Aizawa and Bakugo were instantly swarmed as they entered the 1-A dorm building, the crowd of confused students surrounding them the moment they stepped through the door.
"Was that Unknown?!"
"Why are the police here?"
"What in the world is going on?"
"Why was the door locked?"
"Is that Sacrosanct?"
"Quiet down," Aizawa demanded, having to raise his voice over the hurried barrage of questions. The students quickly fell silent, exchanging confused, worried glances amongst themselves. Aizawa took a step forward, the crowd shifting to let him through as he moved towards the common area. He breathed a shallow sigh upon reaching the far wall, leaning back and motioning for them to sit. The class hesitantly followed, quietly spreading out and each finding a place atop the couches and chairs. They all looked to their teacher expectantly, uncertain curiosity creasing their worried expressions.
Aizawa sighed quietly before beginning what he knew would be a long, difficult explanation.
"This won't be kept secret for much longer, so I suppose there's no harm in telling you before it makes it to the news." He tilted his head back, eyes unfocused, as if trying to recall some distant memory. "All of this started a year ago when Unknown simply... showed up one day."
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A young girl sat inside a vacant police station office. The walls were an off-white shade, matching the thin layer of frost coating the grass outside. It was the dead of winter, temperatures once more plummeting to well below freezing as the moon hung high overhead. The first snow had yet to fall. The pale colors of the room contrasted starkly against her dark hair, one side tucked neatly behind her ear as the rest fell past her shoulders. She wore a dark wool coat, the thick material reaching down to her knees, the front buttons remaining unclasped in the warm office air. Her dark, apathetic gaze rested blankly on the opposite wall.
A pair of faint voices came from outside the room, speaking quietly.
"I'm sorry to call you in so late, sir, but the girl asked for you specifically. She won't speak to any of us."
"Do you think she's telling the truth?"
"I'm... yes, I think so."
"Alright, give us a moment."
The door opened as a tall man with a dog's head stepped inside. He remained silent as he removed his coat, neatly hanging it up as he shut the door softly behind him. He leisurely made his way around the desk, taking a seat in a large leather chair, and it was only then that the girl's eyes turned to him.
"You gave my officers quite a scare," he started, gesturing towards the steel table outside, now lying flattened to the ground.
"They didn't believe me, so I gave them some proof."
"What's your name?"
"Unknown."
"What's your full name?"
"I don't have one."
"Why is that?"
"I don't remember it."
"I see..." he mused, though it was clear he wasn't quite convinced. "You told my officers you had information on Sacrosanct?"
"I told them I'm a member of Sacrosanct."
"Alright then, what can you tell me about them?"
"You don't believe me either," she stated flatly. He could tell it wasn't a question.
"It's a bold claim. Forgive me if I'm a bit skeptical."
The girl glanced around the desk before her eyes settled on a nearby document. She slid it over to herself, flipping it to the blank backside and taking a pen from the holder next to him.
He watched carefully as she scribbled on the paper. After a few long, quiet minutes of continuous writing, she finally set the pen down. She shifted slightly in her seat, leaning over and placing the sheet in front of him.
As his eyes scanned over the lines of writing, his brow gradually furrowed.
It was a list of locations and dates, each corresponding to the time and setting of a crime suspected to be in connection with Sacrosanct. Among them were details of certain crimes never released to the public: sensitive information only a select group of officers and higher-ups knew about.
"I can tell you more if you want. I can tell you how we got in and out of those places, how we choose our targets, how we get rid of evidence. You want to know, don't you?"
"Hold on- why are you confessing to any of this at all? You do understand you're going to be punished, right?"
"Yes, but if I tell you something you want to know, I get to ask for something in return, don't I?"
"It depends on what you're asking for."
Unknown didn't respond, instead she reached into her pocket and pulled out four empty plastic capsules, revealing them in an outstretched palm. Upon closer inspection, however, the chief noticed the pill-shaped capsules were not entirely empty; rather, each held a single, barely-visible strand of hair.
"There are four other members. I can tell you about them too, but I thought you'd want proof. I've heard you can identify people by testing their hair."
The man reached for the capsules, but she retracted her hand before he could take them.
"I want something in exchange."
The man paused for a moment before slowly leaning back in his chair, his calculating eyes scrutinizing her carefully. He seemed to be searching for some telltale sign of deception, but must have found none.
"Alright, tell me."
"I'll help you capture all four of them. I don't care what you do with the leader, but the other three can't face any punishment."
"You must realize that's not a small ask."
"You'll understand why I'm asking this when you identify his quirk." She placed one of the capsules in front of him. Inside was a short, dark brown strand of hair.
The man glanced at it carefully, picking it up and turning it over in his hand. He shifted his chair over to the side and removed the desk phone from its holder, lifting it to his ear as he pressed a series of numbers.
