The Mount-Lady Agency was silent. They weren't one of those agency's that received calls often, but the silence that over took their office wasn't one out of inactivity. There was a large screen in the office area that was usually kept on a news channel. Ichimoku was always keeping an eye out for some segment that was aimed at his boss – it was his job to be on top of it; to prepare a response if necessary. So, as per usual, when he and the workers came in, he switched it on.
A single segment was playing across all channels. When this type of news breaks, it's certainly talked about for hours as a tragedy: another Hero dying for the cause of bettering society. However, he didn't die in battle, he didn't die of natural causes, he didn't die quietly – out of sight, in some alleyway where few would ever see it.
His body was on display upon the doors of his own agency in Hosu City. Witnesses had said it was non-existent one minute and then, suddenly, there in the next. They said he was strung up in wires and ropes. They said he had a tomahawk buried in his chest. Long after the police removed the body, they showed that there was graffiti upon the doors behind him.
"FALSE HERO"
It wasn't too long before calls began to fill the office. There wasn't a preexisting relationship for the gossipers to leap at, so the calls were mainly the local police stations. Not because something had happened, but in preparation for what will. With such a violent crime hitting the populace's screens, there were going to be a great deal of people panicking over every little noise. Heroes were expected to double their patrols and On-Call Heroes were officially called. Thus, Ichimoku went to work, getting a route ready while connecting with other nearby Heroes to lessen the overall workload.
As her workers glued themselves to their phones and computers, Yu remained before the screen. She felt a spark underneath her skin – static bubbling. Her breathing forcibly slowed as she brought her arms close to her chest. Fingernails pushed against the tips of her gloves as her hands clutched her biceps.
"That could've…" She shook her head. "No… No…!" Her jaw tightened, "He was just—" Her eyes widened when she heard the elevator doors' ping. A quick turn and she saw her sidekick step forward.
"You've all seen it too," he muttered while walking over. "I saw it on my phone…" He didn't quite focus on her – almost immediately glued to the screen like she was.
"Hm…" she hummed in acknowledgement. "Wait, come on, Yu… This is supposed to be a learning experience, isn't it…?" She shook her head. "Um, we're patrolling today. When situations like these pop up… it's basically all hands on deck."
"Understood," he said. When his eyes met hers, she blinked. "I'll suit up."
Midoriya then walked around her, moving to a changing room. "What the hell…?" she thought. "Isn't he scared at all…?" Her head lowered. "If he isn't scared…" She gritted her teeth and shook her head. "It's just a patrol… It's just an everyday patrol… in broad daylight…" Her hands balled into fists. "We'll be fine… Everything will be fine…"
-XXX-
"Do you think this could be the work of the Hero Killer?" was what the reporter asked of the police officer.
Izuku cocked a brow as he exited the changing room in costume with his helmet tucked underneath his arm. The officer wasn't going to speculate – especially, not on the day of discovery. "Chasing down a story or just trying to generate more attention…?" He noticed that Ichimoku was speaking to Mount-Lady or had, rather, as they were both paying attention to the screen again.
"Hero Killer, huh?" murmured Ichimoku. "Can't believe that guy is still on the loose…"
"He basically disappeared afterwards, though…" Mount-Lady shrugged, "It's been—what? A month since then? He used to have another victim every other week."
"This is the face of a True Hero!" echoed in Izuku's mind.
"False Hero… It's… too similar of an idea… but…" He slipped the helmet over his head. "It's not really his style… Forty victims, one failure, and then he changes everything up…?" His eyes were drawn to the screen again. "Native… I don't think he was that popular…" He fished out his phone and looked the victim up. "He had a controversy a while back… Injured a woman…" His face contorted underneath his visor. "Stain isn't a vigilante… He's an anti-media serial killer… Isn't he…?" He tilted his head. "That False Hero tag really seems like something he would say, at the very least…" His eyes widened for a moment before he shook his head. "Oh god… please don't tell me he has a fan…"
"Hey, kid," acknowledged Ichimoku.
Izuku nodded as he stepped forward. "H-Hey…"
"Alright, you and the Boss got a planned route this time," started Ichimoku, holding up a tablet. "It's all right here." He handed it over and Izuku found a picture of Musutafu's streets. It was pulled up on the device's default 'paint' program with crudely drawn lines down said streets in different colors. "Now, Mount-Lady will handle the public and the press if they show. You're in charge of this."
