Chapter 328: CHAPTER 320(Lone Star Base)
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pat.reon: Keanu_Eugene
CHAPTER START---
"Welcome to Lone Star Base," Star and Stripe proudly announce as Horizon warps onto the rooftop just beside her.
"Kind of on the nose, don't you think, I mean we are in Houston Texas," he says while walking to the edge of the massive air traffic control tower to stand beside her.
Below and all around them was a massive military base, more akin to a city, 13km wide making it larger than Manhattan Island by a large margin.
"Well this entire base was built to protect and train me, and it happened to be placed in the Lone Star State, so I suppose you could say the stars aligned," she nudges him playfully.
"All the power in the world and that's the best you could come up with?" Horizon shakes his head. "Anyway, you said you wanted to make an introduction before we got to business, who is it?"
"That will come later, he's in a meeting right now, so first, the tour."
"I can sense everything in the base from here, remember?"
"Yeah, but that's no fun, let's go," Star flies off across the runway where some massive cargo planes were landing, past the hangars and toward the far end of the base.
Eventually after following her around for a while, they arrive at one of the last stops.
Sensing her landing and waiting for him, Horizon swaps places with a pebble at her feet, and finds himself in a massive dirt field with a few hills and barricades, and targets down range from them.
The firing range.
"I know Japan has strict gun laws, but have you ever fired one before?"
"Compared to America, everywhere has strict gun laws," Horizon says as he warps a grenade launcher from the firing range armory into his hands. "But that's part of the American charm you're all famous for."
"The range is closed to anyone but us, so..." Star' gestures to the field where the targets are.
With no hesitation, Horizon fires a grenade from the large weapon and scores a direct hit nearly 50m away.
Star' whistles in response, nodding proudly, "So, not your first time huh? We knew you had some kind of training, more than Pro Hero training, and you mentioned your parents trained you, was one of them military?"
"Advanced security contracting," Horizon says.
"I see, so what weapons can you use?"
"From what I can sense in your armory, and on the base...everything that doesn't require piloting."
"So you're saying you can't drive a tank, well I'm sure we can give you a crash course," Star' says with a mischievous smile.
"Emphasis on crash most likely," Horizon rapid fires a few more grenades down range, hitting each of his targets perfectly. "Projectiles weapons with Takt is kind of cheating."
"I figured as much, but you seem so comfortable with it, I doubt your Quirk is making that much of a difference, right?"
"Best be prepared for anything," Horizon says. "And learning how a weapon works allows you to better understand how to stop a villain that's using it."
"That's what Agpar said, he's the person I want you to meet," Star' says.
"Well, at least he sounds like he knows what he's doing," Horizon says as he warps a tripod-mounted 80.cal anti-material rifle into his arms.
"You're a sharpshooter too?"
"It's hard to miss when you can see exactly where everything is," Horizon doesn't bother going prone, simply using Takt to handle the recoil as he takes just over a minute to line up his shot, adjust the scope, then destroy a target that was behind a few layers of a brick wall without using Takt on the projectile.
"So, know any other tricks?" Star' asks. "Because around here, bending bullets and finding targets behind walls, isn't that special."
"And here I thought the UN doesn't allow soldiers to use their Quirks."
Star' shrugs and looks down the range, "Accidents happen in the heat of combat, we're only human after all."
"Or at least we all started that way," Horizon says as he waves his hand, causing a dozen pebbles in front of them to hover in the air. "Shambles."
Each pebble is swapped for an assault rifle at this firing range's armory.
The guns begin moving, disassembling themselves before quickly putting themselves back together in mid-air as dozens of magazines are warped in place beside them and quickly loaded.
"Wow," Star' nods with an amused smile, "are you sure you aren't American? Because the way you handle guns is very practiced, and I doubt Japan lets you get that much time with them."
"They don't," Horizon says as the guns are ready to fire. "But I'm a quick learner," he raises his right hand and snaps his finger.
All the guns fly from in front of them facing down the range, to now surround both Horizon and Star' And Stripe.
The woman raises a brow at this, but doesn't bother giving anything more than a curious look at him.
"I don't recall you being bulletproof, are you?"
"Not exactly, I can take a beating but bullets would still hurt me, if they hit."
"And if you aren't actively enhancing yourself," Star' says. "Well, get started."
Horizon raises his hand once more, and snaps his fingers.
All the rifles immediately begin firing directly at both heroes.
Star' doesn't even flinch, knowing that even if he didn't have something special planned, the bullets could never hurt her.
Yet as the cacophony of gunfire rattled their ears and the entire shooting area, not a single bullet hit them.
Star' smiles as she sees what he was doing, all the bullets were being fired at them before curving, slamming into each other, and falling to the floor in pairs, one embedded into the other.
