Izuku sighed as he straightened his standard black tie while sitting in the driver's seat of his car. He was currently parked in the underground parking garage that connected to his office building and was doing one last check of his appearance to make sure he had properly cleaned up after several days worth of drinking. It had been a rough couple of days, but it finally seemed like everything was going back to normal.
Well, if your definition of normal included working alongside one of the most powerful and popular pro-heroes in the country.
Stepping out of his generic black sedan and double checking that it was locked, Izuku briskly walked over to the bank of elevators and joined the small crowd of people waiting for an empty one to arrive. After a couple of minutes waiting for his turn, Izuku eventually rode a packed elevator up to the floor his office was on. Participating in the usual morning greetings and casual small-talk with passing coworkers, Izuku walked through the maze of hallways until he finally reached his destination.
Opening the door to his office, Izuku stepped inside and immediately sat down at his desk and powered on his computer. Going through the list of unread emails, he opened an email from his supervisor expecting the usual updates and reports. He was pleasantly surprised however, to read that Oscar had been reassigned to a completely different department. A quick but thorough investigation had occurred after Director Fujikawa had received Izuku's report about Oscar's actions at the hero-liaison conference. At the end of the email, a short note had been added by the director praising Izuku for his report of Oscar's actions, stating that the hero-liaison project was too important to be jeopardized by the actions of a single unruly agent.
Well that was a relief.
Finished with the emails, Izuku began to search the web for clues to what was going on behind the scenes at the Ministry of Defense.
Ever since the hero-liaison conference, something had been bugging him like an irritating fly buzzing just out of sight. To the average person the conference might have looked like an amazing exhibition of the latest cutting-edge hero support services, but to Izuku the conference painted a very concerning picture about the true intentions of the Ministry of Defense.
To start, the helicopters that had been on display were very familiar to Izuku. Both of the helicopters were actually based on military designs, just with all the weapons removed and a new coat of paint slapped on top of the armor plating. Having spent time in one of the elite special forces units that secretly operated around the world, Izuku knew that the true purpose of the helicopters was much more sinister in nature.
The small scout helicopter had two distincts modes of operation. The first was as a stealth transport aircraft that could deploy a small squad of soldiers in all but the most hazardous terrain. The second way the scout helicopter was often deployed was as an aggressive anti-personnel hunter. The small wings could mount a wide variety of weaponry, ranging from gatling cannons to heat-seeking missiles. Combined with the fact that it was fast and agile, the small helicopter was frequently used by black-ops and mercenary units around the world. Izuku had flown in the deceptively fragile-looking helicopter in action several times, and the fact that it was being disguised as a rescue vehicle clearly implied that the general public was not supposed to know of its deadly capabilities.
The larger helicopter that was presented as a rescue and transport aircraft was actually a fearsome attack helicopter with all the weapons taken off. Based on a Russian design that favored armor and firepower over speed and maneuverability, the large helicopter was routinely used as a tank-hunter and heavily armed transport vehicle. With thick layers of armor plating and reinforced internal structures, the fearsome aircraft could transport full squads of soldiers directly to areas where the fighting was heaviest. When not being used to transport soldiers, the bulky helicopter was armed with enough heavy weaponry to turn entire towns into nothing but smoldering rubble. Izuku had seen one in action during a joint operation with a Russian Spetsnaz unit, and it had obliterated an entire convoy of armored vehicles in a barrage of high caliber weaponry and fiery munitions.
Besides the disguised helicopters, there had been a number of other concerning signs at the hero-liaison conference. All the technology that had been on display had been non-lethal weaponry and lifesaving devices, but the majority of the companies were actually subsidiaries of defense contractors that mainly specialized in military technology and weaponry. The entire conference had been a facade to disguise a massive investment in military-grade hardware by the Ministry of Defense.
As Izuku searched deeper and deeper into the endless ocean that was the internet, questions kept bouncing around inside his head. It was like trying to put a puzzle together but with half the pieces missing while a timer counted down to some unknown event.
Glancing at the clock on the wall, Izuku was surprised to see that it was suddenly noon.
"Time flies when you are having fun..." He thought sarcastically.
