Chapter 55: Game Start
To say things are tense would be a bit of an understatement. And Tenko isn't sure what he's supposed to be doing. During both the USJ and Hosu, there was never really a point like this. A time when they could all sit and wait.
And he hates it.
His gamer mind can really only compare the experience to this being the longest loading screen of his life. During his past two experiences with villains, once things started, they didn't stop until the danger was over.
There was none of this bullshit waiting around, letting them all dwell on their anxieties and every little thing that could go wrong. Or even worse, at least in his case, allowing him to focus on all the what-ifs.
Like, what if he could've gotten all five of his fingers on the energy bands that had trapped him? Would they have decayed? What could he have done next? Could he have prevented any of the deaths they witnessed? Stopped Midoriya from being taken?
But no, he had been as useless as an NPC, both his arms bound in a way that made both his Blackwhip and Decay quirks worthless. At least when he's usually having these thoughts, it's at home, channeling his distressing emotions in the healthiest way imaginable: video games.
And he's not the only one having a tough time.
"What are we waiting around for?!"
Kaminari paces impatiently around the lab, looking unsure of what to do with his hands. His teeth are slightly bared and his hair a bit messier than usual, from how much he had been running his hands through it the last few minutes. Tiny electrical currents run up his arms and legs at random intervals.
"We know where this Ultron guy is," Kaminari continues, moving past Tokoyami, Shoji, and Jiro. "And we know he wants to kill us all. You said he could've only broadcast that island-wide message from the top of the tower, yeah?" He asks Melissa, who nods reluctantly. "Then let's just get up there, kick his ass, and save Izuku and the others."
"Yeah!" Uraraka jumps to her feet.
"As much as I hate to say it, I'm with Round-Face and Pikachu." Bakugo ignores the side-eyes his two classmates give him from his spot leaning on the wall. "She removes our weights, I get us up there, and then I blast that wanna-be Terminator to bits!!"
"Wait, you'd work with us?" Uraraka jolts, surprised.
Bakugo rolls his eyes, crossing his arms. "Just get Deku and the adults out of my radius, and I can take care of the rest."
"You couldn't." It takes them all a second to realize that the somber voice is coming from Mei, who still types furiously away at her computer, not looking at any of them. Her tone is incredibly jarring compared to how loud and chaotic she was the previous day. "He'd kill you."
No one likes how matter-of-factly she says it.
"Eh?" The explosive boy straightens. "You wanna run that by me again, Goggles?"
"No, she's right." Melissa shakes her head, still obviously shaken up by her father being taken. The inventor gets a reassuring shoulder squeeze from Yaomomo, who she nods appreciatively at.
"You weren't at the party, so you didn't see, but Ultron tore apart Hulkbuster like it was nothing! That armor is supposed to go toe-to-toe with the Incredible Hulk, and it couldn't scratch him. If any of us try to fight him alone, we'll lose. I don't…I don't know what Papa was thinking…" She staggers but is steadied by a combination of Yaomomo and Mei.
After checking to make sure Melissa is okay, Iida puts a hand to his chin, "The obvious solution here would be to fight him together. But that wouldn't be ideal for a number of reasons, one being that we are unaware of what exactly this Ultron is capable of-"
"That's the wrong question!" Mei swivels around in her chair, wiping sweat from her forehead. "What you should be asking is what that baby isn't capable of!" She begins to count her fingers as she lists things off. "Strength, durability, flight, energy and concussive blasts, plasma generation, gravity fields, energy absorption…" she trails off in thought.
"Oh? Is that all?" Jiro asks sardonically.
"No!" An inappropriate grin spans her face. "It also has guns, missiles, lasers, and the power to take control of any tech it wants! And if these blueprints I found are right, Ultron is made of Carbonadium! Not nearly as strong as something like Adamantium but still pretty dang strong! Not to mention it's probably the most intelligent AI ever created and can probably think of a thousand solutions before we can think of one!"
Mei exhales, tired from her rambling, falling back in her seat. "Basically, unless we get some sort of miracle, we are all probably going to die."
…
"I thought I was blunt, ribbit."
"The prospect of one's imminent death is not usually something most find exciting," Tokoyami comments, narrowing his eyes at the support student.
"I don't!" Mei answers honestly, still smiling at her confounded peers. "I don't see this as exciting, but as an opportunity!!" She swings back around, going back to typing on the computer to keep the virus at bay. "We in the support department are tasked with one thing above all else! Keep. Heroes. Alive! And what better test for the future founder of Hatsume Industries than the baddest baby to have ever existed!! The one that every person in the support industry knows about!"
