[58: Eleanor Refuses Diplomacy!]
(A/N: This is the start of the second volume, so this chapter is a special 5,000+ word chapter to celebrate the start, which means I almost certainly missed some things and may have made a few typos that I didn't catch. I hope you enjoy either way!)
/\\//\\//\
The question was never whether it was right. Only whether it worked.
(One day later)
There was a somber and depressing mood around Sir Nighyeye's agency. After seeing the video evidence, things just weren't the same. It was one thing to know what was happening and think about it in the mind, but to see it on video? Seeing that even the worst-case scenario you could think of was nothing compared to the video evidence? Yes, there was video of other crimes being committed, but Eri…that was something else.
Eleanor was counting down the clock. Every moment she spent in Sir Nighteye's agency was spent on making her own plan for Shie Hassaikai. To make it short. It involved very decisive action.
"Eleanor, this is all my fault. I should've just saved her when I was right there. If I had known you could find Overhaul so easily, I would've just done it." Midoriya had been sulking ever since he saw the video.
"Don't be like that. Even if you and Mirio tried, I think Overhaul would've won that fight. Overhaul wouldn't let someone as valuable as Eri be taken so easily. If I were in his place, I'd kill you and Mirio and then completely change locations to avoid detection," Eleanor said.
"I don't know how you're able to think of such things like that. You say it so casually," Midoriya said.
"I don't see anything wrong with it. It's all that strategy and tactical stuff and whatnot. And it's not like I'm completely wrong," Eleanor said.
"To an extent, I can see it from your perspective," Midoriya said.
"And even if you wanted to, Midoriya, and assuming Overhaul doesn't do anything, Mirio would've still stopped you to ensure that the investigation wasn't compromised. Look, it sucks, it really does, but it's one of those situations where there's no correct choice. Well, if you ask me personally, there is a correct choice as long as you're willing to take actions that will change you as a person," Eleanor said.
"Has it…changed you? I mean…you look a little different from usual. You look a bit darker. Your outfit. The white looks kind of grey instead and has more darker tones to it. Did you change your hero outfit recently?" Midoriya asked.
"Hmm…it's just a little color change. Nothing else, Midoriya. Not too much to look into," Eleanor said.
"What do you think the meeting will be like, Eleanor? Sir Nighteye and Mirio went kind of crazy contacting everyone they could. This is going to be a big meeting. No doubt we'll discuss a plan for the raid on the Shie Hassaikai compound," Midoriya said.
"Hostage rescue. It's also a hostage rescue. This entire raid is a mix of a drug bust and hostage rescue. I hope you know what that means, Midoriya. Only incapacitating the villains won't be enough." Eleanor looked into Midoriya's eyes. Midoriya quickly caught her meaning.
"Eleanor! No! We can't do that! We're heroes! We don't kill! We're supposed to uphold an image of peace for bystanders! That we're better than the villains!" Midoriya raised his voice, not willing to entertain such a thought.
"Uphold an image of peace? Right, yes, of course. And I wonder how that image of peace is held up. It certainly isn't only All Might, I'll say that." Eleanor remained calm in the face of Midoriya's slight outburst.
"What? What are you talking about?" Midoriya asked.
"Don't worry about it. They say all bad things will eventually come to light. Well, I'll tell you that's just not true. Some things will always stay hidden while others get exposed. It's just how things are."
"Why are you so cryptic?"
"Don't worry about it."
The two of them were interrupted when they received notifications on their phones. It was from Sir Nighteye. Sir Nighteye had confirmed that a meeting would be held tomorrow with many people attending.
"We're getting things done, Eleanor!" Midoriya was ready. He wanted to make things up for sending Eri back to Overhaul.
Eleanor was quieter. She looked at the message, making only a slight "hmm" at seeing it. 'Too slow. Way too slow. It took this long to get a meeting, and then it was pushed to tomorrow? I know they can be busy, but we're talking about a raid that'll require hero and police cooperation. Just leave the work to sidekicks. If the urgency of the situation was really conveyed, it's completely possible to get an emergency meeting within the day. It might be tough, but it's doable. I've seen it done in my last life,' Eleanor thought to herself.
"I'm going to need some alone time, Midoriya. Excuse me." Eleanor left the area and went somewhere more secluded. It seemed she might really have to go through with her plan.
/\\//\\//\
(One day later)
Eleanor looked out the windows of Sir Nighteye's agency. The meeting was about to take place. Many heroes were here, a mix of heroes she knew and didn't know. They were in discussions before the meeting, but that didn't concern Eleanor. She only looked out the windows. There were dark clouds over the city, threatening to rain at any moment. Eleanor had to scoff a bit at the sight.