Star' bursts out laughing as the gunfire stops, then picks up one of the pairs from the floor.
"Your precision is so freaky," she closely observes that just like all other pairs, one bullet tore through the shaft of another before stopping halfway through.
"My mom said it happened way back, two soldiers fire at each other and their bullets end up like that, and they both survived the battle. She said it was something like divine intervention on the battlefield."
Star' raises the bullet to her eye level and observes it closely, then lowers it to scoff.
"And now you can do it at will, divine intervention," She says. "Trying to say you're a god?"
"I've never said that, but people talk, what would you call me?"
"The name of your Quirk says otherwise."
"I was five," Horizon shrugs.
"Well, you're certainly not human, not anymore. Personally, I was betting that you were a cyborg under there," she reaches forward and casually taps his visor. "Would have explained this fishbowl, but the truth is just so much worse."
"That I'm too impossibly handsome for anyone to focus in my presence?"
"That you're a human becoming living energy, and that suit is keeping you held together, right?" Star And Stripe gives him a serious look as she puts the one pair of bullets away. "You don't even feel human anymore, they may not be able to tell, because no matter how much we care about them, they aren't like us."
"No, they aren't," Horizon says. "And don't worry, regardless of what the future holds, I don't see myself becoming a threat to you."
"Good, because why make enemies when you can make friends," Star' gives him her million-lumen smile.
"Friends, is that what we are?" Horizon asks.
Star's voice becomes somber as she speaks, looking down the range, away from Horizon. "Well, as far as I can see, you're the only person I can even really be friends with, the distance between you and everyone else...I know what that feels like.
To feel like the entire world is at your fingertips, and to have nothing at the same time. You and I, we quite literally view the world in ways they could never comprehend, these Quirks that were given to us, they're not just a tool to help people, they're---"
"---A wall to box us in, away from the world itself," Horizon sighs and gently reaches up to touch his visor. "Without my parents, the closest thing I have to family, is Nezu, and...he'll never really understand what's under here."
"And what if he did, what if I did?"
"Either your mind would collapse from the sheer shock, or you'd hate it."
Star' chuckles, "Well, it's a good thing the fishbowl never comes off huh?"
She turns and begins walking away, and Horizon falls into step behind her.
"It does feel pretty good, for the record," Horizon says. "Being able to talk to someone that's not terrified of me or dropping to their knees to worship me, the only other people like that are Pantu and Nezu, but they still treat me like I'll snap at any moment."
"Well, history isn't on your side with that one," Star' says as they leave the firing range and begin walking toward a hangar a few buildings away. "But I get it, everyone is either a fan of us, or scared of us, it's nice having you around, no need to walk on eggshells around you."
"And a powerful sparring partner is nice," Horizon says.
"Oh yeah, that reminds me, I got permission from President Skyline for us to have a real fight sometime, you know, just to see how it would go."
"Seems kind of risky. This entire time your people have been trying to figure out Hand of God and I've been figuring out New Order, a direct fight like that...probably means you guys hit a roadblock in observing me."
"Probably, but that's not really a problem for me."
"Right, because you can simply tell your body to resist my Quirk, that really is annoying."
They take a few more steps as Star' silently nods, then waves to a few soldiers running nearby.
"So you can detect that huh, just like I can feel whenever I'm in your 'range', I guess it's only fair for it to go both ways, anything else?"
"Yeah, it's weird how much you trust me," Horizon says. "I'd always have that command on when I'm around, but you only have it on when you don't want me to warp or cut you during training."
"All Might said you'll be the next great hero, of course I trust you," she gives him a dazzling smile.
"Sheesh, you really are just like him."
"Thank you."
"Again, not a compliment," Horizon says as they arrive at the hangar. "But if you're really curious about how a real fight between us would go, let's save it until the week I leave."
"Finally, something that's really fun happens around here."
"We're heroes, boring is what we should celebrate, anything else usually means we have to work."
"C'mon, aren't you excited, just a little bit."
"Mmm, maybe a little, but don't get too excited, because we both know how it ends."
They both think about it for a moment, and Star' nods.
"I'll win," they both say at once, looking at each other in surprise.
END CHAPTER---
Chapter 329: CHAPTER 321(Arsenal's Legacy Pt.III)
Discord: https://discord.gg/t7bHrdRY7Y
pat.reon: Keanu_Eugene
CHAPTER START---
"I want one," was all Horizon said as they entered the massive hangar.
In the middle of the building, currently being inspected by dozens of engineers, was a large stealth aircraft that even he didn't recognize.
"You don't even know what it is," Star' says as she stops beside him.
