Percy Jackson felt the hair raise on the back of his neck as he stared down the tunnel, having finally caught up with these two crazy guys. Grif was still catching his breath, sounding like a dying cat, and Port was slapping his back in assurance. 'Behind you' a small voice in the back of his mind said. Percy turned and looked up. A crow was sitting on the top of a street light, staring down at them. Something about this particular bird made Percy feel uneasy but he stared up at the bird, even as more and more homeless mortals clamoring from the alleyways towards them. "Ha! We got them on the run! Let's get them" Grif shouted, having regained his breath. 'Leave it to Grif to be so reckless,' Percy thought with a sigh as he turned his attention back to see Grif trying to rush the tunnel. Despite being reliable at times, he still was a stupid mortal.

"No." Port said, holding his axe out, glaring at Grif. "We have rules, young man. We wait for the police to arrive then we go in."

"With these fucking bozos coming at us? No thanks. They look meaner than my local ice cream man." Grif said, raising his weapon at the hobos. Some of them paused, staring at the Grif Shot with blank, glazed-over eyes. Those were eyes Percy had seen before; mortals often would have such a look when under the influence of the Mist.

"Do you have any Emphats on you?" One young woman, about Percy's own age with stringy hair and wheelchair-bound, asked while holding out her hand. Percy pulled his sword out instead, making the woman stare at him in confusion.

"Back, get back!" Percy shouted.

"Tighten it up, boys!" Port added, axe in hand. The five got into a circle as the homeless people started closing in, second by second. These mortals didn't have an active Aura about them, so would Celestial Bronze work on them at all? He ran through Plan A then B then backups to the backups when he heard the sirens. Mortal or not, this was the first time in a long time Percy felt relief upon hearing that sweet, sappy sound as the police officers barked orders at the crowd who immediately backed off.

"Huntsman." The lead officer from the scene earlier demanded. "I'm demanding an explanation as to this carnage caused here."

"That wasn't us!" Harry said indignantly. Percy shook his head. Harry was so smart in some ways but in a case like this, not so much.

"Yeah! You heard what he said!" Grif added on, grinning. "How about you go and suck…"

"Enough!" Port demanded. To his credit, Grif backed off. Port turned back. "As these young men had so clearly stated, we had nothing to do with this unfortunate circumstance. We were chasing some soldiers from the White Fang down and they crashed at that very spot. We think they went down this pathway." He gestured to the open channel. Percy looked to the officer. He no longer looked angry, in fact, he looked very scared.

"They went down there?" He asked, pointing to the doorway.

Port responded, his usual cheer dampened. "Yes. I know the reputation of this place but have never been in this part of Vale. Would you happen to have an officer on deck who does know the area?"

The officer looked to the entrance back to Port and gulped. "You're staring at him." He said, taking a step forward. "I will take you down to those catacombs." He looked to the officers around him. "Rusty!" He called out. A younger man than the current officer stepped forward.

"Sir?" He asked.

"Take care of the situation here. If we're not back within 24 hours, you will blockade this entrance and blow it up with dynamite."

Rusty nodded, looking troubled. "Alright, ladies and gents! Clear the area!"

The lead officer turned back. "Follow me." He pulled out a flashlight from his waist and led the way down the tunnel, turning it on as he stepped down. Percy spared a glance at the dispersing crowd and back up to the street light. The crow was gone now. The sense of unease did not leave Percy, in fact, it was so much worse as Percy stepped down the stairs. Two police officers stood in front of the stairwell entrance, taking guard. They were truly alone now and Percy would not have it any other way.

Izuku Midoriya's eyes were not set on any particular thing. It was finally refreshing to do something remotely like Hero work but tight enclosed space made him feel cautious, just like Hosu City. Midoriya shuddered. That awful stare by the Hero Killer Stain still sent chills down his spine even after all this time and the things he's seen and done. The lead officer, Pine if his name tag could be judged, led them through the bricked catacombs. They reached the bottom of the corridor where numerous pipes and wires were sticking into the brick walls above and below them. The wires themselves seemed to be in great shape but still old looking to Midoriya's eyes.

