Chapter Text
Silently Midoriya could only watch as the games went on. At the moment Bakugo and Todoroki were in first, but there was so much smoke no one could see who was ahead. Mainly from Bakugo’s explosions and the other students stepping on landmines. He could only wonder where Uraraka was in all of this and quietly hoped she was doing well.
She’d made amazing progress in the beginning, easily destroying some robots and crossing the massive chasm. She even made it through a decent amount of the minefield, before disappearing when another student stepped on a mine and covered the area in pink smoke. Even with this progress, he couldn’t help but be worried. The two of them spent a lot of time training together, and a part of Midoriya feared he might not have done enough to help her. They could have spent more time exercising instead of sparring, he thought, maybe he’d been holding her back accidentally.
With these thoughts, Midoriya tried looking for her, but just like with Todoroki and Bakugo, there was still far too much smoke to see. Of course, his search had to be interrupted by some buzzing noise. Which he found to be coming from Miller. The blond quickly looked around his pocket, with a bashful grin.
“Ah, sorry,” Miller said, finding his Idroid had a call. He looked at it for a second before standing up from his spot.
“Just gonna take this outside, sorry for the interruption,” Miller said to no one in particular while moving to the VIP Lounge’s door. Just as he was about to reach it, Midoriya saw Vlad King stand up and stop him.
“Now hold on, I’m sure whatever it is can be answered in here,” Vlad told him, the hero now blocking the door. Miller looked at the hero somewhat annoyed, while Nezu looked at him suspiciously.
“Vlad,” the stoat said, an implied warning. Vlad King simply crossed his arms, with a “tch”.
“What? If it’s a normal call then it should be no issue,” Vlad King reasoned, as Miller slowly began to rub his brow.
“It’s none of your concern what it is,” Miller retorted quickly, the two men now glaring at each other.
“Somehow I think otherwise,” Snipe stated, drawing Miller’s attention. At the same time, All Might stood up from his seat and slowly walked over to Miller. When he was close enough he put a hand on the man’s shoulder, mostly to pull the commander away from the door.
“I have to agree with him,” All Might said, looking Miller in the eye, “You tell us Snake is out doing paperwork, yet you’re his second in command. If he, the boss of your entire organization, is swamped with paperwork, then shouldn’t you of all people be in the same situation?”
“On top of that, who’s the call from?” Vlad King inquired, quickly noticing how Miller slightly grimaced at the question. Midoriya could only watch worried, turning over to Melissa. She looked back at him worried as well, but didn’t say anything.
“That isn’t important,” Miller protested, with All Might raising his brow curiously.
“Isn’t it?” All Might inquired, with Nezu now standing on his chair.
“All Might-” the stoat tried to warn only for All Might to cut him off.
“No Nezu. Both you and the MSF refuse to tell us anything. So one of you is hiding something,” All Might told him, looking over at the rodent, “Which in this case, I believe involves Snake, sneaking off to do something.”
“I can assure you, no one is lying,” Miller replied, regaining All Might’s attention only briefly.
“All Might, what is it you’re trying to find?” Nezu asked, bringing his paw to his face. The question earned an annoyed groan from the Symbol of Peace, immediately catching Nezu off guard.
“I’m trying to find the truth! Something you’ve been hiding from all of us for whatever reason!” All Might exclaimed, with Nezu trying to protest only for All Might to keep talking, “You hired mercenaries to act as school security, mercenaries you’ve apparently known for years!”
“We’ve worked for you, we’ve trusted you, and yet you won’t tell us a damn thing about what is going on, or who the MSF even are,” Vlad King added, “Hell, as far as public records go these guys don’t exist!”
“So who are they!? Where did they come from!? Why! Are! They! Here!?” All Might demanded, fury, confusion, worry, and fear all laced together in his words. It sounded more desperate than demanding as Midoriya thought it over. After that, no one said anything for a few seconds, before Nezu tiredly sighed. The rodent turned to look at Miller while removing the paw from his face.
“Miller, just answer the call,” he told him. Miller looked at the surrounding heroes defiantly, before looking back at Nezu. The two held a quiet conversation before Miller relented.
“Alright then,” Miller said, holding his Idroid up for everyone to hear. It took a few seconds to pick up the call, and Miller cleared his throat. At the same time, Midoriya could tell Miller was planning something, possibly letting Snake know others were listening in.
“Boss-” Miller tried to say, only for Snake to cut him off.
“Kaz, get the students off the field!” Snake shouted into the comms, causing Miller to flinch back. It left everyone in the room shocked for a second, as Midoriya registered the urgency in Snake’s tone.
“What in tarnation is he on about?” Snipe inquired, with Miller shrugging in response.
“What? Boss, what is going on?” Miller asked, the man turning to face All Might. The hero’s once angry expression was now replaced with pure confusion.
“Damn it, Kaz! Get them off the field now!” Snake again shouted, but this time, there was something else the codec picked up. Midoriya slowly paled, as the sound of people screaming filtered through. It was followed by a mass of gunfire that seemed to come from every direction. It left everyone quiet as they all tried to process what they heard.
“...Miller, where is Snake?” All Might asked, concern, and anger clear in his tone.
“He… was out investigating a warehouse in the city,” Miller hesitantly replied. This couldn’t be happening, Midoriya thought. What even was happening!? Why was Snake so adamant about evacuating the field!? Slowly Midoriya turned to face the field, horribly worried and confused, before he saw it.
“Uncle Kaz!” Midoriya shouted, drawing everyone’s attention to the stadium’s screens. There it displayed the obstacle course’s track, and the MSF’s CRAMs firing into the sky.
“That’s odd, don’t remember there being fireworks scheduled,” Present Mic noted over the microphone from his spot in the announcer’s box.
“I don’t think those are fireworks,” Aizawa stated, confusion clear in his tone, right as a new explosion hit the track. Only the smoke from it wasn’t pink.