"It's me. I have a sample that needs to be processed immediately. Come to the station as soon as you can."
It only took a few short minutes for the bell above the main entrance to jingle as someone stepped into the building. The man rose to his feet and quickly exited the room, plastic capsule in hand.
A full analysis of the hair would take hours, if not days, but quirk-sequencing technology had developed at an incredible rate over the past few decades. With the police force's resources, identifying it would only take a few minutes.
Just as Unknown was beginning to grow impatient, her hands starting to fidget shakily, the door opened and the man reentered the room, jaw tensed and brows drawn.
"Alright, I accept your deal," he stated, his posture rigid as he sat back down, quickly pulling out a pen and notepad, "Now tell me what you know about Sacrosanct."
_______________________________________________
The police had long suspected there was more than a mere conspiracy behind the urban legend of the group called Sacrosanct. The links between the crimes they were supposedly responsible for had grown stronger in the past few years, consistent similarities in the state of the crime scenes, the method of attack, and the complete lack of evidence were only a few of the many factors that started raising suspicions.
These suspicions were fully and utterly confirmed by the statement of that girl called Unknown.
After coming to an agreement on the parameters of their deal, Unknown relayed no small amount of intimate detail about the group, from information about the other members, to why certain targets were chosen, to details of crimes that were never even discovered. She confessed this information freely and without hesitation, a puzzling fact that did not escape the police chief. However, he held off on his curiosity, deeming the information to be more worthwhile.
He learned three of the other members, like Unknown, were mere children, all of them even younger than her.
The one named Amnestica was a year younger and possessed a memory-wiping quirk. Its main effect lay in her ability to produce a white, odorless gas with amnestic properties. When inhaled, it would cause near-permanent short term memory loss of events within the last few minutes. She could also erase older memories through skin-to-skin contact, though she could only affect memories she was already aware of. A major side effect, however, rose in the form of gaining any memory she erased, and subsequently, she was often unable to distinguish transferred memories from her own. Amnestica's quirk was responsible for the complete absence of witnesses to their crimes.
Horus was two years younger than Unknown and possessed a weather-based quirk. He was able to create storms and affect temperatures within a zone of influence around him, however he relied little on these abilities for combat. His quirk was most often used as cover during their attacks, reducing the number of people present while also limiting visibility. Upon reviewing the cases linked to Sacrosanct, a large portion of them had indeed occurred on dates of unforecasted storms. Horus's quirk was responsible for mitigating the risk to the members as they carried out their unscrupulous tasks.
Traceback was the youngest of the group, a few months behind Horus. She possessed the ability to mimic voices, being able to reproduce the voice and speech patterns of any person she had spoken to within the past six hours. This quirk was often used to gather sensitive information about their targets prior to an attack, as the mimicry was accurate enough to be indistinguishable even by advanced voice recognition technology. Traceback's quirk was responsible for their ease of access in and out of the scene.
The four of them had come to Sacrosanct at different times, but they were all very young. With some uncertainty, Unknown recalled the Manager, the leader of the group, had taken her from a home for orphaned and abandoned children, having raised her ever since. After that, the others joined one by one, each of them also taken from places where unwanted children were plenty. Whenever he brought a new child- a new sibling, he said- he would give them a name based on their quirk, insisting they had always been called that way. Over time, they would each forget their real names.
Unknown knew the least about the Manager. He was approximately in his thirties or forties, she guessed, and she wasn't certain as to his quirk, though she did have a hunch. She believed his quirk made those around him more susceptible to outside influence; she believed it lowered their natural inhibitions and made it easier for them to believe whatever they were told. This was confirmed by the hair sample she provided, as was the information about the other members' quirks when they were tested later. Afterward, the undiscovered crime scenes she described were tracked down and found, matching the details she gave in all aspects.
There was no longer any doubt to her claims.
Unknown had stated her intention of helping the police capture Sacrosanct, and she explained how they could do it.
The Manager was planning a large-scale attack; he intended to shake the hero world, to throw it into chaos, and he was going to do it by striking at its roots. UA, the long-standing, most prolific producer of today's heroes, was his target. He intended to have one of the four infiltrate the student body, and during that time, gather private information about the school and the aspiring heroes under its roof. They would attack their homes, their families, the people they loved; what better way to send a message of fear? Not only would it rattle the young heroes to the core, but the chaos and ever-looming threat would inevitably cause the number of aspiring pros to plummet.
Civilizations cannot survive long without the young to replace the old, and neither can heroes.
The Manager had chosen Unknown as the infiltrator, and he had already found an identity for her. There was a girl named Ito Naoko, who, upon reviewing her records, the chief noted to bear a striking resemblance to Unknown. She had gone missing a few months ago, and there had been no signs of her since. Sacrosanct was not responsible for her disappearance, despite the chief's suspicions, as Unknown explained it was truly just a lucky coincidence. Now, all she needed to do was return to the girl's family and continue on as Ito Naoko for the next few months.
