Snake sat close to Midoriya, as their fishing rods hung over the sides of Mother Base. It was something all members of MSF had done at least once before, fishing over the sides of the massive structure. This, however, was Midoriya's first time. This was all but apparent as he held the fishing rod on the wrong end. Not to mention when the hook got caught in his hair, he all but freaked out until Snake got it out.

Now that he thought about it, the kid seemed to freak out the most when he wasn't around. He mentally took note of this for later, when he felt a tug on his pole. He pulled it in fast, the fish fighting against him with all his strength. It had to be a monster of a creature with the fight it was putting up. He could feel it stop resisting when it finally exited the water. Something was wrong though, the weight of the fish was all but gone.

He expected it to have escaped, only for the others around him to bust out laughing. He was confused for a moment before he found out why. On the pole was the smallest-looking shrimp he had ever seen. The thing was no bigger than his pinky. He couldn't help but laugh at it as well. Damn thing made him think it was a shark. He thought he spotted Midoriya having a bit of a chuckle as well, but he wasn't sure.

The kid had started pulling on his rod. He tried his best, but Snake could see his hands slipping off the pole. He grabbed it before it could fall away, holding it in front of the kid. Midoriya seeing the rod still in front of him kept reeling it in as Snake held on. The fish came up slowly, and Snake felt his foot slipping slightly. Soon a soldier came over to help, then another. Almost two dozen were holding onto the rod as Midoriya reeled it in. All Snake could think, was what the hell was this thing? Grunting from trying to hold on to the rod, he looked down at Midoriya.

"Come on kid, you almost got it!" he encouraged. It seemed to be enough for him, as he reeled the fish out of the water. Snake and the soldiers fell back from the lack of resistance, yet they held on strong. Unlike his fish, Snake could still feel the weight on the rod. He hoisted it over the ledge, laying his eyes on the three-foot-long Japanese sea bass. He could hear Midoriya celebrating his catch loudly. The kid was almost dumbstruck that he had managed to do so, and Snake could see him smiling.

The other soldiers around him began congratulating the kid, even if he couldn't understand them. He did however turn red and nervous from the praise. For Snake, that was enough fishing for the day. So walking down Mother Base's platforms he hauled the sea bass as Midoriya carried the rods, the kid excitedly talking the whole way.

"It was so cool! I thought it got away, but it didn't and it's so big! What are going to do with it?" he spoke rapidly, making it hard for Snake to make out what he said.

"With a catch like this, I'm thinking it'll make for a good meal."

"Really? What does it taste like?" Midoriya asked, curiosity lining his face.

"I've never had one before, so I assume it's better than a tree frog."

Midoriya stuck out his tongue in disgust, the image of Snake now eating a frog reaching his mind.

"Eww, you ate a frog?" he asked, his face resembling his hair color.

"More or less, if you think that's gross, then you won't like the taste of a snake either."

That seemed to mess with him, as the kid started covering his ears as they walked. Reaching the mess hall, Snake gave the chefs the fish who took it into the freezer for later. Then spotting Paz in the room, he had her watch Midoriya as he went to drop off the fishing rods. The trip there was simple enough, however, he was interrupted on the way back. His codec started ringing, with Snake answering it.

"Snake," Miller stated, "we're almost back at Mother Base. I… need to show you something."

He could hear the hesitance in Kaz's voice. He remembered Miller went out to find Midoriya's parents, he said he found a lead. Snake didn't like what that implied. He made his way over to the command platform's helipad, watching as Miller's helicopter came closer to the platform. When it finally landed the door swung open, and Kaz stepped out, followed by two oddly dressed individuals. Both of them had bags covering their heads and had their arms zip-tied. It wasn't what drew his attention though.

With utmost delicacy, the soldiers with Miller, slowly lifted a body bag out of the helicopter. He looked towards Kaz, the man's saddened face already telling him enough.

"His mom is dead. All the official reports ruled it as a drunken suicide."

Anger swept through Snake as his attention changed to the bagged individuals. Miller followed his eyes as he continued.

"Obviously, that wasn't the case. These two 'heroes' are proof of that."

Kaz couldn't help but say the word with malice. Heroes, it made Snake's blood boil. To think this is what a hero is considered now.

"What about his father?"

Miller sighed, removing his glasses from his face with one hand, as his other rubbed his eyes.

"Also dead, killed on the same day as his mother. The report stated suicide via an electric current in a bath."

Angrily, Snake clenched his fists. To think this happened so easily, that a child could so quickly lose his family. Snake knew it all too well, but a child shouldn't have to. It's what made this so hard. What do they do now? Tell the kid, and expose him to the truth that his family is dead? It didn't seem right, to blind him with false hope that would inevitably be destroyed.