“Ooh! Seems someone stepped on a mine! Is Todoroki still first!? Or has Bakugo gotten lucky!” Present Mic yelled, the smoke slowly dissipating away, “Who could it be… folks…”
Midoriya could only watch in horror as the smoke cleared, showing Bakugo and Todoroki lying on the floor. Bakugo was peppered with shrapnel, his right arm missing and bleeding heavily. Todoroki was in a similar circ*mstance, his chest equally as bloody, and the teen slowly trying to stand up. The sight sent terrified screams throughout the stadium before more explosions hit the track.
“Crap!” Miller yelled, bringing his codec back up quickly, while the staff began to rush for the door. The moment Vlad King pulled it open, bullets began flying into the room. Midoriya ducked behind his chair before the shooting stopped. Looking back up he spotted a man in a purple and gray shirt knocked out on the floor, and All Might standing over him in his buff form. The hero then kicked a Minebea machine pistol into the room, before lurching over slightly.
It confused Midoriya for only a second before it hit him. All Might had been shot. He used himself as a shield, before taking out the attacker. Almost all of the bullets just bounced off of him like they were nothing. Almost, however, as Midoriya spotted blood leaking from All Might’s old injury. He didn’t even have time to say anything before All Might ran through the door at super speed.
The other heroes soon followed him, as alarms blared around the stadium. It sent everyone into a panic, with people running in every direction. All the while Midoriya tried to rationalize what was happening. Looking back at the field he could see the explosions tearing up everything before a few began hitting the stadium proper. At the same time, Miller looked at the screen angrily.
“I want MRAPs out there now! Get the students off the field!” he loudly ordered into his codec, the officer on the other end not having enough time to reply before another shell hit UA.
Victoria was panicking as more and more calls came in from soldiers around the campus. The CRAMs were shooting down as much of the Ninth Circle’s ordinance as they could, but it wasn’t nearly enough.
“sh*t! Guns four, five, and nine are gone!” an officer shouted, causing Victoria to panic more. Slowly their air defense was being whittled down with pure saturation fire. How could this have even happened!? They had eyes on everything!? Where were these guys even coming from!? Quickly Victoria began scouring over the stadium’s security camera footage, hoping to find anything of value.
Instead, she spotted one of their intruders trying to gun down All Might in the VIP lounge. The gunman was defeated quickly, but it didn’t help to calm her. Especially when she spotted Midoriya hiding behind a chair.
“You’ve got his life in your hands,” Texas’s words echoed in her mind. This… This was fine. She could deal with this, just keep watch on the cams, organize all incoming reports, ensure the CRAMs stay online, and keep communications available. She could do this, Victoria told herself, while switching through security cameras again. At the same time, she monitored communications, searching for anything of value.
After that, she switched her focus to the CRAMs. The action only made her panic more, as the weapons radars’ showed hundreds of contacts. All moved at differing speeds, with some being missiles and others being shells. There were just so many of them, it was terrifying to witness. But then she noticed something else. A few new things appeared on the radar, moving much slower than everything else.
Switching to cameras Victoria hoped to get some kind of visual of what she was seeing. The second she did, her breath would have hitched had she been of flesh and blood.
“Dozens of unidentified helicopters on radar!” she called out, immediately gaining the attention of every officer in the room.
“What’s their heading!?” one officer asked, as Victoria quickly tried to map their route.
“Uh…” she somewhat replied, before… no, no, no, no!
“They’re heading toward the stadium!” Victoria replied quickly, trying to calm herself back down.
“sh*t!” the officer yelled before turning towards a different pair of soldiers, “Get men with stingers down there now! Victoria-”
“Gun seven’s down!” a different officer exclaimed, drawing Victoria’s attention quickly. They were running out of CRAMs. This.. this was fine! Victoria could do this! Just focus on the task at hand.
The truck was deathly quiet, as everyone looked over their equipment. Quickly Oguro took a few deep breaths to steel his nerves. It was time. But it was difficult to remain calm. This was it, the moment they were to enact Reaper’s Will. To bring mercy to all the lost suffering souls outside. Today everyone’s suffering would end. Oguro knew the nonbelievers would try to stop them, but it would be in vain.
So long as a single person had been granted the miracle of death, then they would have won.
“Brothers, it is time,” the Prophet suddenly proclaimed, standing at the back of the truck. In his hand was a Type 20 assault rifle, hanging loosely at his side. Slowly the Prophet looked over everyone a final time, before turning away. With his free hand, he opened the back of the truck, bringing in sunlight from the outside. Everyone got up once it was done, and followed the Prophet as he hopped out.
Oguro took one final deep breath, before doing the same. Walking out of the truck they had all hidden in, Oguro spared his Type 89 rifle one last check. Finding it good, he looked out at the surrounding street. Their hiding spot had been a normal Isuzu Forward truck, carrying an unmarked shipping crate. The vehicle was parked right outside a small apartment complex that Reaper’s commanders had marked as a target.
Said it would be the perfect spot for a mortar emplacement. What made it better was the surrounding area. An electronics store stood nearby across the street, with a large crowd of people watching the Festival on their screens. A Steak House was further down, full of people having an early lunch. And then there was their real target, the Musutafu Pediatric Hospital, barely even a block away.
Quickly Oguro saw the rest of his companions form up, readying their weapons. He did the same, knowing the plan by heart. He aimed at the electronic store crowd, ensuring his weapon was loaded. Just as he did so, someone in the crowd turned around, spotting him and his cohorts. They didn’t have time to scream as Oguro held down the trigger. Bullets flew instantly as Oguro shot whatever moved.
His companions did the same, turning the clean sidewalk into a red mess. When his rifle clicked empty, he loaded a new magazine, before firing again. Once the crowd had been sufficiently cleared, the group split up for their objectives. It didn’t take long for screaming to erupt around them. Oguro could only pity the screams. They had become so deluded with the lie of life.
Focusing on his task Oguro began to run toward his next goal, the steakhouse. Getting there, he pulled out a grenade and moved toward the restaurant’s door. Pushing it open slightly he could see the confused and terrified faces everyone held.
“That sounded like screaming?” someone noted, panic clear in their tone
“Is it a villain attack?” a woman asked, concern and fear present.