Pine pointed the flashlight to the ground and scanned it, stopping at the trail of blood that led down the stairs then came to a sudden stop. "Oh crap." Pine muttered. "Step back." He commanded. Midoriya did so, watching as Pine knelt down feeling along the floor. "It should be around here somewhere. Where is… Ah!" He exclaimed, his hand grabbing onto something thin and oval. He pulled it up, a piece of the concrete slipping open. There was a new hole now with dim lights coming from the bottom and an old ladder leading down. Midoriya felt on edge, 'this wasn't right.' He raised his fists but Officer Pine seemed to notice and raised his hand. "You will do anything and everything I say. A little diplomacy is the only way we're getting out of here with any sanity." He said. Something in the way he said that made Midoriya pause, lowering his fists. He didn't like the tone he had but this man seemed to know his way around the area. Who knows if his teammates would be the same way. Satisfied, Pine started climbing down the ladder into the yellow light. Midoriya peaked his head below, same as Professor Port. The source of the light was still out of sight, a slight turn out of sight. Officer Pine stepped away from the ladder and into the source of light. All of a sudden, two other shadows appeared holding guns in their hands. Midoriya raised his fists, he needed to get down there to fight them! Port held out a hand, blocking Midoriya. "Trust me, lad. He knows what he's doing." Port said, watching the shadows closely. Midoriya nodded. He turned his head back to watch as Pine flashed some hand gestures to the other two: two fingers, three then the last two crossed. They couldn't' hear them well but the voices now sounded more optimistic with hands being shaken. Officer Pine came into view. "It's safe to come on down now." He called up.

"Finally. Stupid pricks so much time." Grif grumbled as he started down the ladder. Midoriya frowned at that remark. In the time they had known each other, Grif was the last sort he would have called a friend. And yet, in some ways, he reminded him of Kacchan in doing whatever he wanted to do. Despite such potential to be a great Hero, why did he have to act this way all the time? Midoriya buried those thoughts as he climbed down the ladder followed by Port then Harry then Percy. Officer Pine was standing flanked by two men with large guns in their arms and sashes that looked to Midoriya like slings in those old American Westerns.

"Lower your weapons!" Pine demanded. The two guards watched all of them enter the small corridor with one of them watching Grif's weapon especially with caution.

"Fucking weak, dude." Girf grumbled as he slung his Grif Shot on his back. Satisfied, the guards lowered their guns and started walking away from them without saying anything.

"Come on. It's best to follow them." Pine stated, waving to them. Midoriya decided to follow them but the tension he felt in every muscle in his arms did not let up, in fact, the tension got worse as they went on. The corridor led into a large stone room the size of a office building floor. All around them were tents of varying sizes and colours. Midoriya couldn't help noticing how patched their clothes were, watching them walk past in the clear pathway. A mother was consoling her baby in one of the tents, a pillow by her right side. Midoriya forced himself to turn away from the sounds and sight, feeling a pit growing second by second in his stomach. This was not justice! Some of the people were sending them funny looks, some even reaching into their robes with looks of wrath.

To distract himself from this horror, he kept an eye out in the underground city. They were walking away from one of the entrances, maybe the only one here. A drop of water hitting his head made Midoriya stiffen and look up to the ceiling. There, along the bricked roof were masses of bronze pipes threading through one part to the next. Every now and then, he heard the walls shake, dust flung from the ceiling and brushing against Midoriya's face and the people kept walking about as if it was normal. They reached the tent in the center of the miniature city, two guards standing out front. As they rounded the corner, Midoriya spotted another entrance on the far end of the tunnel. They had another way to escape! "Officer Pine." One of the guards said with a snide, cruel smirk. "The chief is waiting for you inside."

"Thank you, Rusty." Pine said, tipping his hat to the guard. 'They know each other.' Midoriya thought, looking to the policeman with an increased sense of dread. The guard glared at him but pulled the tarps back. Midoriya blinked; the inside was decorated like the Japanese Parliament by comparison to the surrounding tents. It had Japanese-looking screens on the far wall depicting a purple and yellow dragon circling each other, a single wood pole holding the tent up and numerous wooden tables in a square pattern. A shadowed figure was sitting on the other side of the door. Pine tapped the wooden frames around. "Are you here, old man? I need to speak with you."

The shadow lifted his head, turning it to the right. "Have you no respect for the gods at all? I thought you would have been taught better than that."

"Since when have the gods cared for our mere traditions?" Pine asked coldly. Midoriya clenched his fists, watching for any odd shifting in the tent. What was he thinking?

The shadow let out a sigh, standing up and walking out from behind the screen. The man, to Midoriya's surprise, looked like an older version of Officer Pine himself but with black hair and greener eyes wearing a set of black robes with glowing blue highlights. "I would have thought your mother raised you better." He made his way to the nearest table and sat himself down. "Look at you. Vale Police. And I thought you could sink no lower."

