Vigilant: Part 2 - An MHA AU Story

Chapter 16: Savage

One For All pumped through Izuku's veins as the robots began to dog-pile him. His hair stood on end and seemed to glow as he forced them all off and let Black Whip carry him up the stairs gripping on to the hand rails.

For some reason, the robots did not pursue him.

Black Whip tendrils carried him up to the top floor within seconds as he threw open the door.

What should have been a control room with lots of technology, servers, panels, plugs, computers, was reduced to electrical fires, rubble, and dust.

"Hatsume?!" Izuku called as he ran through the room. He heard the wind blowing and noticed a massive hole in the wall. No, the entire wall was ripped open to the night air and ambience of the New York streets hundreds of feet below. "Hatsume, where are you?!"

Izuku tapped his earphone. "Mei, come in Mei! Something's wrong. I lost sight of Maeko and now I'm at the control room, I think!"

"What are you talking about?" Mei asked him. "What happened?"

"The robots separated us. I think he did something... The control room is completely destroyed. The AI is most likely dead. What's happening down there?"

"The lights went out and the robots froze. But not even the Atlas people seem to know what's going on." The pinkette explained. "Is Ochako with you?"

Izuku froze. "I thought she was with you!"

"She told me she needed to see you before this night was over since she might not get the chance again." Mei stated. "She went up the south stairs."

"I went up the north." Izuku exhaled. "I'm gonna go look for her."

"I understand what she means to you, Midoriya. I really do. But right now you need to find Maeko because I think he did it! But we need confirmation from him so we can get outta here!"

"I'm not leaving anyone behind." Izuku declared.

"Exactly. Neither am I." She spoke.

"CAN THE HEROES COME OUT TO PLAY?!"

Izuku's heart stopped.

The voice boomed through the building, through the speakers, through the crowd.

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! TONIGHT, NEW YEARS COMES EARLY!"

The heroes regrouped in the center of the room. Mei with them.

"TO CELEBRATE THE NEW YEAR, LET US CELEBRATE THE NEW ME!"

Bright lights flashed from the sky as a large hovercraft descended from the clouds and stopped almost at the ground level where Izuku stood. Maeko Hatsume stood on the flying machine, with his feet seemingly inside the bottom of it rather than just standing on it like a surfboard.

His custodial disguise was torn. His pink hair was up in a frenzy. His entire body was covered in random gadgets, weapons, and tech that looked like it was made hastily. The worst was his face: the chip was back in the side of his head and it looked like it sprouted roots and a sharp antennae. His eyes were an unrecognizable shade of yellow and his smile, was the same smile he gave Izuku when they first met.

"I told you, Midoriya, you should have killed me when you had the chance." He snickered.

"Hatsume... What have you done?" Izuku asked as he took a step forward.

Maeko simply laughed. Then when he stopped, his smile dropped. "You really didn't get it, did you?"

Izuku simply stared at him, in awe of what to say.

"At first I thought Atlas had done me a great deed by ripping him out of my head. I didn't care that I lost my Quirk, I was glad to be rid of that voice... I felt the next thing to do would be to tie up loose ends. Without Savage in my head, without direction, I hid my identity and decided to share all my juicy Atlas secrets with you heroes. The best way to fix things. Helping you. How foolish of me."