You know, as much as Night Owl loathed all the work the VP position gave him, he was willing to admit that the benefits were to die for. Though not as grand as his personal laboratory, his main office was a thing of beauty. Situated just underneath Madam President's own office, at the HPSC's main headquarters in Tokyo, Night Owl had the second-best view of the city behind him. He could see everything around him for miles, even Tokyo Tower itself.
And that was to say nothing about the office's interior. A fine cherrywood desk sat near the massive window overlooking the city. It was finely polished and had bits of art etched into the legs and main body. With the desk was a massive black leather rolling chair, complete with silver trimmings along the armrests. Off in one corner of the room meanwhile was a small space with more furniture. A small leather couch, two armchairs, and a cherry wood table. With a small potted fern on top of the table.
There were a few other plants scattered around the room, a giant bookcase filled to the brim with literature, and the occasional labcoat Night Owl had lying about. But to complete the office's decor, was a print copy of "Takiyasha the Witch and the Skeleton Spectre", hanging just above his office door. The skeleton in the painting simply loomed in the room, overlooking all who entered. It was in Night Owl's eyes, a great office. However, the benefit of an office didn't exactly help Night Owl, for one sole reason.
"They could have seen you," Night Owl grumbled tiredly, as he looked toward Reaper. The man sat on his leather couch, while his little entourage of lieutenants stood by him. In all of his grand wisdom, Night Owl remarked sarcastically, Reaper just had to come and see him, in his personal office! It drove the doctor downright mad, to see all of his planning damn near go up in flames. All it took was a single agent seeing Reaper and everything would be ruined.
And though Night Owl couldn't see it, he knew Reaper rolled his eyes under his mask. The villain then had the gall to start slouching on his couch. Just watching the man act so uncaringly, told Night Owl this was intentional. This was a test, an attempt to push Night Owl's buttons, as he'd done to Reaper. It was, unfortunately, something Night Owl had to put up with. With a sigh, Night Owl brought a hand to his brow, his ever-present smile not leaving, but shrinking slightly.
"May I ask what you need? Or are you going to keep brooding?" Night Owl inquired through gritted teeth. Reaper of course said nothing as per usual, and instead had one of his lieutenants step forward. The man looked him over with a suspicious glare, stepping up to Night Owl's desk.
"There is something off about you, heretic," the lieutenant commented, with Night Owl rolling his eyes.
"Oh? Do tell," Night Owl sarcastically replied because honestly, he'd heard that exact same sentence from over a dozen cultists already. His response annoyed the lieutenant, the man gritting his teeth slightly, before continuing to speak.
"You've been gifted power most men will never see in their lives," the lieutenant noted, motioning to the rest of the office, "And yet you spend it working with us."
"Can't a guy ever be bored?" Night Owl inquired, his brow raised and the doctor dropping into his leather chair, and kicking up his feet.
"Don't play us for fools," the lieutenant snapped, "Both you and lord Reaper want war. Yet we know not what you gain from one."
The lieutenant started walking about the office then looking over everything in either mock disgust or suspicion. Eventually, his eyes fell on "Takiyasha the Witch and the Skeleton Spectre", for which he stared at it for a quiet few seconds.
"For us, we want it to cleanse the world of its suffering. To free everyone from this pointless existence," the lieutenant continued, still staring at the painting slightly above him.
"But… what do you stand to gain from all of this?" the man inquired, only now turning back toward Night Owl. The mad scientist scoffed in response before a dry chuckle followed his lips.
"Are you kidding?" Night Owl asked with a small snort, "I get to see the world burning down around me."
"I told you before, don't peg us as fools," the lieutenant snapped back, "You have a nuke at your disposal. One detonation, a small false flag, and you'd have the world retaliating on a nonexistent enemy. You could have burned the world down years ago."
The man turned back toward the painting again, before walking toward it. Night Owl though, slowly began looking toward Reaper. The cult leader still said nothing, but Night Owl could feel his eyes staring at him. For once, Night Owl instinctively gulped, as he turned back toward the lieutenant. They… they were onto him.
"Instead, you come to work with us," the lieutenant pointed out, "You spent millions preparing for a war, and if I'm right, spent millions more planning your endgame."
Try billions, but who's counting, Night Owl mentally retorted. But the mad scientist still held up his usual smile. He'd been an enigma to the Ninth Circle for years now. They didn't know his motive, his quirk, or even the full extent of his plan. An enigma he was, and an enigma he'd remain.
"I suspect something… traumatic," the lieutenant then commented, which caused Night Owl to chuckle briefly.
"I am the trauma," Night Owl replied, thinking he had been overreacting, "I grew up in a nice house with a caring mother and a loving father."
He sat up from his chair and then took his feet off the table. All the while he felt more confident.
"I wasn't mentally ill, I wasn't poor, and I sure as hell wasn't bullied. I was top of my class, had a few close friends, and even got a real good job... before the HPSC deal," Night Owl told them lazily. That's just how it was. He lived an average unsuspecting life. No great injustices anywhere.
"So if you're expecting some of the usual shit you're new members spew out, don't," Night Owl finished looking over the lieutenant again calmly. Yet the lieutenant looked back, seemingly undeterred. Slowly Night Owl looked back toward Reaper again and saw the cultist leader sitting calmly with his arms crossed. Neither he nor his lieutenants said a thing. Instead, they left the room in silence. The message was becoming loud and clear to Night Owl, the longer it dragged on.
They wanted answers, and they weren't going to take no for an answer. It's why they were in person. Should Night Owl keep bluffing or lying, they'd either kill him or worse, walk out of his office. To be honest, Night Owl should have expected this. Though they worked together, Reaper didn't particularly like Night Owl, and vice versa. For Reaper, it was how many unknowns surrounded Night Owl. Why the scientist did what he did.