"At least I know who I belong to, you old bastard." Pine responded, sitting down. He gestured to Midoriya and the others to sit down. "We're here on Vale Police business. I was hoping you'd be more cooperative."

"Cooperative." The old man scoffed. "Do you know what year it is? This is the year of the Vale hosting the Vytal Festival. More money into our little community, the real Valeans before the corporate leeches took over our land. And as if that wasn't enough, I have to deal with that Mistral foreigner Xiong and split our profits in the city from our gangs and soldiers. So, tell me, why should I spare a moment from such dealings for even my own son? A son who can't even hold a wife or son."

"Your son?" Grif asked. "Geez, no wonder you're such a hardass."

"Enough!" Pine grunted, glaring at him before turning back. "Well, since you've turned into such a fantastic businessman, perhaps this little part of information would be worth good business. I know of your deal with the Council, but imagine they found out you were harboring Grey Partrice, a Valean just as much as you and I. what end would they not go to to destroy you? They have others who would be happy getting them their money. We found the blood trail of White Fang, they came through this pathway which will be enough for them."

Midoriya's eyes widened as he watched the debate. This city, no, kingdom, was corrupt to the core. Everyone was in on it, and it made the dread be replaced by rage. This was the place that needed a Hero, justice! As Midoriya had those thoughts, he noticed the attitude shift in his father, who looked uncomfortable now. He looked to his son with tired eyes. "I know that he is one of us, but I will not help you in this matter. That is between you and the White Fang to settle."

"Why?" Pine asked, standing up in rage.

"Settle down, young man." Port said, standing up once more. The chief stood up indignant at the interruption. He glared at the older gentlemen with a sense of anger that Midoriya had not seen on the older man before. "Chief Pine, we wish you no harm. We want the author back and then we'll be on our way."

Chief Pine stared from one man to the next and back. The anger he once held was changing, showing a very scared man. "I wish I could tell you and rid you both from my sight." He said with gritted teeth. "But I cannot help you." He leaned in now. "He is here, somewhere deep in the catacombs. Where, I don't know. What I do know is that the author had gotten himself into some really ugly business."

"What sort of business?" Officer Pine asked, leaning in also.

"I don't know."

"Dad, we have had some bad years. But as a son, I ask you now: don't lie to me."

"I'm not." He said, shaking his head. "All I know was that they brought him down here bound and gagged. The way they were talking, they wanted something from the man and it wasn't drug or gambling money. So I had my own men do an investigation before the Vale Police got there."

"And what did you find exactly?" Officer Pine asked, sounding more annoyed than angry now.

"This." Chief Pine stood up, going towards the nearest cabinet.

"This isn't going well, is it?" Harry whispered to them.

"Fuck no. I say we bail." Grif hissed back, reaching for his weapon.

Midoriya felt himself tensing up, One for All coursing through his arteries and veins. The watched the elderly man holding a wooden box, walking towards them then setting it on the table, opening it. Inside was a metal tape recorder, like the ones he'd seen in antique stores from the pre-Quirk era. "It seemed that those White Fang men were in a hurry and missed certain things. The man Partrice was writing a new book, where it is I don't know, but it seemed this was the inspiration." Pine clicked the recorder button. Static crackled on the other side and a voice spoke, a warbling voice that sounded like a man on the verge of crying.

"He held onto me with a grip like lead. That's how HE ropes you in. I knew Faraday, back in the days when he was known as Randall Flagg. He's like the devil himself, of course you wouldn't know about him, he's a force of evil but presents himself as a good man, a man who will stand by your side and to grant your greatest wish, only to owe your soul to his service. Faraday may be the devil or he may not, I hope to find that out. Day in and day out, I worked on building him missiles for his pilots to bomb any target he wants. The idea of melting flesh from bones would send chills down my spine, give me a sense of pleasure no woman could ever achieve and after what the Kid did to me, how could I say no? To break it down, I…"

Chief Pine clicked the recording off. "I had not made it through the entire recording but it goes on and on like this. If it wasn't so outrageous, I'd call this a confession to the Brothers themselves."

"A confession to what?" Officer Pine asked, watching the recorder silently.