“It’ll be alright, I’m sure a hero will handle it,” someone else said, trying to comfort the others. Though it did little in actuality. Oguro pulled the pin out of his grenade then and tossed it into the room. Shutting the door, he heard the explosive go off, and everyone in the restaurant started screaming. Shoving the door open, Oguro then began to finish off what survivors remained. He spotted two teens, a man, and a woman, trying to cower under a table. Oguro shot them before they could hide. Turning around he spotted a father trying to usher his family out through the restaurant’s backdoor.
They would receive Reaper’s mercy, as Oguro fired at them in second. Rounds punched through the man’s body. Oguro didn’t stop when the man was dead, instead directing his mercy toward the kids trying to flee. They died in seconds, the bullets tearing them apart quickly. It was the same for everyone else in the restaurant. With his task complete, Oguro began to leave, spotting his allies completing their tasks as well.
One pair walked out of a flaming building, the sounds of anguished screams coming from its door. Another dragged a family out into the street, before shooting them in broad daylight. At the same time, a different group led by the Prophet began dragging children to the truck they hid in. It confused Oguro for a moment. Were they not deserving of Reaper’s mercy?
“Prophet? Why do they live? I thought this was to ensure Reaper’s Will?” Oguro asked, drawing the Prophet’s attention.
“It is, young acolyte. But they are still young, and can be taught Reaper’s ways,” the Prophet replied, before throwing a young boy, no older than six into the back of the truck. Seconds later he did the same to a young girl. But it seemed conflicting to Oguro.
“But wouldn’t it be better to end their suffering now, when they have experienced so little?” he asked, with the Prophet nodding slowly, saddened by the truth.
“It would be. But who would come to replace us, when our suffering ends? Who will spread Reaper’s message, when we are gone?” the Prophet replied, causing Oguro to think over the question. It made some sense. Soon his suffering would end, and others would have to spread Reaper’s Will. Someone would always have to take up the responsibility until Reaper’s Will has been fulfilled.
“I…see, I apologize for my question,” Oguro said, only for the Prophet to wave him off.
“There is nothing to apologize for. You were only concerned for them, and their suffering,” the Prophet replied, before closing the back of the truck, locking the kids inside.
“Now go, there is still much work to be done,” the Prophet ordered, pointing out their main objective. Oguro quickly nodded, before turning around and reciting the mantras he’d been taught. Instantly a hero had dropped down from the sky, an odd green costume making their presence known.
“You there! Stand down-” the hero tried to say, only to be forced to jump behind a nearby car for cover as Ogruo fired at him. The others around him did the same, as sirens became present in the air. Across the street, Oguro spotted a pair of police cars driving up, the officers quickly filing out of their vehicles. At the same time, more heroes seemed to arrive, all with varying costumes and powers.
Quickly Oguro ducked back as a massive plant burrowed under him, the green hero now using his quirk to try and incapacitate him. It didn’t work, as one of Oguro’s allies had run over to the car the hero was hiding behind. Instead of a normal gun, the Ninth Circle member had a flamethrower. In seconds the car and the hero were engulfed in flames. The hero yelled in pain as he turned to run, attempting to put out the flames, only for Oguro to shoot him.
At that point, the rest of the heroes ran in to try and stop them. Quickly Oguro began firing at them, spotting one hero with a comically large sword. He shot the hero before he could even get close, the bullets punching through the hero’s chest. At the same time, a new female hero had thrown a series of blueish-green disks at Oguro. With little time to react Oguro ducked under them, before reloading his rifle. He did so just in time, as the disks seemed to disperse electricity the second they hit a nearby wall.
“Damn villains! You’ll face justice this day-” the hero tried to proclaim, as another three disks appeared in his hand. He was cut off though as a pickup truck rammed into the hero. It sent her flying back, before landing awkwardly on the ground. Most of her body was bent in odd and wrong places, causing Oguro to cringe at the sight. Just to be sure he aimed his rifle and shot the hero in the head.
Once it was done Oguro looked back at the pickup truck and spotted someone manning a DShK the mad scientist had given them. Before any of the heroes or police had a chance to respond, the gunner opened fire. Dozens died in mere seconds, as all the nonbelievers ducked behind whatever cover they could find. Few made it out alive, before turning back to run. There the truck began to move again, chasing after the fleeing crowd of heroes and cops.
Oguro did the same, knowing he still had work to be done. All the while he went over the mantras he’d been taught. Rehearsing them over and over again. For these were the only truths: life is suffering, life is slavery, life is war, death is solace, death is freedom, death is peace.
Snake’s eye darted around the surrounding area, his anger slowly growing the more he looked around. Everywhere he turned he heard people screaming and saw smoke rising in the sky. And there was the never-ending sound of gunfire. At this point Miller had hung up, most likely to try and organize the troops at the stadium. This allowed Snake the small moment to survey the situation in its entirety.
Of course, that was assuming the enemy would let him, as a pickup truck with an M2 mounted on the back rounded a street corner. Its gunner fired at Snake the second he saw him, giving Snake little time to dive out of the way. Quickly the truck came to a stop, with four other men jumping out of the vehicle. Snake, who had taken cover behind a small car, peeked out briefly.
He ducked back quickly though, as the M2 gunner kept firing down at him. The fifty-cal rounds punched through what cover Snake had, so he stayed low to the ground, hoping the gunner would accidentally shoot him. Eventually, the gunner stopped firing, allowing Snake to move. He spotted a small brick wall, opening up to a park’s bike path, and began running for it. At the same time, Snake aimed his MP5 and fired, sending a stream of bullets at the M2 gunner’s position.
All hit true to their mark, but none seemed to kill him. It confused Snake for a minute before he swore in realization. The men before him all had body armor, be it basic plate carriers or kevlar vests. Quickly the other thugs backing the M2 gunner up opened fire. Narrowly making it behind the wall, Snake heard his codec begin to ring again. Snake mentally swore at that, wondering what Miller needed.
“Kaz, I’m a little busy at the moment,” Snake said, as he answered the call. Of course, Snake’s eye widened as someone else replied.
“Oh? Having fun without me are you? And here I thought we had something special,” Night Owl replied, mock sadness clear in his tone, “Still waiting on that thank you by the way.”
