Vigilant: Part 2 - An MHA AU Story

Chapter 14: Step One

The day of the Atlas showcase came. Manami Aiba had everyone go out under false identities created by Maeko and find themselves disguises.

The men all wore simple black, blue, and grey suits with combed hair. Some, like Minoru wore a wig.

Maeko zipped up his disguise: a nameless member of the custodial staff with a New York Mets hat on to hide most of his distinctive pink hair. But underneath his uniform, alongside everyone else, was a skin-tight suit that gave him quick access to computers with plugs and cords to insert into any port. The hacker.

Izuku and the other men had suits that did little for their Quirks but had subtle references to their original hero suits. His was black with green stripes down the sides.

Momo, Ochako, and Manami had short dresses that hid their suits while keeping their legs somewhat free from what otherwise would have been floor-length dresses and less maneuverability. The rest of the girls: Mei, Kyoka, and Tsuyu wore business suits along with sunglasses and wigs.

"Might I say that we look rather dashing?" Danjuro commented as he checked himself in the mirror alongside the other men.

Snipe, who was forced to remove his mask, stood back silently with a scowl on his face.

But Yuga smiled. "Oui! If this wasn't so high-stakes, I'd enjoy this day much more with you gentlemen! I love your jacket."

Danjuro smiled back. "With your sparkles, even business attire can be attention-grabbing!"

Katsuki groaned loudly. "We don't want attention tonight. Don't get any flashy ideas."

"Stealth just isn't my thing." Yuga humphed.

"Does this wig make my head look big?" Minoru asked Izuku.

"I-I don't think it does." He replied. "I think you look fine."

"I want to look my best when we topple the company that put us out of business." He smirked at himself in the mirror.

Before they left, Izuku put his hand on Maeko's shoulder.

"Remember the promise, Midoriya." He told him.

"That's what I was going to tell you." Izuku sighed. "I will do everything in my power to save you tonight."

"Just don't prioritize me over anything here." Maeko frowned.

"Believe me, I won't." Izuku glared. "But I don't leave anyone behind. It's not my place to decide whether you live or die when this ends."

Maeko stared ahead. Then he nodded.

The group took the subway below the city to a station less populated.

"Alright. We split off here." Maeko said. Izuku nodded and joined him.

Katsuki grabbed his arm. "Don't let your guard down with him." He warned.

The green-haired hero nodded back. "I won't."

Ochako looked at Izuku and frowned. "Good luck." She said as she turned away.

"...You too." Izuku said.

Maeko patted his arm. "Time to go." The subway doors beeped and closed, leading the group to their next stop as Maeko, and then Izuku turned around and ran up the steps.

The two exited the subway station and instantly knew where to go. Streets were blocked off and police were out in riot gear as a fleet of vehicles paraded down the road. One of them was a large semi truck carrying an open trailer with no roof, displaying dozens of the humanoid robots in flashy colors and designs unique to whatever hero they were copying.

The caravan drove slowly to a large skyscraper ahead with spotlights shining out in the cloudy sky.

"There's our target." Maeko made a gesture lifting his chin that direction.

"Before we go any further." Izuku put his arm out, blocking the pink-haired man from pressing forward. "I want all secrets out."

Maeko turned to him. "What do you mean?"

"You murdered my friends and terrorized hundreds of people. I need to know we're not walking into a trap here tonight!" The hero snapped.

"I thought I spoke to you about this. Why now?" Maeko questioned.

"It just dawned on me that we're about to confront the very powerful men and women that destroyed our lives and the one leading us to them was their best pawn for many of those years. Now that you're separated from your darker half, I want you to share everything else you can with me." Izuku insisted.

"I-I... I can't do that..." Maeko gulped.

One For All flashed Izuku's eyes. "Now, Hatsume! Do they know we're coming?!"

"No! Not if you do as I say!" He hissed.

"What does that mean?!"

"It means that if you follow my every order, we can shut down the AI and leave them powerless. Without functioning robots, their presentation is ruined and the governments of the world just might reconsider the Accords. Nothing has changed, Midoriya!" He grabbed Izuku's arm and pushed it away.

"I will share with you one more secret of mine but I want it to wait until we destroy the system." He sighed. "Perhaps it will motivate you to kill me."

Izuku exhaled and pushed him aside. "It's time to go."

"Yes, yes it is." The pink-haired man agreed and escorted him through the crowd ahead.

Maeko may have been crippled from losing his Quirk, but he still had a sharp mind where he could focus. He managed to memorize the access code to the maintenance entry on the far side of the building, away from the people.

"Wouldn't they have changed the code after you left?" Izuku asked.

Maeko stopped to think. "Huh..." He turned to the hero. "Be prepare for anything in here."

Izuku activated One For All as he followed the techie into the Atlas headquarters. As they stepped down the custodial hallways, all seemed to be normal. Not even many security cameras. And when there were around the corners, Black Whip slashed them faster than their frame rate could detect it.

"The control room is several floors up. We'll have to take the stairs." Maeko instructed.

"Is everyone too busy handling that showcase party?" Izuku asked.

"My guess is my AI is handling most of the security while the rest of the company is at the event. The AI is all they would need, after all."

Izuku and Maeko turned the corner to the staircase but quickly turned back. Two robots stood guard in the area at attention.

"I can take two." The One For All bearer stated.

"I can deactivate either if you can distract them." Maeko added.

Izuku nodded and powered up. His hair stood on end and gave off a bluish green hue as electricity cracked around him. He turned the corner and wrapped Black Whip around the robots.

They activated their faux Quirks, one caught fire over its whole body, and the other emitted explosions from its metallic hands.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Izuku strained as they blasted their way out of Black Whip's grip. "Stay back, Hatsume!"

He tackled the robots to the ground, but the Explosion Robot blasted him off. The commotion summoned two more robots from a door, one with a large metal prehensile tail, and the other with pads on its fingertips.

"Maeko, run!" Izuku ordered.

"What about you?!" He yelled.

"I'll be fine, just go! Kill this thing!"

Maeko nodded and rushed up the stairs as the robots focused their attention on Izuku.