Discord: https://discord.gg/t7bHrdRY7Y
pat.reon: Keanu_Eugene
You.tube: @KeanuEugene
CHAPTER START---
---Somewhere In Northern Africa, October 23rd, 10 PM…
"What are you eating?" Simon asks Cellophane while holding a restrained man's head underwater.
They strapped the man to a table that tilted slightly, enabling them to submerge his head in the water barrel at will.
While the man struggles and all his friends look on, gagged and bound, broken limbs and battered bodies in this abandoned warehouse, Cellophane takes another bite of a tasty treat.
"They call it…uh, Hawshi, I think," Cellophane says.
"You just got back from buying food and you don't remember what it's called?"
"I bought it from a little shop, plus I can't read Arabic."
Simon rolls his eyes, then pulls the man out of the water so he can take a breath.
"Gah!" the man desperately gulps down the air. "You fucking animals!"
"Doesn't mean much coming from the supervisor of a Nomu storage facility. What's the name of that food?"
"Huh? What?" the man asks, still speaking Arabic, not looking at Simon with a confused expression.
"That." Simon twists the man's head and points at Cellophane's snack.
"That's Hawawshi, it—"
"Great," Simon cuts him off, quickly switching back to Japanese. "It's Hawawshi."
"Ahh, that's what the guy said!" Cellophane takes another bite. "It's like a burger and a taco had a baby, and it's delicious."
"I feel like every country has one of those foods, anyway." Simon switches back to Arabic and looks to the man again. "Where did the equipment and Nomu from this facility get transported to? We know they cleaned it out a few days ago, so tell us where and we won't cut off your legs."
"I swear, I don't kn—"
Simon dips the man under the water again and walks away, leaving him to struggle.
"Did you bring me anything to drink?" Simon asks as he walks over to Cellophane, who tosses him a bottle of water. "Coconut water?"
"Oh, that's why it costs so much."
Simon shakes his head, pointing at the label. "Learn to read Arabic, please."
"You learn to speak Portuguese."
"We aren't in Brazil, we're in—"
"Did you get anything from them?" Horizon asks after suddenly appearing in the room, scaring the criminals.
"Nope, same story as last time," Simon says. "They paid these guys to shuffle the gear between sites and not ask questions."
"They're playing shell games. Or something worse. What do you think?" Cellophane asks Horizon.
"Worse, for it to be a shell game, the prize has to be in play, otherwise, it's a scam."
"And if it is a scam?"
Horizon walks over to the drowning man, who slowly stops struggling and rests his hand on the man's chest, releasing a steady stream of healing energy into the man, causing him to struggle again.
"If it is a scam, that means Shigaraki knows something we don't."
"Which would be where he is," Simon says. "But that's already established in the game we started playing, so he knows something we don't know that he knows."
"Like what we know," Cellophane says. "So we have a spy in our operation?"
"And I can't rip the answers out of these people to figure it out, not that I'd expect them to know anything since the spy would be on our side," Horizon pulls the man out of the water.
The man immediately vomits up all the water from his lungs while Horizon walks away.
"We have two more raids in this city before we move out. You joining us?" Simon asks.
"Nope, Mudman and Tsukuyomi are ready to come home, and I don't want to leave them in Brussels much longer."
"Are you healing that guy while you're over there?" Simon asks. "What was his name again, Lightning Wolf?"
"Close enough, Lion Surge." Horizon chuckles. "And yeah, I'll be passing by to cure him. They'll be happy to have their #1 back on his feet."
"Well, we should be able to hit the next two sites tonight. What do you have planned for tomorrow?"
"I'll be back when I'm done and we can hit the last safe house together, then we'll move onto where the next intel drop points us."
"Hopefully somewhere I can speak the language," Cellophane says as he picks through his food. "I don't think I said 'No sauce' properly."
"Just learn Arabic," Horizon says.
"Exactly what I said."
"Look, I already know five languages, and that was hard enough. Plus, everyone else on the team speaks it. So I'm covered," Cellophane says before taking a bite of his food. "Now, don't you have somewhere to be?"
"Whatever, contact me if anything important happens," Horizon says before warping away.
Simon, Cellophane, and all the villains enjoy the silence for a moment after Horizon leaves. Then Simon turns to his friend.
"Just learn—"
"Shut up."
---One Hour Later…
"He's your intern, you 'handle' him," President Pantu says while walking toward her office.
Endeavor is behind her, looking annoyed, and Hawks is amused as always.