“What- How did you get this frequency!?” Snake angrily demanded, before flinching as a fifty caliber round punched through the brick above him. Turning back around, Snake again fired at the M2’s gunner, hitting the man’s head. He seemed to die this time, so the thugs with him picked up his slack. They moved up carefully to try and corner Snake.
“Now what's the fun in telling you that? Now, that thank you?” Night Owl asked, causing Snake to grumble annoyed.
“Thank you for what!? Massacring all these innocent people!?” Snake yelled back, again ducking as the thugs opened fire. Seconds later Snake returned fire, managing to hit one of the thugs in the chest. But like the M2 gunner he didn’t die, instead continuing forward after a brief stumble.
“So ungrateful aren’t you? Were it not for me you would have wasted all your ammunition in that warehouse,” Night Owl retorted, making Snake pause for a second.
“...Your no guns demand,” Snake realized, as the puzzle clicked together in his mind.
“Ding ding ding!” Night Owl cheered over the comm, “I mean I didn’t want you to miss the main event!”
“So what, you lured me out here to witness the start of your grand war?” Snake demanded, before again firing at the group of thugs. He could only swear as a van drove around the corner quickly, unloading another six men. To his immediate surprise though, Night Owl began laughing. This wasn’t some diabolical laugh, no. It sounded as if Night Owl genuinely found Snake’s words funny.
“Oh no no no! This isn’t the war Snake! Think of it more like an appetizer! The first event in a slew of many more to come!” Night Owl exclaimed, still laughing between a few words. Snake could only pale at the reply. An appetizer? How many members did the Ninth Circle have!? How many weapons!? The war would somehow be worse than this!? Snake could barely stomach the thought. Buildings were in flames around him. Snake could still hear the howitzers firing shells at the stadium.
He could still hear the screams from people all across the city. Of innocent men women and children. The war would be worse than this.
“What is all of this even for!?” Snake demanded angrily, only for Night Owl to tut him.
“Spoilers I’m afraid! Anyway, I’ll stop distracting you Snake. Until we meet again,” Night Owl proclaimed, before abruptly hanging up. Snake could only grumble at the action annoyed. All that work and he was still nowhere close to finding out Night Owl’s end goal. It mattered little at the moment though, as the thugs behind him continued to attack.
With a deep breath, Snake looked out and fired at the closest thug he could find. Again, all of his shots hit true, managing to hit the man’s head. With two down Snake began to reload his weapon while thinking out his next move. He needed a higher caliber weapon for one, but that meant grabbing it off of the enemy. Peeking out of cover Snake began to survey his options while firing at the surrounding enemy.
Looking around Snake eyed up the M2 mounted on the Ninth Circle’s truck. So far no one has gone to fire it yet. Quickly Snake thought up his next move and ran out of cover. Bullets flew past him, narrowly missing. Looking out Snake mapped a path in his mind, and slid into cover behind another small car. Once that was done, he crawled forward and fired at one of his attackers.
He’d repeat this process over and over, slowly looping around to his enemy’s flank. The enemy at this point had given up on trying to corner Snake, and now switched plans. A few began to pull out grenades, hoping to flush him out of cover. With little time, Snake fired at them. The bullets hit them in the chest, not killing them. But they didn’t need to. The rounds had staggered them, like a punch to the gut.
A few unlucky ones had the pins for their grenades pulled out, and the explosive detonated in their hands. It gave Snake a brief lull in the fight, as what remained of his enemies tried to nurse their wounds, or kept their heads down to avoid the shrapnel. Jumping out of cover a final time Snake sprinted toward the truck-mounted M2. Reaching it he pulled himself up and grabbed the weapon.
Aiming it at a pair of thugs, he held down the trigger. The fifty caliber rounds punched straight through the Ninth Circle’s cover. The pair he had targeted became nothing but a red pulp. Their buddies tried to provide counterfire, but Snake kept the pressure on them. Slowly Snake would whittle the thugs down one by one, eliminating whatever cover they had. After a few moments, Snake stopped firing. He ducked down behind the weapon, searching for any sign of movement.
Seeing none he hopped down from the truck, holding his MP5 ready. Cautiously he walked over to the thug’s bodies. Looking them over quickly, Snake used his MP5 to lift one of the thug’s Type-89. He didn’t think it was rigged to blow, it would have been an idiotic idea if it was, even for a group that seemed so eager to die. But it was better to be careful. Finding the weapon to be safe, Snake slung his MP5 over his shoulder and grabbed the Type-89.
After that he looted what ammunition he could, even grabbing a few grenades. Once that was done, Snake slowly surveyed the area. He needed to get back to UA, where he could regroup and mount a defense of the stadium. But that was assuming he could even make it there in time. He had to try though, so carefully Snake began to move across the city.
“The hell!?” Captain Chronicles called out, as alarms began sounding off, “I thought Madam President said she was sneaking in thieves!? The f*ck is happening!?”
The hero could only duck as explosions rattled the school he was supposed to protect. What the hell was even going on!? He could hear screams coming from everywhere! And the gunfire! Every few seconds he would hear another burst of gunfire! This was supposed to be an easy gig! Let in a few thieves, guard the gate, sign a few autographs, and take down some villains! So what was happening!?
“Hell if I know!” Fiji Legan exclaimed, ducking back as he felt another explosion shake the wall he leaned upon. At that point Captain Chronicles decided running into the stadium, just to figure out what was going on would be his best option. But before he could do that, he spotted something approaching them. It was a large garbage truck, nothing oddly suspicious about it. But it was getting closer, fast.
It was confusing before Captain Chronicles’ eyes widened.
“sh*t, sh*t, sh*t! Move!” he shouted, jumping out of the way as the truck rammed into the gate. It exploded violently, tearing apart the entrance and creating a wide smoldering gap. Groggily Captain Chronicles tried to get up, his ears ringing the entire time. Looking around, he spotted Fiji Legend’s body covered in blood, and his ally not moving. He didn’t have time to process the sight as Captain Chronicles soon spotted a convoy of vehicles driving right toward him, with a swarm of helicopters flying overhead.