"Black paint, shaped like an almost flat triangle, some kind of stealth bomber?"
"Close," Horizon looks to his left as a short blue man in an electric wheelchair rolls toward them. The man had an extremely short moustache and blue skin, a bald head, and most notably, nothing below his knees. "It's the next get stealth hybrid technology platform, part of a project we're suspending until further notice."
"Horizon, this is Colonel Timothy Agpar," Star' says. "He's the man I wanted you to meet, and the only family I have left."
"I can see the resemblance," Horizon chuckles, as does Agpar. "So, something tells me I don't have the clearance to lay my eyes on something like this."
"You don't," Agpar rotates his wheelchair to face the aircraft. "But your 'Scan' is infamous for being able to discover any hidden details in the area, and we've already taken out the most sensitive components and shipped them off for storage."
"The project was suspended until Tech is deemed a non-threat toward America," Star' explains. "We couldn't risk them hacking into this project."
"And what exactly is this project?" Horizon asks.
"That much is above your clearance," Agpar says.
"Project Tiamat," Horizon then says, earning surprised looks from Agpar and Star'.
"How the hell do you know about that?!" Star' asks.
"I just read about it. Ink on paper isn't impossible to find with my Quirk, but it sure is annoying."
Agpar grumbles, "We were forced to move everything onto paper and hardcopies to prevent Tech from reaching it, and now we have you to deal with."
"Unlike Tech I have no reason to use this against you, after all, I intend to move to America in the future," Horizon surprises them with this admission. "Having next-gen Intercontinental Thermonuclear Missiles on an insanely expensive technology platform like this makes my life easier."
Agpar sighs before placing two fingers in his mouth and whistling loudly, enough to have everyone in the hangar looking at him.
He raises his hand and makes a gesture, causing everyone to put down their tools, "Alright, put it all back together, but leave the power cells and comm systems out!"
Many of the engineers groan, but they don't hesitate to follow his orders.
"I hope you realize this means we'll be forced to monitor you even more closely," Agpar says.
"With how closely your government is already watching me, that won't be possible unless they try to give me a cavity search."
"Welcome to my life," Star' says. "I can't go anywhere without logging it."
Agpar scoffs, "What life? I've been trying to get you to have a life since you were a kid, but all you've ever wanted to do was play hero."
"Being a Hero is my life."
"Doesn't have to be the whole thing," Agpar says.
"Can we do this later, I'm really not in the mood," Star' rolls her eyes and looks away.
"So you two go way back huh, you're one of her trainers?"
"Yeah, since she was a kid," Agpar says. "After we met, after she moved onto this base, I was tasked with command of the facility to train and protect her."
"He was the only person I could trust," Star and Stripe says. "Without him, there would be no me."
"Ahh, I see," Horizon looks over at Agpar, "so, is there an operating room around here we can use?"
"Excuse me?" Agpar looks up at him, genuinely surprised.
"I figured that's why she wanted to introduce us, miracle doctor who can heal anything, man in a wheelchair, doesn't take a genius to figure out the desired result."
"I hope I'm not asking too much of you," Star' says. "I really don't want it to seem like I only want to use you, especially since I do enjoy hanging out with you, but I had to ask."
"I get it, and really it's no problem," Horizon says. "Healing heroes is never a chore, nor is healing the people my friends care about, this happens to be both."
"I'm no hero," Agpar says.
"Every soldier is a hero to his people, even if they don't appreciate or acknowledge it," Horizon says. "Now, the operation should take a few minutes, how long it takes for you to relearn how to walk will take longer, but that part depends on you."
Agapar looks up at Horizon for a few moments, and an awkward silence forms between the trio.
"Have you ever experienced failure?" Agpar asks.
"What?"
"Failure, defeat, anything like that?"
"Hmm, well, I lost to All For One when he ambushed me, some of my classmates died because I lost."
"Yeah, so you understand," Agpar places his hand down at the stump, drawing their attention to his missing body parts. "I've had the option to get the best prosthetics the US government could get access to. But some failures, some mistakes, they can't be undone. And living with the scars is the only atonement for some people."
"I understand," Horizon says. "And I can't force my services onto someone, so the option is open if you change your mind."
"Bullshit!" Star' pushes Horizon aside to stand in front of Agpar. "You're getting your legs back, it's about time."
"I don't deserve to---"
"Yes, you do!" Star' leans down to look him in the eyes, and he sees the tears forming in hers. "I forgave you decades ago, now just let go of the past and let him heal you."
"But---"
"You're the only family I have left, please," Star' begs. "I don't want to see you punish yourself over this anymore."
Agpar looks away and gives an exhausted sigh, "Well, it's about time I start walking forward."