"He hasn't been at my Hero Agency since before the Gigantomachy. You talk to him more than I do since then."
"Not my problem," Pantu says. "My only concern is him not causing an international incident."
"I bet Fuyumi could make him listen," Hawks says, nudging Endeavor with his elbow.
"What are you implying?" Endeavor's flames grow hotter for a moment.
"We monitor the phone use of every top Pro Hero and their family," Pantu says. "Fuyumi and Horizon talk every other day or so. We think she likes him."
"How did she get his number?!"
"Burnin," Hawks giggles.
"That damn girl!" Endeavor's flames go blue for a moment before they reach the office door.
"Horizon seems loose but at least you don't have to worry about her catching a—" Hawks shuts up as Endeavor glares at him. "I'll stop talking now…"
"Good choice," Pantu says before opening the door and leading them into her office. As the door closes behind them, she turns to see Horizon sitting in her chair with his feet up, typing on her computer. "What are you doing?"
"Checking emails."
"Use your phone."
"Checking your emails," Horizon says while gesturing for them to sit.
Pantu sits across from him in one of the guest's chairs while Endeavor leans against the wall and Hawks hovers in the air.
Hacking into my account and reading confidential files could be considered treason.
"Well then, luckily, I didn't 'hack' into anything. I just used your password."
"How do you know my password?"
"If you use a keyboard, or touch screen, then I know your password," Horizon says. "That goes for you and anyone around me while my Quirk is active. If I can tell when blades of grass move, I can easily tell where people put their fingers on a screen."
"And what are you hoping to get?"
"Just some verification, you're clean," he says while waving his hand, and they both swap places.
Pantu takes a moment to adjust while Horizon still has his feet up.
"Well, you're clean enough, or as much as I need you to be."
"And who do you think isn't?" she asks.
"Someone within the Hero Public Safety Commission advanced team."
"I'll have to question them personally."
"Yeah, the only other people who know about my constant whereabouts are my team, Nezu, and…" Horizon gestures to Endeavor and Hawks.
Pantu sighs, "Endeavor, Hawks, are either of you helping the villains in any way?"
"No," Endeavor says.
"No," Hawks lies, unaware of Pantu's Quirk.
"There, now at least you know you can trust us," Pantu says. "How do you want to proceed?"
"By cutting anyone who isn't essential out. Hawks brings the data. I act. No alerting foreign governments or internal teams, just data and action."
"That goes directly against the agreement we have with the other nations."
"They'll get over it," Horizon says. "All that matters is the progress."
"And keeping to the remaining rules of engagement, you remember those, right?"
Horizon takes his feet off the desk. "Unfortunately, I do. Don't kill any foreign nationals, minimum collateral damage."
"And?"
"That's all," he lies, playfully.
"No hurting politicians."
"Tch, stupid rule," Horizon grumbles and folds his arms.
"Quit pouting!" Endeavor yells. "Are you dating my daughter?"
"What? No. She keeps annoying me to ask about Shoto."
"Is that all?" Endeavor asks.
"Do you really think I want to join your chaotic family?" Horizon asks.
Endeavor just glares at him, but Hawks chuckles, noticing he didn't answer Endeavor's question.
"Speaking of Endeavor's family, I have a new lead that could lead to Dabi," Hawks says.
"Where?"
"Somewhere in South America," Hawks says. "I'm working on getting more details right now, but Dabi was in charge of a lab in that region. But if we want to catch him, I should keep things between the people in this room, right?"
"Exactly," Horizon says.
"What are you going to do to him?" Endeavor asks.
Horizon swivels around in his seat to face him, ignoring the mix of concern and shame on Endeavor's face.
"Well, what I want to do is rip his head off, but I told you I'd do my best to lock him in a box for you to have a chat. So I'm forced to do that instead."
"I appreciate it."
"How much?"
"Enough to have you signed as my intern, even after your court case."
Hawks grins, "Enough to let him date Fuyumi?"
Endeavor scoffs. "She's an adult. She can date whoever she wants."
"Maybe I should—" an intense heat fills to room, stopping Hawks's words.
"Nevermind…"
"Well, as much as I'd love to see you roast Hawks, I have stuff to do. I just got back from Brussels and now I'm heading back to Africa."
"I'll send you the new data as soon as I get it," Hawks says.
"Just remember to skip the middleman," Horizon says before warping away.
Hawks breathes a sigh of relief. "You know, I think he's warming up to me."
