"From what my analysts have gathered, the Ninth Circle should no longer be a threat," Madam President announced over the news, "Based on comparable villain organizations from the past it can be assumed that the thirty thousand members dead were the vast majority of the cult's members. At best they have a few… street gangs shall we say, left at their disposal. However this is still under investigation, so our information could very well change within the coming days-"
"Though several segments of rail have been damaged, public officials have assured the public everything will be back in working order in a week, and that aid will continue to arrive without delay-"
"Rescue efforts are still underway in Musutafu with the MSF reportedly bringing military working dogs to find trapped survivors and abandoned explosives-"
"As Colonel… Danger Hippo… ahem, telling civilians to report all weapons or explosives discovered. To ensure the dangerous materials do not fall back into villainous hands-"
"Shocking reports that a villain named the Gentle Criminal was spotted protecting endangered civilians during the Musutafu Massacre. From civilian testimonies Gentle Criminal and his partner La Brava led innocent bystanders to safety in an old warehouse. Heavily wounded the Gentle Criminal and La Brava were taken in custody shortly after MSF personnel discovered the pair-"
"Bomb squads have successfully disarmed the undetonated anti-ship missile lodged in the Musutafu Fire Department Headquarters. With the missile gone Fire Chief Tanaka Ichiro believes the station can be brought back into operation within a few months-"
As Night Owl quietly changed the channel again, he couldn't help but grumble. Sitting in a lone warehouse next to Reaper, he watched as the next channel displayed cargo ships docking in Musutafu's port. The ships were then quickly unloaded as the cargo was transferred to the MSF. Again, Night Owl grumbled. All that ammo and fuel wasted on this endeavor, for nothing. The docks were mostly still intact, and so were the rail lines and the airport.
Aid was flowing in, and being passed around. And worse, the city had started up demining efforts. His total victory had not been achieved, now he had to settle for pyrrhic. The city, while heavily damaged, was still intact. Hope as it were, was still here. And likely getting stronger as the MSF brought reinforcements from overseas.
"More aid continues to arrive, as the US's latest package just now makes landfall," the reporter stated with a small hopeful smile on her face. The look taunted Night Owl, reminding him of his failed goals. But… everything had already been planned out. Failure or not, the plan must go on, and he must use the cards he was dealt. It still confused him how he'd been wrong, but no matter! Quietly, Night Owl turned off the TV as he turned toward Reaper.
"How are preparations for phase two?" Night Owl inquired, standing up from his chair to stretch. As always the man simply snapped his fingers, and one of his lieutenants rushed over.
"They go well," the lieutenant replied, "Our acolytes have begun transporting equipment north. Everything should arrive in Hokkaido on schedule."
"Some good news then," Night Owl muttered, looking back on his plan. With the massacre done the country's, HPSC's, and MSF's attention would be focused south. At the same time, the Ninth Circle would launch a few small-scale attacks to keep them solely focused on the south. It gave ample time for the rest of the Ninth Circle to martial their forces, and Night Owl time to martial his near Tokyo.
If everything went as scheduled, which Night Owl had no doubt it would, then it would all be complete by early August.
"And our distractions?" Night Owl inquired, watching as Reaper pulled a radio from his pocket. The man shook his head once in the direction of the TV, and Night Owl hesitantly turned it back on.
"Could have told me to keep it on," Night Owl muttered to himself before Reaper motioned for the scientist to give him the TV remote. He did so, watching as Reaper flipped through a few channels. He stopped at a different news station, which if Night Owl was right, was somewhere in Osaka.
"For our next top story tonight, Minister of Defense Kudo Hina has been arrested today following an internal investigation. From what we can gather the ex-minister has been charged with corruption, along with a dozen other politicians. Reportedly she was responsible for the sale of over forty thousand Type-89 assault rifles. While not confirmed, these weapons were likely used by the Ninth Circle," a news anchor stated, continuing to talk about the current JSDF investigation.
Much of the military's command staff was having the book thrown at them, either for outright corruption or gross negligence. But Night Owl didn't exactly care, as he slowly turned back toward Reaper.
"So…" Night Owl trailed off, as Reaper quietly grumbled to himself, before changing the channel again. This time to the right channel hopefully. It took a few seconds but Night Owl recognised the show. It was also based in Osaka, and aptly named Osaka Heroes Tonight. A night show hosted by the hero Olympian, a Japanese hero dressed as Alexander the Great.
"Ah," Night Owl muttered, slowly seeing where this was going as Olympian laughed with another hero named Faraday. Both heroes sat at the stereotypical late-night talk show. It had a set of chairs off to the side, one with Faraday sitting on top, a large desk in front of Olympian, and a large window behind him with a light-up omega symbol.
"I'm telling you man, all of this is an over-exaggeration. Don't get me wrong, my heart goes out to all of those in Musutafu," Faraday told him, looking over the cameras for a second, "But have you seen the photos? All over social media, they're talking about how the city is devastated, never to be fixed again!"
Rubbing salt in the wound, Night Owl thought angrily. What made it worse was the in-studio audience laughing with the hero. Whether it was scripted or genuine, Night Owl didn't care.
"Then I see a dozen different photos of a perfectly fine city block," Faraday continued, with Olympian nodding along, "Like there's not even a speck of rubble on the street."
