2:00AM
Heroes soon spread over the city as news of the situation was released to every agency in the country. The Commission, now fully void of any strategic advantage or insider knowledge over their escaped fugitive, instead had to resort to a less precise plan: manpower. They sent out hundreds of heroes, big and small, from top-ranking names to those hardly recognizable, the police force and the Hero Commission brought in each and every body they could spare, sending them out into the cities. They were to keep an eye out for both the Manager and Unknown, be it in the streets, in the outskirts, in the forests, or in the city's abandoned blocks. With eyes in every corner of the sleeping city, the Commission hoped to be able to flush them out, or at the very least, force them into hiding long enough to wear them down. They used every resource they had to box them in, from search teams to roadblocks to alerting policemen nationwide, but all these had very limited merit considering the sheer scope of the area they had to cover. They kept all information surrounding the operation from the public, lest it cause mass panic and further add to their growing list of problems; however, that also meant it would be infinitely more difficult to find their targets once the sun rose and civilians flooded the streets. They were in a race against daylight: to find their targets before their targets found each other.
"Even with our numbers, our chances aren't good. There's no way to know if they're even still in the city. Without knowing where to look, we can only rely on luck. We've called in reinforcements from around the country to assist us, but our focus should be on figuring out where the Manager would go. Our priority is still to capture him," the police chief stated, staring up at the half dozen faces on the large screen before him.
"Unknown wouldn't have taken off blindly; it's likely she somehow figured out the Manager's location. She must have remembered or realized something we didn't," the head of the Hero Commission reasoned, her staticky voice reverberating throughout the room.
"If that's the case, we need to take a deeper look at her history. If we find one of them, we'll find both of them," another man spoke.
"We can revisit the statements she's given before, but there's likely not much in there that can help us. If whatever realization she had to spur this on was recent, she may not have mentioned anything about it to anyone before. We're in an impossible position- there's no way to just guess where they could be."
"That's not necessarily true. Based on statements from the UA students, Unknown has inadvertently slipped vital information before. They may be our best lead at this point."
"But we've interviewed them extensively before, what more could they possibly know? I believe we're better off spending our time focused on the Manager, understanding how he thinks; getting into his head is the best way to pinpoint where he would go at a time like this."
"And how exactly do you propose we do that? He hardly spoke during his time in Tartarus, not to mention we still have yet to find any information about his true identity. As hopeless as it sounds, the reality is we don't know anything about him. We at least have something to work with in Unknown."
"This is no time to argue amongst ourselves, all of you. We can divide our resources to pursue both options; our chances are better that way regardless. I'll send word to the rest of the Commission, and you should inform your people as well, chief. We need as many pairs of eyes on this as possible."
"Of course, ma'am. I'll have my men start reviewing the old case files, and we'll begin questioning the students as well."
"And what of the student that disappeared? What will we do about him?"
"From what we know, we can safely determine he took off of his own accord. It's not ideal, but he likely won't be much of a hindrance to us; we simply don't have time to be concerned with him at this point. I'll inform the heroes to keep an eye out for the boy, but our priorities still lie in finding Unknown and the Manager. We have a long night ahead of us, everyone, so let's get started on fixing this damn mess."
_______________________________________________
2:35AM
"You were close with Unknown during her time undercover at the school, is that correct?"
"Ah, yes, I'd like to think so," Uraraka nodded faintly, hands folded stiffly in her lap as she watched the policeman across from her jot something down on his notepad.
"How has your relationship been like following her release from the hospital?"
"It's been... good, I think. We talk sometimes, she's nice; she's still not used to eating with everyone, so I bring her dinner most of the time."
"When you talk, what kind of things do you talk about?"
"I don't know... school, hero work sometimes?"
"Did she ever talk about herself?"
"Not really. I mean, I know it's a sensitive subject, so I never brought it up. I just... thought she would open up in time."
"Did Unknown ever mention any locations that were important or meaningful to her? Did she ever seem to particularly like or dislike any specific places?"
"No, not at all. We used to spend a lot of time together back then, she seemed happy to go anywhere with us. Well, I guess she was always happy back then."
"I see. Do you know if she ever traveled outside the city during that time?"
"Only on school trips, I think."
"Is there any place you can think of where she might go to hide? It would likely be someplace familiar to her; she would have spent plenty of time there before."
"I don't know... no, I don't know any place like that."
"Alright, let's talk about something else. Who would you say was closest to Unknown during her time undercover?"
"...Bakugo, definitely."
"The student that ran off?"
"Yea. They were really close back then, living together and all."
"How has their relationship been recently?"
