Chapter 16: A Break in the Case

Denki heard the news about the prisoners who were killed from Marie, and the next morning as he headed out for his shift he was filled with dread for his kids. They were all the way in Japan, had nearly been kidnapped, and their attempted kidnappers dead before they could discover the reason for this. Just calling them wasn't the same as being there to hold them all in his arms, to let them know that they would be safe because Mom and Dad were there. He could only hope that Deku and his fellow U.A. alums would keep them safe. He had no doubt in his former classmates; they were the best of the best.

As he got on his hoverboard and flew to Charleston, Denki tried to think about what he could do to help this crazy case. He wasn't much of a planner, but he had a powerful Quirk, and experience alongside sparring with Marie and their kids had taught him a few new tricks over the years. Teaching his daughters how to control their Lightning Quirks helped him to seriously think and learn about what he was truly capable of if he used his imagination more. He had a feeling in his gut that he had to do something, but he wasn't entirely sure what it was.

Denki finally saw the skyline as the sun rose over the Holy City and sighed. This was his adopted home and nation. This was the city he was responsible for. He was a Hero, and he would do all he could to protect the people. He flew over Marion Square and kept his eyes wide open, seeing if there was some sort of trouble as the darkness retreated from the light.

For an hour he watched as people came and went in and out of Charleston. Going to work, making breakfast, shopping at the 24-hour stores that America had but Japan didn't. Some smiled and waved as he flew over and he waved back. Some flipped the bird on him, and he ignored them. Those were nothing but punks anyway, just idiots who thought they were brave. Denki flew over the perimeter, hovered over Charleston Harbor, and looked at the legendary Fort Sumter in the distance. He heard that during the war against All For One, that some American Heroes actually used it as a base as they battled against various Villains who crawled out of the woodwork. Luckily, no actual fighting happened in the Fort, and it still stood as a historical monument to that long distant Civil War.

He sighed and continued patrolling the skies of Charleston. For hours nothing happened, he was such a normal presence now that people knew not to try anything when Chargebolt was around. Unfortunately, this gave him time to think. And his thoughts always turned to his kids, they're almost being kidnapped, and he had to focus to keep his lightning under control. He was a father, damn it, and he couldn't be there to protect his kids. If it wasn't for Mirko, and his training Hana in her Lightning, they would have been taken. And from what Hana told him; it was still a close call. Denki didn't want to imagine what could have happened to Hana after she had used up her power and been left defenseless.

He barely got his mind to focus on the here and now before he left the city, and turned around to continue his patrol, focusing not on what he couldn't do, and instead on what he could. Finally, around noon, Denki headed to a Five Guys restaurant and ordered his lunch. Marie nagged him occasionally about eating too many burgers, but he loved them. Plus, they were the best burgers he ever had; comfort food helped him think. He had lunch on a nearby rooftop and looked around, wanting to make sure he was ready for anything.

As he ate, he thought about the case of their multi-Quirk robbers and kidnappers. They HAD to be connected, stuff like this was too rare to not be. And the thought of an international conspiracy was too scary to think about. He heard that the robbers that were taken in America and the kidnappers were all dead at roughly the same time, Time Zones aside. That gave him an idea. He knew about electronic signals thanks to his Quirk. He knew how fast they could travel across distances. They were fast, but they weren't instant. They were measured in milliseconds. He had an idea then and called Marie.

"Hey babe," Marie said.

"Marie," he said, and she could tell from his tone that he was being serious, "I need you to check something for me. It has to do with those guys with multiple Quirks. Check their times of death to the microsecond, pull up security footage if you have to. It might help us figure out where the signal that killed them was located."

"On it," Marie said, and she started yelling commands to her computer. "There's a small difference," Marie said, "About 0.092 of a second's difference."

"Which ones died first?" Denki asked her.

Marie took a second and said, "Our guys here did." Then he heard Marie gasp, "The signal came from our side of the world. Whoever's in charge is right here in South Carolina!"

Denki nodded as he finished his lunch, "Get the pictures of the woman in the videos with your robbers. I think that that robbery was irrelevant, it was a test run. You beat her, so she scrapped it. That woman might be the one in charge.

"But why go after our kids?" Denki asked.

"Maybe for more test subjects," Marie said, "Remember, All For One and Dr. Garaki Kyudai used dead subjects to make the Nomu. The result was most of them were barely functional mentally. But our mad scientist now wants their subjects to be functioning. That's my guess at least."

"Finding her won't be easy," Marie pointed out, "She's smart, and has been covering her tracks well. For all we know, she has given herself multiple Quirks as well."

The thought made Denki swallow, so did Marie. The thought of an artificial All For One going nuts in some kind of last stand made their blood run cold.

"That was reckless of her," Marie said as she did more computer work. "Going after our kids, especially knowing that they're U.A. students."

Denki shrugged, "I don't know why she did that. But maybe U.A. needs to check its security. There's no way it was a coincidence that they were attacked when they were."

"You think they're being spied on," Marie said.

"With some good tech for them to slip by their current security measures," Denki told her.

"It'll be some stuff to get past U.A. I think I'll call Hatsume and see if she'll have something," Marie said.

"You sure she'll answer? It's still dark in Japan," Denki said.

Marie laughed and said, "Babe, of all the girls in U.A., Hatsume is the only one I would call insane. That girl NEVER sleeps. I just need to rile up her interest, and she'll whip up some new thing. Plus, some cash never hurts. How does $10000 sound?"

Denki scratched the back of his head, "Sounds like we won't be having a vacation for the next few years. But if she finds out who this mad scientist is, it's worth it."

"Love you babe," Marie said and hung up. Denki sighed and took off, looking for any crimes on this side of the world.

Summerville, SC

She quickly checked to see that everything that was necessary was packed. Her data, stored. Her equipment, enroute to a new location further west. She had used seven different proxy accounts, it would take time to track her down. More time, that was all she needed was more time. More time to gather more test subjects, better quality test subjects. More time to research, to perfect her techniques and equipment. Once they saw her results, they would understand. Everyone would understand that sacrifices had to be made.

Humanity could only advance if they were willing to make sacrifices. All science required sacrifices. All advancement was paid for in blood.

Once she was sure everything was ready, she set the timer to her lab. In ten hours it would self-destruct. She wasn't sure what would happen before the ten hours were up, but she knew she would be long gone. There was plenty of security in her final lab. Nobody would think about looking for an advanced genetic testing facility in the Rocky Mountains. She took one last look at her old home and then got in her car and drove away.

"All advancement is paid for in blood and tears," she told herself aloud as she followed the road and headed down the interstate. She had let those words lead her for years; she had come too far and paid too much to end it now. Just a little more time was all she needed.