The chief was skeptical at first; certainly it wouldn't be so simple. As much as the two looked alike, they were in no way identical; her parents would surely be able to distinguish Unknown from their own daughter. And it was true, there were indeed a few telltale differences between the two. Ito Naoko had a small mole on her neck, a birthmark on her stomach, a scar from a minor surgery she had when she was young. Unknown had sharper eyes, a less upturned nose, hair that did not curl at the ends. Not all of these traits were fixable with simple changes, and that was where Amnestica came in.
Prior to making contact, Amnestica would slip into the Itos' home while they were asleep and whisk away their memories of their daughter's distinct traits. She would leave their recollections vague enough for Unknown to step into without suspicion. This, in fact, had already been completed by the time Unknown came to the police station. The plan was already in motion. With her new identity, Unknown would test into UA and live the life of an unremarkable student, all the while gathering critical information on her supposed peers. Upon completing her mission, she would return to Sacrosanct and they would begin their assault on the hero world.
As the chief had learned from Unknown, Sacrosanct hardly ever moved anywhere as a complete unit. Even during their attacks, there was always a member or two left behind: a sort of insurance policy were the others to be captured. In case of such an event, the members had been instructed to contact a specific phone number and relay details of the situation; after that, they were simply to go into hiding and wait. The Manager never told them who the number belonged to, but Unknown suspected it must be some acquaintance of his with no small amount of influence or abilities, as he often insinuated they would be able to coordinate an escape. It was because of this that the police needed to capture Sacrosanct all at once, and the best chance for them to do it was during their attack on the UA students. Due to the scope and complexity of the attacks, all five of them would be present; that was their closest opportunity to strike.
The chief wasn't entirely willing to wait so many months until this attack came, however. He knew they must have a base of operations- a headquarters of sorts- and suggested it would be much quicker to ambush them there. Unknown confirmed they did have a base, however she quickly denied the plan. There were heavy security measures spanning a large radius around the base, making the building itself nearly impossible to access without alerting the Manager. If he suspected the heroes were close to finding them, he would relocate all of them in an instant, and Unknown would lose what little progress she had made. Instead of this, Unknown insisted on capturing the rest of Sacrosanct during their major attack when all of them would be present.
"I'm afraid this isn't something I can agree to so easily," the chief explained, a deep crease adorning his brow. "Even if we were willing to give you access to UA, which I can't guarantee, how can we be sure of your cooperation? We would be putting too many civilians at risk."
"You must have a way. I don't care what it is: I'll do it," Unknown stated plainly.
"One of my main concerns is for the safety of the students and staff at UA. Can you guarantee no harm will come to them?"
"Some of the staff are pro-heroes; if I end up having to face them somewhere along the line to keep my cover, I will."
"Very well, but the students must be off-limits. That's non-negotiable."
"Fine. You have my word: I won't harm them, but I can't make any promises about what the others might do."
"Even so, how can we trust you to do as you say?"
"There has to be something you can do to keep an eye on me or something, right? Like I said, I'll do whatever it takes."
The man paused, leaning back as he brought a hand to his chin. Gradually, his eyes lowered in concentration.
"There could be something. There's a device that recently passed preliminary testing phases; it functions as an implant, able to track location, temperature, and surrounding body conditions. It can detect when it's being removed from the host's body and will release a fatal toxin, which can also be remotely triggered. We can use it to track your whereabouts and guarantee your cooperation, then we can agree to your conditions."
"Ok."
He paused for a moment, raising a questioning eyebrow.
"That was quick... but I suppose that's a good sign."
"How long will it take to get one of those devices?"
"It could take a few days. When is the next time we can meet?"
"There is no next time. I was hardly able to sneak away today, and this was only by chance. Whatever procedure you need to do, do it tonight."
"That's..." The man breathed a quiet sigh, falling silent, one hand beneath his chin while the other tapped against his leg.
After a moment of consideration, he rose to his feet and made his way to the door, waving someone over.
"Contact the lab testing the MMCI devices, and tell them we need one as soon as possible."
"That could take a while, sir, the lab is-"
"It doesn't matter: I need it now. Tell them it's an order from the Director's office- whatever you need to do to get one. I'll call the surgical consultant. I need it back here as soon as possible, is that clear?"
"Y-yes sir, I'll call the researchers now."
_______________________________________________
The device arrived later that night while the moon still hung high in the winter sky. The doctor, who arrived shortly after, implanted it just under her sternum, placed slightly on the right side. With his healing quirk, the incision was gone in the blink of an eye.
Unknown stepped out of the building not long after, quickly disappearing down the shadowy streets with only a red dot on a satellite map to mark her path.