"Well, I don't think they've ever... talked. All this has been really hard on him since what happened at Kamino Ward. I think they're just... avoiding each other."
"If that's the case, why do you think he would chase after her now?"
"I... don't know..."
"Are you alright, miss?"
"O-oh, yea, of course. It's just... he seemed really surprised when you all rushed into the building with her earlier. I mean, we all were, but he seemed... worried, maybe? I didn't talk to him about it or anything, but he seemed tense. He even asked Mr. Aizawa what was going on."
"Is that unusual for him?"
"Well, not exactly. It's just that he's been completely avoiding her ever since she arrived. He's been avoiding anything that has to do with her at all, so it was a little surprising to see him... I don't know, pay attention? It's... complicated."
"Right. Well, thank you for your time; that should be all for now. We'll look for you if we need anything else, so please stay here for the time being. Excuse me."
_______________________________________________
3:00AM
"Ma'am, the situation is already drawing attention. We're receiving questions from multiple media networks about the sudden influx of so many heroes on patrol."
The president furrowed her brows, a frown tugging at her lips as her eyes flicked up to the nervous secretary. "Those reporters are too quick for their own good," she sighed, carding a hand through her hair. "So much for keeping a low profile."
"Should we scale back our forces? If we continue like this, more people are bound to notice, especially with the number of non-local heroes."
"No. We're not pulling anyone back. The news networks may be a nuisance, but we have to continue as is. We don't have a choice," she stated grimly, eyes returning to the spread of papers in front of her, fully obscuring the glossy wooden surface of her desk. "Have any more heroes responded to our request?"
"Yes, ma'am. Eight more have arrived; they've each been assigned sectors and are already on their way. Should we keep reaching out to the rest of the list?"
"Absolutely. I want as many people on this as possible."
"How should we deal with the media networks then?
"Tell them it's a nationwide training exercise: something to test the effectiveness of new night-vision technology. Tell them we'll be making a statement in the morning. If this isn't settled by sunrise, we'll need to organize a better cover story, but until then, this will have to do."
"Yes, ma'am."
"And keep me updated on the situation in the city; make sure we're receiving reports from everyone. We don't need any more problems on our hands, understood?"
_______________________________________________
3:03AM
A figure darted through an unlit alleyway, amorphous shadows and shapes cast onto the ground, blending in with the darkness of the filth and grime below as they shifted erratically with every stiff breeze. It didn't take long for the hurried footsteps to reach the other end of the narrow alley, stopping abruptly as it neared the streams of neon light leaking into the dark gap.
Heavy breathing filled the air, the nighttime chill stinging his lungs with each strained breath. Bakugo's eyes darted left and right, front and back, up and down, yet found no sign of the one he had been chasing. She had slipped from his sight somehow, somewhere along the line, and now was nowhere to be seen.
He cursed loudly, his voice instantly echoing through the vacant alleyway. Crimson eyes snapped up to the exit before him, leading directly into a populated commercial block. He saw a car or two zip by, illuminated bizarrely by the neon signs and bright street lamps overhead. There were pedestrians too, walking leisurely in the static early hours, yet none of them were what he sought.
He had to find her before she did something stupid.
Gritting his teeth with a scowl, he darted out of the dim alleyway, taking off into the strange glow of the nighttime city.
He had to hurry.
_______________________________________________
3:30AM
"Sir!" a policeman called out as he rushed into the room, noticeably out of breath, instantly drawing both pairs of eyes to him, "There's news from the Commission, it's urgent!"
"What is it?" the dog-chief asked grimly, expression hardening.
He silently braced himself, though he long knew this was coming. It was only a matter of time before something went wrong. There was no shortage of horrible things that could have happened, they knew that from the beginning, yet his stomach still dropped sickeningly at the foreboding words.
The officer's eyes shifted momentarily to Aizawa, then back to the chief next to him, a silent uncertainty in his wary gaze. The chief waved off his question, however, prompting the man to tighten his jaw, hesitating for a moment before bringing himself to speak.
"There's... been an incident in one of our northern sectors. Seven heroes have been incapacitated and two more have been injured."
"What?" the chief quickly rose from his seat, "When did this happen?"
"We just received word from the Commission, sir."
"How were they attacked? Were there any witnesses?"
"No, sir. It seems they all sustained blunt-force wounds to the head; it's likely they were blitzed."
Aizawa clutched his hands together, knuckles draining white, brows drawing unconsciously. An uncomfortable dread pulled heavy at the pit of his stomach.
Blunt-force trauma.
It wasn't proof. He couldn't be sure, but...
"Send reinforcements. I want the whole sector walled off for a search team."
"Who are we looking for?
"Any of our targets," he stated plainly, voice hard and grim, "but especially Unknown."