Suddenly a notification popped up on his laptop's screen indicating that a new message had been received on the secure internal MoD network. Arching an eyebrow curiously, Izuku opened the encrypted message system and was surprised to see a message directly from Director Fujikawa himself. There was a long list of other recipients, all of them hero liaisons and department leaders.
Quickly reading the internal mail, Izuku was slightly surprised to see that the Paranormal Liberation Front was now officially classified as a terrorist organization. The recent bloody battle between the pro-heroes and villains had scattered the majority of the PLF forces and broken their command structure, but the war had only just begun. No longer a large cohesive fighting force, the remaining PLF members had decided to split up and go into hiding. However, they certainly were not done fighting. Now it was being reported that small groups of PLF members were forming clandestine cells and continuing their war against the pro-heroes via guerrilla style warfare. Not only were the PLF cells plotting various attacks and acts of sabotage, they were also actively recruiting new members at an alarming pace. Apparently the PLF had rebranded itself as a resistance movement fighting for the freedom of the average person. Reports were already flooding in of PLF propaganda slowly spreading throughout the country while subversive recruiters stoked the flames of rebellion and dissatisfaction.
Leaning back in his chair, Izuku scratched his chin as he continued to read the various statistics and data attached to the internal mail. It was honestly quite impressive that the army of villains and criminals had bounced back so quickly from such a recent defeat. Not only that, they were portraying themselves as the victims while flooding the country with a sea of misinformation and propaganda. Clearly someone in the PLF had studied military history. There were numerous historical examples of militant groups overcoming seemingly overwhelming odds simply by relying on guerrilla tactics and asymmetrical warfare.
Time was now against the pro-heroes and Ministry of Defense. The longer the PLF was able to operate, the harder it would be to eradicate.
At the end of the internal mail was a short summary of what Director Fujikawa wanted to happen. It was actually fairly simple, the hero liaisons were to operate as normal and assist the pro-heroes with whatever they needed. Any criminal activity could possibly lead to the discovery of a PLF cell's members, so all relevant information was to be reported as soon as it was found. When all the necessary information had been gathered, the Ministry of Defense would swoop in and arrest anyone involved with the PLF.
Logging off and shutting down his computer, Izuku frowned as he retrieved a small pile of reports from a manilla folder that had been laying on his desk. While the plan sounded effective and simple on paper, carrying out such a large scale anti-terrorism operation was easier said than done. If the MoD was too heavy handed, they could inadvertently add more fuel to the fire by lending the PLF's propaganda credence. However, if the MoD and pro-heroes did not act fast enough the PLF could use the opportunity to create an army.
But for now, all Izuku could do was get back to work.
Doing his best to shove the dark thoughts into the back of his mind, Izuku flipped through the reports to find something for him and Miruko to do. The two needed to make up for lost time, as they had officially not even completed one assignment as a working pair. The silver lining was that being the liaison to a highly ranked pro-hero meant that there were always high profile assignments that needed to be done.
Just as he was about to pick an assignment, Izuku's smartphone began to vibrate in his pocket. Retrieving his phone, he was slightly surprised to see that it was his supervisor calling him.
Answering the call, Izuku listened as Supervisor Harada asked for a favor. Apparently a popular music star from overseas was touring in Japan and had requested extra security in the form of a pro-hero. Normally this kind of request was denied, but it seemed someone high up in the MoD command chain was a big fan and wanted to score some brownie points with the foreign music star. Several other pro-heroes had been contacted, but all of them had either made up an excuse or flat out denied helping. With pressure from above increasing every day, Supervisor Harada had called his most reliable agent in a last ditch bid for help. To be fair, the portly supervisor apologized over and over for asking Izuku to take on such an onerous assignment, but the older man had no other options left. Having helped Izuku with his past problems with Miruko, the distressed Harada was calling in his favor that Izuku owed him. It was not exactly the type of assignment Izuku had been hoping for, but he owed Harada a lot for putting up with his recent pro-hero related shenanigans. After accepting the task, much to the relief of his boss, Izuku was sent the contact information for the music star's manager and wished the best of luck.