And thus, the scheme to tear down Sacrosanct was set into motion.
_______________________________________________
A group of dark figures quietly slipped through the dense forest. The air was cold and unforgiving, and the desolation of the lifeless woods made it seem even more so. They were far from the bright lights and restless bustle of the city, past the outskirts of any village or town, their only source of light being from the flashlights in their hands and the crescent moon overhead. They were deep in the forest, the part where the canopy above cast strange shadows on the ground, shifting leaves, vague flickers of what might have been something, but it was hard to tell. These parts were barren, uninhabited.
Or at least, that was how it seemed.
The group paused when their flashlights caught sight of something white up ahead. They approached quickly and soon saw it was a house.
Not a shack nor a cabin nor a tower; it was not run-down or dilapidated, not imposing or ominous.
It was just a house. An unremarkable single-family home with a white painted exterior, neatly spaced windows, and small steps leading up to the front door. There were a few small bushes lining the front wall, clearly not native to this part of the forest, as well as a potted plant sitting next to the welcome mat.
They didn't know why, but the sight made the policemen rather uneasy. It was as if a suburban home had been uprooted from any average neighborhood in the country and simply placed in the center of a forest. They never would have batted an eye had they passed it in a residential neighborhood or a middle-class town; there was absolutely nothing notable about it except for its location.
"Move in," the man at the front commanded.
At his word, half the team split off and circled around the building in search of a back entrance.
They knew the house was empty, but old habits are hard to break.
The main group entered through the front door, noting it was unlocked. The house was entirely dark, and the leader had to cast his flashlight around in search of a light switch. He was almost surprised to find a small panel just next to the door, exactly where he would expect it to be. He flipped on all three switches, and the lights overhead flickered to life.
Once again, the sheer normality of the house was almost jarring.
To their right was the living room: two sofas placed near the walls with an end table in the corner, a coffee table in between them, and a small television across. There were a few potted plants around the room, some of which looked a bit overwatered. On their other side was the dining room with a large wooden table and five chairs surrounding it. It led into a kitchen just around the corner, once again a startlingly average scene, with wooden cabinets, a stainless steel sink, and a small stovetop with a few pans sitting out. There were dishes drying in the drying rack and a hand towel next to the sink, even some unwashed cups as well.
Making their way up the stairs, a smooth wooden railing next to them, they found a few half-open doors.
Opening the first one, they saw it had the same off-white walls as the rest of the house. A bed sat in the corner with a faded, flower-patterned blanket laid neatly across it. There was a small pile of folded clothes sitting on a chair nearby, and the wooden desk was mostly barren, save for a lamp and a few scattered hair ties.
The next room had the bed against the opposite wall, a navy blue blanket shoved into a pile near the foot of the mattress. A small nightstand sat next to it, holding only a small digital clock. This one was much messier, clothes strewn haphazardly across chairs and on the floor, and the desk held all kinds of unrelated items, from water bottles to weights to scattered sheets of paper. The closet door was wide open, showing a few boxes of equally miscellaneous items on the ground.
The next room had a gray-lined bed in the far corner, a pile of folded clothing sitting on it, close to the wall, a bit wrinkled. The desk was empty, slightly more faded than the others, with a padded chair in front of it and a jacket laid over the backrest. The closet was half-open, a dusty box of children's toys in the back corner and an unusual number of empty clothing hangers inside. This room was notably more barren than the others.
The next room was the most interesting. Unframed photographs filled a large section of the wall next to the polka-dot patterned bed; the pictures, individually taped to the wall, seemed to have mostly been taken inside the house, four of the members featuring prominently in the well-kept photos. Beneath it, the sheets were half-made, left a bit wrinkled and messy at the corners. The nightstand held a single picture frame, faded pink and scratched with age, with a photograph showing five people. It was the only one depicting all the members. A few more pictures were scattered around the room, on the desk and lining the walls, but otherwise, the space was mostly unremarkable.
The last room, located at the far end of the hallway, was the only one remaining. Upon trying the door, the lead officer found it was locked, instructing his men to open it and finish the search as he stepped back, pulling out his cell phone.
It was unusual. The four rooms certainly felt like they belonged to children, yet were all lacking the distinct colorful liveliness of regular children's rooms. He suspected there was nothing regular about their upbringings, and he could only imagine what kinds of things happened inside these walls.
"Yes, hello, sir. We've secured the base; we're just finishing up the search. So far, everything matches with the girl's description, including the security system around this place. Yes, that's correct, sir. We should be returning on time once we finish collecting evidence. Alright, thank you. Goodbye."
The lead officer ended the call, slipping it back into his pocket just as he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around to see one of his colleagues, brows drawn in a tense, apprehensive grimace.
"There's something you need to see."