'Even nature can sense the dark mood.'' Eleanor thought to herself.
She suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder. "Eleanor, it's time for the meeting to start." It was Sir Nighteye.
"Am I going to sit by the side and watch?"
"I'd prefer you do. While you have contributed heavily, we're going to be talking in front of pro heroes. And I don't believe you have experience in presenting information in front of an audience like this."
'You have no idea.' Eleanor thought to herself before she responded to Sir Nighteye. "Alright…fine. Let's go." Eleanor turned around to go into the meeting room, not looking into Sir Nighteye's eyes.
/\\//\\//\
Eleanor sat far away from the people she knew. She could see Mirio and Midoriya sitting next to each other. Ochaco, Tsu, and Nejire were here. Krishima and Fat Gum. Ryukyu. Everyone she could remember and some she couldn't were here as well. However, that doesn't mean they were the same. The speed and rushed events meant that some of them didn't go through certain character-building moments. Well, that was none of Eleanor's concern. And there were bigger fish to fry.
As the meeting went on, there was one thing that didn't sit right with her. Sir Nighteye showed some of the evidence and was discussing a plan, but there was something missing. The video. The one thing that should really make everything else irrelevant and make them skip straight to the planning phase and eventual raid.
'Maybe…just one more day?' Eleanor thought to herself. Two days was already very optimistic. It's one thing for this meeting to be taking place already, but putting a plan in place that involves coordination from the police would take more time, something Eleanor wasn't willing to tolerate. It was an oversight on her part; something she really should've known already.
'No…too much time has passed already. Fine, I'll show them what's really at stake,' Eleanor thought to herself. Eleanor grabbed her tablet and suddenly got up. She walked to the board where Sir Nighteye was presenting his information.
This, of course, didn't go unnoticed. "Eleanor, what are you doing?" Sir Nighteye got up and got in her way. "Go back. We can't be wasting time right now."
Eleanor looked him in the eyes. "Yeah, I know, we can't be wasting time right now. So, I'm going to show everyone here something that'll hopefully make them want to do something instead of sitting in this room for any longer than we need to."
"Eleanor, I'm not letting you. This is unprofessional!"
"Well, I don't even need physical access." Eleanor swiped a few times on her tablet, and a few commands later, the board that Sir Nighteye was using was completely hijacked by her. "One warning. This isn't for the faint of heart."
The video played for all of them to see, and there was nothing that could stop it unless a power outage happened. It was horrifying. Video captured from one of Eleanor's drones showed how Overhaul was making quirk-destroying bullets. All laid out. Parts of Eri's body were completely deconstructed and put back together. The process of harvesting her blood and other DNA was completely shown. Overhaul's eyes had no remorse; he only saw Eri as a resource to continue his operations. It was an extraordinary, heinous display of cruelty.
Ryukyu held a hand over her mouth in complete shock. Midoriya and Mirio couldn't bear to watch, but the sounds made their minds fill in the gaps, whether they liked it or not; their fists clenched. Ochaco had tears in her eyes as she looked away. Asui was completely still, too stunned to move. Nejire was a mess compared to her normal self; she felt sick at what she was seeing. The other heroes were about the same. Intense feelings of anger, shock, sadness, hatred, and more.
"This is who we're fighting for. All that stuff about drug trafficking, manufacturing, murder, and whatnot is secondary to this. She is our first priority. And I'm going to be completely honest: we have to be willing to kill if we want to rescue Eri. This is a raid and a hostage rescue operation where we'll be facing enemies who won't hesitate to kill us when they have the chance," Eleanor raised her voice to address everyone.
"Eleanor! You can't be suggesting things like that! We still have standards to uphold!" Sir Nighteye retorted. He'd lost control of the situation instantly. Now it was Eleanor, and she presented two different sides of this meeting. "We'll need to coordinate with the police on an operation of this scale, and that'll take time!"
"Time‽ Let me guess? A few more days! Well, every single day that passes, Eri has her body broken and rebuilt to manufacture drugs! The longer you wait, the more people will be hurt! You want to save more lives by waiting? Well, you're just giving Overhaul more time to traffic drugs, which means more people will come into contact with those drugs, which means more deaths and suffering!"
"We're trying our best to stop that!" Sir Nighteye said.
"I know. I know you're trying your best…that's what makes it so disappointing. You 'heroes,' and I say it like that because you're not heroes; you're only licensed professionals, and are not qualified to do something like this. Overhaul needs to die," Eleanor said.
"You can't decide that, Eleanor! It'll be decided when he's taken in for trial!" Sir Nighteye said.