He would have to know, eventually. Even then, they only had one body for him to say goodbye to. Snake didn't know whose body it was, but it seemed disrespectful to check now. Angrily he turned to Osprey and Whale.

"Get these two outta my sight."

They both saluted, quickly replying "On it Boss!" before harshly grabbing the prisoners. He would deal with the heroes later, yet he noticed something between Miller's arms. He hadn't noticed it before, but he was more distracted with the body. It was cylindrical and appeared paper-like. Kaz seemed to notice as he cleared his throat.

"I found these at the kid's home, I thought he might want them."

He unrolled them with care, the posters showing off a hero in costume. His hair seemingly defied gravity, and his smile was blinding. The costume was a skin-tight combination of red, white, blue, and yellow. Snake couldn't help but recognize him from Midoriya's drawings.

"I brought more than the posters though, had to call in an extra chopper to transport the rest of his stuff," Miller commented, rolling the posters back up.

"Heh, the kid had his room decorated like a shrine," Kaz joked. Snake could believe it, Midoriya had started taping his drawings to the wall. It brought forth a sad realization for him. This was the kid's home now. Both his parents were dead, and they weren't sure if he had any other family left alive. They couldn't send him to an orphanage or a foster home, not with HPSC looking for him. They were all he had. He couldn't help but think back to the Boss. What she meant to him, was all too similar. He subconsciously pulled out a cigar, lighting it slowly.

"They haven't reported back."

"Of course, those numbskulls haven't reported back! They're probably signing autographs at some casino again."

He grumbled already upset with his compatriots' behavior. When the HPSC gives them a task, they do it with no questions asked. Yet here these two schmucks were doing nothing. He couldn't believe how simple the assignment they screwed up was. All they had to do was check in on an apartment. But no they had to go do whatever the hell they were up to. It wasn't even that big of an apartment!

But he kept these thoughts to himself, as he and his partner entered the room. As expected, it was empty. Figures those two didn't show up. He was about to leave when his buddy called him over.

"Was this room always empty?"

That left him a bit confused, of course, it would be. Everything is sent out via the victim's apparent will. The only thing left behind was the All Might shrine. None of the stuff there was covered by the will, and as such was being auctioned off. The price of it all left the bid stalled for months. So they settled on leaving it here for the moment.

Arriving he could see what his partner meant. The room was empty, stripped of all its belongings. It was done thoroughly too, with entire shelves now missing from the walls.

"Must of been a villain. I told them they should have locked off the door."

"I don't know Turbulence, villains aren't usually so methodical."

"Really, when's the last time you fought a villain Quicksand?"

"Hey, I'm just saying it's odd. Still, we're gonna have to report this."

This was a truly astonishing achievement that humanity had made, Strangelove noted. She had known before of the possibility of a digital landscape of information, her specialty was in AI after all. But to see it truly come to fruition is another thing. How expansive the internet had become was astonishing. The last she heard, ARPANET was relegated to only military use. Now it was something new entirely and used in everything. Hundreds of digital videos, articles, shops, maps, images, and other things.

It was all too interesting, to say the least. The entirety of human knowledge was now at her fingertips. Snake had been skeptical at first, as he always was with things like these. Stating how he trusted a book more than some machine. She couldn't blame him. For as wonderful as the internet was, she had found seven blatant lies in the first ten seconds of scrolling. That didn't matter for now though. What she was looking for was far more important.

A police report for Midoriya. Miller had at first assigned the mission to the intelligence team, but all their systems were too analog to work with modern equipment. Then they tried the devices the heroes had with them. It was some type of mobile phone, one that had access to the internet. But of course, no one knew how it worked.

So they came to her, hoping her knowledge of computers could help. I mean it did somewhat, but even she still knew little. All the components of the device were too complex, less so than an AI pod, but enough to stall progress. When she eventually got it she was overwhelmed by information. Trying to swim through a slew of pointless facts, articles, and opinion pieces.

She found it though, even with how long it took. It made it a pain to stand up. Her eyes glued onto the screen. She made her way down the halls until she found Miller, the man trying to woo one of Mother Base's few women. A smack to the head ended it quickly as Strangelove dragged his attention away.

"You know, you didn't have to hit me. Saying please would have worked just fine." Miller stated, rubbing the back of his head. He became quiet when she showed him the report. Izuku Midoriya, missing, last seen five months ago. Inko Midoriya, drunken suicide. Hisashi Midoriya, suicide. It went on and on listing off family members, whether old or incredibly distant. They were dead. Cut off the vine of society in an instant. It was the date of the reports that made it worse, they were only one month ago.