For Night Owl, it was the cult's unpredictability. They were a death cult, after all, nothing mattered to them except their mission. So dealing with the Ninth Circle was like dealing with a bull. Sure Night Owl could guide the bull, flash the red tarp at a few of his enemies, but at any moment that bull could charge him. The entire organization was unreliable. It's why he never told them everything, and why they weren't his primary fighting force. Oh, what he'd give for the Tyrant to still be alive. The silence began to drag on though, and Night Owl felt his panic slowly grow.
Having not said a word, Reaper slowly began reaching for the sickles around his waist. Anxiously Night Owl watched, again instinctively gulping. Seeing no other option Night Owl hesitantly began to open his mouth.
"...You know when I was three… I'd spend weeks building small bottle rockets with my mother," Night Owl stated, watching as Reaper stopped reaching for his weapons. It brought Night Owl some small relief. To try and keep up his uncaring visage, he again sat down, kicked his feet up onto his desk, and rested his arms behind his head.
"Every weekend we'd go out to a park and just shoot them into the sky," Night Owl continued, thinking back to a previous time, "At that age, I still had no clue how they even worked. But I'd do everything possible to replicate the results."
As Night Owl thought the memory over, it… actually brought a chuckle to his lips. He didn't realize it, but his eyes and smile shifted, looking more fond than before.
"I'd duct tape a dozen Coke bottles together and set them off simultaneously. I'd increase the amount of vinegar needed. Whatever I could do, I did it. And my little mind thought it was the most incredible thing ever," Night Owl explained, "It created an unfettered fascination with science."
The more Night Owl talked the more Reaper seemed to ease down. Though the mad scientist knew if he didn't start getting to the point, all of this would be nothing more than pointless stalling. Which made it unfortunate that he was telling the truth. He doubted Reaper would believe Night Owl if he lied, and considering how on the spot he was, that was assuming he could even come up with a lie. It would be fine though, he'd think of something to deal with this.
"I threw myself into whatever studies I could find. Astronomy, physics, robotics, quirk studies, chemistry, whatever I could find," Night Owl continued, before grabbing a nearby fountain pen on his desk. He fiddled with it in his hand, while still glancing over at Reaper.
"It all enraptured me. To imagine what humanity would achieve in just ten, twenty, even thirty years. This wasn't even some odd naive belief to hold. Back then, everything still seemed possible," Night Owl commented, carefully taking apart the pen he held, "All Might had just stepped into the public spotlight, and was rising through the ranks rapidly. Crime was supposedly falling, the world was stabilizing, and every other week someone would discover another quirk that could alter reality, or produce limitless energy."
The pen's parts were laid out on the desk in front of Night Owl, all placed in an orderly fashion. As he looked at the pen, he couldn't help but feel… a certain nostalgia from his own words. It was a different time. A time when he knew nothing about the world's true state. About the years to come, and how little things would actually change.
"Everything… everything seemed possible," Night Owl commented, "I grew up looking at the stars, believing that soon we'd yet again reach them. That technology seen only in science fiction would soon be at our fingertips."
How naive he'd been. The mad scientist couldn't help but grab the pen's ink chamber, and looked over it annoyed.
"But well… two events changed everything," Night Owl muttered, the memories making him angry. Unintentionally his hand tightened around the ink chamber and crushed it. Ink now staining his hand, Night Owl could only grumble. Looking over he saw Reaper quietly look at him, seemingly more interested. Wordlessly he motioned for Night Owl to continue, while also having one of his lieutenants leave to get some kind of cloth. The action quickly drove Night Owl mad, as he watched the lieutenant slither through his office door.
"The first was that I simply grew up," Night Owl stated, deciding it best to continue talking, "As a child, I expected so much more from the world. We were given all of these gifts, and yet… we're still using the exact same smartphones I grew up with."
Yet as Night Owl thought his last words over, he couldn't help but snort. That wasn't accurate in the slightest.
"No, the same smartphones my grandparents grew up with," Night Owl muttered annoyed, "We haven't gone back to the moon in centuries. Our cars still run on gasoline, our airports still use 747s, and our police still use Glocks and Kevlar."
Or how humanity still used the same solar panel designs. Or the exact same semiconductors. Or the exact same shipping vessels. More and more items came to Night Owl's mind and it just made him angrier.
"Everything… everything has stagnated for over two hundred years! And yet this shouldn't be possible!" Night Owl exclaimed, "We should be colonizing the galaxy by now, and yet we continue to rot away on this dirt ball!"
Because truthfully, this shouldn't have been possible. The rise of quirks wasn't a second fall of Rome, where the majority of human knowledge was gone in an instant. Everything was still at humanity's disposal on the internet. They still had schools teaching people how to use basic math and science. After the first century, everything should have gone back to normal as the world adapted. Yet it didn't.
"Growing up, I became sick of this stagnation," Night Owl stated tiredly, as the lieutenant snuck back into the room with a few wipes, "And yet I couldn't help but wonder why. Why have we become so stagnant, with gifts like these?"
It had to have been something, and it sure as hell wasn't quirks. Or at least, solely because of quirks. Sure, humanity had this newfound obsession with quirks, but that's not to say it's entirely bad. The future of humanity lies both in quirks and technology. But with that said, this obsession had to come from somewhere. Because after a hundred years, quirks would have been commonplace. They would have been normal, some could even say boring, predictable, or expected.
"That's when I figured it out," Night Owl continued, the lieutenant passing him a few wipes, "The thing holding us back, was the very thing society had become obsessed with. Heroes."
Because that is where the obsession with quirks came from. From the very first heroes, there was a loop ingrained into the public psyche. A hero would become popular with the public, stopping villains, saving people, and all that jazz. But the number one thing everyone remembers about them is their quirk. They can have a million different costumes that only a select few will remember, but everyone will remember their quirk.
