~ 9:35 am ~
After Aizawa told everyone they were going to kill zombies, the bus got pretty quiet. Midoriya had stopped muttering, Kaminari wasn't making jokes, and Bakugo wasn't making any more ruckus.
The only normal thing on the bus was Koda being his usual quiet self and Aoyama staring at an invisible audience. However, that silence was disturbed when Present Mic accidentally ran over something on the road which startled everyone.
"What the hell was that?!" Bakugo asked.
"Sorry. I accidentally ran over a piece of debris in the road," Mic said.
"At least try to drive better next time!" Aizawa was also annoyed.
"Well, excuse me for doing my job..." He mumbled.
Bakugo kissed his teeth at how stupid Mic's driving was and went back to staring out the window. It wasn't amusing for Bakugo to watch cars driving away from the most dangerous city on the planet.
If that wasn't enough, he could see multiple helicopters in the distance flying away from the city. They were probably evacuating politicians or people with money. Anything was possible during a crisis like this and in a world full of heroes.
At least the tree line on the side of the highway made everything seem less depressing. Along with the tall, grey, concrete wall that was being constructed around the city border.
Wait a minute.
As he noticed the wall towering in the distance, the bus started to slow down before coming to a complete stop in front of what appeared to be a roadblock. Soon everyone started to utter whispers to whoever they were sitting next to while Mic let Aizawa off the bus to see what was going on.
Since Aizawa would take a while, Mic turned off the bus to save gasoline and told the others to open the windows if they were feeling hot. As if on cue, Koda opened the window and felt the breeze blow past his face.
"That feels good," he whispered.
"What the hell is going on, Mic?!" Bakugo interrupted, hovering over the seat in front of him.
"Can you please stop doing that?" Shoji glanced over his shoulder as he hovered over him.
"Mind your damn business, tentacles!"
Kirishima took this as his cue to step in and grasped his shoulder. "Chill out, dude! No need to yell. Especially after what we just found out..."
Bakugo grunted knowing he was right and sat back down like a grumpy old man. "Whatever... For the record, I sat down because I wanted to, not because you asked me to."
"If you say so, man," he shrugged, smiling.
"Shut up!"
Just then, footsteps could be heard as Aizawa peeked his head into the bus.
"Is everything alright, sir?" Iida asked, standing up.
Aizawa looked at Iida for a brief moment but never said anything. To be honest, he didn't have to because the look on his face said it all. He quickly turned around and headed off the bus again but not before asking Cementoss to follow him.
After they left, Bakugo got up to see what was going on but accidentally stepped on Hagakure's foot, making him trip up.
"Ouch!" She winced.
"Hey, watch where you're sitting!" He shouted.
"Did he just?!" Hagakure was about to beat the shit out of him.
"Yes. Yes, he did," Tsu, who sat in front of her and Yaoyorozu, shook her head in disappointment.
First the bathroom incident and now this?
What was with this guy?!
"Jerk!" Hagakure pouted her lips.
It wasn't long till Bakugo reached the front and peeked his eyes through the window. All the while, he tried to listen to what Aizawa, Cementoss, and a familiar detective were saying.
"What's wrong, Kacchan?"
"Shut up, Deku! I can't hear what they're saying!" He yelled.
"Hey! No eavesdropping!" Mic tried to move him.
"Take one more step and you're dead!" Sparks began to erupt from his palm.
Mic took the hint and sat back down, but not before uttering, "Little shit."
Meanwhile, outside...
"So, can you do it, Cementoss?" Detective Tsukauchi asked.
"Of course. With construction having already started coincidentally, I should be able to manage. Besides, most of the city is surrounded by mountainous regions anyway."
"And what about you, Eraserhead?"
"Sorry, but I must decline Hawks' request. It might sound harsh, but I see no reason to rendezvous at his location if no zombie has been seen using their quirks. Besides, my students need me," Aizawa explained.
"I'll be sure to pass on the message to him." Tsukauchi nodded respectably.
Although there was only one rumor of a zombie using his quirk, Aizawa wouldn't leave his students behind. It took guts to make that decision, and Tsukauchi would be sure to pass on the message to Hawks.