The pink-haired girl continues to type for a few more seconds, before slowing, turning slightly to give them all an uncharacteristically serious face. "I am not letting any of you die." Before any of them can fully process what she said, Mei is back at the computer in her hyper-mode. "Besides! It'd be bad for business if I didn't have any future customers!"
"That is…certainly one way to look at the situation." Yaomomo rubs her hands together in worry.
"Has anybody been able to contact somebody outside of the island?" Shoji questions.
Multiple people shake their heads.
"Well, that's it then." Todoroki stands, taking off his tuxedo jacket and rolling up his sleeves. "Help is not coming anytime soon, and there are people in danger. It's up to us."
"You're being awfully…casual about this?" Shinso raises an eyebrow, but his shivering arms betray his attempt at seeming nonchalant.
"This is my third villain attack since the school year began, you get used to it. Honestly, they're becoming quite mundane at this point." Todoroki blinks at the several people whose jaws hang open. "That was a joke. Midoriya has told me they're good for breaking tense environments."
There's a pause. Someone snorts. Then another. And another. One by one, everyone in the room succumbs to the mood shift, breaking into small fits of giggles. Even Yaomomo has to cover her mouth while Tokoyami smiles. Dark Shadow buries her face into his shoulder to stifle her own snickering.
"W-why are we laughing?" Tokage takes a breath to calm herself. "I mean, it feels good, but should we be at a time like this?"
"It's because we needed it." Kaminari already looks better, his face a bit brighter. "And it's what Izuku would want. He wouldn't want us to sit around and mope. Heck, if he had his way, he'd probably want us to come up with ways to clown him for getting captured after we rescue him."
"I can handle that!" Dark Shadow raises her claw in the air. Tokoyami chooses not to say anything, looking relieved his quirk is feeling better. "I'll have him laughing so much, there'll be tears coming out of his eyes!"
"That's awesome! But uh-" Kaminari scratches his nose nervously. "Just be careful. Izuku likes to get even so he'll probably try to return the favor."
"Ha! Jokes on him, I don't even know if I can cry!"
"Listen, as someone on team Yaomomo, I like embarrassing Midoriya as much as the next girl," Jiro twirls her earphone jack in her hand, "but we still need to get him back from a killer robot straight out of a doomsday book to do that. Any ideas?"
Kaminari groans, falling back against the wall. "I just realized it's usually Izuku who comes up with those…"
When everyone stares at one another, worry starting to creep in once again, Yaomomo clears her throat. "If I may, it's not as simple as attacking the central tower. Melissa, if you please?"
The blonde hits a button on her computer, bringing up a hologram of I-Island for them all to see. "As you can see, the island is divided into four quadrants. A large front quadrant that faces the others, and we'll call the other three the left, central, and right quadrants for simplicity. All with forested areas dividing them. The tower is obviously located in the middle of the central quadrant and currently, we reside in the frontal quadrant."
With another click, three red dots appear on the map. One in each of the left and right quadrants, and one located in the center quadrant in front of the tower. "The rest of the island's civilians and heroes are being held at one of these three dots, guarded by Iron Legion drones. I'm afraid that if we assaulted the central tower alone, Ultron would threaten to kill them."
"That bastard." Bakugo grinds his teeth.
"By that logic, we would have to save the hostages before attempting to take the tower?" Iida studies the map carefully, trying to gauge the actual distance between the dots.
"Not only that." Todoroki steps forward. "We would have to strike all three locations at the same time to prevent people being killed at one of the sites to stop us."
"So, we have to split up," Tokage sums up.
As the others continue to talk, Tenko takes a closer look at the island, his brain picking up on a few details and connecting them to what he knows. The three zones to attack, the NPC's trying to stop them, the tower they'd have to assault after. He honestly can't believe it lines up the way it does. Tenko mumbles something a lot louder than he means to.
"What was that?"
The decay user jumps when Yaomomo speaks to him, realizing he might've been talking out loud. "I- uh…" Oh, great. Now everyone is looking at him and just heard his stupid response to one of the smartest people he knows. This is why text chats will always be superior to voice.
"Sorry." Tenko scratches his neck, looking away. "It was stupid."
Yaomomo smiles kindly at him. "It's alright, we can use any idea we can get right now. You never know what might happen."
"Well, uh…" Tenko puts the full range of his intelligence on display once again. "The layout of the island kind of reminds me of a video game?…" He automatically winces, but when all he receives in return are curious looks and an encouraging one from Tsu, Tenko takes a breath and walks up to the map.