Midoriya stared at the recorder with very different thoughts running through his mind, ignoring the conversation around him. Russell Faraday, Randall Flagg, Flagg, Faraday. Same two initials. Was Randall Flagg his real name then? No, Midoriya doubted it very much. This Faraday or Flagg or whoever he was was a careful villain, too careful to give his name up like this even to a loyal follower. The second thing that stood out to him was his claim of being a devil. Midoriya never considered himself religious, often skipping visits to the local shrine or prayers to the family Kami in favor of the newest Hero reels or play with Kacchan back when they were still good friends. To him, those traditions were silly fairy tales, fantasy that had no real impact in daily life and Christianity being a foreign import novelty while Heroes, they could be seen and impacted his daily life. Now that he finds himself in a world of monsters that dissolve into smoke upon death, humans somehow spliced with animal DNA and portals to other worlds, Midoriya was forced to see that Heroes aren't the whole picture, and if not, what else lay in wait for them? The fact that he seems to be everywhere now, spreading death and chaos, the idea of him being the Devil was sounding like it made too much sense. And that filled him with a fear that he had never known before. Not with that sludge villain, not with the muscular villain, not with Shigaraki, not even Stain. He turned to his teammates. They were looking scared themselves while Port was looking apprehensive and confused and Pine was talking with his father about something. Wait, they were scared. They knew of the Devil, how? They shouldn't know about the Devil in this way if they were never exposed to Christian teachings, unless… Midoriya's eyes widened. 'Could it be? Are they like me? Are they from my world?' He asked himself. It would explain some of the off comments they make, how Harry Potter had an English accent or Percy with a New York accent despite neither accent being here in Remnant. Even still, they didn't express any Quirks that he could see, Grif's comments about his time in the Army or why Percy's dad was named after a Greek god. Midoriya clenched his fists under his table; where they come from doesn't matter. This Faraday was coming for his team and Midoriya was going to stop him if it was the last thing he would ever do. After all they've been through already, he could trust them as much as anyone in Class 1-A.

Officer Pine started talking again. "Very well. We will conduct our search and make sure these new White Fang members are brought to swift justice."

Chief Pine nodded in agreement. "I will even provide you the tape recorder since I know you love your evidence organized. I only ask of you one thing."

"What's that?"

"Why did you leave? I know you were always a rebellious soul but I've not known you to be like this."

A moment of flinching from the officer. "We appreciate your time and hospitality, sir." Port said, holding out his hand. "But we…"

"No." Officer Pine said, turning back to his dad. "That's quite alright. My wife, she was rebellious like me. That's why I was attracted to her, wanted a better life for her and our son." He scoffed. "Who knew that being a rebel would cost so much. So much chaos and turmoil for no reason, a small squabble turning into a fight and where does that leave us? A son whose living with his aunt on some farm in Mistral, a wife who got caught up in a gang war gone wrong. No, I've had enough of all that. I'm remarried now, and things are orderly. Can't ask for more."

For the first time since they'd met, Chief Pine smiled. "I hope to meet your new family sometime." He stood up. "You have my permission to stay here for a time. We will set you up with guides who know these catacombs well. They'll take you to the White Fang."

"Thank you, father." Officer Pine nodded, standing up and following behind with the drape held up. More people were gathered around now, watching closely.

"My people," Chief Pine called out but a flash of motion caught Midoriya's eye in the crowd and something that looked like a Grimm mask. In an instant, Midoriya felt One for All arch through his legs at 5%, enough to leap through the crowd and tackle the figure. Both rolled across each other on the dusty ground before separating, Midoriya coming to a stop before the other person. Midoriya sat up to see the other man's hood flow behind him. As Midoriya thought, he was wearing a White Fang mask with rams horns sticking out the back of his head. "For the High Leader!" He shouted and raised a rifle. Midoriya lunged forth again, grabbing the rifle and ripping it out from his hands before the trigger could be pulled then punched the grunt again. The force of the punch, even without One for All, knocked the grunt out cold. More gunshots went off. Midoriya turned back to see other White Fang soldiers firing into the crowd and the guards who were falling with some holding shields to guard from the shots as they led Chief Pine and the others into the tent. Midoriya noticed something as he watched them shoot. They were targeting the chief. He then watched a stray bullet ricochet off a shield and hit one of the civilians, the man collapsing. Midoriya watched as the man reached out to Midoriya for help only for the arm to collapse, blood pooling away from him. Midoriya should have rushed to help him, yelled, even held him as he died. But the act of someone dying, more than seeing dead bodied like what was left of Cardin's former team, the way the colour drained from him then went limp, it terrified him greatly. His focus returned to focus and seeing one of the White Fang soldiers noticing Midoriya.