All Might was known for his strength, Endeavor was known for his fires, Ingenium for his speed, Mirko for her rabbit ears, Yoroi Musha for his swords, and Best Jeanist for his jeans. People remembered their power, and since their power was their most memorable quality, well, it tended to be their most popular quality too. And with how big heroics become, it all boils down to a chicken or egg question.
Did heroes become popular because of their quirks, or did quirks become popular because of heroes? The question didn't fully matter to Night Owl, as it served as his answer.
"Not a thing gets done unless a hero is involved," Night Owl muttered, tossing away an ink-stained wipe, "I-Island, the false idol it is, was a marvel of engineering. A technological achievement the world had never seen before. Yet it was only built off the backs of heroes, and for the most part, solely serves heroes. They take all the potential of a floating megacity, and use it to build support gear."
Anything, they could have used I-Island for anything. It could have been a solution to overpopulation. It could have served as an ocean research station. It could have ventured down to the Arctic and acted as a massive FOB for scientists. Instead, it was a glorified amusement park, dedicated to building support gear. Support gear that the average person would never see, use, or afford.
And that wasn't even discussing the delays in their current projects. The Iron Might suit as it would eventually be known, started development thirty years ago. Spending for the project has surpassed the price of not one, not two, but three full aircraft carriers. With no clear need for such a suit, it's been delayed. Over, and over, and over again. Though, with All Might's status revealed to the world, who's to say that wouldn't change? Yet that was assuming the HPSC would even allow such a project.
If anyone could have the power of All Might with one suit, then what was the point of heroes? They'd be driven to obsolescence, or at the very least a massive change in operational structure. Night Owl was getting off point though.
In Night Owl's simplest terms, I-Island's advancements affected the world so little that their existence practically changed nothing. It was like everything else, another symbol to deceive everyone.
"We could have achieved fusion power decades ago, finished what our great-grandparents started. Instead, we keep parading around heroes, acting like nothing is wrong," Night Owl muttered, feeling himself get more annoyed by the second. Taking a deep breath the mad scientist calmed himself. All he was doing now was ranting. And considering Reaper was again reaching for his sickles, Night Owl knew it was time to move on.
"The world as it stands now needs course correction," Night Owl explained, standing up from his chair, before looking at the remnants of his pen, "The systems of old must be burnt away, to bring back technological progress."
Quickly Night Owl grabbed some of the pen's parts and started putting them back together. Without the ink chamber, it wouldn't work and fit together, but he did so anyway.
"The problem is, the world needs an incentive. A reason to burn itself down, and then to innovate and change," Night Owl continued, shoving bits of the pen together at awkward angles. Not concerned with the pen's condition he bent and twisted the thing's plastic until it looked like an abomination. Placing it on the table, Night Owl turned back toward Reaper, bringing up his usual smug smile.
"So… what better incentive than a war?" Night Owl inquired, seeing a few gears turn in the cult leader's head.
"A beautiful thing war," Night Owl stated, his smile widening at the thought, "Conflict has always been the biggest innovator humanity has ever known."
He stepped away from his desk then, walked around the office for a second, before turning toward the large glass window.
"It's what made the US an industrial powerhouse after World War Two," Night Owl explained, walking toward the window and stopping right in front of it, "The fear of nuclear war is what got humanity to the moon. It's what created the internet, modern surgical practices, the jet engine, radar, nuclear power, and even duct tape."
With his arms crossed behind his back, Night Owl could think up a dozen other advancements all due to war. The computer, the microwave, GPS, super glue, digital cameras, canned food, penicillin, the t-shirt, cargo pants, and even aviator sunglasses. War was the great innovator in his eyes.
"Without war, we'd have none of the modern-day luxuries we use now," Night Owl commented, looking out the large office window, "And if there's one thing the first world has lacked for a good long while, it's war."
It disgusted him how true that statement was. Especially with what he knew of the coming months. It's why everything had to go to plan.
"With the public terrified, and a new war raging, they'd turn away from their heroes, to anyone else for safety and security," Night Owl continued, watching a few cars race by on the streets below, cop cars chasing after them seconds later.
"And for many, that safety would only arrive, by surrendering to me," Night Owl stated, turning toward Reaper, and calmly gesturing to himself. He held his hand out then, moving it through the air as if leading an orchestra.
"In a war that I intend to never cease, my guiding hand will lead a select few, to technological prosperity," Night Owl added, before he spotted the original lieutenant who had started this conversation glaring at him. Night Owl could feel the anger radiating off the man, his face beet red and somehow getting redder.
"While leaving the rest in abject suffering," the lieutenant pointed out angrily, with Night Owl simply shrugging and walking back toward his seat.
"If going back to the moon costs a few thousand pints of blood, then I'd call that a good deal," Night Owl replied, "We would no longer be obsessed with these buffoons in costumes. No longer would pompous leaders like you know who, be allowed to hold us back. No longer would these detestable ethics get in the way of science."
He'd be free to do whatever he wanted. Pursue whatever study he pleased, without any qualms or issues of funding or morals.
"With the chaos of war, all will be made right again," Night Owl finished. Through the beautiful cleansing flames of war, the world would be fixed. And already Night Owl could see the fruits of his labor. The room went quiet again though, as Night Owl sat back into his chair. The lieutenant looked at the scientist still furious, but made no move to do anything. Not while they still benefited from each other. However, Night Owl became puzzled, as the lieutenant seemed to realize something.
The man crossed his arms slowly, as a question came to his mind.
"...You said there were two events in your life that changed everything," the lieutenant pointed out, with Night Owl internally swearing, "What was the second event?"