Izuku began to save the picture to the tablet's gallery. "Now, since we're all hands on deck, we're gonna take advantage and lessen the workload." He then opened the tablet's 'LYNE' messenger app. "Boss's Quirk is unique in that it doesn't quite jive with the small things. Like petty theft, vandalism, and even some robberies. So, her route, colored in purple, is focused in big open areas with wide streets like the worker's district – where we are, Takoba Municipal Beach Park, and so on."
Izuku typed in his email, nodding along. "Those other routes belong to Death-Arms and Kamui Woods: blue and green, respectively. Woods' route is running through shopping districts and places where a lot of alleys meet. Death-Arms is mostly in the suburbs and other residential areas. Now, on that, you'll see that those three routes line up and intersect on occasion. Particularly, on the border of those said areas."
Mount-Lady nodded, "We're expected to link together with them at the listed times in the legend." Izuku sent the picture of the routes to his phone. "While, technically, we don't need to, seeing multiple Heroes together on a relaxed stroll of a patrol will put people at ease."
Ichimoku reached behind him and brought up a walkie-talkie with a wired earpiece. "Now, this is not a toy." Izuku handed the tablet over and showed Ichimoku his phone. "Nice," he said, setting the device aside. "This walkie-talkie is set to an open line to all police stations in Musutafu – they have a whole team dedicated to answering this line. Boss's line is set up in her mask, and you get this." Handing the walkie-talkie to Izuku, he emphasized, "This is only if you need help with detainment, crowd control, or updates when it comes to your route."
"People might also report anything they might find suspicious, so tell me what they say and I'll tell you if you should tell them," added Mount-Lady.
"That call team will ask for street names and landmarks if you're in a difficult area," noted Ichimoku.
"Understood," said Izuku.
Ichimoku reached behind him and pulled out a file. "Now, when you talk into it, say your Hero name…" He read aloud, "Agent Midoriya…?" He blinked, "You need a PR team…" He coughed, "And report."
"You said something about updating the route?" asked Izuku.
"Like, if you're stepping off route to respond to something, get delayed because of traffic, you get to the rendezvous points ahead of time – that sort of thing," said Ichimoku.
"Okay…"
Mount-Lady then said, "And, your classmates are probably gonna be on the other end of the walkies – it's business only. If you want to chat with them, wait or call, clear?"
"Clear."
Ichimoku checked his watch. "In five minutes, they'll do a little roll call, respond with your Hero name, and out the doors you go."
"Heard."
As Ichimoku nodded and walked away, Mount-Lady started, "Now, some advice…"
"A-Another thing?" joked Izuku.
She chuckled in turn. "Yeah, just a small thing." She advised, "Stay relaxed. If you get antsy, start craning your neck around every corner, you'll get people thinking that there's something to be on the lookout for. And, if the bad guys think you're looking, the more they'll try and hide. If they think you're oblivious, they'll get brave and, in turn, stupid."
Izuku nodded before shaking his head and waggling his shoulders. "Stay relaxed."
"You'll do fine," giggled Mount-Lady, patting his shoulder.
-XXX-
[All Heroes, this is Musutafu Control. Prepare for a roll call.]
Jirou Kyoka winced before she quickly turned her walkie-talkie down. The earphone for the device wasn't really comfortable – just getting it on was a headache due to her Quirk. She stood in the lobby of Death-Arms' Agency with the Hero himself. "What happened to Native is crazy…" She then shook the memory of that TV screen from her head before nodding to herself. "Us doing this is good… Everyone could do with a little peace of mind…"
"Be careful! MY BABY GIRL!", cried her father when she left for the agency this morning.
"What a sap…" she thought, feeling embarrassment bubbling up to her face – in spite of the smile on her face.
[Beginning roll call now,] started Control. [Report in: Agent Midoriya.]
There was a moment of silence. [A-Agent…] He trailed off. [Midoriya!], he exclaimed. [H-Here…] he finished.
[Confirmed.]
Kyoka snickered into her head, turning away from the Pro to try to maintain some sense of professionalism.