Pantu looks at him as if he's an idiot. "Do you really believe that?"
"Nah, he's waiting for me to drop out of the top 10, then he'll probably kill me."
"What the hell did you even do to him?" Endeavor asks.
"Nothing personal. I was just doing my job…but maybe I got chatty sometimes."
"This meeting is over, both of you, out," Pantu says. "I have work to do."
With that, Endeavor walks out the door, hastily calling Fuyumi to get some answers.
While Hawks soars out the window and into the city.
Taking out his phone, he connects it to his headset and unmutes his mic.
"Did you get all of that?"
"Yeah," Shigaraki says through the phone. "Give me two days and I can set up a better trail. It'll take him from Chile to Canada. He'll find enough to think he's getting closer. That will be their chance to attack UA."
"Mhm."
"Do you think we need any more modifications to the plan, maybe to better account for his team?"
"I'll call you later."
"Oh, right. He can probably listen in, or read your lips somehow. We'll talk later."
"Have fun."
"I'll update you when things are in place. The most important thing is getting the jammer into Musutafu while he's away, but that should be easy with you inside."
END CHAPTER---
Discord: https://discord.gg/t7bHrdRY7Y
pat.reon: Keanu_Eugene
You.tube: @KeanuEugene
CHAPTER START---
---Japan, October 25th, 10 AM…
Standing in a massive warehouse, Horizon is on the third floor, leaning against the railing.
Beside him is President Pantu, and below them is the open floor filled with stacks of reinforced shipping containers.
The large doors opened, revealing the runway outside, and a few planes loaded with containers.
One of the foreign Pro Heroes walks around, checking the containers before loading them and leaving Japan.
A few others from different countries wait to do the same, feeling the immense pressure and trust their nation has placed on their shoulders by assigning them the task of securing this delivery.
"How much is all of this worth?" Pantu asks.
"Depends. Each container has enough to cure two hundred thousand people. How much is that worth?"
"All things considered, not much," she says.
"That's not the answer you're supposed to say."
"I'm a security director, not a politician. I make these decisions often."
"Is this the part where you ask me to charge for The Panacea?"
"No, I was merely curious about how much the current supply is worth. But as you said, we can't put a price on human life."
"True, but the people can decide that for us. We just control the supply and let them bid."
"And if they break the containers in transit?" Pantu asks, noticing how carefully everyone moves the containers. "Do you replace them?"
"No, every country gets a set amount, depending on the population. They're responsible for transportation and security. They get one shipment annually."
"Eventually, one of these countries may attack another for their supply. What then?"
"Then I make an example of them, and they get nothing for two years," Horizon says. "Examples must be made, and painful lessons are easy to remember."
"Geopolitical instability is the inevitable outcome. This could be disastrous."
Horizon chuckles. "An entire world begging for me to help them. What could be bad about that?"
"I'm not even going to humor that question."
"You're no fun."
"The bunker has enough for two more years after we send out this shipment, but people will want more."
"Not to mention the headache of distribution to the civilians, the politics of who gets to be first in line for treatment, and a million other things."
"Yes, I'm aware." She shakes her head. "Japan has a relatively unlimited supply and we still have problems deciding who takes the highest priority, and everyone is always upset."
"Imagine how that'll be when I leave."
"Is there a version of this where I don't have to?" she asks, looking at him.
He glances over at her momentarily, then focuses on the crates again. "No."
"Bad memories?"
"And half the population of Japan still hates me."
"23%, we take weekly surveys," she says. "You dropped a city on itself. After all, killing half a million people has negative lasting effects."
"Yeah, and all it took was me saving the world and making a miracle cure to get it that low, not to mention dropping the national crime rate below 0.2%...ungrateful fucks."
No one has ever accused the public of being smart; that's why we decide for them.
"Whatever, that's not even the worst thing I've done."
"Really?"
"Don't worry about it. You just deal with the public. That part isn't my job."
"Technically, it isn't my job either. My job is to manage the Pro Heroes of Japan, to manage you."
Horizon shakes his head, as if getting an unpleasant taste out of his mouth.
"It still feels weird when people call me that," he says.
"Because it's a lie?"
"Because it feels like there is some truth to it."
'That's new,' Pantu thinks as she doesn't detect any lies.
"Speaking of going to new places, Ryuko?"
Horizon stiffens for a moment. "Be specific."
"The cat."
"What about her?"
"She's scheduled to return to Japan in a few days, but someone extended her vacation multiple times beforehand."
"Just say what you mean?"
