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The scene then cut to the sterile, theatre like room where the squad, now dressed in their costumes, sat as Waller began the debriefing of their mission.
"Corto Maltese is a small island nation off the coast of South America," Waller began, her tone clipped and authoritative.
Some of the sharper members of the audience immediately looked puzzled. Principal Nezu tilted his head, whiskers twitching, before politely raising a paw.
"Yes, Nezu, what is it?" Seven asked, turning his attention to the principal.
"Excuse me, but I have never heard of this country before. And I assure you I am not mistaken—there is no such nation in that region of the world." His words carried weight, and the room fell quiet.
Now everyone was staring back at the screen with greater focus. If Corto Maltese didn't exist, what were they watching unfold?
Seven finally explained. "It's actually very simple. Many locations in this world mirror yours, but they're not always the same. America exists here, for example—but with cities that don't exist in your world. To put it into context you'd understand: think of I-Island. Most of you have visited there. It exists in your world, but here? It doesn't."
His explanation made the cast nod slowly, understanding at least part of the difference. A few still didn't quite grasp it—especially Denki, who muttered something about "parallel geography" under his breath, earning a sigh from Jirō.
Back on the screen, Waller continued her briefing.
"Over the past 100 years, Corto Maltese has been ruled with an iron fist by the Herrera family. But a week ago, this man—General Silvio Luna—along with his right-hand, Mayor General Mateo Suárez, seized control in a violent military coup."
The heroes and students initially reacted with optimism.
"So… the people finally broke free from tyranny," one of them whispered, a hopeful note in their voice.
"They even have a military leader guiding them. Perhaps he's a kind of hero for them?" Midnight wondered aloud, though with uncertainty.
But the villains only smirked knowingly. Spinner scoffed under his breath, "As if someone clawing for power would suddenly be noble."
The screen cut to images of the Herrera family hanging lifelessly from ropes in the center of the city square. Students gasped in horror, some even covering their mouths. The brutality of it was undeniable.
"This… this is barbaric!" Iida exclaimed, hands chopping furiously in the air. "Even tyrants deserve a fair trial under the law!"
The villains chuckled darkly at his outrage.
"You morons," Dabi sneered, his voice sharp. "Did you actually expect a man like that to seize control for the sake of the people? He didn't risk everything to 'liberate' them. He wanted the throne."
"Exactly," Spinner added coldly. "He's just another opportunist with guns and followers. Nothing more."
Their words stung. Some of the heroes looked ready to protest, but Endeavor and Aizawa both stayed silent—grim expressions betraying their reluctant agreement. It wasn't something they liked to admit, but the villains had called it before they did.
Seven turned around to the Readers, "Okay, I will be changing the way I write the scenes. What do I mean by that? Well, I normally write what's happening and mostly the lines that is happening in the scene, but that is taking way too much room in the chapter itself and it makes it longer, and I have to make more parts to one project. But from now on I will describe what's happening. I will describe what they're doing and what they are talking about. I will only write down the lines that are important and fight scenes. This way the pacing would be improved and the chapter would have way more room for reactions."
Seven turned back to the cast.
Back on the screen, Waller explained that the United States government didn't approved of any of this. After the coup after the exorcism of the Herrera regime. the new leadership was clearly anti-America.
Peacemaker casually asked if they wanted them to kill Luna.
"Oh, so this is an assassination mission. I could definitely be good in that mission and complete it in no time," Toga said with a wide grin. She really didn't care about the mission itself, but her attention lingered on one thing — they still hadn't shown what happened to Harley, and she was desperate to see her again, maybe even rescue her.
Some of the audience shifted uncomfortably. They didn't think that was the real mission.
"It's just a small country," Kaminari muttered, scratching his head. "Why would it really matter if it's anti-American or not? Plenty of countries have bad relations with the US."
Several students nodded in agreement. It didn't add up.
The film wasted no time proving them right. Waller immediately redirected the briefing, telling the team about Jotunheim — an experimental facility housing something called Project Starfish.
Their intel suggested that Project Starfish was from space.
Gasps rippled through the room.