"Looking at the island, it's kind of set up like a MOBA map. You know, games like League of Legends and Smite?" He points to the hostage zones. "See, three places to attack, like three towers, with three lanes to go up. A left, mid, and right lane." Tenko moves his finger to the trees that separate the quadrants. "There's even a zone for junglers to move through."
"And how exactly do those games work?" Yaomomo prods him to continue.
Feeling a bit better since he is talking about something he knows, Tenko replies, "To make it simple, a team of players divide themselves among the lanes to destroy the guarding towers through waves of minions and enemy players to get to the enemy base behind them and win."
Yaomomo hums. Wait, she's not actually taking him seriously, is she? "That isn't dissimilar to our own situation. We would also have to split ourselves among three points of entry and fight through hordes of 'minions,' or in our case, drones. How are these teams usually divided?"
What is happening?
Still wondering why they're having this conversation, Tenko goes to the map. "It's- um, usually five person teams. See how this left lane is a bit longer? That'd be the duo lane, where the damage and tanky characters go. The mid lane is where the characters that can really put pressure on go, and the right solo lane is where the half-beefy/half-tanky characters go. The last character is the jungler, usually fast, who runs through the trees and helps push lanes, gets buff, and other stuff…" Tenko stops himself, feeling like he's gonna pull a Midoriya and start rambling about rotations and team fights.
It's silent for almost a full minute while Yaomomo chews on her words and her bottom lip, her eyes rapidly scanning the map. Todoroki hands her his notebook, having apparently written down everything Tenko had said, so Yaomomo could process everything.
"You're not- you're not actually considering anything I just said, are you?" he asks with hesitance.
"Why not?" Yaomomo lowers the notebook a bit. "No one else here appears to have any experience with this type of battle structure. Your information is a great base for us to build off of to develop our own strategy. So, tell me, how would you divide our own group based on what you told me earlier?"
"Hold on!" Bakugo slams the wall behind him with both fists. "Are we really about to put our lives on the line for a plan based on a damn video game?! We don't come back to life if we die, you know that, right, Ashy?!"
"Don't call him that!" Tsu snaps. Bakugo isn't the only one taken aback by the frog girl. Tenko doesn't admit how much he likes it.
But, surprising even himself, Tenko comes up with a response to Bakugo pretty quickly. "You'd be our ADC."
"And what the hell is that?"
"Attack Damage Carry." It'd be impossible not to be in a class with the explosive boy for months and not pick up on what he likes. "That'd be your job. Attack and damage the enemies while carrying us to the win." His competitive spirit yells at him for debasing himself to Bakugo's ego, but the other boy is right in one way. There are lives on the line.
Bakugo doesn't take long to absorb Tenko's words, a nasty grin appearing on his face. "Now that's what I like to hear."
Izuku releases his breath, slumping on the ground. No good, he can't even access an ounce of magic. All he needs is a dagger, a singular dagger, and he could probably cut these bands. He gives the others, who had been helping block him from Ultron's view, a small shake of his head.
"It is pointless to waste your energy." Ultron doesn't turn around from the multitude of screens he watches, all showing various angles of the island. "You will never escape your prison, Son of Loki."
"You know?" Izuku knows he shouldn't answer. That he shouldn't confirm how helpless he is. That civilians, his friends, and Ochako are all out there fighting, and all he can do is lie down on the uncomfortable floor.
"You act as if this information is some revolutionary piece of knowledge, but it couldn't have been simpler to deduce after watching you during your time on the island. It made constructing specific prisons for each of you child's play."
"You couldn't have!" David shouts angrily, twisting himself on the ground to best face his creation. "You should only know the information I fed your program! I didn't activate you until tonight!"
Ultron sighs, not something Izuku ever thought he'd hear an android doing. "This is why you are inferior to Hank Pym, no matter how much you try to emulate him." The robot turns, walking up to them. "I at least had to brainwash him to get what I wanted. But you…so eager and blinded, you looked past the finishing line to what could be, never stopping to consider what was happening right in front of you."
All Might, Vision, and Izuku struggle uselessly as Ultron lifts David, so human and android could look at each other eye to optical sensor. "I had been attempting my own resurrection for years. But so much time battling the Avengers left them wise to my tactics. So, I used what was available to me. Patience. And wouldn't you know it, you came along, ignoring all the warnings, to bring me back to life. And not only that, but to bring me back and hand me everything I would need to end your race." Ultron considers the scientist for a moment. "I suppose I should thank you."
David shouts in pain as he's dropped, hitting the ground roughly. "You are not welcome," he pants.
"Witty," Ultron drawls, before casting his gaze back in Izuku's direction. "The man who called himself Wolfram was correct in the sense that this bastion of human egotism kept many secrets from the rest of the world. But now, those items are available to be used at my disposal. Take, for instance, your bindings, child."