A family friend had dropped by and found the kid's mother bleeding in a dumpster. The sheer convenience that no one had noticed, was intentional. The autopsy stated the body itself demonstrated it was there for a few days, not months. Meaning it was preserved until the very moment they needed it. Strangelove saw Miller very nearly punch the wall. They knew it was a coverup, but to see how far it went? That was something else entirely. It was when they told Snake that things got truly heated.

"So," Snake started, "based on what we have, they control the police, heroes, and several corporate entities, if that complex they held the kid in was anything to go by."

"It's worse than that," Miller stated, "they are also an official government organization."

"So for all we know, this could go to the top," Snake commented.

"It very well might, I did the numbers," Strangelove added, "do any of you know how much money is in heroics?"

Both men shook their heads no.

"Roughly eight hundred billion, in the US alone."

That seemingly knocked the wind out of them. The sheer amount of money was unheard of. Sure this was two hundred years into the future, but even that number seemed ludicrous. They looked back over to her confused, as she continued.

"In my time on the internet, I found one major similarity between all cultures. An obsession with heroes."

She pulled out the phone they took and began moving over to the news section on the device. The first twenty articles were about the actions of heroes, the next twenty were opinion pieces on heroes, and the final twenty were rumors about heroes' love lives. She swapped over to a section for shopping, the entire thing covered with merchandising deals for a bunch of unknown heroes. She went to a movie review section, every movie had a hero. On and on she went. Decorative plates, coffee mugs, pens, t-shirts, cars, music, toys, TV shows, candy, books, everything had a hero on it.

"The world itself latched onto heroes both economically and culturally, there isn't a single industry on the planet that isn't somehow in the hero business. The militaries, fire departments, and police forces of the world, which were once dominant industries, have become replaced or pushed to the sidelines because of heroes."

They could see the results themselves. It made more sense why technology had stagnated so much. The public culture and will had shifted away from technology and more towards heroes and powers. The once proud US defense budget was now sitting at a bare forty million.

"Remember, I said for just the US. This is a near worldwide market. The number might very well be past a trillion."

"With that kind of money, there's no way the government isn't involved," Miller said, rubbing his eyes.

"An organization with the reputation of Hollywood, the capital of a global superpower, and the moral compass of the CIA," Snake added, now in shock at the situation. This seemed like something bigger than they could handle, but there was no backing out now. And they had no intention to.

Midoriya was confused when Miller and Snake led him back to his room. They said something about showing him a surprise. On the way there they seemed tense, almost worried. What did they have to be worried about? Maybe had a big mission coming up, maybe that was it. He didn't know as he walked down the halls, making sure to keep up with them. They only stopped right outside his room, next to the sides of the door.

"Well kid, go on," Snake said, moving to open the door. His eyes widened as he looked in. All his stuff resting neatly in his room. Every All Might action figure, collectible pen, and other knick knacks. It was all disorganized and out of order, but he didn't care. He slowly walked through the room, looking at everything he had gotten over the years. The bed that was originally given to him was taken out and replaced with the one from home. Same as the room's original desk.

He wiped away tears that were forming, all the while smiling brightly. He couldn't help but laugh a little as he turned around. He very nearly tackled Snake, running and hugging him. Snake chuckled as he returned the gesture.

"You're welcome kid, though it's Kaz you should be thanking."

As fast as he had tackled Snake, Midoriya was now hugging Miller. He barely heard the fast mutterings of a hyper-six-year-old.

"Thank you thank you thank youthankyouthankyou!"

"Heh, it's nothing kid."

He let go of Kaz and then, ran back into the room excitedly as he began organizing his collection. He didn't notice how Snake's previous smile suddenly became downtrodden. They would tell him, but not today. Not when he was so happy. So Kaz said goodbye, as Snake stayed. He didn't know why he stayed, but the kid always liked it when he did.

It was odd watching him work, taking some posters down and putting others up. Having some kind of system. Snake couldn't help but find it a little funny, a six-year-old being this organized. Yet the kid was happy. However, that did leave one question.

"Midoriya, who is All Might?" Snake asked him, holding up one of the many posters of the man. The kid gasped loudly, and Snake worried he had torn the poster or something. Instead, he looked over to find Midoriya shocked, not in horror, but surprised.

"You don't know who All Might is?!" he all but yelled.

"I'm assuming he's pretty famous," Snake commented, unaware of the can of worms he opened.

"He's the number one hero! He started as a hero…" the kid went on a long tangent describing the hero. Snake was pretty sure he stopped breathing once or twice throughout the entire thing. Describing the feats and power All Might had demonstrated. It was incredible, to say the least, a man strong enough to hold up a bridge with one hand. He didn't know what to think of him.

He seemed all right, but the first two heroes he met had killed someone and kidnapped the kid. He hoped they weren't all like them, pawns to some greater organization. But he couldn't truly tell. For now, he kept a curious face as Midoriya went on.