[Report: Death-Arms.]
"Death-Arms, confirmed," replied the Pro.
[Confirmed.] Control continued, [Report: Earphone Jack.]
Kyoka sucked in a breath to choke down her chuckle. She then cleared her throat before saying, "Uh, Earphone Jack, r-reporting in."
[Confirmed.]
She let out a breath of relief and her mentor gave her a supportive thumbs-up.
Control continued through the call, getting Woods, Mount-Lady, and Ashido as Pinky in. The last one up was, [Report: Puppeteer.]
[Puppeteer, reporting in,] replied Shinso.
[Confirmed.]
Kyoka nodded to herself. "Right… that's what Shinso went for… It's not a terrible Hero name – kinda captures everything he does without being explicit about it…"
[All Heroes are confirmed and present,] concluded Control. [Please begin your patrols. First expected rendezvous: Death-Arms and Mount-Lady at 11:30 AM.]
[Got it,] said Mount-Lady.
"Heard," replied Death-Arms before gesturing to Kyoka. "Come on, kid."
Kyoka nodded, "R-Right," before following him out the front doors.
Death-Arms was an… interesting Pro to work under. One of the first things he made her do was endurance running. He made her push until her calves burned and her lungs strained. Next thing he did was make an off-balance barbell that matched the weight of Orpheus and had her practice swing it in his gym. He also taught her how to swing the thing like an axe rather than a bat – shifting her hold on it at the pinnacle of its arc for the best impact. In summary, she had a strenuous upper body workout a day after horrific cardio.
"Shiketsu didn't prepare me for that…" she thought, rolling her still aching shoulders. She also realized, at the time, that, "Midoriya's costume has been pretty uncomfortable… You'd think all of that running would break it in, but…" She shook her head. "And, since these patrols are in broad daylight, I've been missing all that air-conditioning in Shiketsu…" Then, as they rounded a corner, Kyoka realized she was actually really close to it as Orpheus lovingly notified her – by smacking into it and in turn, into her. She tripped and stumbled before recovering and quickly catching up with Death-Arms.
She pulled her cap down, trying to hide her flushed face. "Orpheus… I love you, buddy, but…" She pulled on the strap of the Support-Arm tugged on to readjust its position on her back. "You and I are just not getting along out here…" She patted the strap across her torso. "It's not you… I just… I thought all the practice I did with you last week would've been enough, but… man…"
Frustration bubbled in her chest as she frowned. "Worst part is… I'm gonna run into Midoriya…" She meddled with the locks of her hair. "I don't want to sound ungrateful… It's neat he made all of this for me, but…" She groaned internally, pinching her brow. "What a pain…"
"Eyes up, Jack," said Death-Arms.
"Y-Yes, sir."
The man looked forward, scratching his chin for a moment, before eventually asking, "Something on your mind?"
"Uh…" She shook off her hesitation before explaining who Midoriya is and the whole thing with Orpheus.
"I… guess I can see why you're concerned…" He put his hands on his hips. "But, if this Midoriya is your friend, then he'll understand and value your comfort. And… considering his field, he'll need to get used to making these adjustments, anyway." He shrugged, "In the end, costumes and Support-Arms are like any other product: a shirt, a utility tool… You can get it – custom-made even, and yet, it doesn't click the way you want it to."
"So, it's all normal?" summarized Kyoka.
"Completely."
"Hm…" She nodded to herself. "Thanks."
Death-Arms looked straight ahead. "No problem."
"Completely normal, huh…?" She whirled one of her jacks around her finger. "And… It's Midoriya… I'm probably just overthinking all of this…"
-XXX-
"She told me to be relaxed… Stay relaxed…" thought Izuku. "I'm not relaxed… I can't relax… I'm overthinking everything…!"
Mount-Lady and Agent Midoriya's patrol was off to a great start. Since they were mainly going through the workers' district, the streets they walked were pretty empty. There was still the occasional passerby, and that was slowly becoming an issue for Izuku. They weren't expecting to see people since most would be at work. So, the fact that there were people wandering around was concerning for the sidekick.