Second… second!? What did he mean by second… He meant to say one. Damn it, he meant to say one! He'd given away too much info! It couldn't be revealed! Not yet! Not now! Yet he knew Reaper wouldn't take no for an answer. The cultist would rip the answer out of him, tooth by tooth if it came down to it. Night Owl didn't notice it, but a bead of sweat slowly began to drip from his brow.
Quietly the mad scientist began trying to think of a plan. At the same time, he started talking in the hopes of stalling. Unfortunately, his tongue outran his brain.
"Well… the second, was the day my… quirk came in," Night Owl explained, mentally cursing as he tried thinking up a lie, "The moment it arrived, I had the ability to-"
Thankfully a phone began to ring, and internally Night Owl took the biggest sigh of relief. It took everything to hide his panic and keep up his smug smile. This phone call made it so much easier, as the device continued to ring. The sound seemed to be emanating from Reaper, so with his usual grin Night Owl looked toward him.
"Are you going to take that or…" Night Owl inquired, with Reaper silently pulling the phone out of his pocket. The man brought it to his ear for a few seconds, with Night Owl unable to hear what was being said. But… It was clearly something strange. Reaper shifted in his seat a little, his body language screaming confusion. At one point it seemed like Reaper would crush the phone.
After a few minutes, Reaper put down his phone and audibly took a deep breath. Quietly he turned back toward Night Owl and simply stared.
"...What do you mean our Tokyo compound has a bug problem?" Night Owl eventually inquired, watching as Reaper slowly crossed his arms.
"A swarm of hornets…" Night Owl muttered, before his eyes instantly widened in shock, "They killed a dozen men!?"
Somehow it got worse, as though Reaper said nothing, his annoyance was quickly shared by Night Owl. Because it wasn't just hornets, no. One part of their compound had some men reporting something crawling on the walls and ceiling before disappearing. Another part had men reporting gunshots, only for them to find no bullet, casing, or even sniper. A third reported the sprinklers turning on for no damn reason.
"A fire too!?" Night Owl exclaimed dumbfounded, "The fuck do you mean a fire broke out as well!?"
It was as if everything that could have gone wrong, was. It was all infuriating, to say the least. At least there was some good news in all of this, that being the compound was still standing. But then, Reaper said one final thing, and Night Owl froze.
"...She's gone?" Night Owl muttered, his smile faltering slightly, "SHE'S GONE!?"
When Mike and his squad landed back in Outer Heaven, with Francisco in tow, he expected some small amount of downtime. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. The second they made landfall, some soldiers scooped up Francisco, handed them new orders, and immediately started pushing them toward a C-17. It was all so abrupt too, happening in a span of roughly five hours. It confused Mike to no end, but orders were orders.
Now he and his squad sat in the large aircraft, accompanied by at least a hundred other FOXHOUND members. To his right sat Nix, the dog tiredly curled up in his seat. Quietly Mike scratched the dog's back while looking over his Idroid calmly. With not much else to do, he thought it best to watch the news. Which was… well…
"Protests continue today, with local residents calling for a withdrawal from Japan. This comes after the MSF released its casualty figures yesterday, along with plans to redeploy in another division to occupy the city of Musutafu," the news reporter stated, standing in front of a large crowd. Said crowd stood assembled outside the capitol building, all clumped together in a sea of signs and flags. Rather quickly the reporter began walking to several different protestors.
"I don't get why we're even there!" one protestor exclaimed, holding up Outer Heaven's flag, "Japan and the rest of the first world have done nothing for us, and yet we're expected to start dealing with their problems?"
"Japan made its bed, let them lay in it! Don't have my son die for a bunch of fucking freaks in costume!" another protestor proclaimed once the reporter moved to the next guy. Instead of a sign or a flag, this protestor instead wore their dress uniform. It was cleanly pressed, and his right sleeve was rolled up slightly, to allow his prosthetic arm better movement.
"Its bullshit is what it is," another protestor stated, this one holding a large sign. It depicted a photo of a dead soldier, with a Japanese civilian and a Japanese hero uncaringly sitting atop him.
"I support the military as much as the next guy, but I don't think we should be sending them abroad for this crap. I know they can do it for contract work, but that's different. That's a voluntary choice made by the troops to get some extra pay. What Big Boss is doing is forcibly deploying troops who should be defending us, to support a country that's done nothing but screw us over," the man further explained, before turning and shouting with the rest of the crowd.
"I was fine with it when they stationed troops at UA. As much as I don't like heroes, it was clear the action was made to stick it to Japan. A political move to ensure they stopped trying to crush us," yet another protestor said, waving a massive flag into the air, "But now? Now we're what, fighting their villains, patrolling their streets, sending billions of our tax dollars in aid? When the hell did they ever do any of that for us!?"
Eventually, the reporter stepped away from the crowd to a quieter area, before looking toward the camera.
"Through current polls, we can see roughly sixty percent of people view Musutafu's occupation as a negative. Another seventy percent view any assistance provided to Japan as potentially harmful to Outer Heaven," the reporter went on, "As of yet, President-Elect Johanas Klazen has not commented on Big Boss's recent decisions, however, Vice-President Elect Mwamba Moutou has stated their administration will open up talks with the MSF's head."
It caused Chameleon to groan annoyed the more the news went on. Sitting a few seats down from Mike, he couldn't help but slouch in his seat.
"Heartless fucks," Chameleon muttered, with Wildcat shrugging next to him.
"Can't say I blame them," Wildcat muttered, the soldier unintentionally reaching for his nub of a tail. Heroes were part of the reason he enlisted in the Saudi Army. They inspired him to do some good in the world. Instead, he was berated as a freak, and treated lesser. And did the world bat an eye? No, because the world didn't care. Hummingbird nodded in agreement next to him, the woman busy counting up a few dollars, the money likely for her family at home.