It was a mix of large trucks, pickups, and vans. On the back of some vehicles were weapons of all kinds, from heavy machine guns to automatic grenade launchers and anti-aircraft guns. They drove straight past the hero, cheering loudly as they did so, all entering through the hole in the entrance they created. UA’s security system didn’t even bother to stop them, as its barrier now rested as smoldering charred metal. Eventually, a van stopped in front of Captain Chronicles, its passenger seat door opening. Out stepped a single man, his face covered by a ballistic mask with a skull painted on it.
“Villains… you won’t-” Captain Chronicles tried to say, only for the man to shoot him in the head. He died instantly, leaving the man to hop back into the van, the vehicle quickly driving off.
Bison was expecting today to be relatively uneventful. He was a tanker after all, and there wasn’t much of a reason the stadium would need armored vehicles for security. It was with that reasoning he decided to relax. Some of the others in his company had brought out retro gaming systems, and now everyone in the barracks was holding a tournament for a five-hundred-dollar prize.
So color him surprised, when he hears the sounds of sirens going off, and explosions in every direction. At the same time, almost every soldier’s radio came to life, with command practically yelling into the comms.
“All fireteams this is CP! We’re under attack! Enemy forces have been spotted entering through South Gate Four! All available units move to the stadium’s entrance and hold the line!”
It took mere seconds to register the words before every soldier in the barracks began moving. They grabbed whatever gear they could as fast as they could. Bison himself was quickly trying to fasten his helmet, while also fixing his boots. When he had everything ready, he and a dozen others practically sprinted down the barrack’s hallways, as everyone tried to reach their destination.
Marine and army infantrymen broke off for the armory, helicopter pilots started heading towards the airfield, and Bison was running toward the base’s motor pool. Arriving quickly he spotted officers trying to keep everything organized as vehicles were fueled up and loaded.
“Yo! Captain!” someone called out, drawing Bison’s attention Waving him over was Zebra, who Bison quickly ran over to.
“Zebra, the others here yet?” Bison asked, continuing forward as Zebra led the way to their tank.
“All waiting for you!” Zebra replied, right as they arrived at their vehicle. Both men began clambering over it, and opening the vehicle’s hatches.
“Good, we move out now,” Bison told him, just as he hopped into the tank. Getting in his spot, Bison brought up his small recon drone and flew it out of the hatch. Once it was gone he closed it and surveyed the surrounding area. It took mere seconds to spot the clouds of smoke rising not just from the campus, but the surrounding city.
Bison could only mentally swear, before regaining focus.
“Status?” Bison inquired, his crew responding quickly.
“Gun’s loaded sir!” Rhino replied, just as he closed the gun’s hatch.
“Fueled up and ready!” Lion added, the roar of the tank's engines becoming clear.
“Drones are almost… done! Locked and loaded!” Texas replied, with Bison seeing the AI’s drones roll up next to their next. There were a total of six THeMIS drones and two of those had guns. One was armed with an M2 the other a 30mm Bushmaster, though both had side-mounted Javelin ATGMs. The other THeMIS three drones meanwhile were either pack mules carrying ammunition, or designed to carry wounded troops off the front.
The final drone provided rudimentary air defense with some Stinger missile launchers and a 25mm autocannon slapped on. Aside from that were a few Switchblade loitering munitions and small quad rotors providing aerial recon and fire support with under-mounted M250s, or MP5s.
“Good. Lion, get us moving!” Bison ordered, the driver wordlessly complied as everyone felt the tank lurch forward, “Texas, keep eyes on the sky, and get me recon of the gate.”
“Got it, Cap, flyers movin’ out now,” Texas replied, the AI going quiet for a second as his aerial drones flew ahead of the tank. His ground drones instead followed behind its large armored cousin, keeping watch of the surrounding area. After a few minutes, Texas came back, drawing over Bison’s attention.
“sh*t, enemy’s got whirlybirds headin’ to the stadium,” Texas told him, as Bison quietly swore.
“How many?” He asked as he pulled up the visual feed from one of Texas’s drones. It was busy shooting at a lone enemy squad, trying to take it out. However, its camera also displayed the helicopters flying over UA’s walls.
“Dozens. Can’t get an exact number,” Texas replied, causing Bison to again swear. Things just kept getting better somehow.
“What about their make then? Military or civilian?” Bison asked, looking back at the drone’s feed, only for it to finally get shot down.
“Both by the looks of it. Got some JSDF Hueys, two or three Blackhawks, and a whole mess o’ civilian aircraft,” Texas answered, bringing up a different drone’s feed. Sure enough, Bison spotted a Blackhawk, flying straight toward the stadium. He also spotted the civilian aircraft, with odd bits of metal bolted or welded near the aircraft’s doors. It took Bison mere seconds to realize what he was seeing.
“Crafty sons of bitches. Jerry rigged the civilian crap with weapons,” Bison muttered, earning an annoyed groan from Zebra.
“So we’ve got flying technicals,” Zebra muttered, the gunner rubbing his brow, “Great. As if this couldn’t get worse.”
“Holy f*ck,” Ape muttered, his eyes widened and face pale as he looked at the stadium’s massive interior screens. For a few minutes, things had been tense between both sides in his and Lord Freeze’s little standoff. And when the screaming in the stadium started, Ape fully expected a fight to break out. He was happy to be proven wrong, as the screaming had immediately caught Lord Freeze off guard.
Warily the hero looked away, trying to find the source of the screaming. And Ape had done the same, slowly lowering his weapon. In that brief moment, he felt nothing but anger and dread, spotting explosions rip through the track. Lowering his weapon seemed to be a mistake though, as seconds later Lord Freeze charged, yelling angrily. No soldier fired as the hero did so, not wanting to harm the civilians behind him.
Quickly the hero had his hand around Ape’s throat, everything suddenly felt very cold.
“[What have you villain’s done!?]” Lord Freeze demanded while Gecko moved to flank Lord Freeze.
“[That wasn’t us! We haven’t done anything!]” Gecko told him, though it didn’t seem like the hero believed them. At that moment Ape’s radio had come to life, as command yelled into it loudly. Of course, before Ape could hear anything Lord Freeze grabbed it, and froze the radio.