"He's just so cool!" Midoriya finished a wide smile gracing his face.

"He's something I'll say," Snake commented, "I'm going to assume he's your favorite."

He gestured to the room then, Midoriya nodding his head rapidly. He saw the kid stop though, just for a moment he stopped. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but quickly shut it, focusing on finishing the room. The kid would do this five more times, seemingly too afraid to ask. Snake didn't want to pry, something about it worried him. So he focused his mind elsewhere, looking at the poster now on the walls.

The President couldn't help but be mad at the response she had been given. The Elementals had been sent to check in on the constant's old home, only to find someone had been there previously. They attempted to write it off as a normal villain, but she knew otherwise. After all two of The Elementals were now missing and hadn't been seen in weeks. The number of fan girls they had to detain when the news leaked could have filled up Taurtarus. The only caveat was the little information they had been given. CCTV cameras from a nearby store spotted the blond man that was in the helicopter the dimensional constant escaped in.

It gave them confirmation that this organization was involved, if only due to their proximity. They at least had a face. They didn't know who he was or his role in the organization, but they knew he was a part of it. And sometimes that was all they needed. The paperwork said otherwise, however. Several groups in the HPSC were asking for funding. One wanted to invest in a new hero school, and others wanted to start a new line of merchandise. And to the President's surprise, they had nothing in the budget to investigate this organization.

They ran out of funds for the operation weeks ago. Everything else was diverted to more critical endeavors or more dangerous villains. If she wanted to go after this group, she would have to cut back on another. It seemed they would have to wait until the next quarter. Unless she did something else. An idea was coming to fruition. She checked her bank and was satisfied with its contents.

She stood up and left her office, going to one of the many rooms dedicated to digital surveillance. There she went to the department head, a man with the codename Techno. The man himself was average in all sorts of words. His height, his black haircut, his clothes, everything. It was his quirk, that provided any real difference. Technokinesis as it was called, was a rather vague term for what it was truly capable of. The only visible sign it existed was the slight silvery tinge of his skin.

"Madam President," Techno started, "to what do I owe the pleasure of your arrival?"

"I have a task for you." She ordered, handing the man a small report, "I want a bounty on the dark web. Fifty million for anyone who can find information on this organization."

"And here I thought you were gonna ask for something difficult."

The man barely lifted his hand, before he gave her the confirmation.

It was too late to be doing this in Miller's opinion. Three in the morning and he was filing away paperwork. Sometimes he wish Snake focused on management, and that he was in the field. Such was the price for comfort though. He thought he was nearly done too, but another batch of contracts arrived off the printer. Most were small-time requests, of course, more sabotage ops in the Middle East. All from a whole slew of clients.

A billionaire from the US looking for protection, an African dictator wanting someone killed, and another sabotage op from Mossad this time in Iran. Although one did intrigue him. It was a request from some shadow organization for information on an unknown blonde man spotted somewhere in Asia. I wonder who that could be, he thought sarcastically. Though Kaz commended them for the photo, they seemed to have gotten his good side.

Groggily, he rubbed his eyes as he filed the contract away. Two dozen done, another four to go. He tiredly reached out for the next paper, only to knock over a nearby coffee cup. Swearing to himself he looked around for something to dry up the mess. Spotting nothing, he stood up making his way to the bathroom. The halls were empty by this time, only the lone patrol of those with night watch still awake.

The luminescent lights glowed above him, swaying his brain into thinking it was daytime. It seemed to stir him out of his grogginess, but only barely. He could see it now though, the bathroom in sight. Then he noticed the sign, realizing he had gone down a floor. Perhaps he was more sleep-deprived than he thought. Turning around he found himself next to the kid's room, finding the door wide open.

Odd, he thought, this should have been closed hours ago. He poked his head in to view the room. It was dark, Miller's eyes having to take a minute to adjust to the lack of light. Soon enough he could see the room clearly. Midoriya's bed was vacant yet a faint snoring could still be heard. Miller's head turned over to the small desk in the room, following the sound. Sitting in the chair, was a passed-out Snake, Midoriya cradled against him.

Oh, he was definitely taking a photo of this, Miller thought, quickly capturing the moment with his Idroid. Ever so silently he made his way over to them. Standing next to Snake he quietly called out to him.

"Snake?"

It stirred him awake, and the man slowly opened his eyes. He couldn't help but grumble quietly as Snake looked around in the dark.

"Kaz? What time is it?" Snake asked, looking at Miller.

"Around three in the morning last I checked," he replied, yawning halfway through his response. Snake quietly nodded, remembering where he was at the moment. He couldn't help but freeze when he felt a slight shifting on top of him. Miller also became quiet, trying to remain unnoticed. He sighed when the kid stopped moving, the six-year-old still asleep. Giving Snake a chuckle, Miller asked "So, what happened here, may I ask?"