"Yes, sir," the officer nodded before taking off as abruptly as he had come, a one-track-mind to relay the order to the rest of the network.
The room fell silent once more.
The chief remained still, hands clenched, staring at the now-empty doorway.
"She didn't do this."
He glanced back at Aizawa, expression taught as he raised a questioning eyebrow. He remained silent for a long moment, closing his eyes. Slowly, he lowered back into his seat, a deep sigh leaving his lips. "Can you be sure about that?"
"She has no reason to harm any of the heroes."
"She doesn't need a reason in her current state."
"I know how it seems, but she wouldn't have done this. You know she's smart, she doesn't act recklessly, and she's never caused any harm beyond what she needed to survive. This is too out of character to have been Unknown."
"You saw the way she was acting, Aizawa, all of it was out of character. She's not thinking rationally, there's no why to her actions anymore," the chief stated, rising to his feet. "Once we have statements from the injured heroes, we'll be able to determine if this was her or not, but until then, we have no choice but to prepare for the worst case scenario."
"She's not the villain you think she is."
The chief lowered his gaze, taking a step towards the door. The air was stale, stagnant in the windowless room. The fluorescent lights buzzed idly overhead, casting a flat white glow over the quiet room below. Voices murmured in the distance, too far away to know if they were real.
"For her own sake, I hope you're right."
_______________________________________________
...
Blurry eyes gradually flickered open. Slowly, they rose and fell as patches of indistinct grays faded into view. A dull pain pulsed through his body, yet he couldn't quite identify where it was coming from. He must have been cold, the way his fingers retracted unconsciously from the hard surface below, curling into his palm.
His heavy eyes opened once more, stinging with the faint strain of effort. He blinked slowly, watching as the darkness before him faded only a bit before the indistinct hues gradually sharpened into reality.
It was dim around him, he soon understood; what little light there was must have been far away, perhaps faint or obscured. There was enough residual light to see the dull gray of the high ceiling, cracks littering the old concrete surface as far as he could make out. The ground beneath him was cold and unyielding, enough to surmise it was a similarly gray, lifeless concrete thing. The walls were too far to see, fading into black before the light could catch them. He was certain they were there, however, as the air was stagnant, motionless: somewhere neither wind nor sun could reach. A soft creaking echoed around him, distant and ominous, the way a house settles in harsh weather, and there was something else as well- another sound: quiet but clear.
Breathing.
For a moment, in his muddled, hazy state, he thought it might be his own, if only it weren't a moment delayed.
His eyes shifted, head turning to the side as he soon found the reason for the resonant sound.
A pair of dark eyes stared down at him vacantly, two points of blackness almost blending into the shadows, made only distinct by the gleaming whites of the distant gaze.
He smiled, his voice a dry warmth.
"It's been a while, Unknown."
Her eyes didn't move, didn't seem to hear him at all, instead they remained unfocused, just missing his gaze. A dull pain throbbed at his temple, a heavy hand lifting to find a small trickle of blood matting his hair and staining his skin. A shallow sigh left his lips as his hand fell beside him once more. Eyes half lidded, he turned his head to the side, scanning her idle silhouette.
"You're hurt," he frowned, gazing at the semi-shine of drying blood streaked across her face, discolored in the dim light, "but that probably isn't yours, is it?"
Silence buzzed around the empty room, echoing, bouncing off the old metal, stone, concrete. What distant noise there may have been, what traces of life or light or joy no longer existed here, if it ever had, blocked out by thick slabs of gray.
"I'm glad you caught up to us so quickly, though it's a shame you just missed Amplify," he smiled, slowly pushing himself up from the ground, watching as her eyes shifted with him. "Ah, I see you already know about him. That's alright, I suppose even those mindless worker ants can piece together that much. Maybe it's for the best anyway, you two wouldn't have gotten along at all."
Unknown's eyes remained on his, unfocused, unmoving as his soft laughter echoed in the quiet room.
"I don't mean anything by that, of course; you two are just too similar. Quiet, talented kids, you know? Although you did get along quite well back when he was at the house... hm, maybe you two could have been close after all."
"...you said," she uttered faintly, voice miles away, "...they were just in my imagination."
"Hm? I don't remember saying anything like that. Are you sure you're remembering correctly, Unknown?"
"There were... four back then, the others."
"No, no, there were only two when you came. You made three."
"That's not true, there were more, I... remember..."
"Well, it's been a long time, and you were so little back then, it only makes sense your memory's a bit foggy. Don't worry, dear, it's alright. We'll help you remember everything in time."