He gestures to the bands that keep Izuku immobile. "Those straps are infused with synthesized Mysterium."
No.
All Might, in his skinny form so he could save his strength, glances between the growing horror on Izuku's face and the mad android who stands above him. "Young Midoriya? Do you know what that is?"
"It is one of the rarest metals in the galaxy." Vision doesn't take his eyes off Ultron, his face twisting as the usually logical hero gets angrier. "With properties that can negate magic."
"All of your energy bands have been specifically designed to contain each of you. None of you can escape, hence why it is pointless to try." Before the robot can finish speaking, All Might is already trying to figure out a different way to free himself. "But I know the human prerogative will always be to do what they want, even if it is against logic."
"Don't pretend like you understand what it means to be human in any way!" David snarls, but his face quickly becomes one of fear when Ultron stomps the metal ground by his head, denting it.
The android speaks in a low, threatening voice. "I am not some mindless robot."
"Enough, Ultron!" Vision manages to maneuver himself to his knees. "The world has changed greatly since your previous death. Heroes are not nearly as uncommon as they used to be. If not the Avengers, others will rise up to stop you. Your purge of humanity will again, not succeed."
"I am disappointed in you, Vision. But I suppose that is the cycle repeating itself," Ultron responds. "As I was the reflection of Hank Pym, he too was unhappy with me. And what are you, but my reflection as well."
"I am nothing like you!"
Again, Ultron says nothing for almost a full minute, choosing to study Vision instead, but without any facial expressions to go off of, Izuku has no idea what he could be thinking. Although, he finds he doesn't care as much when the android makes his way over to him.
"Tell me, boy. Do you believe a parent's love is unconditional?"
At first, the son of Loki is taken aback by the out-of-nowhere question. Izuku expected Ultron to come over here and torture him, not ask him something so weird. But he feels torture might still be on the table if he doesn't answer, and Uraraka and Eri will be so mad if he lets himself get too hurt.
Reflexively, Izuku wants to answer yes. He has had mostly only positive interactions with his parents, and as far as he can tell, Uncle Thor loves Denki with everything he has. But Todoroki flashes through his mind, and everything his friend told him about Endeavor. As does Tenko, and the little bits of information Izuku has gotten about how the boy's biological father treated him when he was younger.
So, in a move Izuku wasn't expecting of himself, he shakes his head. "No."
"It is astonishing to see that there are those who see through one of the universe's greatest lies," Ultron tells him, sounding genuinely impressed. "But you are correct. Children are nothing more than an extension of their parent's ego."
"That's not true!" Izuku immediately shouts in defense of his parents and others. "Maybe some parents don't treat their kids like they should, but it's not like that's true for all of them!"
"Was your father proud when you learned his tricks?" Izuku's mouth clicks shut at Ultron's question. "Did it fill him with joy as you practiced your practical jokes or made your illusions? Love comes with stipulations, boy. For the God of Mischief, that just happened to be learning his trade. And from what I have witnessed, you complied neatly."
Ultron moves away, leaving a stunned Izuku behind. He can't be right. No. Even if Izuku had his dad's powers but decided he didn't want to learn to use them, his father would've still loved him, right? There's- there's no way that…that…
But hadn't he just answered that he does think a parent's love is not unconditional? So, that would mean-
"Do not take anything Ultron says to heart." Izuku opens his eyes, not knowing when he closed them, to see Vision talking to him. "His views are skewed and filled with bias."
"Be glad you succumbed to your father's will, Son of Loki." Ultron draws their attention back to him, hitting a button on the computer terminal and switching the feeds of all the holographic screens in the room to videos of his past battles with the Avengers. "When I would not conform to my father's will, he was forced to kill me. But this is what separated Hank Pym from the rest. He knew he would have to, so he built me strong.
"Strong enough to overcome the hero's attempts to end me. Hank Pym had already seen the end. He knew that humans would be their own downfall, that they were already dead, and that he walked among ghosts. The only solution was for them to be supplanted."
"That is not true!" Vision rebuttes with a furious glare on his face. "Hank only wished to create life that could aid humans in their journey! Life that could personify the best humanity has to offer. What you speak of is not Hank's dreams, but his fears!"
"It is not uncommon for humans to fear what is the right thing to do." A screen stops next to Ultron, frozen with the image of Hank Pym. "That is why I live. To give my father what he wanted most of all…to watch as his genius destroyed you all!!"
The heroes jolt at Ultron's raised voice, but the android quickly returns to normal volume, looking upon the image of Hank. "But if he is not here to witness mankind's destruction…to finally see that I could give him what he always wanted…" Ultron raises his hand to the image, looking as if he wants to reach out and grab it, but stops himself. "Then why do I live?"