"Did they say it was from space?!" Melissa shouted, already leaning forward in her seat, her brain racing with possibilities. "What if it's an unknown element? The scientific applications could be limitless!"
Seven briefly turned to the Readers: "By the way, I removed the pink dreadlock girl. Honestly, I don't find her funny at all, just annoying. So she's out."
He turned back to the cast as speculation erupted.
All For One tapped his fingers on the armrest, his voice low but thoughtful. "If the people of this country found something extraterrestrial, they could weaponize it. And if they're hiding it in a facility like this… it must be a power worth killing for."
The students whispered nervously, while some of the villains looked intrigued.
"It could be a mineral… something with unusual energy," Nezu mused, stroking his chin.
"It's in the name," Momo cut in. "Project Starfish. That could be a codename. Either referring to its composition… or its function. And neither option makes me comfortable."
Before the theories could spiral further, Mina suddenly jumped up.
"What are you guys talking about?!" she shouted. "They probably caught an alien instead of an element. Think about it — this place sounds like the perfect location to hold aliens!"
The entire room went silent, everyone staring at her.
Phantom Thief leaned back in his chair and burst out laughing. "Do you seriously believe in fairy tales? Aliens? Please. It's obviously just some material from space."
"Isn't that right, Seven?" he added smugly.
Seven thought about it for a moment. He could tell them now that aliens exist… but he decided against it. Better to wait until they saw Starro themselves — their genuine reaction would be far more entertaining.
"Something like that," Seven replied vaguely.
Everyone groaned, glaring at Mina, who puffed her cheeks in annoyance and sat down, pouting.
Back on the screen, Waller's tone hardened as she explained the scale of the threat. The object was dangerous, unstable, and had to be completely destroyed. Every trace of it wiped away. Left unchecked, it could threaten not just America but the rest of the world.
"Holy shit," Snipe muttered, shaking his head in disbelief. "Villains are gonna save the world. Never thought I'd see the day."
Some of his colleagues quietly nodded, sharing his unease. The thought unsettled most of the adults—villains being trusted with a mission like this wasn't just unusual, it felt wrong. The students and even some of the villains themselves sat stunned, unable to respond right away.
On the screen, Bloodsport's voice cut through. He asked bluntly how they were supposed to get inside. Waller answered by showing an image of a man with mechanical implants protruding from his head—The Thinker.
"Is that… a mutant?" one of the students whispered.
"No, it looks like tech," another corrected, leaning forward. "Some kind of support equipment implanted in his body."
Waller continued without hesitation, explaining where The Thinker spent his nights—at a gentleman's club—and ordered the squad to make him help them in any way necessary.
"Any questions?" she asked coldly.
The squad on screen immediately began tossing out comments—jokes, complaints, and nonsense that had nothing to do with the mission.
Watching them, Endeavor's brow twitched, his irritation plain. A vein popped on his forehead as his patience thinned. "Are they even paying attention at all?" he growled.
Kirishima leaned toward Bakugo, whispering just loud enough to be heard. "Do you think Peacemaker is right? Maybe Project Starfish does have something to do with butts?"
That earned him a sharp look from a few classmates, but Bakugo let out a short, rough laugh. "Well, maybe it's an alien that climbs in people's asses to take over. Wouldn't surprise me."
"Bakugo!" Mina shot back, glaring at him, though his mocking grin made it obvious he was only teasing her. She crossed her arms with a huff, irritation written all over her face.
But then her attention shifted as King Shark appeared on the screen, staring with his wide eyes and awkward demeanor. Mina's glare instantly softened. "Okay… I don't know why, but he's actually kind of adorable," she admitted, her voice dropping.
To her surprise, a handful of the other girls agreed with her. Some tilted their heads, unsure why they were drawn to the strange creature, but still found themselves smiling.
"He's not supposed to be cute," one boy muttered in confusion, "and yet…"
While chatter broke out around the room, Midoriya's pen scratched furiously across his notebook. Now that he finally knew the target, his excitement was clear. An alien object. His first chance to see something that came from space. His thoughts raced as he jotted down every detail, barely able to contain the anticipation.