Picking up the Pieces

“…And now, the news. Just yesterday we witnessed a scene of destruction that hasn’t reared its ugly head since the Kamino ward incident some time ago. During the middle of the Hero Billboard Chart, it was reported by one of the very Heroes present that the supermax security prison Tartarus, Japan’s prison for the most violent and uncontrollable of Villains, was under attack. At the time we didn’t know who it was under attack from, but we can now safely assume that the attack was performed by the League of Villains. During the attack many of the prison's large cell blocks were broken open, leading to the prisoners rampaging out of their cells and overwhelming the prison guards. Many were killed or seriously wounded in the aftermath, and those that managed to survive were taken to hospital and given extreme medical treatment. However the larger toll came after Heroes and police managed to retake the prison, when it suffered a second attack by the League. The prison and surrounding area was flooded with poison gas through a quirk used by one of their members, with prolonged exposure eventually killing many of those who were stuck inside the prison. No one knows for sure just how many casualties were suffered in this incident, but some estimates place the count at over two hundred killed and injured.” The newscaster collected themself, seeming disturbed after giving some thought to the number that they’d read out loud. “However, this was not the only place that saw heavy conflict yesterday. All across Japan there was widespread rioting and looting following the revelation of the attack on Tartarus, something that was only put down once Heroes returned from the Hero Billboard Chart event and helped out the local police who arrived in force. All we can say for sure about yesterday's events is that the effects will be felt for years to come“

Midoriya turned off the TV, unwilling to hear the rest of the broadcast due to the path it was taking. But at the very same moment he turned it off, he heard a crash come from one of the further off dorms. Cautious and curious to find the cause, he eventually found himself standing in front of Mr. Aurdel’s door. Had something happened…? He carefully raised his hand, then knocked. The small amount of commotion he heard from behind the door suddenly stopped, then he heard footsteps come towards him. The door opened. “Oh, Midoriya.” Mr. Aurdel initially only cracked the door open slightly, then actually opened it and stood in the doorway. “Did you need something?”

“No, It’s just… I heard a loud crash from over here. I thought something might have happened.”

“Oh, that.” Midoriya’s teacher looked back into the room, “I was working with some tools, but I misjudged where I’d put one of them down and I ended up putting it through the TV.” Midoriya peered into the room, it was much messier than the last time he’d seen it. But Mr. Aurdel was telling the truth. The large TV in the room was smashed, a clean hole through the center. But maybe…? No, nevermind.

“If you want, I can help you-”

“I can do it by myself later, right now I have to get to a meeting with the other teachers.”

“A meeting?”

Mr. Aurdel stepped out, then shut the door. “You’ll hear the details soon enough, so don’t worry.” And with that, he walked away. But Midoriya could tell that something was wrong. His right hand was balled into a fist, clenched around a shard of glass from the TV.

Aurdel let out a deep breath as he walked, he’d lost control of his emotions for a moment. He’d been watching the broadcast and was listening to what the news was saying about the previous day's events. It was a load of bullcrap. The estimates of ‘two hundred killed and injured’ was shocking, sure. But it was nowhere near the actual toll that had been incurred, not that the authorities were willing to admit it just yet. Four hundred and seventy eight of Tartarus’ staff was dead. That meant guards, cooks, secretaries, janitors, engineers, doctors. Another two hundred and eighty six were seriously injured, most needing to be put into intensive care after being recovered from the prison. Only four staff members had managed to come out relatively unscathered, hiding in some obscure corner of the facility and managing to avoid the worst of the gas once it was let loose. He took another deep breath, trying to let the stress roll out. He’d gone to the hospitals to help the wounded, but there was nothing that he could do for the dead. All those families… Those families had gone into the hospitals hoping to see their loved ones again, hoping for the best. Instead they got the worst. He’d hoped that he’d seen the last of this kind of mass death ever since…

He shook his head, pushing the thought away. He wasn’t a part of the war anymore.