“All… Enemy… aircraft… stadium! Prioritize… down!” CP ordered the audio muffled by the radio’s icy tomb. Ape could only wonder what they were saying, as he tried to decipher what was said.
“[Don’t think about warning your buddy's villain!]” Lord Freeze yelled, a few other heroes behind him moving to back him up. His words only seemed to infuriate Gecko, who had his finger close to his rifle’s trigger.
“[THAT WASN’T US!]” Gecko shouted, but again, Lord Freeze didn’t seem to believe him. Seconds passed as Ape struggled against Lord Freeze’s grip, only to slowly stop. It was hard to hear, but slowly approaching was the recognizable chopping noise of helicopters. That… Why were there helicopters heading their way? They weren’t MSF aircraft, or else they would be heading in the opposite direction, toward the enemy.
His sudden lack of resistance confused Lord Freeze, who slowly began to notice the sound.
“[What is that noise?]” he demanded, as he tried to find the source. Gecko did the same, confusion clear on his face.
“[It sounds… like helicopters,]” Gecko said, once he realized what he was hearing. Soon the helicopters were close enough to see, as the first ones flew over the stadium's rim. Quickly they drifted down into the stadium. And Ape’s eyes widened at the sight. The doors to the helicopters shot open, as dozens of men stared out aiming weapons.
It took mere milliseconds before Gecko lunged at Lord Freeze, tackling both his Lieutenant and the hero to the ground. All while shouting shouting “[GET DOWN!]”
It was far too late though. The men in the helicopters fired everything they had. All Ape heard was screaming and gunfire. Peeking his head up off the ground, he could only look on in horror as the helicopters started shooting into the stands. He tried to look away, but… wait. Looking back Ape expected to see blood everywhere. But he didn’t even see bodies.
One helicopter tried to gun down the announcers' booth, only for a blur to run in and pull the announcers out. Just as suddenly as Ape spotted the blur, a massive gust of wind shot up, knocking the helicopters out of control. A few started to fall toward the seating areas, only for another gust of wind to send them flying in another direction. Ape could only watch on confused, before hearing a loud boisterous yell come from somewhere.
“[Have no fear everyone, everything will be alright! ]” All Might proclaimed, drawing Ape’s attention, “[ Because I am here!]”
Surrounding the hero had to be hundreds of civilians all looking at the hero amazed. Some seemed on the verge of tears and had difficulty standing up. All Might for his part, disappeared in another blur, the wind instantly rushing past Ape’s face, before some odd wet thing hit him and slowly trailed down his face.
“[We’re… we’re saved!]” one woman yelled, almost on the verge of tears. At the same time, Ape wiped his face with his hand and looked down at his palm.
“[Yeah! Take it to ‘em All Might!]” a child yelled, excited to see the Symbol of Peace in action. All the while Ape looked at his hand in shock. For on the palm of his hand, was blood. Quickly Ape checked himself over, but found he was fine. He wasn’t bleeding, so then… Ape could barely consider it a thought, as his eyes turned toward the field. Moving at superhuman speed All Might had caught the falling helicopters and set them on the ground.
All while knocking out the vehicles’ crews in an instant. Just as fast, All Might raced over to the crowd of civilians he rescued, while flashing his signature smile.
“[Now, is everyone alright?]” he asked, looking over the crowd quickly. No one said anything so the hero turned to leave. But before he could jump away, he lurched forward slightly. All Might forced himself back up, but he seemed off balance.
“[All Might?]” a civilian asked, concerned.
“[Ah, nothing to worry about. Bad breakfast is all,]” All Might replied, with a small laugh. It seemed to ease everyone else’s worries, but Ape knew something was wrong. Again All Might tried to jump off, most likely to save his students, only for Ape to spot something.
“sh*t! More helos incoming!” Ape called out, drawing over All Might’s attention. A dozen more helicopters swarmed over the stadium’s roof, firing into the crowd. All Might ran to try and stop them, only to lurch forward again. Ape could only watch in horror as the crowd was turned into a bloody pulp. More helicopters began to fire, forcing Ape to grab Gecko and duck into cover behind a section of seating.
It provided little protection, but at least hid him from the helicopters. Which was better than what the crowd All Might saved got. The hero could only watch helplessly as an M134 minigun cut the people in half. The child that cheered him on became a red mist, and the woman on the verge of tears was torn apart. Everyone else near them became nothing but blood and gore. Lord Freeze, who Gecko had accidentally knocked out when tackling him, was also caught in the fire, the hero swiftly dying completely unaware.
“[N-no!]” All Might yelled, trying to force himself onto his feet. Ape grumbled as he watched the needless death. Looking around he spotted a few surviving soldiers behind cover, hiding away what civilians had survived.
“You three!” Ape called out, pointing at a few soldiers while gaining the attention of the others, “Get the civies out of here! Rest of you return fire!”
The men simply nodded, as Ape peeked out of cover with his rifle raised. Looking up at the first helicopter he could find, Ape fired. Bullets flew by as the other soldiers joined him. Quickly Ape directed his fire toward a civilian helicopter’s pilot. The glass, having not been reinforced, shattered when the bullets made contact. Bits of glass impaled themselves on the pilot before the bullet itself killed him.
Instantly, the aircraft swerved out of control, aiming straight for the ground. When it landed, the helicopter scraped across the ground, digging up the once well-kept field. With one down Ape stopped to reload, before spotting the helicopters start dropping ropes. Seconds later men started repelling down into the stadium. A few were soon blitzed by All Might, the hero beating them unconscious in a flash.
Others began spreading out around the stadium, with Ape hearing more screams become present. Grabbing his still-frozen radio, Ape began to smash it against the floor, hoping to break the ice. Managing to do so, he held the device up and turned it on.
“CP! This is Alpha Five, enemy combatants have landed in the stadium! Requesting immediate backup!” he said into the radio, ducking back as another flurry of rounds struck his small amount of cover. At the same time, he spotted a JSDF Huey fly in close, and allow a large man to hop out of the aircraft along with five others. Ape couldn’t help but pale when the massive man hoisted up a modified three-barreled GAU-19, with a ludicrously large backpack behind him.