"I know right? What makes it worse, is the media keeps attributing that to the mercenaries. Hello? Who was down there fighting all these villains first? The only reason the MSF steamrolled the Ninth Circle so easily, was because heroes softened them up first," Olympian agreed, along with murmurs from the audience voicing similar opinions, "Heroes, not those damn mercs, did all the work. Hell, call it cocky of me, but if we had a few more heroes like us, then the entire attack never would have even happened."
The entire thing was beginning to slowly annoy Night Owl. All that effort to terrify the public, and there were still those stubbornly clinging to the idea that they were safe. Believing that heroes could protect them. Even as the world rearmed and world leaders admitted a lack of hero capabilities.
"I'm getting a tad bit bored here," Night Owl lied to hide his annoyance, and again looking back at Reaper, "That distraction coming soon, or are we on the wrong channel again?"
Reaper said nothing, before pushing a button on the radio. A small beep rang out, and another rang out through the TV. The heroes on screen looked around for a second confused.
"...Forget to change your fire alarms?" Faraday asked jokingly, with the audience quietly chuckling.
"Eh, probably. You know how it is, which now that you mention it, reminds me that this episode was brought to you by Electra Batteries. The most reliable battery-" Olympian replied, pulling out a package of batteries before an explosion rocked the room. Smoke peered through the studio as the audience began screaming. With it came gunfire as Reaper's men rushed inside.
It wasn't nearly as many men as they sent for the attack, only numbering around a dozen people total. But they were all heavily armed, with two men boasting RPG-7s, and another two with Sumitomo MINIMIs.
"What the hell!" Faraday exclaimed while coughing from the smoke. Before he could even try to fight back one of the cultists shot him three times. Twice in the chest, and once in the arm. Miraculously the hero didn't die but collapsed onto the ground unmoving. Olympian meanwhile ducked behind his desk, bullets tearing up the wood quickly.
"Down, all of you!" one of the cultists shouted, "On the ground!"
Others ran up and blocked the exits before the audience could flee. Quickly everyone gathered was up as another two villains snuck up close to Olympian's desk. The hero stood up from the desk, flipping the piece of furniture over in seconds. Olympian then kicked the desk forward and managed to crush one of the cultists. However, his only source of cover was now gone. In seconds the remaining cultists opened fire, filling the hero full of lead. Olympian's body hit the ground moments later, the hero now dead.
"Grab the camera," one of the cultists ordered, as others grabbed Faraday and hoisted him up. They dragged the hero towards one of the cameras as another cultist stood next to the hero. The camera was adjusted for a second before the cultist spoke up.
"My brothers and sisters, do not be ashamed. Though the heretics have delayed our mission, it has not been stopped," the cultist proclaimed, the camera's mic picking up a whimper from the audience, "They claim we are few in number, that our cause is all but stomped out. This is not true."
The cultist walked around Faraday slowly drawing a pistol.
"Musutafu was only the beginning of our blessed mission, so do not lose hope!" the cultist yelled angrily, "Do not believe their lies! Do not trust their false idols! For these heroes will not end our suffering! They will not bring us peace!"
The cultist placed the pistol's barrel on Faraday's temple, and instantly the hero's eyes widened. He tried thrashing about, only for the cultists to keep him restrained.
"Wait! Wait, we can talk about this!" Faraday pleaded, "I'll give you anything you want! Do you want money!? I can pay you! However much you want-"
"Be quiet. None of your possessions interest us," the cultist interrupted, striking Faraday across the face, "Your money will not end our suffering, it will not bring peace."
The gun was put back on Faraday's temple, the hero still panicking and trying to resist.
"No, only in death, will we find peace," the cultist proclaimed, before pulling the trigger. Pandemonium followed as the other cultists fired into the audience. Seconds later the cultists shut the cameras down.
"Could have used more pizzazz," Night Owl commented, turning to face Reaper with his usual grin, "Confetti would have been a great addition, but I think that'll suffice."
Standing up from his chair, Night Owl looked down at his phone. He hadn't noticed it before, but he had a dozen messages from Madam President. It dampened Night Owl's mood somewhat, his smile becoming smaller, but he didn't complain.
"Well, I'll let you boys have your fun," Night Owl told Reaper before walking off to the warehouse exit.
"We are now receiving confirmation that SAT has raided the set of Osaka Heroes Tonight, ending the now three-hour standoff," a news anchor relayed as All Might watched the TV quietly. The hero sighed for a moment, unable to bring himself to change the channel. He wanted to do something, anything. But instead, he sat at the table in the teacher's lounge quietly. Snake was right, he'd destroyed everything All Might ever believed in.
As All Might watched the TV in front of him, he didn't know what to do. The system was corrupt from the bottom up, and he'd perpetuated it. His symbol was used to make corrupt individuals wealthy. His symbol was used as an excuse to commit horrible crimes. He'd helped charities scam people out of their money. He'd sponsored companies that exploited the third world. He'd… oh crap, he'd given a speech about the killers of Young Akatani-Midoriya's killers.
It all ate away at All Might the longer he thought it over. Didn't help that he was supposed to give a public announcement in a few hours, addressing the world's concerns about his weakened condition. It's just… how? How was he supposed to go in front of the world, and act like everything he learned didn't happen? Act as if everything was fine? Act as if the hero commission wasn't corrupt?
Act as if the world wasn't slowly teetering toward war? All Might despised it all. Yet as All Might thought this, he found the door to the teacher's lounge cracked open. Surprisingly Snake of all people leaned his head through the door and looked around.