Beneath the visor Horizon rolls his eyes, "and it's also time for you to get better jokes."
---30 Minutes Later...
Timothy Agpar is lying on an operating table, unable to feel anything below his waist as he stares at the ceiling.
"Comfortable?" Horizon asks as he carefully cuts open the stumps where the rest of his legs should be.
"The robe is a bit windy, and the table is cold," Agpar says.
"It was rhetorical."
"Your bedside manner is terrible," Agpar says.
"Well, the next guy who can give you temporary regeneration is a lot nicer."
"What next guy?"
"Exactly, that's why I get to be...me."
Horizon finishes inspecting the nerves on his left leg and cuts it open, then places a hand on it.
BOOSTER SHOT!
Blue healing energy flows from his hand into the leg, and a moment later the bones begin growing, extending outward, immediately being covered by nerves, blood, muscle, skin, and everything else his genome demands to be fully restored.
Horizon watches as everything down to the toes is fully restored, then carefully performs a few more Scans to ensure everything is perfect.
"So what was the mission that went so wrong you ended up adopting a Mystery Class kid?" Horizon asks.
"Firstly, I never officially adopted anyone," Agpar says. "And secondly, it's a messy story."
"Well we aren't going anywhere, and I'm pretty smart."
"Ever heard of Arsenal?"
Horizon continues operating as if completely unaffected, "everyone's heard of Arsenal."
"Had a run-in with her toward the start of her career," Agpar says.
"She cut your legs off?"
"No, that would have been a lot nicer."
"Ouch."
"Yeah, we were tasked with escorting a new asset to this base, Arsenal was sent to intercept us, and a lot of people died, including all of my people. Star' and I were the only survivors."
"So did you fight her directly?"
"That was my job, is my job, standing between monsters and the innocent," Agpar sighs. "My Quirk gives me enhanced reactions and agility, alongside some minor physical enhancement, standard stuff, and yet..."
"She cut you down," Horizon says. "I've read about her, she likes hurting people, letting them know she's better."
"She is, too bad she's not on the side of the angels like us," Agpar says. "The things she did, and all that Star' was forced to witness...it left scars that even you can't fix."
"Well, at least she can rest easy now. Arsenal was caught in Japan and executed soon after," Horizon says. "I just don't get why Star' didn't go hunting for her after all these years, no way Arsenal could have survived her."
"Officially, she's not allowed to leave the States without permission."
"And, unofficially?"
Agpar stays silent for a while, then closes his eyes and speaks, "The things she saw made Arsenal a complete demon in her eyes, all the power in the world can't make you walk toward a monster like that, with all that baggage in the way."
"Is that why she came up with that transformation?" Horizon asks. "Scared to be the vulnerable little girl again?"
Agpar chuckles, "How long did it take you to figure out that piece of her Quirk."
"The first time we shook hands, Scan is thorough," Horizon says. "Also figured out she can only have two of those commands active at once, and they're always temporary."
Agpar smiles, "And we know you have a 60km radius of influence, you aren't the only one that can put the pieces together."
"True, but unlike her, the more you know about my Quirk the stronger it seems, the more demoralizing the idea of fighting it is."
"No matter what your Quirk is, can't be scarier than your psychological profile," Agpar says bitterly. "Someone like you, with your mentality, should never have that kind of power and influence."
"He says to the man currently restoring his legs."
"Nothing I'm saying is new to you, at least not in regards to you knowing what we think of you, but be honest with me for a moment, what really is your goal?"
"Doctor-patient confidentiality?" Horizon asks, jokingly.
"Sure."
"Well, at first I just wanted to get permission to public use and train my Quirk, to find my limits and break them over and over, but now, well..."
"Now you want to really be a superhero, I can tell," Agpar says. "But you're certainly not the All Might type, your methods are much more, well, old testament."
"Is that a problem?"
"You focus it on villains so I don't really care, and most people won't admit it but they feel the same way," Agpar says. "But it is nice knowing you actually want to be a hero now, even if you certainly do have more motives than just helping people."
"Yeah, just don't tell Nezu, he's unbearable when he's being smug..."
"AHAHAHHAHAHAHA," Agpar clutches his stomach and sits up, his laughter roaring through the room as he feels his feet being tickled. "Stop it, stop it!"
The tickling stops as Horizon walks over to sterilize his tools once more, "well, they work, just relearn how to use them."
Agpar catches his breath, then his mind finally realizes what happened.
"Wow," he stares down at his fully regenerated legs. "Incredible, I don't even feel tired after."
"Yeah, I'm good like that, now I should go get ready for a little spar with Star', I suggest you use crutches for a while to get used to them."
"Yeah, will do," Agpar keeps staring down at his legs.
END CHAPTER---
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