Quickly Ape ran out of cover, knowing the seats he hid behind were not enough protection. With Gecko behind him, the two ducked behind a thick wall, just as the large thug opened fire with his weapon. Fifty caliber rounds punched through whatever cover lay in front of it, chipping through concrete like a chisel to marble. It was just then that CP had decided to reply.
“Negative Alpha Five! All units are preoccupied at the moment! Hold out until reinforcements can be made available!” CP told him, causing Ape to groan annoyed. What the hell did they mean all preoccupied!? They had six thousand men at their disposal, around two thousand four hundred of them were combat troops! Not to mention the marine expedition that hadn’t left yet! That brought in another few hundred men bare minimum! So where were… f*ck! They were still mobilizing! Damn it, Ape mentally yelled, before peeking out of cover to return fire.
His main target was the enemy minigunner, which he fired half a clip at. Each round struck the man in the chest or near the head, but the enemy remained unfazed. Ape wasn’t even sure the rounds penetrated. Of course, his attack did seem to anger the man, as he began sweeping the area with his GAU-19.
“f*ck!” Ape called out, as a bit of concrete splintered off of his cover, sprinkling some dust into his eyes. Quickly Ape pulled out his canteen and opened it. Pouring the water over his eyes, he blinked a few times, before looking out behind cover again. There his eyes fell upon a dozen more men rappelling down from a new helicopter. And with the dozen men dropped two men with flamethrowers.
“sh*t! Fall back!” Ape ordered, with the remaining soldiers heeding his order quickly. Gecko did the same, while Ape provided a small amount of covering fire. After a few minutes, he joined the rest of the soldiers and ran as fast as possible.
All Uraraka could do was cower. When the first shell hit, she assumed Bakugo or Todoroki had stepped on a mine. But then the smoke cleared, and the sight of both teens covered in blood was burned into her mind. It took mere seconds for pandemonium to break out, as more explosions ripped apart the surrounding field. One explosion happened near her, knocking Uraraka back as bits of shrapnel flew past her.
Bits of metal tore up her skin, embedding themselves in her flesh. One piece scraped past her face, cutting her cheek. When blood began to drip down her face, she knew the metal had narrowly missed her eye. When she finally landed, Uraraka didn’t move. She couldn’t move. Frozen in fear she felt herself hyperventilating, all while lying on the ground. Every few seconds she heard the pained scream of someone around her.
She didn’t want to die! Not like this! She hadn’t become a hero yet! She hadn’t met the love of her life, or helped her parents gain a better life! There was still so much she wanted to do! She… she wouldn’t get to say goodbye… she didn’t want to die! All Might, Mr. Aizawa, Ocelot, someone, anyone! Please, Uraraka quietly begged. All she was answered with, was the sound of students getting blown apart around her.
The bombardment never stopped, only ever increasing in intensity. It became more difficult to hear the longer it went on, as a slow ringing grew in Uraraka’s ears. But through it all, she could have sworn she heard something. Slowly peeking up from her spot on the ground, Uraraka quickly discovered she was hearing something.
“Uraraka!” Yaoyorozu called out to her, desperation and fear clear in her tone. It was a happy thing for Uraraka though, to spot one of her classmates still alive. But the desperation Yaoyorozu held worried her.
“Yaoyorozu!” she called back, before slowly rolling around to get on her stomach. Looking back over at the girl, Uraraka spotted Yaoyorozu struggling to sit up.
“Help me! I-I can’t move!” Yaoyorozu told her while trying to force herself up at the same time. Instantly Uraraka paled at the realization, before trying to see if Yaoyorozu was ok.
“Were you hit!?” Uraraka asked, with Yaoyorozu trying to shake her head no in response.
“N-no! It’s… it’s Mineta’s quirk!” Yaoyorozu yelled back, again trying to pull herself up. It made Uraraka confused though, that was until she remembered something. Using his quirk, Mineta had hitched a ride off of Yaoyorozu’s back earlier. Now, Uraraka could see the same purple balls Mineta had used sticking to the ground beneath Yaoyorozu. Immediately Uraraka’s breath heightened, as she looked around.
Mineta had to be around here somewhere! It was his quirk, he could fix this somehow. Instead, all Uraraka saw was the midget lying on the ground unmoving. She couldn’t tell if he was unconscious or dead. Silently Uraraka pleaded for the former. Sure Mineta was an annoying pain, but that didn’t mean she wanted him dead!
“I… I’m coming over there!” Uraraka told her, while slowly mapping out a path in front of her.
“Please hurry!” Yaoyorozu begged, just as Uraraka started to crawl forward. It was a slow painful process as Uraraka did her best to avoid the landmines. Every few seconds she would freeze due to a nearby explosion. Every time it happened she had to beg that the next shell wouldn’t land near her. When she finally got close enough to Uraraka noticed something out of the corner of her eye.
Dozens of vehicles were driving towards them. Uraraka slowly began to panic as the vehicles approached. Was it the MSF? Was this attack their doing? No, it couldn’t be, Uraraka rationalized. She trusted Akatani, and he trusted the MSF. If this was their doing then he would know. So either Akatani was lying, which Uraraka believed was wrong, or it was someone else. Still, the question of who was approaching was clear in her mind.
Only when she spotted the unforgettable skull logo all the MSF wore, did she start to calm down. Ever closer the vehicles got, setting off mines as they drove, but barely reacting to the detonations. After a few seconds though the vehicles stopped and turned around, pointing the rear toward the students. There was still a large gap between her and the vehicles oddly enough, but Uraraka assumed it was because the MSF didn’t want to set off any mines near the students.
Lest they further harm an already injured student. Quickly the back doors of the vehicles opened and soldiers began to file out carefully. In mere seconds one of the soldiers began issuing orders to the others, with everyone spreading out quickly. At this point, Uraraka slowly forced herself up and tried waving someone over.
“Hey! Over here!” Uraraka called out, hoping someone would soon spot her. Luckily one soldier did, the man looking over at her for a second.
“Over here! She can’t move!” Uraraka told him, the soldier quickly heading over to them.
“She wounded?” the soldier asked, Uraraka silently cheering that he could speak Japanese.