The prisoners hadn’t fared much better than the guards, something that might initially come as a shock to those that weren’t actually present for the battle. But ultimately six hundred and seventy two of the prisoners were dead, around a quarter of the prison’s total incarcerated population. Almost all of the rest had injuries or needed some level of treatment, the majority of which were a result of the gas that filled the prison, and a few were missing entirely. The only ones to come out unscathed were around two hundred of the most dangerous Villain kept in the prison, kept in a separate section of Tartarus that was intentionally sealed off.

“Oh? I didn’t think I would be seeing you again so soon.” After leaving the hospital, he’d gone down to the lowest level of Tartarus where the most dangerous prisoner was being kept. The conversation was mostly one sided. “You know, I can’t be held accountable for their actions. After all, it’s not like I’m guiding them anymore. You killed my only true remaining influence over the League when you killed young Shigaraki,” All For One smiled with a toothy grin from behind the glass. “Yes, that you did.” At that time a nagging feeling urged him on, to break through the glass and kill All For One then and there. To be done with these games. But he knew that if he tried that, then there would be hell to pay. “Tell All Might come by, I do enjoy his visits so much. I even have a little fact that I have been absolutely dying to tell him!” All For One had laughed as Aurdel walked out.

“Ah, Spartan. It’s good to see that we’re all here now. We can begin the meeting.” There was a sense of uneasiness as Nezu addressed the room, no one there was really sure of what they were supposed to think. “As much as I love seeing your faces, this meeting was supposed to happen at a later point in time. But an increasingly unsure situation means that things have been pushed forward, even if they don’t perfectly coincide with what we planned.”

“What are you trying to say…?” Midnight asked.

There was a moment of tense silence. “The commission has asked us to put all students into the work study program following the end of the holiday break.”

“All students?!” There was some commotion around the room around the idea.

“This doesn’t sound like it’s a suggestion, more of an order,” Snipe commented, slightly raising the brim of his hat.

“In truth, we don’t have much of a choice in the matter. The Hero Public Safety Commission has given the order to every Hero school across the country, public and private.”

“Levying more Heroes, even in a time like this where the number of Heroes is over-saturated…” Midnight let out a sigh, “It seems like they know more than they’re letting on.”

Ectoplasm gave his opinion, “I assume it’s in response to the attack just yesterday. They want a show of force to send a message that they won’t be intimidated by Villains, no matter what acts they commit.”

“No,” Aurdel said plain and simple, all the eyes turned to him.

“You sound like you know something that we don’t,” Present Mic took control of the conversation. “If we’re supposed to make informed decisions, then we need to know what’s happening.”

Aurdel hesitated for a moment, choosing his words carefully before he spoke. “The news made no mention of it, but there were prisoners that managed to escape from Tartarus. Among those prisoners were several members of the League of Villains, the leadership of the Shie Hassaikai, Stain and a former Hero that the commission have refused to give me any info on.” The room went silent. “But as things stand, I don’t believe that they’re going to attack the school, the students or their families.”

“What could they be planning then?” Cementoss asked, “The people that you’ve mentioned would have reason to hold a grudge against us, against the students especially.”

“They won’t, because they can’t. At least for now. Security everywhere is too tight after the attack the League pulled, meaning that if they tried something then they would be swarmed by Heroes and police and put down in a matter of minutes,” he relaxed himself, he was back in his element now. “They’re going to focus on building up their strength for now, gathering members and equipment where they can as they regroup out of sight.”

“And their end goal?”

“Best case scenario? Simple revenge. Worst case scenario?” He paused, “In the worst case scenario, there won’t be a country or system for the next generation of Heroes to protect.”

