Rejected Stones

The Builder's Rejection

This document beta'd by kylekatarn77

4. The Builder's Rejection

Success is not final, failure is not fatal, it is the courage to continue that counts.

-Winston Churchill

"Power Suit MK V, all electrical systems running!" Izuku said, trying hard to keep the nervousness out of his voice. He'd done most of the wiring himself, and he felt good about his work, but still.

"All systems are green! This baby is ready to go!" Mei cheered. "Initializing! Begin start up sequence!"

"Engaging," Izuku said, and closing his eyes, flipped the toggle that would turn the suit on. This time, there was no explosion, no fire, no sudden leak of hydraulic fluid. Instead, the suit turned on with a hum. "It's working!"

"Yes! I knew you wouldn't let mommy and daddy down, baby!" Mei cheered, running forward and hugging the Power Suit, and by extension, hugging Izuku as well.

"We did it!" Itzuku cheered, carefully striking a victory pose. He'd spent time practicing in the MK III and MK IV, so he knew how to keep his motions slow and steady.

"Well then, we're ready!" Mei declared. "Now we just have to head down to the UA headquarters to present our applications!"

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Izuku asked, feeling slightly nervous. "They did just invite you..."

"Well we haven't heard back about your application yet, which means we just have to go and show them just how important it is that you get into UA too!" Mei declared. "How am I supposed to show off all my babies if no one can see them in action?"

"R-r-right," Izuku agreed. "Um, so how do we get there?"

"Why, you carry me, of course!" Mei declared. "It's only a few kilometers. You're pretty good at running now, right? So you run over there in the Power Suit, and carry me and the rest of the gear! It's a perfect plan!"

"Um, won't we get in trouble for taking unlicensed gear out onto the street?" Izuku asked nervously.

"I thought about that!" Mei took out a few decals from a drawer and slapped them on to Izuku.

"Property of UA Support Department?" Izuku read. "Um, Mei, maybe we shouldn't-"

"Oh relax, we're showing this off at UA and they'll probably want our wonderful baby to use for themselves! Besides, once we have their unlimited materials we'll make you a better one!" Mei declared. Then she grabbed up her back pack and jumped at Izuku, who caught her by reflex. "Now, onward!"

Despite his misgivings, Izuku managed to open the shutter to Mei's room, then carry her and her bag of gear down the street. She'd put on a jumpsuit that stores sold that was modeled after the kind that UA students wore for the annual Sports Festival, so she looked like she belonged at UA herself. To Izuku's surprise, no one seemed all that shocked to see a suit of power armor carrying someone dashing through the streets of Musutafu. Apparently, the UA logo commanded enough respect that even police officers who saw them dash by didn't find anything suspicious going on.

It didn't take Izuku long to draw near to UA, by which point he had worked up a sweat, and the suit was starting to heat up.

"I'm overheating," he panted to Mei. "It's too hot in this suit! I forgot how hot the new power systems I installed could get, even with ventilation!"

"Hmm, we'll need some sort of cooling device for you in the next model," Mei mused. "But don't worry, we're almost there!"

UA High School had a massive, sprawling campus that took up a good portion of downtown Musutafu. The main building was many stories tall, made of four towers that were connected by a lower central hub. It gleamed in the early morning light, it's glass surface a beacon for all the world to see. The campus was protected by a visible 3 meter wall, but Izuku knew there were additional security systems that would prevent anyone unauthorized from trying to get over the wall, or pass through the main gates. When they arrived at the entrance, someone was waiting there for them.