"I didn't-"
"Let's go home now, Unknown," he smiled softly, "I'm sure the others want to see you too. It's been so long since we've all been together, after all."
Unknown's eyes shifted once more at the mention of the other three, almost startled, as if she had momentarily forgotten about them. She blinked as her fingertips pressed into her arms, brows drawing. "Where are they?"
"What do you mean?"
"Where did you take them?"
"Take them?" he tilted his head, lips curving into a soft smile, "Surely you don't think I've forced them into anything, do you? Come now, Unknown, you know better than that."
"They wouldn't-"
"It must have been hard on you. Spending so much time with those heroes must have put some bad things in your mind, poor thing. This is what I've been trying to protect you from, you know," he sighed disapprovingly. "That mission was too much for you, I shouldn't have sent you to them like that. All those bad people instilling their crooked ideals on you, it must have been just horrible. It's not your fault they got to you, Unknown, I know you did your best. Don't let this get you down, alright? I know you'll do better next time," he smiled, resting a hand atop her head, his voice gentle and warm. "You must be so tired. All this time away from home wasn't easy, was it? Come now, let's go back to how things used to be. Let's forget all of this, alright? It can be just our little family again, happy and free, the way it's always been. How nice would that be?"
Her eyes lingered on his for a long moment, that same faraway gaze seemingly cast miles beyond him. They trailed lower bit by bit, almost mindless, only coming to a stop halfway down.
His hand was outstretched to her.
"Everyone's waiting for you," he smiled gently. That same warm, loving, gentle smile of a father that shredded children he didn't want, that made pawns of orphans and throwaways, that saw no value in anyone's life or thoughts or happiness but his own.
The distinct scrape of metal against concrete sounded only briefly as Unknown raised her arm- a dull, metallic glint catching the scarce light as the rusted pipe in her hand came into view.
_______________________________________________
It wouldn't be until hours later that the chief received word of a sighting. Suddenly, reports from heroes and policemen alike began flooding in, all from the same area, all saying the same thing.
They had found Unknown.
The location hadn't been where they expected; in fact, it was far from the sector they had cordoned off following the unexpected attacks earlier that morning, yet that was of little concern to the Commission as they quickly dispatched their best team to the site. Among them was Aizawa, whose familiarity with Unknown made him the closest they had to a negotiator. They anticipated they might have to talk her down: he would, without a doubt, be able to reason with her better than the rest of them, and if worse came to worst, he could at least nullify her quirk, allowing the others an opening to capture her. It was only by his insistence that they were even attempting a negotiative approach, however; they had been fully prepared to enter on the offensive, counting on sheer numbers and brute force to end this dragged-out chaos. Although they tentatively agreed to try a more reserved tactic, the Commission made it clear that the team was to ensure no more casualties would result from this, regardless of what it took.
What they found upon reaching their destination, however, was not what they anticipated.
There was no need for negotiation, nor tactical advances, nor extreme measures. There was no need because Unknown sat quietly on the ground, arms resting at her sides, legs idle in front of her. She was calm, gaze cast far away, no trace of that once-raging aggression to be found. The rhythmic rise and fall of her shoulders was slow, unhindered, not nearly resembling that of a fugitive cornered by half the heroes in the city. It was almost as if she merely had a change of heart, as if she simply decided to give up this wild midnight chase, yet that illusion was thoroughly shattered by the thick, saturated red staining her body. It stunk of metal, splattered head to toe, across her face, so abundant in some places that it melded into puddles, dripping crimson. Her hands were so completely coated that viscous drops pooled down her arm and fell steadily from her fingertips, hitting the ground with a wet splat, splat, splat.
She didn't move as they approached her, didn't even seem to notice they were there.
She didn't seem to notice as Aizawa slowly knelt beside her, lips moving with words she couldn't hear.
She didn't seem to notice as she was hauled to her feet, arms pulled behind her as cold silver handcuffs clicked around her wrists.
She didn't seem to notice as a familiar face emerged from the distance, throwing up a commotion as he tried in vain to push past the barricade of heroes.
She didn't seem to notice as they warily looked up at the old Shie Hassaikai building she was being led away from, nor did she notice their exchange of words as they sent a gathering of their ranks inside.
She wouldn't be around to notice those valiant heroes emerge from that forgotten, crumbling building, their faces pallid and their stomachs wrenching at the discovery they made deep beneath the surface. She wouldn't be able to see the horror on their gallant faces the moment they found the source of all that blood, the gory scene in one of the many dark, empty rooms that old place held, where the red remains of something lay scattered, splattered too thinly to be recognizable.
And as the sun peeked over the far horizon, the first rays of golden light washing over the oblivious city, Unknown had finally defeated her monster.