Re-Destro clasped his hands, tapping his fingers together as he stared out across the table. After the events of two days ago he’d ordered a meeting with all the important members of the Meta Liberation Army. “I’m sure you all know why we’re today. For those that aren’t sure, I’m going to make that reason absolutely clear.” He laid down his hands, “Two days ago the League of Villains attacked Tartarus, in doing so they made a mockery of the Hero system as it currently stands. Another blow was dealt to the system by Spartan during the Hero Billboard Chart itself, interrupting the event and effectively making fools out of the other Heroes who hadn’t taken notice of the attack. The worst blow to public support was against Endeavor, the new number one, as he’d attempted to confront Spartan before he’d left the event.” He took a deep breath, “However, something like this should not have happened. No matter how much it may please me, or any of you, to see the credibility of the system we oppose to fall, I will not celebrate the deaths of innocents who were caught in the crossfire despite never intending to do anything other than their jobs. So I will ask you this, Hawks.” He turned his head, “How were these low rate Villains, who were supposed to have been on the run and on the verge of defeat, able to undertake such a devastating attack?”

Re-Destro could see a bead of sweat form on Hawks’ brow as he began his explanation. “I never said that the League of Villains was completely out of the picture, just that the commission thought they were less of a threat and were considering turning some attention elsewhere. Not to mention, even with my position there’s still a lot the commission doesn’t want to tell me.”

“No matter what you said, it was still allowed to happen. As it stands they’ve caused a major incident in view of the public. Perhaps it may benefit us in weakening the resolve of Heroes that do not align with our views, but it’s likely that it will cause us more harm than not. Everything that happens from now on will be held up against much higher scrutiny, a fine tooth pick to make sure Villains are caught. As hard as it has been to stay in the shadows for all this time, it cannot compare to the opposition we will come up against from this point onwards.”

“I’ve told you, we’re not even close to coming into the commission's sights.”

“You only have to be wrong once, Hawks.” Re-Destro folded his hands once more. “However, I am not heartless. It’s possible that you were simply privy to incorrect or lackluster information, or that they simply changed their minds and forgot to tell you. However, know this. This will be your last chance. Otherwise, you know what the price of failure is.”

Hawks' face had a look of pure stoicism, something that was betrayed by how he truly felt. “Of course.”

“Good, in that case you’re dismissed for now. I expect you to perform duties to liberation admirably.” Hawks nodded, then left the room. There was a following moment of silence following Hawks’ exit, Nine was the one to break it.

“You know, I don’t think that he was lying about the League.”

“No, I don’t think he was either,” Re-Destro spoke truthfully now, “However, it was necessary to put some pressure on him. The cost of willingly allowing him to stay in our ranks for now is one I am willing to pay, due to the value of what we get from him.”

“…And what exactly is it that we get from him?” Nine leaned over the table, “All I’ve learned is that the commission will be after us, if they aren’t already.”

“Ah, you’ve only been taking a cursory examination of the information that we were given. There’s more that can be gleaned by taking a deeper look.” Re-Destro stood up and walked around the room with his hands behind his back, “For example: right now the League of Villains is in an extremely precarious state. With the member who was able to teleport them around the area imprisoned, it means they’re no longer able to move from place to place quickly and unnoticed. And if they have no way to move unnoticed, it means that it is only a matter of time before they find themselves caught in the open. They’re bound to be destroyed. After all, they can’t recruit new members, secure a base of operations or even purchase gear for themselves to use. Unless…”

Nine sighed, “I have a feeling that I know where this is going.”

Re-Destro smiled, “Is it such a bad thing?” He gestured outwards, “Look at all we have to offer them, they would be fools to not accept an offer from us.”

“That may be true. However, there’s something that I have to ask. What exactly would we get from bringing them in?” Nine was making an understandable point. “Right now they’re going to be the center of attention for a substantial amount of time, and the last thing we need is the government finding us out prematurely.”

“Ah, but that’s why we’d use them.” Re-Destro raised a finger, “They’d have access to our resources, work towards our goals, but wouldn’t be publicly connected towards us. They would still be the same League of Villains.”

“Fine, I’ll give you that. But there’s one last thing. How do you expect to reconcile them ideologically?” Nine sat up straight, “Us working together alone is a rather long reach across the aisle, it won’t get much better with them.”

Re-Destro’s face became much more serious. “Believe me, I know that. But none of us will get anywhere if we try to kill each other before reaching the threshold. After all, it’s as they say. Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.”