"Nezu in here?" the mercenary asked, with All Might quickly pausing the TV.
"No," All Might replied, "He should be in his office."
"Already checked there," Snake commented, before quietly looking over All Might, "Don't you have a press conference coming up?"
"...I do," All Might hesitantly replied, a small awkward silence coming between the two. Even though it wasn't said, All Might could mentally hear Snake saying "I did warn you". The silence dragged on for a minute longer before All Might cleared his throat.
"So… I uh, never got to ask," All Might began, "But… what was it like ending up in this dimension?"
Snake lifted his brow at the question, thinking it over for a moment.
"Shouldn't you be preparing a speech?" Snake asked confusedly, only for All Might to shrug.
"Eh, I add lib most of them," All Might replied, watching as Snake continued to think it over.
"...Alright then," Snake hesitantly replied, before entering the room. Quietly the mercenary sat across from All Might, pulling up a nearby chair.
"What exactly was it like ending up here?" All Might asked, with Snake bringing a hand to his chin.
"Well, it's still kinda alien to me. Ten years here and I'm still not used to the idea of a cell phone," Snake told him, "Hell, I still remember when the Walkman was cutting edge, and we only ever managed to get our hands on a prototype. We even based our Idroids on the thing."
"Quirks must have been a shock then too," All Might commented, only for Snake to shrug.
"Not really," Snake replied, soon noticing All Might's confused look, "My dimension wasn't exactly what one would call normal."
"Oh? How come?" All Might inquired, with Snake slowly leaning back in his chair.
"Well, from what I've gathered, an ex-CIA director building a giant robot armed with a WMD and almost starting a nuclear war isn't normal," Snake replied, causing All Might to go wide-eyed. He was expecting many things, but this was not one of them.
"That… happened… in the seventies?" All Might asked, the history of everything not making sense. A giant robot with a nuke did not sound like the kind of thing someone would have in the 1970s. Yet somehow it got worse as Snake answered.
"It did, for me at least," Snake replied, "That's not even mentioning the ghost psychic I ran into, a Soviet Colonel with lightning powers, a man who controlled bees, an elderly sniper who could de-age, a man who climbed and disappeared into trees like a damn spider, a jetpack wielding pyromaniac, a second nuclear machine which also almost started a nuclear war, and a secret world controlling organization headed by a man I used to call a friend. Oh, who also tried to clone me."
"That sounds… messy," All Might commented, with Snake nodding quietly. Half of the things he said would have been normal in any other context. Hell, some would have been considered a regular sight. But to hear the world was threatened with nuclear annihilation not once, but twice, both with giant death machines, was a tad bit worrying.
"It was… wait, forgot about the KGB spy with a robotic prosthetic," Snake added, while snapping his fingers, "And the time I went monster hunt-"
"What!?" All Might exclaimed, unsure of if he heard the last part right. Instead, he found Snake chuckling to himself grinning, and All Might slowly realized the merc was joking.
"...There was one thing that surprised me about this place," Snake told him, making All Might curious.
"What was it?" All Might asked.
"It… was how similar things were," Snake replied, with All Might looking at him incredulously. A world of quirks and technology far beyond anything he had, and he was surprised by the similarities?
"That's what surprised you?" All Might inquired confused.
"It did. An apparent infinite number of dimensions, and we land in the one that has mostly the same countries as ours, mostly the same history, and mostly similar problems," Snake replied calmly, "There were parts that felt alien to me, but it never felt that off."
That made some sense to All Might as he thought it over. Snake and the MSF could have ended up anywhere. A vacant empty world, a planet covered in ravenous bugs, even nothingness. They could have ended up anywhere, in any number of possible hells. Instead, they ended up here, somewhere alien, but familiar. Though Snake's words made All Might notice something.
"You said mostly the same countries, are we missing some?" All Might asked, with Snake again raising his brow.
"Aside from the obvious ones?" Snake asked.
"Aside from those," All Might replied.
"No, it's more you gained countries," Snake replied calmly, leaving All Might curious. Mentally he tried to guess which countries weren't in Snake's world. The US was immediately eliminated as the man had mentioned the CIA. Ocelot was Russian and Miller was part Japanese so they were also eliminated. Eventually, All Might quit trying to guess.
"Which ones?" All Might asked.
"Otheon and Klayd," Snake replied, with All Might now raising his brow.
"Is there something different in your world?" All Might asked, as Snake quickly shook his head no.
"They don't exist in our world," Snake revealed, leaving All Might surprised, "The landmass isn't even there."
"Huh, wasn't expecting that," All Might muttered, "Everything else is still there?"
"Last I checked, yeah. Could be wrong though," Snake replied.
"Could be," All Might agreed before the two drifted back into silence again. The air became awkward as both men sat quietly.
"You ever wonder if you could go back?" All Might hesitantly asked, with Snake looking back at All Might unsure.
"...From time to time," Snake replied, with All Might leaning forward in his chair.
"Would you?" All Might asked, "Would you go back?"
"...No," Snake answered, the answer leaving All Might somewhat confused. He'd been taken from his world forcefully, most likely never to see it again. Why wouldn't he want to go back? To see home again?
"Why not? I mean you could go back home, see your family… you do have family right?" All Might inquired, with Snake shaking his head.
"Just Izuku," Snake replied, which left All Might quiet for a moment.
"...No one else," All Might muttered, with Snake again shaking his head no.
"No one," Snake answered with a small sigh, "No siblings, cousins, grandparents, uncles, aunts… anyone."