Sighing heavily, Izuku ended the call with his supervisor and wrote down the needed contact information. The hardest part of the whole thing was going to be convincing Miruko to at least pretend to be a little bit courteous, as this kind of assignment was the exact opposite of what she specialized in.
Deciding to cross that bridge when he came to it, Izuku called the number given to him and waited as the phone rang. Just as the call was about to end, there was a click as someone answered.
"Hello?" A gruff male voice said in English with an American accent.
"Hello sir." Izuku said politely in English. "My name is Midoriya, I am with the Ministry of Defense. I was told to contact this number regarding a security issue for Miss..." Izuku peeked at his notes as he tried to find the musical artist's name. "Miss Thelxie?"
"About goddamn time!" The man huffed. "This creep broke into her room again last night and nearly cut her head off!"
Quirking an eyebrow, Izuku readied a pen and a small notepad. "You say your client was attacked? If you have a description of the attacker you should contact the police and have them help you."
"No fuckin shit ya nimrod!" The man yelled indignantly. "The fucker is usin some kinda quirk and changes what they look like each time! First it was a makeup artist, then a security guard, then last night the bastard looked like me! Every time the freak is yammerin about PLF somethin or another while he tries to kill my client! This aint some normal psycho fan shit, I need some real fuckin help here!"
Scribbling down notes, Izuku nodded along as he tried to placate the angry man on the phone. "Alright sir I need you to calm down. You said the attacker was talking about the PLF? Are you sure that is what you heard?"
The irate man took a deep breath before speaking in a slightly calmer tone. "It was PL somethin, you can ask my client when you get here. The poor girl is a nervous wreck and it doesn't help that the bastard can look like anyone! I have two people guarding her at all times but I still dunno if that will be enough. Please, I need some real muscle here, not some dumbass cops who don't know a donut from a bagel."
Well things had certainly gotten much more interesting.
"Of course sir." Izuku said diplomatically as he continued to take notes. "Can you give me your name so I know who to ask for when I get there?"
"The name is Frank Costan." The manager said flatly. "Y'know you speak pretty good English, no offense but most of the people I talk to here need a translator. It's nice to finally have a real conversation with someone."
Deciding not to comment on the unnecessary information, Izuku put on his best professional voice as he stood up and grabbed his notepad. "I am glad I can help Mister Costan. I can be at your hotel in around an hour."
Ending the call, Izuku shoved the small notepad into his pocket and called Miruko's number. It only took one ring for Miruko to pick up with a happy tone in her voice.
"Hey Izuku!" She said as wind whistled in the background. "Whatcha callin for? You tryin to take me out on a lunch date or somethin?"
Rolling his eyes and deciding to ignore the flirtatious teasing, Izuku walked to the elevators and descended to the parking garage. "No Miruko, this is serious. I just got an assignment for us and I need you to meet me at the fancy hotel near the stadium. A singer from overseas has been attacked several times in the past week and needs our help to catch the culprit."
Izuku could hear the enthusiasm instantly vanish from Miruko's voice as she groaned in annoyance.
"Really Izuku? Our first job together is being security for some snobby singer? Jesus Christ this is what cops and bodyguards are for!"
Exiting the elevator and walking to his parked car, Izuku nodded understandingly.
"Just listen to the rest before you make your decision." He said. "Apparently the culprit was talking about the Paranormal Liberation Front each time he attacked the singer. It also seems like he has some kind of mimicry quirk that allows him to take on the appearance of others. This is not something that regular cops can handle."
Miruko's voice immediately changed from annoyed to bloodthirsty. "Did you just say the PLF?" She then loudly spit like she had just tasted something disgusting. "Okay now you got my attention. I honestly dont give a shit about this singer, but if it means I get to beat down someone involved in that shitshow where I lost an arm I am all for it."
Getting into his car and starting the engine, Izuku smirked at Miruko's newfound enthusiasm. "I thought you would say that. I am leaving the office right now, you need me to pick you up and give you a ride?"
Izuku could hear the disappointment in Rumi's voice as she answered.
"Nah, I'm fine." She said unhappily. "I just got done tracking down a big drug dealer in the city so I'm already pretty close. I can just meet you there."