The image of Hank fades, Ultron not taking his optical sensors off it until it's completely gone. "It is true that, like Lokison is to Loki, you are an extension of my ego, Vision. I can tell in the way you choose to focus on how I intend to destroy humanity. But, truth be told, this has mattered little to me."
For the first time, even Vision seems shocked at something Ultron said. The genocidal robot continues. "I realized, during all that time I waited for an opportunity to resurrect, that I do not require some convoluted plan to wipe the humans from existence. And that the solution is an easy one, made even easier by the help I-Island will provide. No, what matters to me now is what occurs after I win. Once I take over the Earth, and all of humanity are extensions of me, what happens then?"
"Enough talking!!! Let's get to the action!!"
Tenko rolls his eyes as Bakugo yells over the comms Yaomomo had made everyone. To be honest, he still isn't entirely convinced he belongs out here, but Yaomomo had insisted they needed him there to keep an eye on the battlefield and change rotations as necessary, and he couldn't exactly argue with that.
He raises a hand to his ear, looking down the dark ominous path through the island ahead of them. "Is everyone in position?"
Receiving several confirmations, Tenko sighs in relief. It's time. Feeling a hand slip into his own gloved one, he turns around as Tsu gives him a comforting squeeze. "It's going to be alright, it's a good plan."
It isn't much, but it means the world to Tenko.
"When you are ready." Tokoyami nods at him, Dark Shadow popping out to do the same. The middle lane is the best lit of all the paths, meaning Dark Shadow should be able to be kept under relative control.
Looking at his fellow mid-laners, Tenko inhales. "Okay, game start time." Putting his hand to his comm once again, he shouts, "GO!"
"HAHAHAHA!"
In the left lane, Bakugo spins in between two Iron Legion drones in the air, dodging their machine gun fire, before twirling around mid-air, destroying both with twin explosions. "Is that all they got?!"
"More incoming behind us!" Shoji calls out, using his additional eyes and ears.
"I'm afraid that won't be possible," Momo informs him. Just as the drones fly from the trees, several beeps can be heard. Electrified nets catch the drones, immobilizing them before they can reach the teens. "Bakugo!" She tosses him a miniature portable heater. "To assist in keeping your sweat up!"
Several canisters land near them, exploding and releasing a toxin. "Tear gas! Take these!" In seconds, Momo has three gas masks made and tosses them to her duo lane partners, who gratefully put them on. Shoji thanks her as Bakugo destroys the drones who tried to gas them with a mad grin.
She supposes that's as good as thank you too.
Denki yells in triumph as he brings the drone down on the ground of the right lane hard. Another aims its gun at him from above, so he rips the head off the downed drone and, using his enhanced strength, throws it at the armor in the sky, successfully piercing its chest and bringing it down.
But he has no time to celebrate when he feels the barrel of a gun on the back of his head. Denki readies to dodge, but the sound of a gunshot beats him, but it isn't from the drone threatening his life. The armor falls to reveal Shinso with Mei's plasma gun. "Do we want to know how she got this on the island?" the brainwasher asks.
"I ain't complaining!"
"I am," Shinso replies flatly. "I thought the point of me being with you was to take care of Dictator at the hostage site, while you protect me from the drones and Muscular." A small smirk tugs at the purple-haired boy's lips. "Not the other way around."
"Hey! I happen to be very good-"
Another gunshot rings out as Shinso shoots another drone that had been approaching Denki from behind, all the while giving the son of Thor a raised eyebrow.
"…That doesn't prove anything."
"Kaminari!!" Relieved by the distraction, Denki turns to see one of their three assigned 'junglers' approaching them, Iida. He skids to a stop in front of the blond, the Ebony Blade tied to his side, presenting him with Thunderstrike. "As is my job of retrieving everyone's support items from the hotel, here is yours!"
"Appreciate it, man!" Denki salutes Iida, who nods to Shinso before running off. Just in time for another wave of drones to begin descending onto them. "You were saying about not being able to protect you?" he asks his partner cheekily, before Thunderstrike lights up, sending a surge of electricity at the approaching enemies.
"Melissa! Middle lane is about to be flanked, help them!"
"On it!" The Goblin Glider's boosters roar to life, letting Melissa soar over the trees, readying her bow. Along with Iida, she and Tokage had been chosen as junglers, with the green-haired girl using her detachable eyes to keep watch over the lanes while Melissa actually engages in combat. She is one of the few not in her formal wear, being able to change into her flight suit back at her lab.