Snake tapped on his leg slowly then, seeming to reminisce on his past.
"I grew up alone on the streets until I lied about my age to some military recruiters and joined the army at fifteen. Years later I was brought to participate in the Bikini Atoll nuclear tests. And while my comrades were given thyroid cancer or leukemia, I was made sterile. So I couldn't have kids either. Back in my world the only one I had to consider family, actual family, was my… my mentor," Snake hesitantly continued. When All Might heard the word mentor, he saw a million different things flash through Snake's mind.
He saw sadness, regret, anger, fear, worry, and shame, all in an instant. Just as soon as it came it was gone, Snake sighing again as he continued.
"But… she's gone, has been for years," Snake muttered to himself, All Might quietly looking the man over. Then realization suddenly hit him.
"You think you failed her, don't you?" All Might inquired, causing Snake to grumble. All Might had become far too familiar with the idea recently, and it seemed Snake shared a similar, if much older burden.
"I know I failed her," Snake stated, "Spent years trying to follow her will, only to figure out I didn't even know what her will was."
The merc rubbed his neck carefully then, seeming to grimace at an old memory. After a few seconds, the merc shook, as if a chill went down his spine. He said nothing of it though.
"Back in my world I was going down a dark path, one I know damn well she wouldn't have been proud of. Before this world, I was not a good person," Snake added, All Might again looking over Snake. The words were a tad bit worrying to hear, but also oddly comforting.
"Well… guess we've got that in common," All Might commented, Snake raising his brow in confusion.
"What? Does the Symbol of Peace have a dark side?" Snake inquired, in a somewhat joking tone. All Might just waved him off with a small chuckle.
"No, just… we've both failed our mentors," All Might replied, "I promised mine I'd inspire hope. Bring about peace and justice with a smile. Now here I am, the living representation of a decaying world order."
"Yeah…" Snake agreed, nodding seeing what All Might was saying. It… made All Might realize a few things now that he thought it over. Snake had failed his mentor, just like how All Might had failed Nana. Yet… Here Snake stood. This man who had failed was now the leader of a vast army. The head of a new nation. Hell, now that All Might thought about it, this merc who'd failed had saved the world three separate times. All Might could only claim he'd done so once.
For all his failings, Snake had kept going. He'd forged his own symbol, his own myth. So who the hell was he, the Symbol of Peace to keep sulking about this? He was the strongest hero in the world for crying out loud! He'd failed Nana, but he shouldn't let that stop him. All Might would wrench his symbol out of the commission's hands, or if it came to it, create an entirely new one.
The first clue that told Victoria something was off, was just how secure this museum's firewalls were. It wasn't much of an issue for her, but it was still weird. Drifting listlessly in the void of the web, Victoria quickly broke through every security system the museum had. After a mere nanosecond, she had access to everything. Security tapes, shipping logs, recent admissions, employee records, and whatever else she could find. Once that was done she broke into the next museum's systems, then a hundred more. All were relatively easy to break into.
Victoria mentally celebrated this small victory, cherishing it dearly. After the hell that was the Sports Festival, she couldn't help but blame herself for everything. She'd been in charge of monitoring things, and she failed. As a result, so many innocent people got hurt, and… Midoriya was forced to kill, Victoria thought ashamed. It was how she realized that Texas was right, becoming a combat AI would be far more difficult than she realized.
But Victoria had made a promise, one she wasn't backing down from. So to make up for her failure Victoria quietly began looking over files. To anyone outside the digital void, it would seem like nothing more than a second of thought. But to Victoria it was hours. She looked over weeks' worth of security footage, watching as unmarked crates were brought to and from the museum.
Occasionally some were opened, exposing hundreds of varying guns. Then a T-72 was brought in, carried in by a large semi-truck. Outside Victoria saw people watching curiously but ultimately ignoring the sight. Very quickly the tank was driven through the museum before being parked in the Soviet Equipment section. Of course, what followed was another sixty T-72s being parked in the back of the museum. Oddly enough though, there was little JSDF equipment in these museums.
Yet this wasn't concrete enough proof to say all these weapons were Night Owl's. No, what she needed was footage of the weapons being moved in mass. So calmly Victoria kept watching, going back to a week before the Sports Festival attack. In and out equipment continually went. Usually, whenever something was transferred out, something new was transferred in.
So when Victoria noticed no new equipment had been brought in, she knew Victoria found her proof. It wasn't a week before the Festival, nor was it two. But three weeks before the Festival, over half of the museum's stock was transferred out. Nothing new was brought in to replace the equipment taken out. And with current security camera footage, it still hadn't been replaced.
Mentally Victoria noted that down, before noticing something new. Present security footage showed more equipment being transferred out, much more. Only it was separated into two groups. All of the equipment was listed as being sent to Tokyo, most of it being old Soviet or Russian gear. Something big was going down, she quickly realized. It instantly terrified her, and were she able to, her eyes would have widened in shock.
"Victoria?" Miller called out, shaking her out of her thoughts. Quickly the AI had her avatar pop up on the command room's holotable. The construct looked up at the commander, watching as the man cleaned his sunglasses.
"The guns are there," Victoria told him, "I can't find much in terms of JSDF gear, but everything Night Owl bought in Africa is there."
"There a list of everything?" Miller asked, with Victoria nodding. Without another word, the AI sent the list to Miller's Idroid. Quietly the commander began looking it over, the man grumbling the more he read.