"Idiotas have been supporting villains across the world for years. Now they're turning to us for support. The cabrones brought this on themselves," Hummingbird muttered, before she froze for a moment, distant memories coming to mind. She grew up in war-torn Venezuela, having to care for her brother and sister, struggling to survive. Not once did the world do anything to help. Instead, they pretended everything was fine, and ignored Venezuela's chaos. Chameleon shook his head no at the action.
"Doesn't mean we should do nothing," Chameleon retorted, with some of his squad mates shrugging. With his quirk Good and Bad days, he'd been blamed for practically everything in anyone's life. A freak storm, his fault. Late to class, his fault. Stepped on some gum, his fault. And growing up Chameleon couldn't fully disagree. No one came to help when things went wrong, which they always did.
Which just meant that even with his rotten luck, he'd have to be the one to step forward. Even when no one did the same for him.
"An eye for an eye does make the world blind," Moth added, looking up from the bag of medical equipment she was looking over. Compared to the others, Moth's life was rather normal. Sure she grew up in Chicago, with the city having a crime wave at the time. But she lived an average middle-class life. In her early life, her quirk weakened her immune system horribly, so for most of her life she stayed home as a shut-in.
Unable to go out and do anything was hell for those years. And she didn't want anyone else to go through something similar again.
"Except this isn't an eye for an eye," Caela tiredly countered, "Eye for an eye would be us bombing them for every warlord they funded. This is more… watching karma happen."
Like Hummingbird, Caela had grown up in a land dominated by war. Worse yet, she was one of the many offspring of the Tyrant. Her life was spent toiling away in some camp, before leading a rebellion. A rebellion that was swiftly crushed by a lack of support. No one came to help her, and instead, Caela had to claw her way to the top. Through espionage and hit-and-run raids, she and a group of friends she made survived.
Throughout it all, Mike couldn't help but grumble. He knew his squad were all good people, and that none of them would let an innocent person die. But he also knew exactly how they all felt. Yet these complaints needed to be crushed now.
"Karma only hurts the guilty," Mike stated with a grumble while turning toward the rest of his squad, "And whether you like to admit it or not, the majority of Japan is not guilty."
"So were we," Wildcat muttered to himself, though stayed silent when Mike's gaze fell on him.
"I expect all of you to acknowledge that fact," Mike ordered, taking a second to scratch Nix's back again. At the same time, he looked back at Caela, Wildcat, and Hummingbird.
"I don't like this assignment any more than you three. But orders are orders, and I expect you to carry them out," Mike told them with a brief glare. All three nodded, before replying, "Sir yes sir."
Looking away Mike just shook his head, before noticing Nix yawn quietly.
"At least I know I don't have to worry about you, buddy," Mike commented, pulling his hand away slowly. Yet as he did so, a new thought came to Mike's mind. The squad's resident AI had been… quiet. A small amount of dread was slowly building in Mike, as he wondered just what the AI was up to.
Yawning briefly, Victoria woke up on her soft bed and looked around her bedroom. Over time she expanded her small cabin a smidge and added a few new rooms to her cozy abode. Slowly pushing off her bed's covers, Victoria stretched for a moment, before turning and hopping out of bed. The room was slightly cold due to the morning air which caused Victoria to shiver slightly.
Quietly the AI walked out of her room and down a set of oak stairs. A few paintings decorated her wall, along with a shrub or two. Eventually, she stood outside her rather rustic kitchen. Looking through the contents of her chests, Victoria couldn't help but grumble. Nothing seemed appealing for breakfast, at least nothing she could make. She ran out of coal the day before, so she couldn't cook anything.
She had no wheat so no sandwiches, pancakes, or whatever else her stomach demanded. Closing one of her chests, Victoria's grumbles slowly stopped. A smile came to fruition quickly, as the AI checked her inventory. Now was the perfect excuse to eat at the Airship Diner. Finding just enough gold, Victoria quickly fixed her bedhead hair and rushed toward her door.
Walking outside, she spotted a few other AIs walking about across her island's lake. Some were tired from a night shift in the real world, and others just now waking up. As Victoria got close she waved at a few of them, and they waved back. While crossing her island's bridge, she spotted Marston and Texas standing nearby. They stood at the edge of the lake, their feet in the water, and just looked at Victoria's house for a moment.
"Morning guys!" Victoria happily called out, earning the two cowboy's attention. Marston tried to remain calm and gave Victoria a friendly smile. Texas, on the other hand, was biting his lips, and… snickering? That confused Victoria for a moment, as she approached the others.
"Mornin' sis," Martson replied before he coughed into his hand.
"M-mornin'," Texas greeted, again trying to hold in a snicker. Of course, it was impossible to hide, as Victoria began looking at Texas suspiciously.
"Something the matter?" Victoria inquired, with Texas shaking his head slowly.
"Nope, nope, all good," Texas told her, though this only caused Victoria to be more suspicious. Slowly she walked around the cowboys, crossing her arms. Stepping into the water, a rhythmic splash followed her steps, before she stood in front of them.
"...You steal revolvers from West again?" Victoria asked suspiciously, with Marston shaking his head no.
"Nah, he locked 'em down tight," Marston replied calmly, with Texas slowly nodding.
"Ok, ok… you're planning to fill my house with pigs again aren't you?" Victoria inquired, with Texas shaking his head no, before taking off his cowboy hat.
"No, but thanks for the idea," Texas replied, wiping some dust off his hat, while Marston stepped forward.
"We're just… checkin' up on ya," Marston told her, "Thought we'd take ya campin' on account of the whole… massacre business."
The words made Victoria pause for a second, her anger quickly dissipating away. It seemed awfully suspicious, but it felt too genuine for Victoria to notice.