"There, Huntsmen! Let's get him!" He shouted. One of the other grunts rushed for him, holding a sword alongside the one who shouted. In an instant, Midoriya saw it. The other entrance on the opposite side. A plan formed in Midoriya's mind and he smiled, some of the terror dissolving. With another quick burst of One for All, he leapt at the two White Fang soldiers, grabbing them by the vest. Then in another burst, he leapt into the air, carrying the two grunts. They yelled in surprise, but Midoriya paid no attention. He spotted the largest cluster of grunts around the back of the tent, waiting to ambush his friends. In an instant, he threw the two grunts towards the ground, a sand plume rising from the ground. BANG! Midoriya's eyes widened. He looked down to see blood spurting from his stomach. 'No good, no good!' Midoriya said, looking to the ground to see one grunt following his course, trying to fire off more shots. There was only one way out of this! 'One for All 200%!' Midoriya felt the power coursing through his middle finger, turning bright red as he flicked it to the ground. He felt the finger shatter under him but the effect was done. A burst of speed, turning in mid-air at about 220 degrees and he was rocketing through the back entrance. He tumbled down the stairs into the darkness before coming to another stop. Midoriya groaned as he lay there. He had forgotten about the bullet shot already, but he felt weaker, colder than he had before.

A series of foot steps rushed for him. "You idiot. You complete idiot!" Percy said, turning Midoriya upward. Percy looked scared, seeing him there. "Why did you go and do that?"

"I couldn't let them die, Percy." Midoriya said. "That's what makes a Hero."

Percy clenched his fists. Midoriya had never seen him in such a way before, so full of misery and grief. It was as if he had been in this situation before. "Damn you and your heroics. Do you really want to die just to save a few people?" He demanded, wrapping Midoriya's good arm around him and started to climb up the stairs.

"There you are." Another grunt, the same one with ram's horns he saw earlier stood at the top, sword in hand. He had a wicked smile much like the one the muscular villain wore, or even Dr. Merlot. Percy laid Midoriya down against the wall and drew his own sword. Riptide glowed with a soft bronze light even in the dark as the White Fang soldier leapt from the stairs to get to Percy. Percy intercepted the sword, withdrew then swung for the grunt's legs that were blocked.

Suddenly, he heard Grif shout, "Fire in the hole!" followed by a massive explosion. The walls above them gave in, brick collapsing down on them and sealing the entrance shut. The dust was so thick that Midoriya could not help coughing to clear it out from his lungs. The soft glow of Riptide was like a beam of light now. A hand reached to grab the blade before it moved, creating an arch of fury towards the White Fang soldier illuminated by Riptide. Parry, slash, feint, slash. Percy sped up, fighting with a speed that Midoriya was astonished by, speeds and skill that experienced Heroes had. Then, in one moment, Percy slashed with such strength that the White Fang grunt's sword could not resist, splitting in half.

"Please, spare me! I'm only following orders! I would be happy to take you to the White Fang headquarters. Just please don't kill me!" The man said, laying on the ground and sobbing, his voice echoing in the walls. Midoriya watched this caricature of a man, and the anger he felt melted further. Midoriya reached out to touch him but Riptide reached him first, cutting the man's head off. Midoriya saw a flash of blood and heard the head clunking down the stairs then silence. Midoriya stared at Percy who turned to Midoriya. The look he had on his face was one of rage now, a rage that filled Midoriya with new fear and also is own righteous anger.

"Why did you do that?! He surrendered! We could have used him!" Midoriya shouted.

"He would have led us into a trap where we would nearly get killed and escape by the hair of our skin." Percy said, his anger going away now. "We will find our own path. I hear rushing water down below, maybe it will lead us somewhere."

"Maybe." Midoriya said. "We're supposed to be Heroes, Percy. We need to be better than villains like that."

Percy scoffed. "That faunus shot you for all I know and you're still supporting him?" His voice was no longer angry. He leaned in now and Midoriya could almost smell the sorrow from him. "Not everything is black and white, Midoriya. Sometimes good things come out of horrible situations. You got to make the best of what's thrown at you. If we do some good in our struggles, then great."

"That isn't justice." Midoriya muttered, staring at the beheaded corpse. Its blood was spreading now, touching upon Midoriya's boots.

Percy scoffed. "I've stopped believing in justice a long time ago. Justice would have let you die in the name of following those orders." Percy sheathed his sword by his side and lifted Midoriya again. "Come on, we got to get you patched up. I know of a way to make it happen."

Midoriya looked at the corpse behind them disappear, training his attention forward. Not believing in justice or doing the right thing. It sounded so stupid to Midoriya, almost villain-like. And yet, Percy did save his life despite being thrown in prison if he were in Hero society. He would have been thrown in prison saving his life. Was that a justice Midoriya wanted to give? Was being a Huntsmen then that different from being a Hero at all?