"Damn," Miller muttered to himself angrily.
"There's more," Victoria continued, earning a raised brow from Miller.
"Oh?"
"Recent security footage showed the museums were transferring lots of weapons out to Tokyo," Victoria explained, bringing the security footage onto the holo table. There it showed a life feed of one of the museum's storage areas. For a second Miller watched as all manner of weapons were wheeled out into unmarked trucks.
"Hmm, the bastard's up to something," Miller noted worriedly, "How much equipment is the museum transferring out?"
"Almost everything," Victoria replied, doing the math in her head, "So… roughly six thousand varying firearms and several hundred armored vehicles. "
"Same for the other museums?" Miller inquired, and Victoria silently nodded. It caused Miller to grumble again as he put his glasses back on.
"I'm going to need to bring this to Snake," he muttered tiredly, "Good work, Victoria. You're dismissed."
Quietly Victoria nodded before disappearing from the holo table. In seconds she popped back into the Oasis Realm and took a deep breath. For a moment she relished every feeling as she always did, before looking around her small cabin for something to do. That was until she remembered something. Tonight was movie night.
If there was one thing Strangelove enjoyed more than her work, it was movies. For years she would always enjoy a good film, be it Silent Running or her ever-beloved 2001: A Space Odyssey. This love was only strengthened when the MSF was brought to this world. Though it unfortunately meant Strangelove had a lot of catching up to do. She'd watched Alien, Terminator, Avatar, E.T., Star Wars, Robocop, and dozens of others. There were so many excellent films and TV shows that had been made and she didn't have nearly enough time to watch them all.
But, whenever Strangelove could, it became a fond memory, especially today as she listened to the popcorn maker work in her AI lab. The lab itself was a rather large complex filled to the brim with differing computers and old AI pods. Near the back of the lab was a massive supercooled server room containing most of the still-developing AIs. With all this delicate equipment it was normally against protocol for food to be anywhere in the lab, but she considered this a special exception.
"Come on, all of you!" Strangelove called out, "Popcorns almost ready!"
Seconds later she saw nine-year-old Hal dart into the room, Roro and Lala right behind him. All three kids rushed up to a nearby couch placed away from the lab's equipment, and next to a large projector. Giddily the kids sat down, earning a fond chuckle from Strangelove.
"You know, I've never understood why you watch the movies in Minecraft," Paz commented, as she calmly walked into the room. At the same time, Chico came rushing in after with Amanda. Wordlessly Strangelove pointed to the couch, and Chico darted toward it. The kids sitting down screamed and laughed in response, before jumping and running playfully. Amanda simply shook her head and sat down.
Paz's words were no joke. Connected to the projector was a nearby computer, ready to display the Oasis Realm. In the realm, newly created and older AIs had been assembled to watch a movie. It was a little tradition in the AI creation process.
"Well, it would be impolite to leave the AIs out of this," Strangelove replied, while hearing the popcorn maker ding, "It also does their young minds good to experience life."
It had been an idea from Midoriya that Strangelove approved of. For a month the teen had tried building a massive computer inside the game, all so the AIs could watch movies in the comfort of their world. It was truly a gift in Strangelove's eyes.
"Have you ever read the short story, I Have No Mouth, And I Must Scream?" Strangelove inquired, with Paz shaking her head no.
"No," Paz replied, "What's it about?"
"Well, in the story the US, USSR, and China design three highly intelligent supercomputers named AMs. Now one of these AMs would eventually gain sentience," Strangelove explained, as she quickly grabbed some nearby bags.
"Like Victoria," Paz commented, with Strangelove nodding.
"Like Victoria," Strangelove agreed, "However, there was one small problem. AM, like our AIs, could feel nothing. Inside a machine, he'd been given the gift of intelligence to understand the world. Yet he could experience none of it. He could taste no food, breathe no air, smell no scents. AM could do nothing."
She scooped some of the popcorn into the bag. Strangelove did it a few more times, carefully handing some bags to Paz.
"It drove the AI effectively mad. It's why I believe this is so vital," Strangelove continued, "Without knowing and experiencing what life is, one can't know what empathy is."
Through all of Strangelove's struggles, empathy was the one thing you couldn't program into an AI. It was too complex to describe in basic code. Too complex to explain why things were good or bad and right or wrong. It was one of the reasons the pocket dimension had been a godsend. Without it Strangelove was sure they'd have to scrap AIs every few years, just to ensure one didn't go rogue from madness.
It was the absolute last thing Strangelove wanted, as she remembered the AIs created. They were always so curious when they became sentient. Like newborns looking at the world around them. It's why Strangelove felt an almost motherly attachment to the programs, along with other MSF programmers. Of course, all of this brought worrying thoughts to Strangelove. With the MSF unveiling some of its capabilities to the world, it was likely other nations would try to catch up.
Not just in designing new tanks or exoskeletons, but in AI technology. The MSF had the benefit of the Oasis, but the rest of the world did not. Strangelove could only fearfully wonder what would happen in those coming days. She was shaken out of these thoughts though as Amanda shouted at Chico.
"Chico! Don't be too riled up!" Amanda called out, while Strangelove heard the giggling of children. Looking over she spotted Chico walking around with Hal clinging to his back, Roro hanging onto his right arm, and Lala holding onto his left leg.