"Trial? Well, guess what? If we do this raid your way, Sir Nighteye, we will have deaths among us. And if we capture Overhaul, you know the courts will say? Death penalty. I've seen the law here in Japan, and death penalties aren't handed out most of the time, but for Overhaul, it will. First, it's murder. The most important factor is the number of victims, which he has plenty of. There's extreme cruelty and viciousness, and as we saw in the video, courts will see that as an aggravating factor. He has no remorse, and his motive for the public is disastrous; he's running an organized crime syndicate meant to traffic illegal bioweapons. I believe that falls under anti-boryokudan laws, correct? This is an easy death penalty case. So, even if none of you want to kill, he's just going to die either way, so why drag it out?" Eleanor wasn't holding anything back against Sir Nighteye.
"This isn't the proper mindset going into this, Eleanor! There are still procedures we need to go through! We need to do things properly!" Sir Nighteye said.
"Properly‽ Go to hell, Sir Nighteye. Look around." Eleanor's hand waved across the room and at all the heroes in the room. "We're doing things 'properly.' We have an entire room filled with good people, and yet, we have a horrific outcome. What does that say about us? About all of you? What the hell are we doing? If you don't want to kill, then let's hand this over to the military!"
"What? The military?" Sir Nighteye asked.
"Yes. The military. What? You think they can't do it? Heroes aren't the only ones with quirks. The military has people with quirks as well. And they have people who do hostage rescue operations and raids. Special forces units are built around this stuff. And they'll kill because they have to worry about their safety and the safety of their teammates. They operate on a completely different level. And you know what else? If they carry out a successful operation like this, they'll be seen as heroes. 'Real' heroes. Weird how that works, don't you think? There are many examples of this."
Eleanor continued.
"Let's go back in time to the early 21st century and the late 20th century. December 26, 1994. Marseille, France. French GIGN forces stormed an Airbus A300 of Air France Flight 8969 after the flight was hijacked by Islamic terrorists in Algiers. All four terrorists were killed, and 163 passengers and 12 crew members were saved. Unfortunately, three hostages were executed before the rescue, and some of the GIGN forces were injured, as well as some hostages, but it was a success, and they're seen as heroes. May 5th, 1980. South Kensington, London. British SAS conducted Operation Nimrod, where they stormed the Iranian Embassy after six terrorists took 26 hostages and killed one. The SAS killed five of the six terrorists and saved all but one of the hostages. They're seen as heroes. Remember, guns are still a very effective weapon, with or without quirks. So, do I need to give more examples? Because I have more that I can get into."
"Eleanor…I can understand, but handing off the operation to an entirely different group would also delay it. We've already built up what we need. I've been in communication with the police, and they are actively preparing."
"Well, the police aren't bad, and I mean the Special Assault Team, or SAT. Those are the ones who would be called upon for a situation like this. And I know the police have different use-of-force laws compared to you heroes. You don't want to kill because it'd look bad for your image and your rankings, but the police can, since it's one of the inherent risks in the job. People know that a police officer may have to use their guns, and while no one wants it to happen, there's always a risk. But in an operation like this, you better get those machine guns. And they have quirks as well. So, what's the difference? I say that only a job title separates 'heroes' from the police, yet there's such a difference in how this society sees them."
"Eleanor…you're approaching dangerous territory. We can still sort this out. Just give us time, and we can handle this with conversation," Sir Nighteye realized Eleanor was reaching a breaking point.
"Time? Time‽ After all this! And diplomacy‽ Sir Nighteye, I'm no longer working here. I don't care how it'll look, but I'm not coming back here, so just terminate the work-study contract we have." Eleanor went back to her seat, picked up her things, and left. When she reached the doors of the room, she kicked them open with so much force that the hinges were completely blown off. Debris from the wall littered the floor.
"Eleanor!" Sir Nighteye chased after her.
When Eleanor was about to step out of the agency, she felt a hand grab her shoulder. Again, it was Sir Nighteye. "Eleanor, I don't know what you're going to do, but please, think carefully. I can understand the emotions that a case like this causes, but we still need to hold ourselves together. Come back in, and we can solve this diplomatically."
Eleanor turned around and looked him straight in the eyes. "I refuse diplomacy. I've lost all respect for you. Go on, Sasaki Mirai. Do it. Use your quirk on me."
The two of them stood there, looking at each other. Eleanor was looking into his eyes, waiting to see if he would use his quirk on her.
Sir Nighteye's eyes turned purple.
A few minutes that felt like an eternity passed. Sir Nighteye didn't even know he was holding his breath. He finally breathed in and out. "Eleanor. Do you really believe you hold all the right answers? That you can pin all the problems onto one thing?"
"No, not at all. That would be extremism. I'm not an extremist. Extremists are people who pin all problems on one group of people and think they themselves hold all the right answers. I never claim to have all the right answers. But it is certainly tempting, isn't it? It's a very convenient mindset," Eleanor said.