Snake looked at him sadly.

"He had a panic attack. Middle of the night too, he couldn't calm down until I got here."

The once jokey notion Miller had was crushed in an instant. He visibly winced at the response, feeling sympathy for the boy.

"There was something else, Kaz," Snake continued, "he knows about his mother."

Kaz was about to ask what he meant when his tired brain connected the dots. He knew because he saw it. He felt a silent anger flow through him, but it was gone in an instant. He was still too tired right now, even if it was for righteous anger. He couldn't help but berate himself a little. It was clear the panic attacks were becoming a problem though. This was the third one this month, and while therapy was working, it was also slow going. The kid seemed more collected around Snake, attached would be a better word to describe it.

Yet Miller had seen the affection and even admiration the boy held for Snake. He had the same sparkle in his eye when he talked about Star Bright, or whatever his name was. It gave Kaz an idea for the moment, maybe he could have the R&D team cook something up.

"Test one thirty-nine, begin."

The machine came to life once again, the aide approaching the portal forming in the center. It was more stable this time, Night Owl noted. The color was a pale yellow rather than its usual orange, but it held the same shape. Unlike the last few tests. He still remembered what happened to the aides. He had high hopes for this one though, after all the HPSC had finally given him samples of Trigger. And not that phony stuff he had to secretly make himself.

Now they were simply seeing what genuine Trigger would do with the experiment. As the aide finally neared the portal, the chains on their legs shambling with them, Night Owl pressed the activation switch on his tablet. The machine Agent Matter was attached to, began filtering in doses of Trigger. The portal expanded outwards, quickly engulfing the aide before it ceased.

Night Owl could see scorch marks on the ground. Disappointing. He called in the next aide, this one tripped over their chains fear ever present in their eyes. He couldn't tell if they were male or female from this distance. All their hair had been shaved off, and their body lacked any sort of fat or muscle. It resembled a skeleton more than a human.

Night Owl took note of this, maybe a better-fed subject would react differently to the experiment. Thoughts for later, however.

"Test one-forty, begin-"

"Night Owl!"

Night Owl groaned internally, and here he thought it was going to be a good day. He turned to see Gecko angrily enter the room. The man's suit was as worn out as always, but it seemed especially ruined today.

"Why are you still here, the operation was shut down for the day."

He played coy for the moment, keeping his forever-present grin on his face.

"I thought you said you wanted results?"

His attempt failed to get a rise out of him, the man calmly responding as he adjusted his tie.

"Yes, the President wants results. But we gave you a specific timeline for this operation."

"Oh yes, the timeline. I completely forgot about that."

"This isn't a joke, Doctor. This is one of the sacrifices you have to make if you want to continue your precious research."

Night Owl laughed at this, his smile getting wider. Gecko remained unfazed, continuing to stare him down.

"Oh, poor Gecko, you can't restrict science. It goes on regardless of your bureaucratic timetables."

Gecko scoffed as he got closer to Night Owl. He yanked the tablet out of his hands, Night Owl making no move to stop him.

"True, but you can restrict the man. Now," Gecko started, placing the tablet down on the desk. He snapped his fingers and the lights in the lab began shutting down. The rest of the equipment followed until the observation room was the only one still lit.

"We're shutting this down for the day, a direct order from the President. You try any other unscheduled events, and this project is canned for good."

Oh, how much he loathed Gecko. Night Owl himself was a man of theatrics, but this crossed the line. He didn't know what bugged him more, the stalling of his project, or the one-upmanship of how it was done. But it was fine. He could work with this. It made Night Owl's goals more difficult to achieve, but good things come to those who wait. Still, how did he do that with the lights? Did he have someone listening for him to snap?

The brig was as cold, as it was damp. Snake glared at the two handcuffed men sitting in front of him. All he could feel was malice for them and wanted to finish this as quickly as possible. Miller sat in a chair next to him, hiding away his anger with a sly smile. They had these two dead to rights, and currently, no one could say otherwise.

"Names?" Kaz demanded. The red one scoffed as he looked at them.

"You don't know who we are? You live under a rock?"

"Names?" Kaz repeated a little more force in his words. The blue one chuckled. It seemed they didn't realize who was in control here. Sighing, Miller leaned back out of the way. The two men became more proud of themselves, misinterpreting his actions as giving up. It vanished when the red one yelled out in pain. His finger bent at the wrong angle. Snake moved so fast neither of them had noticed him.

"I suggest you start answering questions, you only have fifty-three bones left." he threatened. That seemed to get the message through, their once proud and confident attitudes gone.