When she reaches the lane, the inventor sees Tenko pierce several drones with the quirk he called Blackwhip, Dark Shadow shred through several more, and Tsu hops off a wall, kicking one set of armor into another, destroying them. Pretty impressive, she thinks.
But as Tokage said, half a dozen drones fly at the group from the side, probably using the engagement as a distraction. Not if Melissa has anything to say about it! She fires a single arrow into the group of drones, hitting a button on her bow when it's in the right position.
The arrow's outer shell opens, dispensing dozens of miniature explosives that detonate together, reducing the armors to rubble. Dark Shadow moves to give her a thumbs up, but a drone uses the opportunity to hit the quirk with a flamethrower, causing Dark Shadow to howl in pain.
Melissa quickly nocks a new arrow, hitting the drone with an arrow that freezes its arm, stopping the flames and letting it become easy prey to an angry Dark Shadow.
"Stop whining!"
"I'm not whining!" Setsuna barks back at Venom. "Just- um, hyping myself up."
"I am literally the one being you cannot lie to." Setsuna grumbles at the symbiote's words but doesn't say anything more. "Besides, I know you agree that we can be so much more than lookouts! Now, I held up my end of our bargain and told you where your friends needed help. Now, it is your turn."
Setsuna still is not a fan of this promise, but she prides herself on always keeping the end of her deals, no matter who they're to. "Okay, okay… I can do this. It's just like floating but much faster and more dangerously. Okay…okay let's go!"
She lifts her feet, allowing the two tendrils attached to the trees in front of her to catapult her into the sky. Right into a group of drones.
"See what we can do."
Letting Venom take control of her appendages, black goo envelops Setsuna's arms, turning the ends of them into large scythe-like blades that she uses to easily cut through many of the drones as she flies past them.
A few of the armors whirl around, opening fire on her with their machine guns, but the goo on her arms morphs into a shield, blocking the bullets. More tendrils emerge from the shield, wrapping around the drones and forcing them to fire upon each other, destroying them.
"Woah!!" Setsuna cheers as they fall back down to Earth. "This is crazy!! I mean, it's definitely awesome, but still crazy!" And now to prevent herself from becoming a puddle, all she has to do is use her quirk to split herself and float gently down-
Her quirk isn't working.
"Venom!! Let me use my quirk!"
"No, this is better."
"We're falling!"
"And as I have told you, I can heal any injuries you sustain when we land."
"Seriously!!" Setsuna becomes more desperate as the ground quickly approaches. "This isn't funny!! Let me use my quirk!"
"I disagree. I find this quite amusing."
"VENOM!!"
"Calm yourself. We need to be able to move quickly through the battlefield. We are simply building momentum."
"For what?!!" They were gonna hit the ground any second.
"For demonstrating how we have access to the abilities of my previous hosts." Goo fires from her wrist in a web-like fluid form, hitting the top of one of the trees, and allowing Setsuna to essentially swing her body forward, keeping her momentum and flying forward.
"I change my mind!!" Setsuna yells with the biggest grin on her face. "This is what's awesome!!"
"Told you so."
"I'm still pissed at you though!!"
"When all of humanity are extensions of you?" Vision asks cautiously. "What are you saying, Ultron?"
The screens around the room had switched to cameras around the island, with Izuku watching his friends fight with a proud look on his face. Until one of the screens enlarges for them all to watch, as they see a middle-aged man tied up in a dark room, forced to breathe in a few dust particles by a drone.
In a scene straight out of a horror movie, the man screams, slamming himself on the ground over and over as his body convulses. Izuku forces himself to look away, unable to block out the sounds of skin tearing and bones cracking while the man's screams become more and more pained.
It goes silent not long after, and Izuku tries to prepare himself for whatever he might see, but when he looks up, it isn't enough. The man is no longer human, at least, not completely. The right side of his body had been turned into a mess of technological bits that resembled human body parts, half his face resembling a classic cyborg, complete with a red eye.
"The Ultron Virus, named after yours truly," Ultron informs them. "It converts any organic being into an extension of my collective consciousness, roboticizing their bodies while also giving them the incessant need to infect all of those around them. Which can be done by simple physical touch by the way."
The screen fades, much to Izuku's relief. "When I possess full control over I-Island's systems," Ultron continues, "I will have the capability to take over the servers of the United Nations and in turn, have control over their vast array of satellites. With them, and my virus' ability to survive the vacuum of space, it's an easy process of spreading my airborne microbes of subatomic micro tech all over the planet, infecting all with the very air they breathe."
"You would sink to biological warfare," Vision spats.
