanged between two people... Speaking of which, Izuku witnessed one of those altercations, two men on opposite sidewalks yelling insults and pointing fingers while glaring at each other.
The greenette sighed. Just another typical day.
He passed by a shop window displaying the news and allowed himself to stop for a couple of seconds. The current No. 4 hero, Kamui Woods, was interviewed by some journalists of one of the many news channels in Japan about his private life. Girlfriend and things like that. Kamui Woods was trying to deny everything, but journalists being journalists, they weren't backing out on the questions…
However, the scrolling news bar at the bottom caught the young man's attention.
It seemed that the fire he had intervened in had been caused by an iPhone charger left plugged in for too long, which had caught fire. As a result, a safety recall was issued shortly after.
Izuku grimaced and gave a small nod. The worst part was that accidents like this were surprisingly common. Honestly, statistically, domestic accidents caused more deaths per year than villain attacks or natural disasters... The last case like this had involved an electric scooter charger that exploded in its owner's face due to it's instability.
After a while, he turned away and continued walking. A dog nearly tripped him at a crosswalk as it brushed against him out of curiosity, and he almost stepped into a puddle of vomit someone unfortunate had left behind...
It was clear that the life of a regular person, an unknown among so many others, a mere statistic, extra money or less in the state's coffers, was far from exciting.
Especially when that person was quirkless like Izuku.
The young man finally arrived at the store and stepped inside. The supermarket was relatively well-lit, and the greenette greeted the security guard before grabbing a cart to do his shopping. He first headed to the drinks aisle and grabbed an energy drink can and a pack of water bottles.
He then spent a few minutes searching for the ready-made meals section. He didn't feel like cooking tonight, so he picked up a soup and a box of makis. That would do for tonight.
Finally, the last aisle: snacks. A pack of Pringles, the go-to brand since it was created so, so long ago, and his shopping was done.
Paying at the register was quick, as Izuku realized he actually had the store's client card tucked in his wallet, allowing him to use a special checkout lane.
Afterward, he wasted no time heading home to enjoy a nice, hot shower. Once that was done, he changed into comfortable clothes and decided to watch the sunset for a while. Luckily, the building's caretaker never locked the roof door, so he could always step out to sit and admire the sky.
That's exactly what he did. Grabbing a simple jacket and slipping on a pair of white sneakers, he left his apartment, took the stairs, and climbed all the way to the top. Izuku had to lean into the door a bit to get it open, it was quite stiff, but he managed to push it, the iron door emitting a sharp screech as it swung on its hinges.
The sound startled a few pigeons, which flew off in a flutter of wings, prompting an alley cat to meow in frustration as it watched its dinner escape into the distance. Izuku paid no mind to the commotion, instead walking up to the edge and sitting down, playing the dangerous game of letting his feet dangle over the edge.
Rather than focus on the risk, however, Izuku fixed his gaze on the pink and orange hues spreading across the horizon, bathing the city's sea of rooftops in the glow of the setting sun.
Golden streaks stretched across the sky, carried slowly by the wind in a majestic drift, gradually unraveling as the sun prepared to give way to its pale companion.
The light breeze teased through Izuku's dark green locks, and he took a deep breath, savoring the relative tranquility. Shadows lengthened gently, cloaking the narrow streets below in a welcoming dusk.
The artificial lights of the streetlamps began flickering on in the distance, creating a stark contrast between the warm glow of the sun and the cold luminescence of the bulbs.
The green-haired young man let his mind wander for a while, his thoughts swirling and intertwining like the colors in the sky he admired. He was lost in his own world, a place free of worries, the kind of place everyone keeps buried deep within themselves.
A lone seagull soared across the sky, its sharp cry echoing briefly before it disappeared. Izuku closed his eyes, letting himself bask in the fading sunlight until the sun finally slipped behind the tall buildings, abandoning the world it lit to the encroaching darkness of night.
He stayed there a little longer in the cooling air before finally standing up, stretching carefully to avoid accidentally falling, and heading back inside. Izuku made sure to close the door firmly behind him, then descended the stairs back to his floor.
As he opened the door to the stairwell, an elderly woman caught his eye.
"Mrs. Okado!" Izuku greeted warmly with a gentle smile. The old woman was a sweetheart. Nearly 93 years old, she was doing exceptionally well for her age.
The elderly lady returned his smile and turned to him, leaning on her cane with a trembling arm.
"Ah… Midoriya… It's been a while since I've seen you. How are you, my boy?"
It always felt a little odd to him. He stood almost three heads taller than her, and she truly looked like a porcelain doll… fragile but precious.
"I'm doing well, thank you. Work is tough, but I'm managing."
The old woman's smile grew even brighter.