"Do you want to dispatch another security team to guard her?"
"No, my people can handle it. Besides, I'd rather not have your people that close to her."
"I'd never use her against you," Pantu says. "You barely have a heart. I don't want to threaten it. I have no intention of experiencing that side of you."
"Good, because I'm not sure what I'd do if you crossed that line," he says, and she's surprised by the uncertainty in his voice. "But it would be historic."
"We almost had a pleasant conversation, but you just had to ruin it."
"Well, this is the part where I stop pretending to be pleasant," Horizon leans back against the railing, now facing her. "I received the intel from Hawks."
"And?"
"And I found the person it points toward, but he's a judge, in Chile."
"You can't kill a judge. You can't even touch a foreign public official."
"Cellophane and Simon should be kidnapping him right now."
"So you aren't asking for permission, but for forgiveness."
"No, I'm giving you a heads-up, because I'm about to do everything within my power to get the answers out of him, without killing him, so you need to get started on the apology letters."
"For the record, I am ordering you not to kidnap, assault, and torture this man."
"Yeah, yeah, I'll call you before I start any more fires."
"You should contact Hawks when you arrive. He's still spying on them, and if they see your team take this man, Shigaraki could panic and reveal more information."
"I'll call him, now, I need to get out of here. They just got him to the safe house."
Horizon warps away, leaving Pantu along on the walkway to observe the shipments being loaded.
'Hopefully, this reveals more of the cards they're playing so I can properly adjust, or perhaps it will outright end the game,' Pantu thinks as she hopes for the best.
---Elsewhere…
Sitting on a moldy couch with his feet up in an abandoned airplane hangar, Dabi idly scrolls on his phone while Mr. Compress and Twice, the original body, sit at a small table nearby playing cards.
Standing along the opposite wall are three Nomu, one of which has a massive antenna protruding from its back.
And just outside the hangar is a cargo helicopter, fully stocked and ready for flight.
Dabi's phone rings, and he immediately answers, all but leaping out of his seat.
"Yeah, is it time?" He asks.
"It's time," Shigaraki says, and Dabi waves Twice and Mr.Compress over.
"How long do we have?" Dabi asks while walking toward the helicopter.
Twice falls into step beside him while Mr. Compress directs the Nomu to board with them before getting into the pilot's seat.
"My source says Horizon and his team are all in Chile right now. He'll get enough intel to lead him to Canada next."
"And we're sure he won't pop back over to Japan for a little check-up."
"I'm sure, the intel is time-sensitive," Shigaraki says as they all strap in. "You have as long as you can protect that Nomu."
"That will be plenty of time. The range on it should allow us to place it within Musutafu and still jam the signals in UA."
"Good, and remember, I won't be able to contact you until this is over."
"I know, and I'm not concerned about what happens after," Dabi ends the call as the engines start.
"So, what'd he say?" Twice asks.
"Horizon is far away, so once we block the signals, we've got all the time we need to play."
"It's a shame we couldn't bring more Nomu," Twice says. "Him being able to sense everything is such a jerk move. I thought villains were supposed to have the cheat codes."
"Haven't you seen the news lately?" Mr. Compress asks as they ascend into the air. "Horizon is a villain. The only difference is the people cheer for him."
"Doesn't matter, just stick to the plan," Dabi says, looking directly at Twice. "Don't get carried away, got it?"
"Yes sir," Twice salutes him. "All I have to do is use my Quirk on the attack Nomu to create a distraction, then go find Kurogiri in the main building."
"That's our escape route, so let nothing distract you," Mr. Compress says. "I'll be making a name for myself by stealing the most valuable thing in the world. Principal Nezu, come get me as soon as you're done with Kurogiri."
"On the roof, right?" Twice asks, and Mr. Compress nods. "What about you, Dabi?"
"Don't bother coming back for me. Just get out of there. I'm on a different type of mission."
With that, Dabi takes out his phone and sets a timer to automatically upload some documents.
He then leans back and closes his eyes, smiling, thinking about the aftermath of the pain and death he aims for.
END CHAPTER---
Currently using feedback to trim some parts of the story, if anyone has more feedback please let me know. I'm always trying to improve :)
Você também pode gostar
Comentário de parágrafo
O comentário de parágrafo agora está disponível na Web! Passe o mouse sobre qualquer parágrafo e clique no ícone para adicionar seu comentário.
Além disso, você sempre pode desativá-lo/ativá-lo em Configurações.
Entendi