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CHAPTER START---
Sitting in his new office within the new UA Main Building, Principal Nezu stares at his computer. A mountain of paperwork beside his desk and thousands of reports and messages on his computer.
Yet all he can do is sit and stare at it all, knowing someone stole his best chance to make a difference in this world.
"Principal Nezu." Ms. Midnight enters the room with another stack of documents in her arms. "Another set of infrastructure repair requests. The fallout was deeper than we expected. They need you to look at the nuclear reactor schematics for the new facility."
"Uh-huh, sure," Nezu says while staring at the computer.
Ms. Midnight places the papers on his desk, adding to the pile, and frowns as she sees his unkempt fur and tired eyes.
She sighs, never having seen Nezu like this before, and isn't quite sure what to do about it.So, as always, she does her best.
"You know, I couldn't stand Horizon," she says, which gets his attention. "I mean, we'd bicker like cats and dogs. And I'd never like him or agree to any of his opinions about the value of life…or justice. But I do kind of miss having him around."
"Mhm."
"You know, you've been in here since that day. Maybe if you talked about it, you'd feel better."
"It's classified," Nezu says.
"I figured, but how you feel about it isn't," she says. "Why was he so important to you, anyway?"
"Because he was Horizon…he was my one chance to make a real difference."
"One chance? But you've already done so much, helped billions if we count Tech. And all the graduates and people you help from UA. The world can't thank you enough for what you've done."
Nezu turns his chair to face her and leans back in his seat. "What do I do?" What we do, is run into a burning building and save someone. Then when the fire stops and the smoke clears, we learn there were more people inside we couldn't save.
Over and over and over again. That's what Pro Heroes do. That's what I do. I'm the smartest person on the planet, and I couldn't solve for it. Human malevolence and greed. I couldn't think of a way to eliminate crime and villainy.
Until one day, it fell into my lap. And yes, it had some bad habits. The parents gave him some awful views on life. But the potential was there. The potential to do so much good that the world changes forever.
Best of all, it could endure, guaranteeing lasting change."
"So that's what this was. Your play at world peace?"
"Anything less would be an insult to his potential," Nezu says. "But, I've failed that project so many times before, and it never felt like this."
"Because this one wasn't a program or a robot. It was a person. Probably the one person in the world who could understand you. You're allowed to fall apart after something like that."
Her words shatter the dam, and before Nezu can understand it, tears are flowing from his eyes.
"All of this, because of all the secrets. If I had been more honest with her instead of fearing her intentions. This could have all been avoided…all my fault."
Ms. Midnight walks around the desk and cradles him as he cries it all out. "I'm sure you made the right decision with the information you had, and Horizon knows that."
"Yes, I hope so," Nezu suddenly wipes his tears and reaches for the keyboard, startling her. "But for now, I have work to do. He hates it when people break down and let their emotions get in the way of the job they agreed to. How will I face him if I become someone like that?"
Ms. Midnight moves to leave the room, a small smile on her face as Nezu works with tears still flowing down his face.
But the moment she's in the hallway, a terrifying thought hits her.
"God, I hope he stays locked up. The last thing we need is him being unleashed on the world…"
---UN Response Team HQ…
Leaning back against his desk, Juzo is wearing casual clothes while his arms are folded across his chest.
Sitting in front of him is President Pant, and behind her, on the couches in his office, are Sero, Monoma, and Midoriya.
"Look, we just want to know what the hell really happened," Juzo says. "We know you and a few world leaders had a reason for bringing him down, but I'd like to know why. You already got what you wanted. Now help us understand."
"You understand all you need to. Horizon had a deal with the Hero Public Safety Commission. We'd forget his past if he enrolled into UA. The news got leaked, Star and Stripe went berserk—"
"And not Tokyo City is a memory, and you get to charge the United States reparations since she invaded Japan without permission and threw the first punch. Right after you so conveniently evacuated the battle zone."
"Exactly," she says. "And now I've put Horizon away in Tartarus, forever. After he suffering a clear mental breakdown because of Star and Stripe."
Juzo sighs and rubs his face.
"Let's have Shinso talk to her," Sero says. "Or do this the old-fashioned way."
Midoriya frowns. "She only agreed to be here if Shinso wasn't, and you don't have Horizon protecting you from the consequences anymore. So maybe drop the habit of hurting people excessively."
"It's not excessive if it's to help my friend."
"But it is unnecessary," Juzo says. "I'm just trying to understand the big picture so I can hold things together until Horizon is back."
"What makes you think he'll get out?" she asks.