"Ah, being a police officer is never an easy job… But it's comforting to know that our younger generations are so dedicated to such humble work. My boy, you're a rare gem, choosing to sacrifice the chance for fame in another career to help in one so underappreciated by the public… Don't forget that." She raised a trembling finger toward him. "It's on shoulders like yours that the world's foundations rest. Heroes are merely the building. And what is a building without its foundation?"
In the back of his mind, Izuku slightly corrected her words. It wasn't the normal world that was the foundation… but the dangers lurking beneath clear waters. The threat of the abnormality he was about to dive headfirst into.
Seen that way, it was terrifying. One couldn't help but wonder what was truly real. Izuku only realized he had slightly zoned out when the old woman sighed and turned away.
"Well… I must head home… Have a good evening, my boy…"
Izuku bowed his head respectfully, giving the old woman a small nod before continuing on his way to his apartment. He heard Mrs. Okado open her door, step inside, and close it with a resounding click that echoed through the now-silent hallway.
At this rate, he was starting to believe the woman had a sixth sense for saying exactly the right things at the right time.
Once in front of his door, he inserted the key into the lock, opened the heavy door, stepped inside, and closed it behind him before leaning his back against it.
The old woman's words echoed in his head, affecting him more than he realized. A foundation of the world... It only put more pressure on him now.
The greenette shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. That was the problem with being an adult, now he had to worry about all the problems he never had to consider when he was just a kid.
The young man got up, went to the kitchen, and started putting away his groceries, something he hadn't done when he first came home. The water bottles found their place under the sink, while the box of maki and the soup were left on the counter. He put the Pringles in the cupboard above the sink and the energy drink can on the coffee table, thinking he might need it later to stay awake for the conference.
He kept himself busy as best as he could: packing his bag for tomorrow, reading a book, chatting on forums, doing paperwork, checking his bank account and expenses, taxes, and fees if there were any...
In short, a whole bunch of activities kept him occupied until the conference began.
At 9:25 PM, Izuku settled on the couch with his soup, his box of maki, and his energy drink, adjusting a cushion behind his back. The greenette grabbed his phone to check social media, where the event was already trending, and many people were theorizing about what would be said.
The conference was being broadcast live on the national news channel.
At exactly 9:30 PM, All Might appeared.
The conference covered various topics: the importance of training young heroes, anecdotes from his past missions, and messages of hope for the citizens. The young man absorbed it all like the fan he was, even if he could no longer be a hero.
But one question particularly caught his attention.
A journalist asked at one point:
"With the rise of vigilantism due to stricter entry requirements for hero programs, a question has begun to emerge within society. All Might, what are your thoughts on the gray areas of justice? On situations where the law is powerless, but unofficial organizations must intervene?"
All Might thought for a moment, his expression becoming pensive...
"That's a difficult question. I believe that as long as there are people who want to help, even in the shadows, it proves that hope still exists. But..." he paused, "...it's essential that these actions are guided by strong ethics. The shadows must never become an excuse for injustice, even if they aim for the greater good."
Once again, those words dug deep. Wasn't that what he was doing by joining the Foundation? Fighting in the shadows for a world that would never know the sacrifice of thousands?
Shouldn't he follow an ethical code crafted in the shadows to act in the shadows? Did that count for anything?
These thoughts haunted him for the rest of the conference. He even sat there long after it ended, as the evening news began to roll.
…
The theory portion was, to say the least... significant. Izuku had been sitting at a table for nearly seven hours, surrounded by piles of paperwork, single- and multiple-choice quizzes, and all sorts of other tasks.
It was mostly logic-based, but the greenette knew that practice would make all the difference. Well... logic... That was debatable. Everything he was seeing right now defied logic or any rational explanation.
For example, how was anyone supposed to scientifically explain the existence of an immortal lizard? Then again, why was he even surprised? This would become a common occurrence... Izuku opened his small SCP manual when his instructor asked him to, flipping through the pages until he reached the section on containment classifications.
There were several, but apparently, he needed to know the three main ones.
Safe, which could be described as "harmless" or "cute" in some cases, or "very dangerous but harmless as long as you don't mess with it." The kind of thing you could put in a box, seal it, and leave it there, it'd be as effective as any containment cell.
Euclid, which was usually unpredictable. Unsurprisingly, most entities classified as Euclid were humanoid or intelligent to some degree. In short, Euclid meant it could be contained, but research wasn't advanced enough and/or the anomaly was unpredictable.
Keter, the anomalies that would cause chaos if they got out. Usually, their containment measures were extremely complex or required a lot of resources... Most of these entities were contained in the few Sites capable of handling them... something that was becoming increasingly rare.
Izuku remained immersed in the manual as his instructor spoke and explained. Apparently, there were other classes, but they wouldn't cover them due to the limited time available.