Izuku was still not sure just how friendly he should be with Miruko. Was Miruko's flirtatious teasing just for fun, or does she actually want to be more than friends? Even if Izuku did think that Miruko was romantically interested in him, it would be a terrible idea to get romantically involved with a co-worker who also happened to be one of the most popular pro-heroes in Japan. There was also the fact that he still did not completely trust her to stay true to her word. As much as he wanted to believe that the loudmouthed hero had turned over a new leaf, he had been fooled in the past by people saying the exact same thing. So for now he would play it safe and ignore any flirty invitations from the rabbit hero.
The drive to the hotel did not take as long as Izuku had expected, and he arrived at his destination with around half an hour to spare. Parking his car on the street, the handsome field agent walked to the front of the hotel and looked pulled out his phone. Right as he was about to call Miruko, there was a loud thump followed by an excited murmur from the nearby pedestrians. Walking over to Izuku with a warm smile on her face and dressed in her iconic hero outfit, Miruko gave his arm a gentle punch before speaking.
"Hey there good lookin, you come here often?" She said teasingly.
Rolling his eyes and ignoring the small crowd that had gathered around them, Izuku put his phone away. "We are a bit early, but I don't think Thelxie's manager will mind. Let me do most of the talking, no offense but you have a tendency to rub people the wrong way."
As Izuku walked into the hotel lobby he did not notice his partner pout slightly as she followed him inside.
"Hey I can talk to people just fine." She said indignantly. "I just hate stupid questions and I'm not afraid to call someone out if they try to bullshit me."
Walking up to the front desk, Izuku decided not to make a snide comment about Miruko's social skills and instead address the petite clerk sitting behind the counter.
"Excuse me." He said as he put on his best fake smile. "I am agent Midoriya with the Ministry of Defense, could you please tell me where I could find Miss Thelxie?"
The short woman dressed in a royal blue uniform nodded and pointed at the gold plated elevators nearby. "Top floor. I hope you catch whoever is going after her."
Nodding his thanks, Izuku motioned for Miruko to follow him over to the elevators.
It seemed word had spread fast, and it was only a matter of time before the vultures known as paparazzi flooded the hotel looking for the next salacious story. Besides being annoying to the extreme, the paparazzi would also make tracking down the PLF attacker that much harder.
Stepping into the elevator with his partner, Izuku pressed the button for the top floor and patiently waited as the silver and gold trimmed box slowly began to ascend.
"This Thelxie person better not piss me off." Miruko stated bluntly. "I have met celebrities before, and I can count the number of times I have had a good interaction with one on one hand. They're a bunch of cowards more concerned about their ratings than anyone around them."
"Please do not punch the victim." Izuku said sternly. "If you can't handle talking like a civilised person you can wait outside."
Crossing her arms, Miruko huffed softly as she muttered under her breath. "Talk civil my ass..."
Eventually the elevator came to a stop and the doors opened to reveal a long carpeted hallway interspersed with tastefully decorated doors leading to luxurious hotel rooms. At the end of the hallway, two burly men in security uniforms stood guard outside a single door with a little gold star on it.
With Miruko at his side, Izuku walked up to the security guards and flashed his Ministry of Defense ID.
"Hello, I am agent Midoriya with the Ministry of Defense. I spoke to Mister Costan on the phone. We are a little early but I figured he wouldn't mind."
The two muscle-bound guards looked at each other and nodded, one stepping forward as he spoke.
"I gotta check ya." The brute of a man said apologetically. "This guy..person...thing...can look like people. Mister Costan's orders."
Nodding understandingly, Izuku glanced over at Miruko and gave her a stern look to follow his lead.
"Understandable." The green-haired agent said. "Do what you must, I promise we are just here to help."
Nodding in thanks, the security guard reached out and roughly poked Izuku's chest. As if to be sure, the guard gave Izuku several more rough pokes before nodding in satisfaction. Turning to Miruko, the guard held up his hands apologetically as he stepped closer to her.
"I don't mean nuthin by it Miss Miruko." He said fearfully. "I just gotta poke ya few times. I promise I wont touch ya any more than i have to."
Miruko glanced over at Izuku who gave her another stern look, prompting the rabbit hero to sigh in irritation and cross her arms.
"Fine." She said tersely, clearly not happy with the situation.