"Fujii Tatsuya, Tidal Wave." the blue one spoke.

"T-Taggawa A-Akihiro, F-Fireball." the red one muttered, trying to get over the pain in his hand.

"What is your association with the HPSC?" Miller asked, looking them both dead in the eye. It was Tidal Wave that responded, his friend still clutching his broken finger. For a hero, he seemed to lack any form of pain tolerance.

"We follow their marching orders occasionally, other than that they simply hand over our paycheck."

"What do you know, of this individual?" Kaz asked. He slid a picture down the table, placing it in front of the heroes. It was sloppily taken but it depicted Night Owl clearly. Both men however seemed confused.

"I don't recognize him." Tidal Wave replied. Snake moved towards him, making it purposely noticeable as he did so. It had the intended effect as Tidal Wave began freaking out.

"Eh! Eh! Wait! Honestly, I don't know the guy!"

Snake backed away, the message received.

"Just checking," he replied. Miller chuckled a little at the interaction, as he pulled out his next photo.

"What about him?"

He placed it right on top of the last. Their reaction was almost immediate. Both men turned pale and broke eye contact, as they looked at anything else in the room. Good, Miller thought, squirm. With what they did he wanted them afraid as he picked the photo of Midoriya up, and gently placed it back in the file. They already had a confession back in the apartment from these two. It was still good to have visual confirmation.

"What is the HPSC up to?"

Tidal Wave kept looking away from them, his eyes falling on a lone dent in the wall. Fireball focused on his finger instead, his pain seemingly gone.

"I don't know what you are talking about." Tidal Wave replied. Snake was swift in his retribution, breaking both his thumb and index finger. Tidal Wave shouted out in pain, as he grabbed his hand trying to soothe the pain. Before he could react, he felt his middle and ring finger break as well. The pain was overwhelming.

"AHH! I-Israel! W-we were being sent o-on some a-assignment to I-Israel!"

"What for?" Miller demanded.

"T-they d-didn't say! S-something about a-a tour!"

Miller looked over to Snake, quickly closing the report he had brought with him. They both then left the room, two MSF soldiers moving in after them. Fireball and Tidal Wave were both blinded and led back to their cells.

"So," Snake began, "what could they want in Israel."

"Who knows? I'll see what I can dig up on this event, in the meantime you make your way there. It might be best for some preemptive investigation."

Turbulence waved out to the crowd of adoring fans coming to greet them. The entire tarmac surrounding the plane was covered in paparazzi. If he could he would relish it for just a minute more, but the HPSC rep with them kept pushing forward, making his way to the limo.

"Let's move it you two, you can sign autographs later," Gecko ordered. Both heroes groaned as they entered the limo, the fans outside still cheering their names. It somehow never got old. The limo was subpar by his standards, with far too little legroom, and the only alcohol was some aged bottle of wine. Quicksand seemed happy with it though, as he popped it open and poured himself a glass.

"Now, why exactly are we here?" Turbulence asked, already bored out of his mind. Gecko sighed as he straightened his tie, removing some unseen dust for the thousandth time. Muttering under his breath, "This is why you read the report," he looked at them.

"Some oil shipments in the region have been disappearing lately. Madam President wanted some extra protection assigned in case a similar event happens here."

"And how long will this take?" Quicksand asked, already down a third of the wine bottle. Gecko could now feel slight bits of dirt hit his face, as Quicksand drunkenly activated his quirk. Barely an hour here and he was drunk, Gecko thought, the President really should have sent someone better.

"We're here, however long it takes, put away that bottle, we just arrived at the hotel."

And like back at the airport the cameras started flashing. The fake smiles and drunken demeanor were gone as they walked in, unaware of what rested above them. Uncaring to the reflection of Snake's binoculars he watched them move. The building across from them provided the perfect view.

"So these are the other two Elementals," Miller noted over the codec. Snake noted a faint whirring overhead. He turned his shoulder to see some small object flying next to him. He was about to smash it when he saw the MSF logo painted on the side.

"Kaz, what is this?" he asked, staring now at the flying device.

"Oh, this? It's a piece of surveillance equipment called a UA drone. It's unmanned like the peace walker prototypes, but it can be remotely controlled."

"Where did we get this? I don't remember seeing one on Mother Base."

"It's new, something Huey and Strangelove developed recently. They said it was based on this dimensions designs."

It was strange to look at, the drone had an array of propellors in the center that were lifting it like a helicopter. It had some protective plastic on the side keeping its systems together, along with a visible camera on the front. Underneath the drone hung a small machine gun, more than likely a chambered in 5.56, with a secondary camera and flashlight attached.

"It doesn't look like much."

"Well, it is designed for scouting Snake, not frontline combat."

