[65: Imposter Syndrome]
(A/N: School has started and they're already on their BS, I swear. I was on such a roll, I think, with these chapters, but now I don't know. Oh well, that's just the way it is sometimes.)
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"Don't worry, we don't mind the state of your apartment. What matters here is you. And no, we're not here to bring you to justice. We know about your criminal record: traffic violations, armed theft and robberies, mass counterfeiting, and everything else. We actually came here for another reason. You," Eleanor, along with Toga, sat across from Jin as she started her explanation.
"Me? What do you want with me?" Jin asked.
"You. We want you. We're a little rag-tag group that is looking for people," Eleanor said.
"I know who you are; it's hard not to. What happened for you to be looking for people like her and me?" Jin pointed at Toga.
"Hmm…stuff happened, and now I'm here. I'll leave it at that," Eleanor said.
"Kind of vague, but I guess we did just meet," Jin said.
"Listen, it's your choice if you want to join or not," Eleanor said.
"And what do you do?" Jin asked.
"We'll be busy. Not out loud or anything, but behind the scenes, or however you want to say it. We're going to make certain people very mad, even more so than they are already, and ruffle the feathers of other people," Eleanor said.
"And who are these people?" Jin asked.
"The heroes, of course. Now, we're not going to go after them or fight them directly, but what we'll do will make them come after us, so it's not avoidable for us. One of the people we will fight directly is the Hero Public Safety Commission," Eleanor said.
"The commission? What? Are you talking about those files that were all over the news for a little bit?" Jin asked.
"Yeah. After we saw that on the news, we had to do something. Most of it may have been redacted, but we had a gut feeling that there was more to it," Eleanor said. Toga looked at Eleanor and tilted her head before a wide smile appeared on her face.
"And what could you possibly do?" Jin asked.
"I have some friends; you know one of them already." Eleanor looked at the broken glass and the bullet impact on the floor.
"I see. But…won't you be outnumbered against the commission and the heroes?" Jin asked.
"That's not a problem. We won't be outgunned either. And I also have some spies on the inside, some people who might let some things slide. As I said, we're a small group of people looking for others, even those with some issues that may have caused those around them to close the door on them," Eleanor said.
"Huh?"
"We might not be the most stable or normal people, but I think we can form a bond between all of us that helps us," Eleanor said.
"Like…a friend?" Jin asked. This was it, his opportunity.
"Yeah…a friend. Someone who can see that you're not fine and yet try to help you." Eleanor said, a calm smile on her face.
"Really? Everyone will accept me? Even as I am? You know, every other day I wonder what a normal human being has to be like," Jin said.
"That's a very complex question with no single answer, but maybe joining us can help you get started. So, what do you say?" Eleanor asked.
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"Sir Nighteye, we need you to tell us what Eleanor is going to do. Or at least say where she is."
Tsukauchi, along with other heroes, was in another meeting at UA. Sir Nighteye was the focus of it all. Ever since Eleanor blew up the Shie Hassaikai compound, Sir Nighteye had tried to make sense of what he saw. Part of him wanted to try to bring in Eleanor, but part of him could also understand what Eleanor was doing in his visions. But when he saw the consequences of what would happen if a team of heroes tried to bring in Eleanor from any of her hideouts, or her main one, it was always a total disaster. The only solace he found was that in none of his visions did he see any heroes get killed.
Now, he was undergoing questioning, not like a criminal, but by people wanting to seek answers from him. Mainly the heroes and police.
"I can tell you where she is, but she'll always manage to escape and find another shelter; it won't be close at all. Up until she gets to her final one. And if or when it gets to that point, there won't be much we can do. I really want to try to change what I saw, and only up until a certain point am I confident in things happening as I saw. Needless to say, and as some of you probably know, things become vague," Sir Nighteye said to Tsukauchi.
It was a small group. Notably, there was Nezu, All Might, Tsukauchi, Sir Nighteye, and other heroes from UA.
"But you can tell us stuff, right? Anything would be helpful," Tsukauchi said.
Sir Nighteye lifted his glasses with his finger. "Yes, but it won't turn out well. I can give you a location, but…it'll be a failure when you eventually commence an operation to capture Eleanor. I can also say she won't be alone; there will be people helping her, but that's the least of your worries. From what I saw, it was like she knew you were coming."
"We have to at least try to do something; we can't sit around and do nothing! We have to bring Eleanor back before she does anything she regrets," All Might said, slamming a fist on the table.
Sir Nighteye was reminded of what Eleanor said. About doing something instead of sitting around doing nothing. 'We did the same thing, didn't we?' Sir Nighteye asked himself as he considered the situation. 'And I'm here saying we shouldn't do anything. Am I really learning nothing? What's wrong with me?'
"Sir Nighteye? Are you okay?" Sir Nighteye was taken out of his thoughts when Nezu spoke up. "You've been quiet for a few seconds."
"I'm okay. I was just thinking a little bit. I can tell you a location, but please, don't—" Sir Nighteye was interrupted when everyone's phones and other devices all gave a notification at the same time.
Nezu immediately suspected what it was. "It happened again." Nezu grabbed the remote and turned the TV on.