"I hope he takes it well," Cementoss chuckled at the thought.
"He'll live. He isn't the Number 2 hero for nothing." Aizawa brushed it off.
"Honestly, I'm glad I caught you guys in time. My men and I just left Musutafu to set up this roadblock per the Commission's request." Tsukauchi could only imagine what would've been if he hadn't arrived in time.
"So, it's that bad, huh? The fact the Commission needs us to come down here and sort this mess," Aizawa said.
"Bad? Tch! If only you knew..." Tsukauchi wiped away a few sweat droplets settling on his forehead.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Aizawa found his wording unusual.
"Nothing important..." He quickly rebutted his statement which Aizawa thought was unlike him.
"Okay then."
"So, have any other highways been walled off?" Cementoss went back to the topic at hand.
"So far, we've walled off three major ones, but with you at our side, we should be able to wall off the rest in no time, and with the Air Force doing flybys, we will have eyes in the sky."
Aizawa instantly remembered the jets that flew by in Musutafu. At least now he knew why they were out. Still, something was off about them.
Why did the Air Force have to get involved? If the Hero Commission wanted to have eyes in the sky, why not use helicopters? They're easier to maneuver above ground which would make it easier to monitor what gets in or out of the city. Honestly, he couldn't get his head around it.
"...this might sound strange, but do you know if there's a possibility those fighter jets are here for other reasons." Aizawa tenses his brow when he emphasized the last part.
Tsukauchi frowned at the question, clearly uncomfortable. More so he started to grasp the back of his neck. He knew something, didn't he?
"Naomasa. If those jets are here to drop bombs, I need to know!" He sternly said, gesturing to the bus.
Tsukauchi looked at Bakugo on the bus and then looked at his men. As much as it wasn't his place, he sympathized with Aizawa. He had good reasons for wanting to know. Aizawa protected his own. That's something they had in common.
"Fine, I'll tell you. But this is classified information! I could get in trouble for this." He sighed in defeat.
"Don't worry. I can keep a secret," Aizawa promised.
"Alright... Don't say I mentioned it but depending on how things pan out, the Commission plans to drop bombs. That being said, if I were you, I would get in and get out as fast as I could."
"In and out. Got it," Aizawa understood clearly.
"So, it's a last resort?" Cementoss questioned.
"Basically... I'm risking a lot telling you this. But the last thing I want is for a friend to get hurt," Tsukauchi said, patting his shoulder.
"I respect that, Tsukauchi. Believe me. You won't regret this."
"I hope so," he said as the jets flew by in the background.
"As for when it happens, I'm in the dark. All we can do is hope it doesn't come to that." He looked at the city as smoke rose into the atmosphere.
"Yeah. That's the last thing we need right now..." Aizawa sighed with a glimmer of hope in his eyes.
Tsukauchi then noticed one of his comrades showing him the radio in a police car. The likely scenario was that the Commission was calling him.
"Sorry, but I need to take this. Good luck in the city, Eraserhead," he farewelled.
After he left, Cementoss and Aizawa looked at each other as if they were having a mental conversation. A conversation about whether he should give his farewells to the others. Without saying a word, Cementoss walked back to the bus with Aizawa.
"You're staying?" Bakugo asked as they stepped in.
"Bakugo. How much of that did you hear?" Aizawa wasn't surprised.
"Why do you ask? Was that shit classified or something?"
"No. I'd just rather you not worry about matters that are not of your concern. Also, watch your mouth."
"Look, I can care less about you staying, but if we're heading straight to our deaths, you better make it clear to all of us right now!" He said.
"Uh. Sir. What is he talking about?" Uraraka was beginning to worry.
"Sit down, Bakugo! This is outrageous behavior!" Iida told him.
"Mind your damn business, Glasses!"
"That's enough!" Aizawa choked him with his scarf.
"The...! Hell...?!" He uttered between breaths.
"Cementoss is leaving and wants to bid us farewell. Now, sit down and listen!"
Bakugo caught his breath once he released him. After that, he quickly sat back down and received worried looks from the others.