"Where was this concern for me? I remember you tossing me around at this age," Chico replied, looking back at his sister with a smirk. Amanda again just shook her head, before Chico hobbled toward the couch again. There the kids hopped off and sat down.
"Right, should have enough for everybody," Strangelove commented as she walked toward the couch and passed the popcorn around, "Now, what to watch?"
"Space Odyssey!" Hal excitedly exclaimed, the young boy adjusting his glasses. He was practically bouncing in his seat, which Strangelove found amusing.
"Maybe next time," Strangelove replied, knowing he'd already watched it a dozen times over. The moment he learned where his name came from he'd become obsessed with the movie. Just then Chico snapped his fingers, an idea coming to him.
"Ooh! The Halo Movie," Chico commented, with Strangelove thinking it over.
"Halo Movie… haven't heard of that one," Strangelove replied curiously.
"I'm sure you'll like it," Chico told her, "Sci-fi story set in space, a good role model for the kids and the AIs, it's perfect."
It sounded decent, confusingly though Chico slowly began to grin.
"That and I think the AI character will be to your liking," Chico added, which somewhat sold Strangelove on the idea.
"Oh?" Strangelove inquired, pulling out her phone, "Well let me see."
She always enjoyed AI characters, but it made Strangelove wonder what would make Chico recommend this one. So quietly Strangelove began searching up the movie, curious as to what Chico meant… oh… That was… hmm…Strangelove took extra care to keep her phone out of Hal's sight, as she looked down at the screen. Looking back up at Chico, she saw him smirk knowingly.
"...You're not wrong," Strangelove hesitantly replied while coughing to clear her throat.
"Hehe," Chico chuckled to himself before Strangelove put her phone away.
"However this is rated R, so no Halo Movie," Strangelove pointed out, earning a small grumble from Chico.
"How about this one?" Paz asked, Strangelove seeing her hold out her phone. Quietly Strangelove looked it over. Transformers: Sparks of Hope was what the movie poster read.
"Perfect," Strangelove told her. It had good ratings, was PG, and had good robotic role models for the AIs… Mostly. She quickly got to work through getting the movie set up. Soon everything was ready, and Strangelove started the movie. Watching the film Strangelove couldn't help but feel calm. An hour would pass as the movie ran by.
"Look Megatron! Look at our home!" a giant robot yelled, while Strangelove quietly munched on popcorn. Currently, two of the robots were duking it out in space, fighting on a ship with a ruined planet in the backdrop. Bits of the planet's crust were peeling off into space bit by bit, with the core of the planet visibly exposed.
"Do not blame me Prime!" the other robot yelled, a large mace slamming into the first robot's face, "All of this could have been avoided! Yet you continued to defy me, brother! Cybertron's destruction sullies your hands, not mine!"
Both robots continued to fight before Strangelove found herself out of popcorn. Looking around she was almost tempted to borrow some from Paz, but ultimately went against it. Carefully she shuffled off the couch and toward the popcorn maker. Looking inside she found the machine empty. No other bags of popcorn were around either. With that knowledge Strangelove quickly took one last look at the screen, watching just a few more minutes, before walking out of the lab.
If she remembered correctly, the mess hall should have extra on hand. Not wanting to miss more of the movie, Strangelove briskly moved through the halls. Reaching the mess hall she immediately began heading toward the kitchen. Looking around though she found most MSF personnel all watching the TVs bolted onto the walls. It made her curious for a second, but she didn't question it.
That was until a collective gasp went through the entire mess hall. Stopping for a moment, Strangelove looked over at the nearest TV. Her eyes quickly widened when she saw what was on screen. Because playing live was the Russian President, listing off all manner of new weapon systems. The majority of it didn't seem worthy enough to deserve a gasp. Then "it" came into view of the camera, and Strangelove paled.
"It is why I am proud to announce the new pride and joy of the Russian Military," President Volkov announced, while Strangelove wrenched out her phone.
When Snake finally managed to find Nezu, he unfortunately found himself in yet another meeting. It felt like he was having far too many of these recently, especially considering this one didn't even need to involve him. Why do you ask? Well…
"So it's settled, internships are canceled," Nezu announced, most of the teachers in the conference room nodding with him. It was to be expected in the long run. Both are due to a lack of heroes willing to intern, most having been killed off or injured, and somewhat common sense. They would not be sending the heavily traumatized teens into the field, especially not now.
"Are we doing more hero exercises to make up for this?" Aizawa inquired, with Nezu shrugging in response.
"Possibly, though I've had a few other ideas in mind," Nezu told him, the rodent slowly turning toward Snake. It took mere seconds for Snake to understand what Nezu was getting at.
"I'm not sending them on contract work," Snake muttered, with All Might nodding from across the table.
"Agreed," All Might stated, with Nezu sighing. If Snake wasn't going to send his own kid alone on a contract, he sure as hell wasn't sending someone else's. Didn't matter if they were a hero in training.
"Worth a shot," Nezu replied before clapping his paws together, "Regardless I'm sure we will think of something. Now, our next matter of business. School dorms."
"Are you sure that's necessary?" Vlad asked a tad bit of concern in his tone.
"The city is still littered with unexploded ordnance, the last thing we need is our students trekking through rubble to get to class," Nezu replied, with Vlad shaking his head. Even now MSF personnel were digging up still live artillery shells that hadn't detonated. It would be idiotic to let anyone move about the city.
"Was more so implying we send them home and give them the month off," Vlad told him, "Let them have time to relax and recuperate while repairs occur."