It was something Izuku had noticed, too. For a job like this, the physical exams and theoretical portion seemed... lax. Then again, given the number of possible entities and their effects, they couldn't ever make anything truly specific... unless you wanted to memorize billions and trillions of different procedures.
So maybe that was because of this...
It didn't make it any less unnerving. Knowing there were billions of ways to die wasn't exactly reassuring. And still, dying seemed like an acceptable outcome if he believed what the HR lady had said.
Izuku felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.
Then, the instructor stopped talking, handed him a multiple-choice quiz this time, and Izuku began filling out the questions. Hmm... He understood what he was supposed to do, wait, what was an Archon-class?
They hadn't gone over that, had they?
…
8:30 PM.
It was 8:30 PM when he finally left the building. He should have finished two and a half hours earlier. Apparently, that wasn't the case.
He had to fill out even more administrative paperwork, stuff related to his future assignment. He also had to take a photo for his ID.
Basically... A whole bunch of things for the archives, logistics, and HR, as they explained to him. Yeah… He'd deal with it later...
For now, he was exhausted and felt like he might collapse onto his bed as soon as he got home. Easier than expected, he'd thought—yeah, not at all. The greenette pulled out his phone and tapped the buttons to unlock it.
He was too tired to walk home, and all the new information swirling around in his head was giving him a massive headache. He might need to take a painkiller when he got home, though he wasn't sure if he had brought the box from the station... Oh well.
Izuku called a taxi. He was too tired to take the subway… or any public transport, for that matter. What followed was a fifteen-minute wait, during which he had to take shelter under a porch as it started pouring rain. The weather forecast hadn't mentioned anything, so he hadn't brought an umbrella.
The taxi finally arrived. The greenette climbed in, and the vehicle pulled away.
The driver, an almost stereotypical Italian straight out of a comedy or caricature, didn't speak the entire ride. Izuku didn't force him to, either—there was a joke going around about that, and the greenette didn't feel like testing its accuracy.
He soon reached his destination, paid for the ride, and began climbing the stairs. He felt like his body might give out before he reached his apartment, but fortunately, it didn't, and he made it home. He barely managed to take off his wet coat and sweater before collapsing onto his bed with a deep sigh.
Damn, his head hurt.
And sure, it had been manageable enough with containment classes and classifications… but there were still confinement protocols, lockdown codes, operational hierarchies... Basically, a ton of things. The training might have been lax and rushed, but the amount of material to learn in a single day—and for the future—was absolutely overwhelming.
Good thing he had taken notes... Speaking of which...
Ouch, his wrist.
Izuku rolled onto his back with all the grace of a sea lion and massaged his wrist. His phone buzzed, but Izuku decided to check it later. He should eat something and take a shower before going to bed.
The greenette sighed. The day wasn't over yet...
He got up, rubbing the side of his head with a groan. Oh, right, his phone. The greenette picked it up and opened his work messages. Ah, yes, his schedule for tomorrow at the precinct... What was he doing?
Admin...
8:00 AM to 5:30 PM, paperwork at a desk. Hmm. That was manageable. Then, an idea popped into his head. He scrolled back and called his mom.
She should be home by now, likely preparing dinner. That didn't stop him from pressing the call button. She answered almost immediately.
"IZUKUUUU! MY BABY BOY!"
He smiled.
"Hi, Mom. How are you? I hope I'm not disturbing you?"
"My precious baby boy could never bother me," she replied warmly. "It's been a long day, I'm a bit tired, but otherwise, I'm doing fine. I was just about to sit down for dinner. And you? Is everything okay?"
Izuku nodded unconsciously.
"Everything's fine on my end. I'm planning to shower and eat something after this call."
"You haven't eaten yet?" Inko exclaimed in surprise. "You usually eat early."
The greenette let out a small laugh.
"I had one or two things to take care of first."
Lying. It gave him a strange, stomach-churning sensation... Especially to his mom… A real knot in his gut.
"Are you free tomorrow night?" Izuku asked, and his mom chuckled softly.
"You want to come over for dinner, don't you? When are you finally going to find a girlfriend? I'm still waiting for my grandchildren. You need someone to keep you company already."
"Yes…" Izuku admitted absentmindedly, before realizing the second part and turning bright red. "MOM!"
Inko burst out laughing
I know, I know. It seemed pretty quick for a theorical part. But I have two reasons.
1- As I said, it's fine studying a dozen types of SCPs... NOT TEN THOUSAND since every anomaly is different.
2- They need staff. So Izuku needs to be drafted in the Foundation as fast as humanly possible. You do not want to be understaffed when you contain some abhorrent that came out of the darkest dungeon of Xarsuraksak. (Well, they are already understaffed but one more guy to use is still better than nothing ain't it?)
So, I am truly sorry if it feels rushed.