It was in the middle of a debate. The headline read "More Leaked Files Describe Secret Hero Commission Operations."
"Experts say that these files are the same as the previous leak, and not only do we have more files, but the previous ones have been a bit more uncensored. We can make out more details, but it seems like names are still censored. As we can see, there are some rather interesting words here. In this report, it mentions successfully removing an asset. But what is an 'asset' in this context?" The pundit said.
"You're looking too much into it. It's normal for things to be classified. The HPSC has to keep some things secret. It's basic policy, so they can continue protecting the public," the other pundit said.
"Then why do they need to classify so much information on how they are protecting us? Wouldn't it make sense to not classify all this information? Why do they need to hide the ways they are protecting us? Sure, we may not need to know the intricate and in-depth details, but we should at least know what they are doing. Everybody knows that security cameras record people, but not many people know the in-depth workings and information about how the video is recorded. That is what I mean. Why would the HPSC throw away easy chances of being seen more positively in the eyes of the public?"
"Listen, the HPSC has to do a dangerous job. Just look at how many villain attacks have taken place recently. The villains have gotten so bold as to attack UA and their students directly. We should really be talking about that, don't you think?"
The debate and show had gone off the rails quickly. It devolved into petty arguments, away from the original topic.
"It happened again," Nezu said as he saw the news and debate segments.
"Principal Nezu, do you have any idea of what might be going on?" Aizawa asked. "Is it perhaps related to Eleanor?"
"Sir Nighteye, do you know anything about this?" Nezu asked.
"Yes, I do. And yes, Eleanor is the one behind the leaks of the commission," Sir Nighteye said.
"Is there something we can do about it?" Nezu asked.
"No, there isn't. This has nothing to do with trying to bring her in. I have a feeling that even if we somehow did capture her, the leaks would continue no matter what," Sir Nighteye said.
"Is this based on what you've seen in your visions?" Nezu asked.
"Yes, it is."
"Is there really nothing we can do?" Aizawa asked.
"Not without being willing to withstand immense damage and scrutiny. And that's just dealing with her. I can say that Eleanor gets involved with other villain groups at a hostile level. She's not exactly on our side, but she's not against us either. But I only speak in terms of physical confrontation. The media and public image are an entirely different battleground," Sir Nighteye said.
"What do you mean?" Aizawa asked.
"I mean that the current news we see about the leaks and the resulting heat from it is nothing compared to what she might do," Sir Nighteye said.
"So, if we fail at capturing her, and we fail at stopping her from leaking the files of the HPSC, and we fail at stopping her in general, what do we do?" Tsukauchi asked.
"Enough! We keep on trying! That's what we do!" All Might slammed his fist on the table. "We have to bring back Eleanor!"
"It'll be easier said than done," Aizawa said.
"And haven't we all been in situations like that? We've gone through many things that tested us, and we've always come out ahead! This is no different!" All Might said.
All Might looked directly at Sir Nighteye. "Tell us where she is. We can bring her in."
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"You sure they won't track you down, Eleanor? I was able to find you after you did the first leak. We're going to be on the run at all times if this keeps going on," Lady Nagant said after she saw Eleanor leak more files.
"How do you think I was able to ambush you, Kaina? Trust me, I have a little something in their systems that lets me know things at all times. It's very easy for me to just send them somewhere else and make them waste time and resources. I've already launched a preemptive strike at them without them knowing. Just look at this." Eleanor opened up a window on one of the monitors. On the monitor was a live camera view of the headquarters of the HPSC; workers were panicking as they tried to contain the leak and find the source. On another monitor, Eleanor showed the many emails and messages sent between the management and other senior leaders of the HPSC.
"As you can see, Kaina, I quite literally know what they're doing at all times. And look at this." Eleanor typed something on the keyboard. The monitor switched the live view to a cybersecurity team as they got a notification from their systems. Another monitor captured the moment they sent a message saying they found where the leak came from. Where was it? It was somewhere called the Iya Valley, a place deep in the rugged mountains of Shikoku Island.
"What? You can't be serious. Iya Valley? That remote place? No way they—" Lady Nagant was going to voice her doubts until she saw a message approving an investigation to take place there, which silenced her almost immediately.
"You were saying, Kaina?" Eleanor really did try to hide a smug smile, but it just felt too good sending the HPSC on a wild goose chase like this.
"I guess we might not have to run away all the time," Kaina said.
"About that. And this isn't about the HPSC; trust me, it's going to be easy to avoid them. We're going to have to move soon. There's going to be a hero attack soon on our base. It'll be a good thing, since Toga and Jin can get some experience. Let's prepare." Eleanor got up and started to make her preparations.
"What? How do you know—never mind, I'll just assume you did the same thing to them as you did with the commission," Lady Nagant said.
"Bingo. Anyway, it's not like we have much here anyway. And I can always get more computers and monitors. I've already backed up the data, and anything left behind has a timed switch that will destroy everything, so nothing will be recoverable for them," Eleanor said.
"So we do have to be on the run?" Lady Nagant asked.
"No, this will most likely be a one-time thing. So, you ready for the first fight against heroes?"
"No, not really. I'm not a close-range person," Lady Nagant said.
"Me neither, but that's just the way it is sometimes."