"Scouting huh?" he thought aloud looking back towards the hotel. It was a grand looming structure. Marble walls traced the interior of its luxury rooms, with an array of expensive artwork decorating the halls. Its expansive windows provided a wide view of the interior, impractical when it came to security reasons.

Especially since Snake could see it was empty of people. He pulled out his MRS assault rifle, shooting a single round through the window. It shattered into thousands of pieces, providing Snake access to the building. He then attached a hook and rope to the end of his rifle, firing a specially-made projectile. The hook, lodged itself into the wall right above the window, with Snake tying the other end of the rope to a sturdy pillar on the building.

With a harness attached, he slid down the rope, quietly entering the building unnoticed. The drone accompanying him stayed outside, flying around the outskirts of the building. He stood low to the ground, swapping his rifle for his tranq gun and knife. Making his way down the hall, he looked around searching for any threats. Snake passed through facing no resistance, only the occasional family making their way downstairs.

He would duck behind cover whenever they started approaching, ensuring he wasn't seen. Snake eventually arrived at the fire escape, looking up the vast amount of steps. Carefully shutting the door behind him as he entered, he activated his codec.

"Do you have a location yet?" he asked Kaz.

"The drone just spotted them, they're on the top floor, penthouse level," Miller replied. Snake couldn't help but look back up the stairs ahead of him. It looked to be almost fifteen floors tall. With a heavy heart, he made his ascent, at least glad that it wasn't a ladder. Every step of the way Snake could count the time he was losing. At any minute the targets could move rooms or leave the building. Yet he couldn't help but think for a moment.

His mind drifted to matters he thought left behind. What would the Boss think of this dimension? Of this place, of heroes? He thought he had finally given up on her back in Lake Nicaragua, yet here she came back to the forefront. She would probably hate it, a world engulfed in secret wars, wars no one knew about. No, she would despise it, a world of war, with the visage of peace.

He still couldn't understand her mindset, why she put down her gun, her life, for peace all those years ago. Snake didn't think he would ever understand, it's why he thought she betrayed him, betrayed everything they stood for as soldiers. After all what place does a soldier have in a world of peace? What good is someone who only knows how to fight? It was the entire reason he created MSF in the first place, a home for those who could only find solace on the battlefield. Snake couldn't think about it anymore, finally reaching the penthouse floor. Remaining quiet, he called Kaz for a check-in.

"Kaz, how's it look in there?" he asked, fiddling with the silencer on his pistol.

"Crowded," Miller replied, "the drone found almost a dozen men in the penthouse. Two are in a sectioned-off kitchen, three are on the balcony, four are in the living room, and… wait…"

He went quiet briefly, faintly talking to someone in the background. Worried that they knew he was there, Snake prepared to open a cardboard box. Instead, the news was more worrying.

"Three people just left the room taking the elevator."

"The targets?"

"No, but it was the man with the worn-out suit."

"Hmm, HPSC?"

"Who knows, he could have been the hotel's manager."

"Then why would he have been in the limo with them?"

"True. I'll keep an eye on him just in case."

Wasting no time, Snake ended the call. He cracked the door open, peeking through the room. He could see a hallway on the other end leading to a large room in the center. There were two other doorways in the hall as well lining the sides. Fully opening the door he checked the room on the left first finding it empty. Checking the second room, he found the door already unlocked. Pushing it open he found one of the guards laying on a bed. The other two were out smoking on the balcony, with the door wide open. All were dressed in secret service-like suits, with no weapons visible on any of them.

"I've never seen Agent Gecko so mad, it was like someone had insulted his dog." the first balcony guard spoke, a cigarette in hand. This guard was taller than the others, possibly seven feet tall.

"Tell me about it." the second remarked before taking a drag of his cigarette. Snake could already determine his power, the cat-like head and claws giving it away. And he thought Kaz was making the walking Windex bottle up.

"What was that even about?" the third asked, his attention on the TV in front of him as he surfed through channels. His power was less obvious than the others, only having one of his fingers green.

"I dunno, heard him say 'that conniving bastard' before he stormed out." the tall one said.

"And here I thought it was something important." the cat commented.

"Eh, it probably was, hey pass that beer wound ya?" the one on the bed asked.

"Get it yourself, it's two feet away from you." the tall one replied. The guard on the bed then turned to the left, towards Snake. Snake barely got out of the way as he ducked behind the hallway wall. He waited a good few seconds before he heard the guard burp loudly.

"You're disgusting you know that?"

"Hey, a good beer's a good beer man."

Seeing the bed guard's attention back on the TV, Snake began approaching him. He got halfway across the room when he was noticed in the man's peripherals. He turned to see Snake fully but felt himself get dragged to the ground before he could yell. Snake's arms restrained the man as he tightened his grasp around his neck. The two men on the balcony kept talking away, oblivious to their cohort's conundrum.