Tidying the Sheets

“I said hold still, otherwise you’re doing this yourself.”

“Fine, god damnit.” Dabi sat still in the chair, gritting his teeth as Spinner took a thread and needle to sew up his arm.

“I’ll be honest, I don’t know what you were thinking when you told him all that. Sure he wanted to know about that Spartan guy, but the way you made it out…”

“Shut. Up.” Dabi managed to get the words out from between clenched teeth. Around ten minutes ago he’d been explaining to Stain who Spartan, the Hero that had just rocked his head at the last second during their escape, was. Throughout that one sided conversation Stain had just sat there, absorbing the information with an intense glare in his eyes. Then after having the time to fully digest that information, and say something along the lines of ‘So there is someone else,’ he imparted on them his own information, the meaning and reasoning behind the phrase ‘never meet your heroes.’ Because Dabi had done just that, and the only thing that he was afforded for his troubles was a condemnation from the person that he took inspiration from and given a deep gash through his right arm by that same person. But it’s not like that was enough to stop Dabi though, he wasn’t so basic that if someone told him what he was doing was wrong he would shut down. He was going to forge on, just shift his priorities slightly. He flinched as the needle went through his arm again. “Twice, are those Yakuza stooges back yet?”

“Yep, I can clearly see them!” Twice was peering out of the windows with a set of binoculars, looking for the members of the Shie Hassaikai that they’d freed from Tartarus. Some time ago they’d left this temporary base of operations.

“From what I can tell, the authorities weren’t able to link all of our shells directly to us. If the ones that I think are still around are, then we won’t have as many problems to worry about as I think.” That is what Overhaul had said before leaving the hideout, taking his thugs with him. Frankly Dabi had no idea where the hell he had gone, but so long as they didn’t sic the Heroes on them then they could have abandoned him for all he cared.

They weren’t the ones he was worried about now.

“So, what are we supposed to do now?” Spinner asked Dabi, “We freed our inspiration from Tartarus, talked to him and he completely disavowed us. Hell, he called us fakes and tried to kill us before running off.”

“You do NOT need to recount events that practically just happened.” Dabi’s hands were tight around the arms of the chair, out of pain, frustration and anger. He let out a little bit of fire, singing the wood.

“I’m just saying, the way things are going right now I don’t think there’s really any reason for us to stick together. In fact, I think it might be better if we just split up.”

“Stainy was the only reason I came to this place…” Toga said, running a finger over the back of her knife

He let go of the armchair, “No, we’re not going to split up.”

“Do we have any reason to stay together?”

“Do you have any reason not to?” Spinner finished stitching the wound closed. Dabi stood up from the chair, running his hand over his arm. Another scar. “If you want to leave, then go on ahead. But I don’t think you’ll make it far.” He turned back to face the others in the League, “Right now we’re the most wanted Villains in the country, everyone and everything is going to be looking for us. So if you want to get caught and thrown back in Tartarus so soon after getting your freedom then you can be my guest. Just know that if you do get caught you’ll probably be upgraded to death row and end up like Moonfish.” There was some grumbling, but there wasn’t really any way to argue against his point. “You can hate me as much as you want for as long as we are together, but you have to recognize that while we stick together then at the very least you can try and accomplish your personal goals.”

Mustard toyed with his revolver, spinning the cylinder before putting in six rounds. “There are still people that need to be punished, I intend to pick up where I left off with or without you all.”

“I don’t really care,” Muscular said, carefully examining his arm. “So long as I can kill, and you won’t get in my way, it doesn’t matter.

“Just what the hell are your personal goals supposed to be anyways?” Magne interjected into the conversation, having stayed quiet so far. “We know that crap about following Stain’s will, but I think that it’s just a front. What do you really want to do?”

“Well now, I think that if you tried to look a little deeper then I’m sure that you could find the reason that he keeps trudging on.” An unknown voice suddenly spoke out in the room, each of them immediately went on guard and prepared themselves for a fight.