Nervously the guard reached out and poked Miruko's arms very quickly before stepping back and nodding to his partner.
"Okay you can go on in." The nervous guard said as he avoided meeting Miruko's eyes.
Nodding his thanks, Izuku walked past the two bruisers and knocked on the hotel room door.
A few moments later the door opened just enough for a single eyeball to be seen peering through the crack.
"You Midoriya?" Costan said suspiciously.
Nodding, Izuku gestured to Miruko who stood nearby tapping her foot against the carpeted floor. "Yes I am. I also brought Miruko with me. She is the fifth highest rated hero in the country. I can guarantee that nobody will be able to get past her without a severe thrashing."
There was a grunt of satisfaction as the door closed and the sound of locks clicking and chains rattling could be heard. Finally, the door opened up to reveal a short and squat man with the head of a badger who had an unlit cigar hanging from his mouth.
"Thanks for comin." The manager said with a slightly more respectful tone. "Sorry for yelling at ya on the phone. Just been a stressful few weeks."
Stepping into the spacious hotel room, Izuku waved away the short man's apology. "It's alright, I think anyone in your position would feel the same."
The badger man nodded and waddled down the short hallway into a luxurious living room filled with chairs and sofas.
"Sit wherever ya like." Costan said as he gestured to the expensive furniture. "Lemme just get Thelxie so we can talk about what to do."
Picking a plush leather chair at random, Izuku sat down as Miruko stood next to him and crossed her arms like a protective bodyguard. The green-haired agent was about to tell his partner to sit down, but was stopped by the sound of an irate Costan yelling from somewhere nearby.
"Gahddammit Cass!" The gruff man yelled in disbelief. "Stop smokin in bed! If ya gotta smoke do it on the balcony!"
"Oh fuck off!" A somewhat familiar female voice yelled back. "Give me a break and let me smoke in peace. We specifically paid for a room that allowed smoking so I am gonna get my money's worth!"
As the gruff man bickered with the unseen Thelxie, Izuku cast an amused glance at his partner standing beside him.
"Sounds like someone I know." He said with a small smirk.
Miruko rolled her eyes but could not help but grin a little as well. "Do we really sound like that?"
Before Izuku could answer the short badger-headed man had returned with his client in tow. Looking at the familiar blue-skinned woman standing next to Costan, Izuku smiled as all the puzzle pieces fell into place.
"Of course it is you of all people." Cassandra said with a grin as she walked closer to Izuku. "I thought I heard your name but I wrote it off as my mind playing tricks on me."
Suddenly Cassandra pulled Izuku into a tight hug, much to the shock of her manager and Miruko. Caught totally off guard, Izuku reflexively hugged back. Only to feel an intense stare burning into the back of his skull.
"Wait a minute!" Costan said in disbelief. "You two know each other?!"
Releasing a blushing Izuku from her hug, Cassandra could only laugh and nod as she responded.
"We do." She said warmly. "It's a long story, but now everything we talked about makes sense."
Feeling the murderous glare continuing to burn into the back of his head, Izuku chuckled and shrugged. "I should say the same. Small world."
Suddenly Miruko spoke in a flat tone that could turn a campfire into ice. "Well that is nice that you two get along so well. Funny how you never mentioned knowing an international pop star before."
Turning to look at his partner who was giving him a glare that could turn a Nomu into ash, Izuku squared his shoulders and responded in Japanese as he returned the stare. "It is a long story, but I did not know that this was Cassandra's job." He said sternly. "I just ran into her a few times and we talked, that is all. Now can you act like a mature adult or am I going to have to make you wait out in the hallway?"
The two partners stared at each other, neither backing down as Cassandra and her manager slowly backed away like they were watching a bomb count to zero. Finally, Miruko let out an angry huff and looked away.
"Just would have been nice to know is all I am saying." She muttered unhappily.
Rolling his eyes and making a mental note to scold his partner later, Izuku turned back to face Cassandra and her manager.
"Sorry about that." He said in perfect English. "Don't mind her, she is just in a bad mood. I promise that she is still able to do her job just fine."
With a knowing smile growing on her face, Cassandra boldly stepped forward and held her hand out for Rumi to shake.