Snake found himself agreeing with the hero. After such a traumatic event, the school likely wouldn't open its doors for weeks. Better to let the kids see their families than stay cooped up here for another month. Or at the very least permit parents to come and visit. Then Aizawa spoke up tiredly.
"It'd be illogical to waste that much time. We've already had classes canceled for long enough," Aizawa countered, as Present Mic leaned forward next to him.
"Speaking of classes, what are we doing about the Ground Beta situation?" Mic asked, confused, "With it being full of civilians I don't think we can continue doing exercises there."
"That's a topic for later," Nezu told him, "Back to the dorm situation the MSF should have an extra barracks available that the students could use."
Again Nezu turned toward Snake, with Snake thinking it over. He didn't really have much available on hand. He had the MSF continually bringing in reinforcements to keep UA secure. It was to the point that soldiers were sleeping outside as new barracks were being built. They would be the priority, but well… They were soldiers. If it meant sleeping in the rain, then they would sleep in the rain.
"Most are full, but we've got some under construction," Snake replied, "I'll set some aside for the students."
"Great-" Nezu said before Snake's Idroid interrupted him. The staff looked at Snake for a second, as the merc pulled the device out. Looking down he found Strangelove to be calling. Surprised, Snake stood up from his chair and began heading toward the door.
"Sorry, I'll be back," Snake told everyone just as he went through the doorway. After checking to see if the hall was clear, Snake answered the call.
"Strangelove," Snake greeted.
"Snake," the woman replied quickly, worry clearly in her tone, "Turn on the news."
The words instantly sent alarm bells ringing in Snake's mind.
"Is something happening?" Snake inquired concerned. Dozens of questions ran through his mind. Was it another attack? No, it couldn't have been. If it was the intel team would have called him, not Strangelove. But then… Why was she calling him? Did something happen in one of the labs? Instead, Strangelove's answer surprised Snake.
"The Russians are announcing new military projects live," Strangelove replied, "It's a full arms display."
That… damn it.
"What have they unveiled?" Snake inquired, pacing around the hallway for a moment.
"It's… well tanks, IFVs, artillery, new rifles, new ships planned, exoskeletons, the list just goes on!" Strangelove exclaimed, worried about becoming more present by the second, "They've announced something else, something they're calling Project Zukhov."
"Oddly vague," Snake muttered, "Couldn't be a bit more descriptive?"
"I'm sorry. I just… I think my eyes are playing tricks on me," Strangelove replied, which only confused Snake further.
"Well, what's it look like?" Snake asked, with Strangelove muttering on the other end.
"I'm not sure," Strangelove told him, "The entire thing is shrouded in darkness, but whatever it is, it's massive."
Massive. The word held an odd gravity to it. As if Strangelove was underselling exactly what this thing was. Quickly Snake went back into the conference room, the staff's eyes falling on him.
"Nezu, can you get the news up?" Snake asked, with the rodent raising his brow.
"Something happening?" Nezu asked as he grabbed a nearby remote.
"Another attack?" All Might inquired worried, with Snake shaking his head no.
"Not an attack," Snake told him, before turning toward the large TV hanging off the conference room wall. As Nezu turned it on the rodent went over a few videos before finding the broadcast.
"There, click that video," Snake told him, with Nezu opening the video quietly. When he did, the broadcast had pretty much ended. All that was left was it showing footage of Russian leaders marching about. Quickly Nezu rewound the video right to the beginning of the broadcast. As it started up, nothing seemed out of the ordinary to Snake. However, he soon realized what Strangelove had meant by being shrouded in darkness.
The entire thing was being filmed somewhere in Siberia, where it was currently night like most of Japan. The lack of light displayed the stars, and dozens of things all in the background. In the center of the video though, was President Ivan Volkov. The man cleared his throat briefly, before starting up his speech. He went on for a few minutes, with Snake eventually having Nezu fast forward. But soon they were there.
"-how the West pollutes itself, by actively colluding with villains! See how their arms litter the streets of Japan! How their heroes do little to stop these terrorists and criminals!" Volkov announced loudly, slamming his fist into his podium, "With this abject corruption, it can be no clearer to me that hero society as it stands, will no longer guarantee Russia's sanctity."
Snake heard some of the staff shuffle in their seats at the proclamation. The man stood up straight trying to appear tall for the cameras before holding out his arm to the left. There Snake saw lights begin to pop up, showing off several military vehicles.
"It is why, for the safety of our motherland, I announce our military's latest projects. To display to the West we are no stepping stone for their corruption!" Volkov exclaimed, with cheering soon echoing loudly in the background. Quickly the camera zoomed in on the first vehicle, the… T-14 Armata.
"Nothing displays this greater than our revamped Armata Program!" Volkov proudly boasted, while listing off their many improvements to the vehicle. Snake had no true way of verifying it yet, but the tank was supposedly upgraded with a new custom engine, better optics, better suspension, a better autoloader, and a dozen other improvements to the original vehicle's design. If everything was true, then it had become a capable tank.
Next to it were other abandoned vehicles, the T-15 heavy IFV, the 2S35 self-propelled gun, the T-16 armored recovery vehicle, the BMPT AFV, the Kurganets IFV, 2S38 self-propelled anti-aircraft gun, and several other vehicles. After that, the camera panned over to two squads of soldiers. One squad was kitted out in an overly boxy exoskeleton. Compared to the sleek design of the MSF's exoskeleton, this one was wrapped around the user's calf and forearms.