Feeling the guard stop resisting he set him down carefully, then pushed his body under the bed. Finding more space underneath it, Snake hatched an idea. Finding the beer can the guard was drinking he chucked it at the wall. The can hit the wall loudly, its contents splashing out. Hiding under the bed, he crawled to the other side as the guards turned around.

"The hell are you doing over… here?" the tall guard called out, pausing when he found the room empty. He made his way to the can as the cat guard stood next to the bed. With both guards confused and distracted, Snake poked his head out from the bed. The cat guard didn't notice him when Snake shot him, and the guard collapsed unconscious. The tall one hearing this ran over to his now unconscious friend. His hand began moving towards the radio but stopped when he felt himself falling.

Snake who had swept the man's legs from under the bed, held out the gun aiming it at the guard. The guard froze for just a split second, enough time for Snake to tranquilize him. The room cleared, and Snake hid the rest of the bodies either under the bed or in the room's closet. He then brought his attention back to the living room, watching the guards move about.

The heroes sat in the center of the room, wearing similar costumes to the other two. Quicksand wore an inverse of Tidal Wave, an orange costume with blue trimmings and a blue domino mask. The hero was currently drunk out of his mind, an empty and full bottle of wine sitting next to him.

Turbulence's costume was like Fireball's, inversed green spandex with a red domino mask and trimmings. Unlike his ally he rested on the couch fully sober, doing something on his phone. The two guards were standing off to the side, seemingly bored with the situation. One was close enough to Snake that he could hear through his earpiece.

"Why the hell are we even here? These are heroes for crying out loud, why do they need protection?"

"Beats me, at least the pay is good."

"I couldn't care less about the payment, they told me I was gonna be working with heroes! Fighting for the people and protecting the innocent! Yet here we are following their beck and call like butlers."

"Well, I mean-"

"Nuh-uh, these are heroes in the top thirty rankings, they don't need security! Were just butlers with guns."

"Wait, you got a gun? All they gave me was the suit."

"Seriously?! You got a powerful quirk at least?"

"Nah man, just basic telepathy, but I can only read minds, nothing else."

"Well that sucks, maybe I can get you… something… hey did the heroes order anything?" the guard asked confused. The entire time they were talking Snake had made his move. He placed an electric mine near the first guard before making his way across the room. Hiding under a cardboard box, he reached the front of the room he stopped. The other guard then noticed him, or more specifically the box.

"I… don't think so?" the guard with telepathy replied, unsure himself. The guard with the gun began approaching the box, unaware of Snake's presence. The other guard curious himself, used his power and nearly shouted out in alarm, only to be silenced by Snake activating the mine. The other armed guard turned over to his friend in shock before Snake emerged from the box and grabbed him. The guard tried his best to struggle, attempting to grab his gun from its holster. Yet he couldn't move his arms, Snake keeping the man restrained, before eventually choking him out.

All that was left, were the heroes. Or more accurately hero, singular. Snake could see Quicksand passed out on the couch, a wine bottle still in hand. Turbulence looking up from his phone saw Snake in the back of the room. He tried to react but was tranquilized before he could yell. The two heroes neutralized he began taking them over to the balcony. As he did so he looked over the last guards he eliminated, the one with telepathy, and the one with the gun.

Both seemed competent enough, and MSF did need to expand. And they didn't seem all that pleased to be sitting around doing nothing. Coming to a decision, Snake grabbed them as well, dragging them over to the balcony. Looking back over to the room and the hallway, Snake moved what little furniture he could against the door. Then he attached the first Fulton, this one on the telepath. He woke up then, still in a painful drowsy state, but found himself shouting as he was yanked up to the sky.

Snake grabbed the other guard's earpiece, listening to the remaining security team on alert. All of them attempted to figure out what was going on. Swiftly Snake attached the second Fulton to the other guard. He heard over the earpiece that one of the guards had spotted the balloon. The second shot upwards into the sky and Snake attached the third on Quicksand. He heard footsteps as the security ran over to the room.

They started pounding on the door when they found it wouldn't open. Snake attached the fourth Fulton on Turbulence, watching as he flew away. The security was making headway on the barricade, breaking the door's lock and pushing off some furniture. Hurrying Snake grabbed the final Fulton, hooking up its harness on himself. He felt the ballon lift him slowly, as the door was smashed open.

"You there! Stop!" one guard shouted. Another tried to use his power, throwing an arc of lightning. It was for naught though, the balloon launching away quickly and taking Snake with it. The mission was completed, and Snake now awaiting pickup, grabbed a cigar from his bag, and calmly lit it.