“Show yourself,” Dabi prepared to incinerate whatever might come into view, his emotions already being high enflamed his power.

“I’m not actually here, of course. I am not naive enough to think that I could just walk in through the door and start bargaining with you. No, I’m just speaking to you through the phone on the table.” Dabi turned, there was a landline in use on one of the coffee tables.

“This place was supposed to be cut off from all public services…”

“Officially condemned, right? There are hundreds of buildings like it across the city, it’s just that not every company is honest in their reports. That’s why you took this place as your base after all, isn’t it?”

With no threat in sight, he toned down his flames. “Who are you, and what exactly are you trying to get from us?”

“I’m just a simple businessman with an offer to make. You’re wanted men and women with the eyes of the entire country resting upon you. You need help, and I have the work to offer you a way to that help.

“We’re not mercenaries that are bought and sold for a handful of yen.”

“Of course, after all I’m not looking for mercenaries. I’m looking for the League of Villains.” Dabi’s emotions flared back up a little.

“There’s nothing you can offer us, you’re underestimating just who we are.”

“Wrong. I know exactly who I am dealing with, and that’s why I am making this offer instead of simply just calling the police and Heroes to drag you away in chains or coercing you with force into working for me. Your names, your pasts. Some of you don’t care about either, but some of you deeply care about them. Isn’t that right?”

He prepared his flames again, “If you think that you know me then you can go-”

But just as Dabi was about to incinerate the phone and the table that it stood on, the man over the phone said something that gave him some pause.

“Fine then, we’ll skip on ahead to the interview itself. Dabi, how badly do you want to see the Flame Hero: Endeavor suffer?”

“Pick up the pace.”

“It’s not exactly easy to cross this many rooftops, especially not when you’ve been out of practice for so long.” Nagant paced her breaths, making sure that she didn’t start hyperventilating. But crossing several dozen city blocks almost exclusively via rooftop was tough. Were it not for the fact that the man she was following was so odd, she probably would have bailed after the first few sets. While she took her time running across the rooftops, carefully jumping from building to building, he practically covered the same distance in a short series of bounds. On top of that he didn’t seem to even break a sweat from all of the exercise.

“Just who are you?”

He landed on his feet, continuing to run. “If you can ask questions then that means you have the energy to move faster.”

“I’m asking questions because all of this is insane!” She jumped from one ledge to another, barely making the gap due to her exhaustion. “I break out of prison and the first thing you do is harass me into a meeting, and then at that meeting you force me to take part in some hit several days later. You mind explaining that to me?”

“No.” He remained silent for the next few jumps, until eventually… “Stop,” he raised his arm.

“Why are we stopping here?”

“This shouldn’t come as a surprise, but you’re not the only prisoner from Tartarus that I’ve been tracking down.” He knelt down on the edge of the rooftop, “Do you know where we are?”

She looked around, “Not particularly. One of the residential zones of Musutafu.”

The answer didn’t seem to please him. “Fine, let me ask you something else. Do you remember one of the Villains that managed to escape with you? The one that had a quirk that controlled white painted lines.”

“White painted lines…?” She thought back, “No, I remember now. The one that was completely obsessed with Endeavor. Ending.”

“Now do you know where you are?” She quickly began to look around again, her memory of the cityscape was starting to come back to her now.

“This is…” She stopped turning, focusing on one building off in the distance. “We have a perfect vantage point of Enj- …Of Endeavor’s home.”

“That’s right.”

She turned back towards the man, “Are you trying to get me to kill Endeavor?”

“No, the last thing the country needs right now is the newly christened number one Hero being shot dead in his own home.” He stood up, “What I’m more concerned about is the number one Hero being attacked in his own home, with his children held hostage by a Villain.” He then turned, pointing down the street to the left of the house. “Look over there.”

She quickly opened her arm, using her rifle scope to get a better look. “It’s Ending…” She pulled her head back, “Wait, how are you able to see him from this distance without any magnification?”

“I have good eyes. Now,” he crouched back down, “Shoot him.”