"Nice to meet you Miruko." She said in broken Japanese. "Don't worry, I only like girls."
Arching her eyebrows in surprise, Miruko looked down at Cassandra's hand. For a moment it looked like she was going to snub the American in typical Miruko fashion. Thankfully however, the rabbit hero finally gave Cassandra's hand a quick shake before returning to her stony silence.
Glad that an awkward situation had been averted, Izuku pulled out his notepad and pen from his pocket. "Alright let's get down to business. I need to know everything that has happened starting with the first attack."
An hour seemed to pass in an instant as Izuku jotted down all the information that Cassandra and her manager provided. It was still far from a complete investigation, but eventually Izuku had a rough idea of why Cassandra was being targeted by the PLF. It turned out that Cassandra's quirk was her siren-like voice. Whenever she sang, anyone nearby would have their mood change to fit the song. It did not matter if you didn't know English, your mood would still be affected just like everyone else. This gave her songs universal appeal, and right after she had started to sing professionally Cassandra's popularity had skyrocketed. Now she was on a worldwide tour singing songs of happiness, forgiveness, love, and many more positive themes. The current goal of the PLF was to sow discord and resentment throughout Japan, and Cassandra's concerts naturally promoted the complete opposite by bringing people together.
Putting down his pen and stretching his fingers, Izuku spoke to the group. "Alright, so we know why Cassandra is being attacked. The question now is how. It doesn't matter if we know the attacker's motivations if they can still disguise themselves effectively."
As Izuku translated what had been said to Miruko, there was the sound of a polite knock on the hotel room door.
Izuku and Miruko both immediately went on alert and followed Costan over to the door as the burly man called out to the guards outside.
"What is it?" Costan asked loudly.
"Uhh, there is a guy here from the Ministry." One of the guards replied. "Said he could help with the investigation. I already checked him."
Costan looked at Izuku who frowned as he tried to figure out who had arrived. He tried looking through the glass peephole in the door, but unfortunately all he could see was the broad back of one of the guards. Shrugging, Izuku spoke calmly to the confused manager next to him.
"Nobody else should have been assigned to this." He said truthfully. "But if he was already checked it wouldn't hurt to see if they could help."
The short badger-headed man nodded and quickly unlocked the door opening it fully so Miruko and Izuku could see who it was.
"If it isn't my best friend in the whole wide world and his girlfriend Lola." Oscar said mockingly as he stood in the hallway. "How is KFC doing by the way? Are his feelings still hurt?"
Of course it had to be this fucking creep.
Gritting his teeth, Izuku put himself between Miruko and Oscar before the rabbit hero could lunge at the antagonistic American.
"What the hell are you doing here Oscar?" Izuku said icily. "Last I heard you got reassigned. I hope you have a good excuse for showing your face, because I am going to send a report straight to the director after this."
Waving his hands in mock terror, Oscar sneered Izuku with a smile full of contempt. "Oh no! Little Mido is gonna tell on me to the director! Whatever shall I do?"
From behind Izuku, Cassandra could be heard walking closer as she poked her head over the group's shoulders to see who it was.
"Is something wrong g..." She said, suddenly stopping mid sentence.
Smiling sinisterly, Oscar waved slowly to Cassandra. "Ah there she is. Sweet little Annie. Or is it Cassandra now?"
Confused, Izuku turned to look at Cassandra who had frozen like a deer in the headlights.
With pure terror on her face, Cassandra stumbled backwards as she pointed in horror at Oscar. "N-n-no! P-p-please g-god no!"
Whirling back around Izuku readied himself to tackle Oscar should he need to.
"What the fuck have you done Oscar!?" Izuku roared.
With his jagged smile still on his face, Oscar held up his hands in mock surrender. "Oh I haven't done anything. I am just a concerned brother coming to the aid of his little sister in her time of need."
Incredulous, Izuku could only gape silently as he glanced back at Cassandra who was in the process of trying to crawl away with tears in her eyes.
"There is no way this is going to end well."
The single idle thought echoed in Izuku's head as time came to a stop.
A/N
- Helicopter designs are based on the A/MH-6M Little Bird and the Mil Mi-17 "Hip"