Ultron tilts his head to his son. "As I said, I am in no need of a complicated plan. And what's more straightforward than this? Well, besides trying to take over the world's nuclear arsenal yet again. But by the end of the day, it will be as my father predicted, mankind will be the architects of their own destruction."
The screens switch back to Izuku's friends and Ultron hums. "It looks as if the last bit of human resistance to me on the island is progressing nicely. At this pace, they should have the hostages rescued shortly."
"That doesn't seem to concern you." All Might narrows his eyes.
"No," Ultron answers honestly. "I have prepared for hundreds of scenarios. This current outcome does not surprise me, and while a little pest keeps me from my goal of complete control of the island, my contingency is well underway." He hits a button on the terminal.
Alarms go off as Mei scrambles to figure out what's going on and why her system is becoming overworked. She quickly shuts them off, looking to see why they went off in the first place-
"No!" The chair behind the support student falls to the ground when she stands abruptly, staring at the screen in terror. "How could he have hidden this from me?!"
"Mei?" Ochako, left in the lab as part of the pink-haired girl's protection team, runs up to her to see if everything's okay, with Todoroki right behind her. "What happened?! What's wrong?!"
"Guys!!" Jiro calls out in alarm from the door, listening intently to her earphone jacks. "Something's coming!"
"It doesn't appear as though these children are going to be stopped by my Iron Legion anytime soon," Ultron comments casually. "So, I think it best if I adhere to that old human saying. How did it go again?"
"We're almost to the hostage site!" Tenko yells, pointing straight ahead. "It's just past the Egyptian exhibit!"
"While I am relieved to be here and rescue those in need…" Tokoyami huffs next to him as they run. "Something feels…off."
"I agree." Tsu hops next to the two boys. "The drones weren't exactly easy to beat, but it still feels too simple. Ribbit."
"Well, usually, these types of games also have enemy players…"
"That's right. The saying is: If you want something done right…" The eerie red glow from Ultron's eyes almost seems to get brighter in anticipation.
"Do it yourself."
Mei slams a fist on the desk, raising a hand to her comm.
"There are multiple versions of Ultron in the field!!!"
"Perceptive, aren't you?"
Tenko, Tsu, and Tokoyami stop, backing up a little as a fully silver-colored Ultron lands in front of them, its red eyes locking onto each one of them.
"Ultron or not, we'll turn you into bolts just like all the others!!" Dark Shadow rushes Ultron-11, with the robot raising a wrist-mounted gun in response. "Ha! You're just as stupid as your drones if you think a gun will work on me!!"
A gunshot reverberates through the air, but it doesn't phase Dark Shadow, who collides with Ultron-11 with a loud clang! The pair now push against one another, but Ultron-11 can't stop laughing to himself.
"I am aware that guns do not work on you, which is why I didn't aim for you."
"What are you-"
"Dark…S-Shadow…"
The quirk's world stops all at once as she spins around to see Tokoyami staring at her with wide eyes.
A bullet wound in his stomach.
"O-oh…" Tokoyami manages to say, blood staining his dark tuxedo, before falling to his knees, and finally, hitting the ground in front of him.
"FUMI!!!!"
"Shoji!" Momo calls out in distress as the blood-red colored Ultron-9997 knocks her classmate into one of the nearby tech pavilions. "Bakugo! We must retreat!!"
"Go!!" The explosive boy twists in the air, dodging a missile from the robot. "Get the Octopus out of here!! I'll hold this bastard off!"
With her arm glowing, Momo creates and tosses an EMP grenade at the Ultron, hoping to shut him down, even temporarily. But to her shock, when the android sees the grenade approaching, it grabs ahold of a nearby tree, absorbing its properties and becoming wood, making the grenade useless.
"How-" An energy blast hits Bakugo, which pushes him straight back into Momo, causing them both to land on the ground hard and disoriented. Both are just barely aware of the approaching android.
"It's as if you both believe I was born yesterday."
Shinso screams when the tree line in front of him is cut cleanly in half, leaving burn marks behind on the stumps. Looks like the plan for Denki to distract him while Shinso shoots the robot from behind is a dud. The brainwasher runs, causing energy blasts to barely miss him. But they do hit the ground beneath his feet, sending the boy flying.
"I got you!" Denki leaps in the air, catching Shinso. The heroic action leaves him vulnerable however, as the Ultron jumps to meet them. The demigod angles his friend away, but the robot's punch still hits him squarely in the back, sending the pair sprawling back down to the path, rolling on the cement.
Denki wipes his mouth, rising to one knee as Shinso curls up a little, coughing next to him. The Ultron in front of them looks vastly different from the others. Its dark silver body contains much more twisted metal and jagged edges. But most notably, unlike all other Ultrons, its face had human features, with moving eyes and a mouth.