“No,” Uraraka answered, crawling slightly away as the soldier got close, “It’s our classmate’s quirk! It's keeping her stuck on the ground!”
Carefully the soldier tried to pull Yaoyorozu on her feet, before noticing the purple balls sticking to her. The soldier looked over them curiously for a second, slowly letting go of Yaoyorozu.
“Your classmate, he around here somewhere?” the soldier asked, looking over to Uraraka.
“Over there,” Uraraka replied, pointing toward Mineta’s unconscious form. The soldier seemed to grumble at the sight, annoyed, before unholstering a knife.
“[sh*t]... Sorry about this kid, but we’re gonna have to cut off your clothes,” the soldier said, turning toward Yaoyorozu with the blade in hand.
“What!?” Yaoyorozu shouted in shock, quickly turning red, “T-there has to be a better option!”
“Every minute we’re out here is another minute we risk being blown to bits. Now I could try to dig up the ground the balls are stuck to, but with how you’re positioned that would take too long and be far too risky,” the soldier explained while bringing his knife to the back of Yaoyorozu’s shirt. There he carefully pushed it through the fabric, cutting through it easily. At this point, Yaoyorozu had reluctantly accepted it.
Staying out in the open any longer meant death.
“P-please be quick,” Yaoyorozu pleaded, the soldier remaining focused on his task.
“I will be. Again though, sorry. This is gonna be a rushed job, so I might cut ya by accident,” the soldier replied, moving the knife carefully through the shirt’s fabric. Just then everyone tensed as an explosion went off near them. The soldier ducked slightly as shrapnel flew around. Uraraka did the same, waiting before she was sure it was safe. Looking back up she was shocked to see a piece of metal embedded in the soldier’s helmet. He barely reacted to it, instead continuing to try and free Yaoyorozu.
After a few more moments of cutting the soldier switched over to Yaoyorozu’s pants, and soon she was free. Instantly Yaoyorozu started to cover herself with what remained of her clothes.
“Alright, start heading over to the MRAPs over there. Don’t run, go slow and stay low to the ground, but don’t stop. Do that and you’ll make it out alive, got it?” the soldier asked them, stepping back once he saw his job was done.
“Y-yes,” Yaoyorozu nervously replied, while looking out at the way ahead of them.
“Yeah,” Uraraka agreed, slowly nodding. The soldier for his part nodded as well, before looking over at Mineta again.
“Good, I’m gonna go get your classmate,” he told them, before quickly crawling away. It left both girls quiet for a moment before they both looked at each other. They both saw the fear and desperation each other had and debated on what to do.
“I could go first…” they both said, the hero in them overwhelming what small fear they had. It was funny and somewhat comforting to find humor in this bleak situation. But that comfort was stamped out after a few seconds. Silently they both nodded and slowly crawled across the minefield. It was a long arduous process, the two girls taking great care to heed the soldier’s words.
Every move they made had great care and planning, to ensure they made no mistake. Yet the fear they both held never went away the farther they moved.
“Just a bit further,” Uraraka told herself while forcing her muscles to comply with her. She could see the vehicles ahead of her getting close. She even saw soldiers loading them up with some of her classmates. A pair of soldiers were carrying Bakugo on a stretcher, while a third carried the teen’s bloody off arm.
In seconds they loaded him onto the nearest vehicle and put Bakugo’s arm in what looked like a large cooler. After that, they headed out again, while someone inside the vehicle began to tend to Bakugo’s wounds. At the same time, Uraraka spotted more of her classmates safe. Iida was ducking into an MRAP with Asui next to him on a stretcher. Ashido sat next to Kirishima, who had blood dripping down his head.
She spotted more and more classmates being loaded up into vehicles. Soon enough Uraraka sighed in relief, finally making it to the vehicles. Quickly forcing herself to her feet, Uraraka found a new soldier walking over to her. The soldier said nothing, and instead led them to a vehicle with seats still available. Uraraka got inside it quietly, sitting down in a nerve-racking silence.
Yaoyorozu did the same while trying to create herself a new pair of clothes. She shivered all the while, and Uraraka couldn’t blame her. She didn’t realize it, but Uraraka shivered as well. The silence slowly went away, as the weight of everything bore down on both girls. Tears streamed down their faces, both in fear and in joy. It wasn’t over yet, but they had made it so far. After a few more minutes their MRAP was filled up with more people, both with wounded students and soldiers.
The doors quickly closed, and someone smacked the rear of the vehicle twice.
“[Everybody’s on! Let's go!]” one of the soldiers outside yelled.
“[You heard the man, move it!]” a soldier in the passenger seat exclaimed, before pulling out his radio. At the same time, Uraraka felt the vehicle start to move, turning around to drive toward the stadium.
“[CP this is Echo one nine, targets have been picked up, moving out toward MTF now,]” the soldier said into his radio.
“[Negative Echo, hostiles have landed inside Site S,]” someone over the radio replied, “[You’ll have to go the long way.]”
Whatever was said seemed to anger the soldier in the passenger seat, which began to worry Uraraka.
“[The long way!? There’s a hundred other enemy contacts if we go the long way!]” the soldier yelled into the radio.
“[If you proceed into Site S, you’ll be walking into a kill box. Loop around Site S’s exterior,]” the guy over the radio replied. Again the words seemed to anger the soldier, the man grumbling annoyed. But he relented, turning over toward the driver.
“[You heard him,]” the soldier said, the driver looking at the other incredulously.
“[Seriously!? Is there nowhere closer!?]” the driver asked shocked, the vehicle coming to a slow stop now.
“[We got kids bleeding out in the other vehicles. The stadium’s infirmary is the closest. So it's either that or running like hell to the barracks,]” the soldier explained, the driver quickly thinking it over, before grimacing.
“[...f*ck… yo! Penguin, you got control of the Striker?]” the driver asked, the vehicle now moving again. But to Uraraka’s surprise, it turned away from the main entrance to the right and instead went off-road. It confused Uraraka before she spotted something at the entrance. It looked like a bunch of helicopters, all flying inside the stadium’s interior.
“[I do now!]” a different soldier replied, an odd remote control in his hand. And somehow, Uraraka felt as if this was going to get worse.