"You guys really mean that?" she asked, with both cowboys nodding slowly. She didn't notice the both of them quickly glance at the other, having some mental conversation.
"Sure," Texas told her, "Know this nice spot out in the Mystical Woods. Great view of everything."
Smiling, Victoria quickly walked up close to her brothers and pulled them in for a hug.
"Thanks, maybe after breakfast," Victoria replied, letting them both go. She sloshed through the water for a bit, heading back to dry land. Once she was out of the water, she turned back toward the cowboys, who again were snickering.
"You guys want to join… me…" Victoria began to say before she figured out why they were snickering. Because looking out across the lake, she could spot her cabin. On top of her cabin, was 2D art of a pixelated butt. The moment she saw it, both cowboys broke out into laughter. Marston practically collapsed into the water, while Texas slapped his knee, before coughing.
Victoria's face went red, both out of embarrassment, and abject rage. Slowly looking back down at the cowboys, Victoria instinctively switched to the revolver in her inventory.
"Wasn't us," Marston stated, holding up his hands defensively while still laughing. If he were to laugh anymore, he'd likely hack up a lung. Hearing the words, Victoria didn't fully believe the two. But then she thought it over. Only one other AI came to mind, as the likely culprit.
"...Martha," Victoria grumbled, before turning and walking off in search of her younger sister. Though not before Marston called out to her.
"Our offer still stands, you know!" Marston shouted, watching as Victoria continued walking. Shrugging once she was far enough away, Marston looked back at Texas.
"Ten gold bars says Mattie's dead," Marston stated, with Texas smirking back.
"I'll take those odds," Texas replied before the both of them hopped out of the water.
You know, Midoriya really underestimated just how big space was. Sitting in 1A's classroom just lounging about, both he and Uraraka were looking over a map of some stars. It was a 3D sphere that Uraraka had made for some project. With so little to do around campus, she decided to try and build something small. In the sphere small clear tubes held up dots that represented stars, and there were ninety-four dots in the sphere. What made it unique was all the star's placements.
They were either lower than, higher than, or on the same plane as the Earth. And each one was separated by representative light years. It was all very in-depth as Midoriya looked over the model.
"Didn't know there were so many stars nearby," Midoriya muttered, lightly touching a star labeled Wolf 359.
"Well… in a sense," Uraraka replied, as he wasn't entirely wrong. But it was more a matter of how one viewed distance. The closest star was still a trillion miles away, while the farthest nearby star was trillions more. She smiled politely though, watching as Midoriya looked over her craftsmanship. It was all so intricate and detailed. He hadn't noticed it before, but looking closer he could swear each star was also given its respective solar system.
However as he noticed this, he also noticed something else.
"Why are so many named Ross though?" Midoriya inquired, crouching down slightly to get a better look, "There's… like a dozen of them."
Aside from the Ross's, there were also a dozen other Glieses, Wolfs, and stars just labeled MASS. Uraraka shrugged in response, not remembering how scientists named stars. With that vague answer, Midoriya went back to looking the model over. Behind the two of them, a curious Kaminari poked his head over Midoriya's shoulder. Instantly the teen noticed something and his eyes lit up in recognition.
"Hey, is that a Halo reference?" Kaminari inquired, earning a confused look from Uraraka.
"What reference?" she asked while turning to face the other teen.
"The star's name," Kaminari replied, before shifting slightly and pointing at one of the model's dots, "Epsilon Eridani, Reach's star."
Uraraka looked at the star momentarily, before smiling back at Kaminari.
"Not a reference. It's a real star," Uraraka told him, causing Kaminari's eyes to widen in surprise.
"Seriously!? Dude that's cool," Kaminari commented, as he scooted up next to Midoriya for a better look at the model. He stared at Epsilon Eridani for a moment before glancing back at Uraraka.
"Think we'll ever colonize the real Reach?" Kaminari asked, with Uraraka looking back at him unsure.
"Well, I'm not sure Reach exists," Uraraka replied, with Kaminari raising his brow slowly.
"Does the star have any planets?" Kaminari pressed on, with Uraraka thinking it over.
"I mean there is an exo-planet, but we haven't confirmed if it's habitable," Uraraka replied, with Kaminari quickly pumping his fist into the air.
"That isn't a no, so I'll take it!" Kaminari exclaimed, the comment causing Midoriya to laugh briefly. Though he quietly agreed with the electric teen. At the same time, he glanced over at Kaminari with a smile on his face.
"You know Harvest's star is real too," Midoriya told him, Kaminari's eyes somehow getting wider. Any more and they would likely pop out of his head.
"Seriously!?" Kaminari asked, surprised, with Midoriya nodding.
"Yep, right… there," Midoriya replied, pointing toward the star labeled Epsilon Indi.
"Sweet," Kaminari commented, laughing in amazement, "You know if we ever go back to space, and colonize a planet, we better name it Harvest."
"Agreed," Midoriya stated, nodding his head with Kaminari. The idea fascinated them for a few more minutes, the three just looking over the model. Every few minutes they'd find another star that caught their attention.
"Procyon has Arcadia right?" Midoriya asked, looking over the star.
"I believe so," Kaminari replied, "And Eridani has Eridanus right?"
"Maybe… don't remember if that was canon though-" Midoriya began to say until he was interrupted by the classroom's door shooting open. Before he could even see who was entering the room, something darted through. It moved like the Flash, as one minute Midoriya blinked, and the next he felt something slam into him. When he opened his eyes, he found himself staring up at the ceiling.
For whatever reason he had no clue, though he noticed an odd weight on top of him. As his eyes slowly began looking around above him, he spotted Kaminari and Uraraka, who both stared down at him wide-eyed, before the electric teen slowly shifted to a sly grin. Uraraka though looked like her brain was failing. Which didn't make sense to Midoriya, as he slowly looked down- oh nope, nope! Look away, Midoriya mentally screamed, his eyes going right back up to the ceiling.