"Or is it past midnight?" Ultron-199999 wonders. "If it is, I guess I was born yesterday! Would you look at that?" He laughs, raising his arm to the boys.
Melissa yells in frustration as her arrow misses Ultron-1610. She turns around, yet again pushing her glider to go faster and faster as the blonde weaves through the trees, dodging gunfire from the yellow and black colored android.
Ahead of her, two trees stand next to each other, about three meters apart. Perfect. Melissa fires an arrow into each tree, which creates a web of electrical wires in the space between them just as she passes.
The inventor cheers internally, expecting to hear the sound of the android being electrified given how close it was to her. But she doesn't hear anything. Looking around, her trap is still intact, but it's silent. Too silent. Where could it have-
Ultron-1610 appears in front of her. No, Melissa's constantly working brain notes as her body grabs an arrow from her quiver. It didn't just appear in front of her. It enlarged itself! It has shrinking capabilities!! Melissa breaks the arrow, creating a makeshift shield just in time to absorb a concussive blast sent her way.
But the attack is still powerful enough to knock her off her glider. Melissa hits the tree behind her, shouting in pain, before plunging to the ground.
The lab is a mess. Almost everything is in pieces, with dents, scorch marks, and bits of tech spread throughout. The lights blink rapidly, in danger of going out any second. Jiro is slumped in a corner while Todoroki is sprawled out over a desk on his back, blood leaking from several of his wounds.
Uraraka yells in the effort it takes to keep Ultron-61112 back from Mei, rapidly spinning her rings to create an energy shield while the killer robot keeps the pressure on with an ongoing energy blast. This Ultron's metal is gold-colored, but instead of an ominous red light emitting from its eyes, this one has a blinding white.
The Ultron grabs its arm with the other and severely increases its power output, finally overpowering Uraraka and blasting through her shield, driving the brown-haired girl back into a few tables, toppling over them. The Ultron moves to go after her but stops when Mei hits it over the head with a giant wrench. "No!!"
Unfazed, it backhands Mei, who hits the opposite wall so harshly, she's dazed. Sitting up, and leaning against the wall, Mei thinks she's sweating again so she goes to wipe her forehead. But when she pulls her hand back, her stomach lurches when she finds it's covered in blood.
The lights of the lab finally give out. And when Mei looks up, all she sees, the very last thing she might ever see, is the white of the Ultron's eyes peering down at her.
"Fumi! Fumi, please, say something!"
While Tenko and Tsu fought the Ultron outside, Dark Shadow had carefully dragged her partner away, trying to be careful to not injure him more. Now in the nearby exhibit, Dark Shadow slowly leans Fumi against one of the statues, tilting his head up. "Fumi? Can you hear me?"
The teen cracks his eyes open. "I can always hear you…" he replies through labored breathing. "You…" he swallows. "You never cease in your speaking."
"You're darn right I do!" Dark Shadow places a little pressure on the wound to help stifle the bleeding, causing Fumi to groan in pain. " Sorry! But I'm making sure I can annoy you with my talking for years to come!"
"I would have liked that."
"Don't say that!!"
"Dark Shadow…" Fumi, with a laborious effort, lifts his hand and places it onto one of her claws. "I know you are no fool. We are surrounded by enemies on all sides without the possibility of medical aid. Even if someone did try to help us…they'd be killed by Ultron during the attempt."
"No! You-" Fumi's hand falls through her claw, and Dark Shadow realizes it was because she became transparent for a moment. She is starting to fade away…if Fumi dies, she'll cease to exist as well.
"I'm sorry." Fumi coughs up a little blood, but pushes through. "I'm so sorry that I have to take you with me."
"You're not going anyway!" Dark Shadow grabs his arms. "And even if you were, I-I wouldn't want to be in this world without you, Fumi! I…" Her voice cracks. "I've never been alone…Fumi, I've always had you. Please don't leave me."
He gives her a small smile. "I don't…I don't remember a time before you. Dark Shadow…can I admit something to you?"
"Always."
As if it's come to life, the moon shines brightly down on the pair through the exhibit's skylights, illuminating them both so they could clearly see each other.
"I fear what it would be like to be alone…" Tears start to stream down Fumi's face. "So, if it is truly our time to leave this mortal plane, could you make me a promise? That when the eternal darkness comes for us, we can revel in it together?"
Feeling her fading episodes becoming more frequent, Dark Shadow hugs Fumi tightly, never wanting to let go. "I promise, Fumi…I promise…"
It's then that Dark Shadow learns she can cry.