"Because he's Horizon. So one way or another, he'll get out."
"And will that be a good thing?"
"It will be," Juzo says. "His presence was suppressing a lot of terrible people. Not to mention, it makes our jobs a lot harder without them. The least you can do is tell us why you crippled us out of the blue."
"Juzo is right," Monoma says. "We went from having two Mystery Class people in our pocket to none. It's only been ten days since Horizon got locked away, and crime rates around the world have already spiked. Things will only get worse."
"If I did what you're accusing me of, hypothetically, I would have considered all these options. And if I still went ahead with what you think I did, then clearly having a Horizon that's more powerful than ever and angry at the world is the worst possible option."
"He wouldn't have reacted like that," Sero says.
"They're right," Midoriya adds. "Horizon's a lot different now."
Pantu scoffs. "He threatened to rip Tokyo out of the ground and throw it at the rest of Japan, and I know he wasn't lying. He's never lied about how vile and cruel he can be, so if such a decision was made, could you blame me?"
They all glare at her for a moment, and then Juzo looks away. "You're right."
They're all surprised by this, but he quickly continues.
"But only considering the information you had. We know Horizon, so we know that you're wrong. I just hope for your sake he's as logical as us when he gets out."
With a wave of his hand, Monoma shrouds her in a purple warp gate and sends her away, allowing Juzo to breathe a sigh of relief. "I really hate that woman."
Monoma nods. "You know, if you get me some data on the inside of Tartarus—"
"Don't even joke about that," Juzo says as he walks over to the couches, sitting beside Sero. "I already have enough on my plate. Can't afford to have us investigated for trying to access classified national documents."
"So, what do we do now?" Sero asks. "We can't just leave him in there."
"That's exactly what we're going to do," Juzo says. "I wasn't kidding when I said he'll be out, eventually. One way or another. We just have to wait, and not be in Japan when that happens, just in case."
"Japan?" Midoriya asks.
Juzo looks at him and narrows his eyes. "Have you been in touch with Uraraka?"
"Yeah, we talk every day. Why?"
"She's helping with the destruction in Kyoto, right?"
"Yeah. She and Tsu are there, along with Nejire. Why?"
Juzo leans forward, considering everything he knows for a moment, which causes Midoriya to get nervous. "How attached is she to staying in Japan?"
"If she got an offer from this team, she would have come with me, but she's really happy she gets to stay close to her parents now that she's making enough money to help them out. Plus, she—"
"Wait," Monoma cuts Midoriya off. "Juzo, do you really think Horizon will break out of prison just to rampage?"
"No. But if his prison break is messy, well, he's not the only one locked in there…"
---Japan, President Bosu's Office…
"Denied," President Bosu says, sliding the documents back to President Pantu. "Maybe in five years."
"But I did what I promised. We no longer have to worry about Horizon or the League of Villains."
"Yes, but in exchange, I have a giant pit where Tokyo City was, not to mention the surrounding mountains and ocean are devastated, and all the displaced civilians. Your retirement now would complicate things further as we'd have to train up someone to do your job."
"Sir, please recon—"
"No. And frankly, I don't see why you even want to retire. You love your job. The only reason to retire would be to leave Japan. But you don't have any reason to do that, right?"
"No, sir, I will continue in my current role," she says, understanding his meaning.
And knowing fully well that he's also scared of Horizon breaking out, of that happening and there not being a President Pantu there to take the brunt of his anger.
---July 28, 2317, Tartarus…
Tartarus, now touted as the most secure prison facility in the world, nervously accepts its new guest.
The prison is a massive square island 10km -6.2 mi- off the southern coast of Japan. A single two-lane bridge, collapsible at any time, connects to it, and the prison facilities themselves begin 100 meters -330 feet- below the water.
They call that Floor 1, where the least dangerous inmates live. Each floor is 100m -330ft- below the last.
People consider Floor 5 to be the 'Supermax.' This is where both Tomura Shigaraki and All For One are held, along with a select few other villains.
However, after the Mystery Class Clash incident, the public was made aware of secret changes to the facility. With a new breed of Quirk becoming more apparent, Tartarus was changed.
They added floors 6 through 9 using the same security measures as the others. However, these floors contained redundant systems and no prisoners.
All for the sake of supporting Floor 10, where President Pantu and Hawks have just entered.
Watching the massive steel doors open, they walk for dozens of meters before looking back to see the length of the hallway closing as one piece of humongous steel.
After a few more security checks, two guards escorted them to the bottom of this floor, where yet another door was in their way.