The entire thing wrapped around their body rather clunkily, not appearing all too agile. Of course, with it being overly boxy, came the benefit of added armor in expense to weight and flexibility. In each soldier's hand was an AK-12, an RPL-20, an SV-98M, or an AM-17. The second squad of soldiers meanwhile lacked exoskeletons. Instead, they wore body armor Snake hadn't seen before.
Small yet somehow still bulky lightweight ballistic plates wrapped around the soldiers' entire bodies. They covered almost the entire body, having attachable bits on the forearms, shoulders, and calves. The knees, elbows, neck, and other joints meanwhile had some kind of high tensile fabric underneath the plates to allow the soldiers to more easily move. The camera went on displaying more and more equipment. Next was a new coaxial rotor gunship named the Ka-75 Iron Wolf. An aircraft that had the cockpit and body of an Mi-28, and the rotors and tail of a Ka-50.
After that was a massive super heavy lift helicopter, named the Mi-36 Mammoth. The thing was forty meters long, ten meters high, and ten meters wide. Like the Ka-75 the Mammoth looked like a mish-mash of aircraft. Having, oddly enough, the cockpit of a CH-54 Skycrane, and rotors, body, and tail of a Mi-26. With one small exception, the cargo bay was gone. In its place was a large detachable crate. The crate was wide enough to fit a full T-14 inside, and to the shock of Snake even managed to fly around with the vehicle.
The aircraft had a ridiculously powerful set of rotors if it could somehow carry a tank. But Snake wasn't ultimately worried. All it took was one failure, and that crate was falling off the aircraft. The show continued, with Snake not seeing why Strangelove had been so worried. That was until three new weapons were unveiled. All three were large bi-pedal vehicles. The first two were smaller mechs. One was more humanoid in appearance, if a bit bulky.
It stood slightly taller than an MBCV, at around 4.4 meters tall. Its joints were covered in large plates, as the thing swiveled around with a large autocannon in its hands. The next bipedal mech was wider than it was tall. Standing at six meters tall, and seven meters wide, the mech was best described as wide and bulky. Its z-shaped legs were thick, and covered to the brim in bits of sheet metal.
Its body was somehow both rounded and angular at the same time. And whereas the previous mech had hands, this one had a 30mm rotary cannon for its right arm and a flamethrower for its left. Two anti-tank missile launchers also rested on top of the vehicle, likely to provide extra firepower if needed. But then, there was the final weapon. And it looked unmistakably like a metal gear to Snake.
With two massively sized z-shaped legs and a head best described as squid-shaped, this behemoth somehow stood taller than ZEKE. It was seventeen meters long, thirteen meters wide, and fifteen meters tall. On the top and bottom of its head were two 30mm rotary cannons. The back of the metal gear was a large box, loaded with twenty vertical launch ATGMs. On its sides were two large guns, one a 100mm howitzer, the other a 57mm autocannon. And hanging off the rear of the metal gear like a backpack were two large missile launchers, containing two thermobaric missiles.
The only good news Snake had was that this thing was a metal gear in appearance only. As of yet metal gear doctrine didn't exist, so this metal gear was more of an overly large tank. However, somehow he knew it would only be a matter of time before they put a nuke on the thing. The entire time Snake heard gasps of shock from the staff behind him. Yet something bothered Snake as the camera kept filming. Because you see, none of these weapons were Project Zhukov. Not one.
The humanoid mech was listed as the MG-12 Goblin. The much wider mech was listed as the MG-15 Cyclops. And the rip-off metal gear was the MG-22 Ogre.
"How could Zhukov be worse than this Ogre!?" Snake couldn't help but exclaim to his Idroid, with Strangelove still on the line, "It's a metal gear in all but name!"
Everything else seemed inconsequential now that someone else had built a metal gear. Hell Snake could already see this getting out of hand. They'd need to start improving ZEKE again, and if not, start building entirely new metal gears. The only good news was that everything listed was still developmental technology. Not everything had been put into mainline service. Before Strangelove had a chance to reply, the Russian President began speaking again.
"It is why I am proud to announce the new pride and joy of the Russian Military, and the beginning of a new age, the Zhukov class battleship!" Volkov announced, and Snake paused for a second. Not out of shock or worry, but confusion. He blinked a few times, before clicking his tongue. They were building… a battleship. Correction, they were wasting billions of dollars on an outdated naval vessel.
Snake couldn't help but be annoyed. A good chunk of the equipment displayed had been an actual threat. Then they got to this thing.
"Strangelove, I don't see what the worry is about," Snake muttered to his Idroid while bringing a hand to his brow, "The… faux metal gear seems far more important."
"Snake… give it three seconds," Strangelove cautiously told him, quickly confusing Snake. The most pressing thing was the fear and disgust lacing her tone. Why was she disgusted, Snake wondered. What would three seconds change? Warily Snake removed the hand from his brow and looked back at the TV. There, he watched as lights began popping, displaying the battleship.
It had four triple-barreled 18-inch gun turrets, six dual-barreled 6-inch guns, eighty vertical launch missile systems, and thirty six 30mm CIWS. It was three hundred and twenty meters long, ninety-five meters wide, and tall. It was a massive hexagonal brick covered in sensory equipment and oddly reflective panels. And Snake's eye widened in shock as he looked at the ship. Because Project Zhukov was not a metal gear, it was a prototype spacecraft.