Now, it wasn't the occasional worker – either in formal attire, restaurant uniform, or construction gear – that caught his attention. The person, or possibly people, he noticed were dressed casually, normal even. Adorned in a blue/grey hoodie and dark jeans, they walked on the other side of the street… multiple times.
Izuku didn't spot them at first, but he noticed when the same attire wandered down the street in one direction and then, a minute or two after, walked in the opposite. Next, they would turn a corner, disappear from view, and then appear – rounding another, down the road, corner; walking in the opposite direction.
It became stranger when he incorporated the fact that they weren't walking straight down a singular road. As per their route, they took turns; they didn't cross some intersections and took a right or crossed an intersection to go left. Even still, hoodie-and-jeans made an appearance in one direction or another on the other side of the street.
When they made a right turn, Izuku had half a mind to spin around to see if he could spot them running across an intersection to keep up their routine. "First time was déjà vu… Second time was 'there's a glitch in the matrix'… Third, fourth, and fifth time is we're being followed…" However, he needed to make sure he wasn't crazy, so he picked up the pace so he could inform Mount-Lady of what he was noticing.
And she said, "As crazy as it sounds, it could be a fan who hasn't worked up the courage to come over for an autograph or something…" She nudged him. "But, good catch, and keep an eye on it. Especially if they cross the road over to us. If you think it's the same person, let me know. And, remember, let them think we're oblivious and they'll trip up." She shrugged, "Not to mention, we can't exactly arrest someone for following a celebrity around."
In spite of what she said, he could tell it bothered her. The way her shoulders grew more tense and her pace quickened. He was walking behind so he wasn't certain, but the back-and-forth turn of her head made it seem like she was keeping an eye on things herself as well.
"If they're a fan…" thought Izuku before, while in between glances, did a cursory search of Mount-Lady through a few social sites. "Who could resist posting about their favorite Hero…?"
"The most recent posts don't have a lot of traffic…" A few of them pertained to images – specifically of today, during their patrol. Most seemed to be on the other side of glass: people in their work spaces or in restaurants during their lunch, who just so happened to notice her. A few glances and scrolls later, he found a particular one with little notice of a shot of him and her across a street. "No caption, though…" He clicked on the account and found, "Nothing…"
Izuku put his phone away. "I'll just focus on keeping an eye out… Those other posts were getting pretty popular though…" He quickened to match Mount-Lady's pace. "H-Hey, some people started posting about our patrol and where we are."
Mount-Lady sucked at her teeth before shaking her head. "Great…" Her hand rose to her ear. "Control, we're advancing on the rendezvous ahead of schedule. Prep police response for a potential crowd."
[Received. Once reached, please relay so Death-Arms can give ETA.]
"Got it." She explained to Izuku. "Let's get there fast." She sighed, "Get ready for an impromptu meet-and-greet, kid."
-XXX-
Yu hasn't been a Hero for very long, but she had gotten more than a good sense for this side of things. With Native's attack spreading throughout the morning news, there would be a swift dip of information to report as it was an ongoing investigation. No one was going to get any 'hot, new' scoops about the murder, so they were going to shift their attention to try and keep people on their websites and channels. After a tragedy, some believe the best medicine would be 'happy' news, or rather, gossip. While her most recent 'scandal' was nipped in the bud before it came to fruition, she and Woods disappeared for a whole day in between 'together'. They would serve as a nice little distraction for the public. "Nothing distracts better than a good scandal about a few of your favorite Heroes…"
She had a good idea of what their response time would be when her name started getting hits again. So, she planned ahead, and found a sort of plaza near the rendezvous. It was an area with a few restaurants and street stalls – a place to catch workers in their commutes or lunches. She got permission, at the cost of a picture and an autograph, to 'set up' in front of a cafe. She took a table in the outside seating area and had Midoriya wait inside.
"When they show, they'll crowd around me at this table. Luckily, it has this gate and fence that I can use as a barrier." She directed Midoriya to, "Stay in between this gate and the door. They'll probably be fans, and you'll let them through one at a time." She added, "If things get too chaotic, we'll slip through the cafe and out the back. Otherwise, we'll use Death-Arms as our excuse to leave when he shows, and have the police disperse the crowd."