"Akatanai buddy, you have to help me!" Hatsume told him, the pink-haired girl then grabbed and shook the soul out of Midoriya. She sat atop the teen, her chest worryingly close to his. Why did she keep doing this!? At least when things exploded he could believe it was unintentional! Now it just seemed Hatsume did this to mess with him. No sense of personal space, that girl has.
"H-a-t-s-u-m-e!" Midoriya exclaimed, the pink girl still shaking him. She thankfully stopped… eventually, and Hatsume quickly stood up. Free from the pink-haired girl's wrath, Midoriya stood up and dusted himself off. When he looked back at Hatsume, he took extra care to avoid the gaze of her… bosom as it was.
"What is it now?" Midoriya asked her. If he was right it'd be another project she'd need help testing. In which case he'd likely be the test dummy. That didn't mean Midoriya would say no though, it was fun to help her out. However, Midoriya's suspicions changed slightly, as he noticed something off about Hatsume. She looked rather disheveled and shook like an addict who'd gone cold turkey. Her hands were constantly moving about and only stopped when Hatsume clasped them together.
"Power Loader kicked me out of the lab!" Hatsume exclaimed, the answer leaving Midoriya a bit surprised.
"Oh," he couldn't help but mutter, while he noticed the curious gazes of Kaminari and Uraraka. Neither said anything, leaving Hatsume to continue,
"He said I had to go and see a therapist, but I don't need to. I'm fine, all I need are my babies, and some tools, and some metal, and-" the girl went, before devolving into a rambling mess. Her hands continued to shake, demanding to be doing something, anything.
"I feel like I'm going crazy here, I'm not crazy though. I'm fine, perfectly fine, I just need to see my babies, and you're going to help me right? Because I know this vent in the lab you can sneak into, it's small but you should fit right in-" Hatsume continued, before her hands reached up and slowly began pulling on one of her dreads. Eventually, Midoriya interrupted her, regaining her attention for her downward spiral.
"Hey, hey, breath," he told her, watching as the inventor took a few deep breaths. One by one, in and out. It calmed her down somewhat, but her hands still shook impatiently.
"I'm sorry, but I can't help you get back into the lab," Midoriya stated, earning a betrayed look from Hatsume, "If Power Loader kicked you out, he has a reason."
"But… my babies," she protested, with Midoirya quietly pitying her.
"They'll be there when you get back," Midoriya replied, with Hatsume rapidly shaking her head.
"No… no," Hatsume told him, her breathing speeding up again, "I… can't just sit and do nothing! I… I need to invent something, I need to make something."
It hurt Midoriya to hear Hatsume's words. He didn't like telling her no, but Power Loader had to have a reason. Yet it felt like he was ripping away Hatsume's dreams. She was an inventor, and building things was her passion. Maybe her way of coping with things too. But, perhaps something else was needed. Hatsume has a passion for making things, and likely that passion didn't end with just inventions.
Give her some tools, and maybe she could find something to help her. But what Midoriya wondered. Whittling maybe, he did have some extra knives. Woodworking could be good too, Legos as well, and possibly painting, though that last one depended on Hatsume. Midoriya just didn't know what to choose though. That was until Kaminari spoke up.
"UA has a pottery studio you could use," Kaminari piped up, earning a confused look from both Midoriya and Uraraka, "...What?"
"How do you know there's a pottery studio?" Uraraka asked, with Kaminari looking back bashfully for a minute.
"...I… thought I could meet girls there… I didn't but it turned out to be kinda fun. Have some photos of some stuff I made," Kaminari told her, before taking out his phone and holding it out. There he displayed a photo of him sitting next to a small clay vase. Painted trees detailed its exterior, with bits of colored glass sprinkled in to represent small fruits and stars.
"Ooh, that's nice," Uraraka complemented, with Kaminari nodding.
"I know right," Kaminari replied, while Midoriya turned back toward Hatsume. It could work.
"How about that? You can keep your hands busy making things," Midoriya told her, with Hatsume looking back at him hesitantly. Her left index finger rapidly tapped on her arm, along with her right foot on the floor. She eventually nodded though, with Midoriya sighing in relief. With her answer Kaminari stepped forward, ready to lead the way. Leaving the classroom, Midoriya gave Uraraka a small wave, the girl staying behind to tend to her model.
Winding through UA's halls, Kaminari quietly led him and Hatsume forward. After a while of walking the pink-haired girl trailed behind them. The sight caused Kaminari to glance over at Midoriya before his sly grin came back.
"Akatani you sly dog," Kaminari commented, slightly elbowing Midoriya, "Didn't know you had it in you."
"Had it in me?" Midoriya asked, confused, his brow raised slightly. His confusion made Kaminari chuckle for a second.
"Come on. You and her have been babymaking?" Kaminari replied, "Just… damn dude." Instantly Midoriya's face went red with embarrassment. He held up his hands defensively, though his panic made Kaminari laugh again.
"Nope! Not what you think it is!" Midoriya protested, in a panicked tone.
"Um-hum," Kaminari sarcastically replied, causing Midoriya to groan.
"I'm serious! She calls her inventions babies," Midoriya told him tiredly.
"If you say so," Kaminari replied with a shrug, "Gotta say though, could have sworn Uraraka was more your type."
As the words registered in Midoriya's head, he quietly blinked for a second, saying nothing.
"What makes you say that?" Midoriya asked, confused, only to be met with a confused look from Kaminari.
"Well… come on. You two hang out practically all the time. Could have sworn you two were dating," Kaminari replied, leaving Midoriya to think for a moment. Looking back… he wasn't entirely wrong. Midoriya could only remember a handful of times he wasn't hanging out with Uraraka. But that was just because there wasn't much to do, his brain told him. Though as his brain said this, Midoriya reflected on the last thing Kaminari said.