“Shoot him?” She paused for a moment, “You said that you would help me, how is this-“

“It’s repayment for even considering giving you this opportunity. I’d take that man in myself, but Endeavor holds a grudge against me that only got worse the other day. If I showed up to protect his family from a Villain then I don’t think he’d ever want to stand in the same room as me ever again.”

Take them in himself…? “Are you supposed to be a Hero?”

He turned his head, looking her in the eyes. It honestly made her feel uneasy with how intense of a glare it was… and the silence that came with it. “No,” he turned his head back, “Not really.”

She looked back into the rifle scope, staring at the back of Ending’s head. “Doing this isn’t much different from what the commission had me do.”

“You’re right about that, but let me ask you something. Do you hate the idea of taking a life for something bigger than you?

“I…”

“...Or do you hate it because someone told you to do it?” She went silent, that was enough to give him an answer. “I see. Then, consider this the last one you’ll be ordered to take. After that anything else will be of your own accord.” Of her own accord…

She took a deep breath, steadying herself. “Alright.” Without saying another word, she lined up the shot. And then she pulled the trigger. Three shots rang out in rapid succession, each one plowed into the back of the Ending’s head. He dropped dead onto the pavement, her eyes hung on her work.

“Alright, you’ve met my minimum.” She pulled her head back from the scope, he held out a piece of paper to her. “Police and Heroes will be here within minutes, I suggest you get out of here.”

She took the paper, “What’s this?”

He stood up, beginning to walk away. “Instructions, when you’ll attack and how. If you really want to get my help then you’ll follow them to the letter.” He turned his head, “You’ve wronged me once, make sure it doesn’t happen again.” Then, he disappeared.

“Gentle, what do you think about the video so far?”

He stroked his chin, “La Brava, the video is good. But…”

“But what?”

“I noticed that you cut out all of the failures from the training that I did.”

“Of course I did!” She said, hopping next to him. “When we post it I want to make sure that everyone sees you the same way that I see you.” There was a smile on her face, he knew that her intentions were pure.

“I admire that,” he said, putting his hand on hers. “But I am trying to create a slightly different image from the one that formed when we last posted our videos. As a Villain my goal was to create an image of perfection and power that would go down in the pages of history. But as a Hero, I have a duty to show that like those I protect I too am human. And the best way to display that is to show the people my failures.”

“I see, that way they can know more about you than just your work! I wish I’d thought of that.” She jumped up to embrace him.

“Worry not, La Brava. You did-“ Suddenly his cell phone began to ring. “A call?” He pulled out his phone, answering the call.

“Gentle.”

“Oh, Spartan. I wasn’t expecting a call from you,” Gentle held the phone with one hand, holding La Brava with the other. “Is there something that you need?”

“I wanted to ask where you were”

An odd question… “At your agency building, the mansion.” He paused, “Why do you ask?”

“I was just curious to know if you might have been at the building for the Hero Public Safety Commission. The next time that you’re there, can you keep an ear and eye out for information?”

Gentle took a moment to think, “Does this have to do with the prison breakout that occurred the other day?.”

“It does. They haven’t announced it yet, but a number of Villains actually escaped. Members of the League, the Shie Hassaikai, Stain, some I can’t account for yet and some former Hero that has the commission is browning their breeches over.”

“Might you know who those last two are?”

“Unfortunately, no. The HPSC is denying me open access to any profiles they have on Villains, past or present. On top of that accessing the database at Tartarus is practically a no go, since a number of the servers were damaged and I have to fight bureaucracy to get into the remainder.”

“I see. In that case, I’ll make sure to look out for anything the next time that I’m there.”

“Great, thanks. I knew I could count on you.”

“Of course, it’s the least I can do for all the hospitality you’ve shown us.” There was awkwardly long silence after that, “Was there something else that you needed?”

Another pause. “No, I was just lost in thought. Just make sure that any time you leave you watch yourself out there, I feel like things are going to get a lot worse before they get any better. I can’t even be sure that I’m not personally responsible for some of it.”