Then, like moths to a flame, they arrived, and akin to children in front of an ice cream truck, they were a mess. People screamed questions at her, trying to get statements about the murder, Woods, Shiketsu, and her sidekick. It felt familiar, but she noticed something new: a lack of flash photography.
"Shiketsu's media embargo has them scared… While it can't apply outside the city the school's in, they're known for pursuing legal action, and no one wants to take that risk…" She peered over her shoulder and spotted Midoriya, blacked-out helmet and all. He stood where she had asked with his arms crossed and his back against the wall. She chuckled internally, "He looks like a bodyguard…" She turned back to the crowd, and began answering questions and giving statements.
Do you know anything about the Native Incident? "No, I haven't been made aware of anything beyond what's been covered by the news. It was truly horrible to see, and I only have the best of wishes for his family and friends."
Do you give any weight to the theory that it might've been the work of the Hero Killer? "I cannot comment on that. We'll all have to wait for the Hosu City Police Department to complete their investigation. I know the unknown is scary, but I'm confident that they'll find the person responsible swiftly."
What do you think of Kamui Woods' coming biographical movie? "I congratulate him. I hope it is everything he wishes it will be."
What do you say to the rumors that the two of you are dating? "We are not."
You've taken in a sidekick in spite of it being your first year as a Hero. Why? "I simply want to pay back the generous opportunity I've been given by helping the next generation forward."
As she got into a comfortable groove, she waved for Midoriya to allow fans to approach one at a time. In between questions given and answers returned, she took pictures and signed autographs. It wasn't too difficult since her fans seemed few and far in between. After all, they were still in the workers' district on a school day.
Though, there was an awkward lull in the fans' arrival which prompted Yu to notice Midoriya coughing to get her attention. She peeked and saw someone in a hoodie and jeans… "The person Midoriya noticed…" She looked ahead and answered another question. "Kid wants to know if I'm alright meeting them considering…" She sighed internally before turning and nodding. "While there aren't many cameras, there's still a crowd of people… They wouldn't do anything too crazy…"
She turned, answered a question, and then acknowledged the hood-covered person. A boy it seemed – older than Midoriya but younger than her it seemed. "Hello."
"H-Hi." He was shaking and his eyes were avoidant. "I-I can't believe I'm meeting you…"
"The pleasure's mine." She extended her hand. "What's your name?"
He shook it, gripping a little too tightly. "Really?" His eyes met hers for the first time.
"Of course!" she grinned. "It's always so nice to meet a fan."
He smiled, "Wow!" His head slowly lowered; his smile wavered. "W-Who… who is he?"
His head shifted to Midoriya. "My sidekick?" she asked.
"Your sidekick…" he echoed.
"Yes…?"
"What made you pick him?" he questioned.
"Random chance…" she thought. "His record seemed impressive," she lied.
"O-Oh… I see…" he replied. "Thanks…" He let go of her hand, turned, and walked back to the gate.
"Oh, uh, do you want an autograph or…" He seemed to ignore her. "He didn't even tell me his name…" She turned and answered a question leveled at her by a reporter. "Maybe he'll realize he didn't even get a picture…" she thought, deciding to turn and see if the fan would realize the mistake.
Said fan was speaking to Midoriya, opening their mouth…
Time slowed… Midoriya's head rocketed back as a narrow, horn-like spike pierced the glass of his helmet. The crunch of the visor caving to the projectile echoed louder in her ears than the screams, gasps, and cries of the crowd around them. Another spike slammed into his chest then his stomach before a hiss of gas roared against the ground. Midoriya's body crashed through the cafe window behind him, slamming against a table and disappearing from view.
As the crowd of civilians and reporters ran away, the fan turned to her. His darkened face was wet with running tears and his mouth hung lower than a jaw should've allowed. He let out a choke and a hack, gagging, as the point of another spike peeked out from the back of his throat.
"Mount-Lady," he cooed. "It's just us now… We can be happy together." His voice echoed, reverberating throughout the cavern of his own maw. "Just… us…"
The corners of his wide mouth perked upwards in an abyss-filled smile as black ooze dripped off his chin.
"We'll be together for… ever…"
-\ XXX /-
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Thank you for reading and criticize away!
Update Window: March 20th - March 31st
Intended Due Date: March 20th - 25th