After clearing it, they come upon a regular set of steel double doors with Horizon's logo painted on the front of it.
The intense sound of pressure valves being released surprises them before the door opens, and they find themselves being pushed back by a gentle breeze while entering the room.
As the door closes behind them, their ears take a moment to adjust to the higher pressure in this room.
"Pressurizing this room prevents any smaller intruders from coming in," Dr. Ujiko says as he's working behind a small desk, carefully observed by both a camera and a turret built into the ceiling.
"The security measures are holding," Pantu says while walking over to the massive wall at the far end of the room.
It was more reinforced than anything else in the room, with smooth and untraceable gaps sealed by electromagnets.
"If they weren't, we'd all be dead," Dr. Ujiko says while walking over to her and Hawks. "Want to see?"
"That's unnecessary," Hawks says.
"Show me," Pantu orders.
The guards hear this and open the viewing port, causing the entire steel wall to separate into two pieces and part down the middle.
"Damn, what is happening to him?" Hawks asks as they see Horizon floating in water, a mask on his face with tubes going into it and a few other smaller tubes attached to his body, throughout his new and repaired Body Glove.
"The mask feeds him nutrition and air," Dr. Garaki says. "It also gives him the special anesthetist, but we have to keep updating the formula every week or he'll adapt and burn through it. The others help with that as they flow molten mercury through him, distracting his Quirk by making him prioritize healing.
This state of deep sleep is as close as he can be to death without his Quirk taking over. But if he ever wakes up, then I'm sure he'll instantly adjust to anesthesia, and it will never work again.
His body and Quirk are incredible. I've already gleamed so much from the basic readings I've gained in these mere two weeks. If you permit me to access his body directly and perhaps take a sample or two, I can unlock wonders for humanity."
"No, doctor, I think you've done more than enough…"
The main doors to the room open, and Eraser Head storms in, followed by Present Mic.
"What's going on?" Hawks asks.
But both Pro Heroes walk over to Dr. Ujiko.
Eraser Head activates his Quirk, causing the man to shrivel up like a raisin, hair greying and falling out as he launches his scarf, wrapping him up.
"So that's your Quirk. It increases your lifespan," Pantu says as the man looks at her, horrified and confused.
"You knew? How? When?"
"I always did," she says as they drag the man away to be locked up and interrogated on the upper floors.
But not before Aizawa turns and looks at Horizon one last time, heart breaking seeing his student in this state.
"What just happened?" Hawks asks. "I could have helped if I didn't have to leave my feathers at security, you know."
"They had it covered," she says. "Dr. Ujiko has been the mind behind the Nomu this entire time. The one last piece to remove from the board."
Hawks stumbled back, feeling like the entire room was spinning. "But, no. He was right here. He was helping us, we would have noticed."
"I did, from the very beginning. My Quirk allows me to fool lie detector Quirks and act as one. I knew he was lying, just as I knew you betrayed me."
"You knew? Then why?" he glares at her. "Why did you let me? What the hell was the point?!"
The point was to clear the board. I needed Horizon gone. But for that, I needed Star and Stripe. But I couldn't have that happen until I dealt with Shigaraki. But for that, I needed you to betray me to get past his lie detector Quirks.
Constantly putting you and Horizon in the same room and ordering you to poke him repeatedly made that possible. It didn't take long for his hate toward you to bubble over and push you toward Shigaraki.
Making you willing to do anything to bring down Horizon. But like I said, that had to happen just before I had him clash with Star and Stripe. A clash that had to happen in Japan, so we could get reparations from the fallout."
She turns to look at Horizon, suspended in the water.
"And to think, if they had told me he was Mystery Class from the beginning, all of this could have been avoided."
Hawks stumbles back, head pounding as he tries to process everything. "What the hell? What are you?"
"Whatever my job requires me to be," she says as the viewing port for Horizon closes. "Now, #2 Pro Hero, we have work to do."
Hawks sees her walking away and nervously falls into step beside her. "What work?"
"Horizon is gone, Tokyo City is a crater, and the villains will think we're weak. So as far as I can tell, we have to reset the gameboard…"
As President Pantu and Hawks leave Tartarus, victorious, after much sacrifice.
The news of Dr. Ujiko's capture spread throughout the world like wildfire.
And yet, within the supposedly impenetrable walls of Tartarus where no news of the outside world should reach.
Within his cell, the demon lord hears this, and smiles.
As all his dominos are perfectly falling into place.
CHAPTER END---
Another volume complete, now onto the final volume, Horizon: All For Me!