Uraraka and him… dating. The thought felt odd. I mean sure he wouldn't be opposed to it. Uraraka was a kind helping person, always there for someone. Not to mention she was smart, and loved heroes like him… ok not exactly like him. She was also super friendly to people. Not to mention her determination to get things done. Or how pretty she is… Midoriya elected to stop thinking then and simply focused on walking.
"She's just a friend," Midoriya told him, with Kaminari again shrugging. Instead, the two focused on moving forward-
"[I know it's last minute, but I'm telling you Kaz, something came up!]" Snake exclaimed from somewhere, immediately gaining everyone's attention. Midoriya, Kaminari, and Hatsume all stopped in their tracks, quietly looking for the source of the noise. They found it, coming from one of the staff's conference rooms. The door was cracked open slightly, and all of them saw Snake pace around the room.
"[Boss, this entire operation is being concocted by the seat of our pants here! And now you're telling me you're not going!?]" Miller replied over Snake's Idroid.
"[Look, have Aizawa take my place,]" Snake told him tiredly while rubbing his brow, "[I'm needed elsewhere.]"
"[Aizawa's already being sent to Shimane,]" Miller pointed out, causing Snake to grumble.
"[Then have Midnight do it,]" Snake ordered, before sighing, "[Just… trust me.]"
The Idroid stayed quiet, though one could hear the almost unnoticeable grumbles from Miller.
"[...If you say so Boss,]" Miller replied with the call coming to an end. Again Snake sighed before the man began looking over something in the conference room. It left all of them confused the more they watched. Eventually, Midoriya's curiosity won over him. He turned toward Hatsume and Kaminari slightly.
"You guys go ahead, I'll catch up," Midoriya told them, with Kaminari looking slightly unsure. But he nodded and led Hatsume toward the pottery studio. It left Midoriya alone, the teen taking a deep breath as he faced the door. Taking a few steps forward, he pushed the door open slightly. It creaked as it moved, alerting Snake quickly, though the man stood down once he saw who entered.
"Dad," Midoriya greeted, calmly.
"Izuku," Snake replied, looking back over some documents in front of him. Quietly Midoriya stepped into the room proper, and almost instantly he felt a chill go down his spine. The room felt oddly cold, and he could have sworn he saw Snake's breath.
"Something wrong," Midoriya inquired, with Snake shaking his head slowly.
"No, no, just… having some issues with Kaz," Snake explained, though Midoriya didn't fully buy it. Stepping forward more, he got a better look at the documents Snake had. It was all a large assortment of maps covering several Japanese cities. It stood out to Midoriya as odd, but it didn't take long for him to connect the dots.
"You're going on a mission aren't you?" Midoriya inquired, while Snake tapped his finger on the table.
"...I am," Snake hesitantly replied.
"Is there going to be another attack?" Midoriya asked, and again Snake shook his head.
"No, not… not yet," Snake told him, taking a moment to reach out and ruffle his son's hair. It felt nice for a second, as Midoriya looked over the maps in front of him. Dozens of locations were marked across the country, for what reason he didn't know. Yet looking at all of them, it did nothing but infuriate him. Each mark likely represented an enemy base, and there were so many of them.
Far too many of them. It was just like the massacre all over again. While the MSF and UA's staff were going out there, he was staying here. Midoriya was sick of it. He had the chance to help people, and instead, he was being relegated to the sidelines again.
"Let me come," Midoriya demanded, with Snake looking back at his son quickly.
"Absolutely not, you are staying here," Snake retorted, with a small glare coming to Midoriya's face.
"Why? I've killed, I've experienced war," Midoriya pointed out, with Snake groaning.
"That doesn't mean I want you doing it again," Snake argued, tossing a piece of paper aside.
"And I won't unless I have to," Midoriya countered quickly, grabbing the paper Snake had tossed. Looking it over he found it to be a map of Tokyo. On the map was a random building circled in some kind of chalk.
"That's why you're not coming," Snake stated, "So that you don't have to."
His words, while comforting, only served to annoy Midoriya more. It was always so he didn't have to. Yet the entire point of this was to ensure others didn't have to. To ensure others didn't have to fight, didn't have to die, didn't have to lose everything.
"I'm not going to sit by as people get hurt," Midoriya argued, placing the map down carefully, "If I can help then I'm going to."
Snake simply grumbled next to him, turning over to glance at Midoriya for a minute.
"And you can do so… here…" Snake began to say, before slowly trailing off. Neither noticed it before but the room's temperature dropped a few more degrees. Their breath became even more visible than before. Unintentionally Midoriya began to shiver and look around the room. Why was it so cold he wondered? Before he could question this though, he found something more puzzling. Looking up at his father, Snake seemed to have frozen up.
The man slowly looked around the room, as if hearing something. He looked at the wall, the door, the vents, everywhere. His face shifted to confusion, shock, betrayal, and anger all in thirty seconds. As if he had an unheard conversation, with something Midoriya could not see. Then as soon as the temperature dropped, it began to heat up again. Unsure of what had happened, Midoriya stayed silent.
Snake meanwhile took a few deep breaths, the man seemingly angered by something. The rage slowly went away, yet Midoriya could see the unease Snake held. Quietly the man began walking toward the conference room's door.
"...Grab your gear," Snake hesitantly ordered the words shocking Midoriya.
"W-what?" Midoriya replied, looking back at his father surprised.
"Grab your gear," Snake told him, "If you want to come along, then let's go."
Wordlessly Snake pulled the door open and stepped out. Midoriya didn't know what to think then. It was the largest heel-faced turn Midoriya had ever seen. What… What had happened?