What could he have possibly meant?
"As Aizawa said, I must depart from you all now, but I'll like to give you my blessing while you're in the city."
"And what will you do while we're gone?" Mic shuffled around his seat.
"The Hero Commission contacted Tsukauchi to set up this roadblock because they need my help to create the Jaku perimeter."
"The Jaku perimeter?" Tsu raised a finger to her chin.
"Yes. The perimeter that will surround the city, leaving this highway and many others as the only way in or out," Aizawa chimed in.
"That way no zombies can escape. Correct?" Midoriya figured it out rather quickly. Aizawa nodded.
"Wait, but don't you need cement to do that?" Mic pointed out.
"They'll be bringing cement mixers shortly so I can begin framing this part of the perimeter. Besides, other heroes with similar quirks have already started construction using cement and other material."
"That's good news," Uraraka sighed in relief.
"In short, I'm going to use as much willpower and strength as I can to keep the zombie threat contained within the city." He put it bluntly.
Everyone became silent for a brief moment before realizing the task he was given by the Hero Commission and began to give him words of encouragement.
"You got this, sir," Ojiro gave him a thumbs up.
"Yeah, break a leg!" Sato smiled.
"Be sure to represent UA, Cementoss..." Ectoplasm laughed under his breath.
Cementoss smiled upon hearing their words of encouragement and even got a look of approval from Aizawa. Even though he most likely still hated him for agreeing to bring the children along. If anyone was experienced enough to handle the job, it was him.
"I guess that means there's hope after all?" Uraraka gave a half-hearted smile to Deku while also blushing a little.
"Yeah. I suppose there is," he smiled.
"Hear that, Kaminari? We do have a chance," Jiro said, tugging on his ear for speaking negatively earlier.
"Ouch! Still, things could always take a turn for the worst!" He added, urging Jiro to pull on it more.
"Don't jinx us, Pikachu."
"Well..." Aizawa began, letting out a sigh of relief. "Let's just hope once you put up this barrier, no zombies will break through."
"I have faith he can make a wall high enough for them to break their bones if they do try to ram it," Snipe joked, embracing his comrade before they left him behind.
"Thanks for the encouragement, Snipe," Cementoss replied.
"Cementoss?" another familiar cop stepped on board the bus.
"CAT COP?!" Ashido and Uraraka simultaneously squealed in excitement.
"Please... Don't do that," Cat Cop pleaded.
"I suppose it's time for me to leave?" Cementoss asked even though he knew the answer already.
"Yes, it is," Aizawa agreed while secretly trying his utter best not to pet Cat Cop.
"And it's time for us to rescue people from the zombies that roam the city," Mic joked, turning the bus back on.
"Well, take care, Cementoss." Aizawa shook his hand respectively.
"Bye!" Uraraka waved goodbye along with everyone else.
"Good luck and come back in one piece." Cementoss gave his final goodbye before leaving with Cat Cop. Afterward, Aizawa and Snipe sat down so Mic could drive the bus past the roadblock. After Tsukauchi moved one of his police cars, of course.
Eventually, the bus began to sound full of life again due to the good news. To be honest, the thought of Cementoss making a barrier around the city hadn't even occurred to them. Now, they could rescue any civilians with peace of mind, knowing the virus would likely stay contained within the walls. Bakugo, on the contrary, wasn't as lively as everyone else and his friends noticed this.
"What's the matter, man? Aren't you happy about the good news?" Kirishima asked as Bakugo sat with his arms folded like an old man.
"Of course, I am, Shitty-hair! It's just..." He stopped himself.
"Is this about earlier? You know, I was gonna ask you about that."
"Just forget about it...! It's probably for the best anyway," he grumbled.
"C'mon, Bakugo, you can tell us!" Ashido playfully intruded to change the tense atmosphere. A series of pokes then came from her in an attempt to annoy him so he could spill the beans. This, of course, drew the attention of the rest of the Bakusquad.
Knowing she would keep annoying him till he caved in, he groaned in annoyance.
"Fine! You wanna know so badly?"
All of them nodded.
"It's because we're heading into a death trap."