"Eleanor, don't make me have to stop you."
"Stop me? For what? What have I done? Are you going to stop me for saying a few words? And let's face it, you don't think you can do anything to change the future, can you? You're stuck thinking that the future is set in stone. Well, not my problem. Anyway, I have places to be." Eleanor shrugged her shoulders and left.
/\\//\\//\
Eleanor went back to her dorm room. It was raining now. The dark clouds that had been lingering over the last few days finally let go. It was almost poetic in its timing. But she wasn't going to stay here for long. She started to gather her things and fit as much as she could into a backpack. She never really bought a lot of things, only some clothes. Even some more personal items could be taken with her.
Before she left, she looked back at UA one more time. 'It's been nice. But I have work to do. I may be leaving, but someone else will be taking my place.'
She turned around and left.
/\\//\\//\
Back at the agency, Sir Nighteye returned to the meeting. He went up to the front.
"Everyone, we have a new target."
"What? A new target? Sir Nighteye, you can't be serious," Ryukyu said.
"I am. We are targeting Eleanor from now on." Sir Nighteye dropped a bomb on the entire meeting. Midoriya, Ochaco, Tsu, and Kirishima all instantly looked up. Eleanor? They're classmate?
"Sir Nighteye! W-what are you saying! What do you mean we're targeting Eleanor? What has she done! She may have been out of line right now, but that doesn't mean we go after her for it!" Ochaco was the first to speak up. She remembered going on vacation with Eleanor. She'd never had to pay for anything on the trip.
"It's what she's going to do. I used my Foresight on her," Sir Nighteye said.
"You used your quirk on her‽" Midoriya spoke up this time.
"What was happening?" That question went through everyone's mind. They felt that things suddenly and violently derailed.
/\\//\\//\
'I have to go in for this one,' Eleanor thought to herself as she stood on the top of a building looking down at the Shie Hassaikai compound. She had her helmet on and was already at work. Drones around her cloaked her figure, allowing her to see out, but not letting anyone see in. The manipulation of the light made it look like no one was there. 'Well, I have Hagakure's quirk as well, kind of.'
Eleanor had the box that Momo had made for her, containing the vials with the chemical she had made. Eleanor summoned a few drones, loading them up with the vials. She used them all up. She'd need to since the compound was larger than it looked and since there was an underground section.
'We're doing this the smart way. No guns blazing. Not yet, at least,' Eleanor thought to herself.
Once all those drones were loaded, she sent them out. They were cloaked and silent. But they weren't the only ones. Other drones had gone in to assist the operation. They entered the vents of the compound. The drones with the vials stopped at certain points. The other drones kept flying. Through ducts and exhaust fans, these drones located the systems that controlled the ventilation. Rather than attacking a breaker, these drones cut all of the wiring for the ventilation system. No fresh air would be entering.
Eleanor, seeing from her tablet that it had been accomplished, went to the next phase. The drones with the vials. With a simple command, an invisible, colorless, and odorless gas started to fill every part of the compound, except for where Eri was.
'Those plague doctor masks won't do anything. Particulates like dust? Sure. But not gases. That would require air-purifying respirators with chemical cartridges, and those have a limited lifespan and don't make oxygen. But I need to be careful as well,' Eleanor thought to herself. Eleanor looked at the live feed on her tablet. Everyone was there. Perfect.
What was the gas? Well, think of it as a buffed version of carbon monoxide.
Through the live feed of her tablet, she could already see it taking effect. Some of the people in the compound started to panic as they quickly fell down. Quirk or not, they'd have already breathed in a sufficient amount to take effect before they could do anything. Through one of the feeds, she saw him. Overhaul.
'Let's go.'
Eleanor quickly went to the side of the building she was on and took a ladder down. She ran instantly to the compound, her steps leaving imprints on the concrete below. Several drones followed her, loaded with weapons and with kill-on-sight directives. She burst through the door. She already knew the layout of the compound, but this upper level wasn't of any interest; it was below that mattered.
The wood below her feet splintered as she ran to the secret entrance, ignoring the fallen bodies of some of the yakuza members, since the drones that followed were putting bullets in them, making sure they were dead. Just before she reached the secret entrance, she took cover in a room a bit away. A drone flew ahead quickly. The drone slammed into the secret entrance, blowing up in a large ball of fire, sending splinters and debris everywhere, and sending a tremor through Eleanor's body.
Eleanor continued, dashing through the smoke. The other drones followed her. One of the drones, carrying a railgun, was snatched by Eleanor. The transition was instant. The white halls, made of smooth concrete, came into view. She already knew this as well. There were more bodies fallen, but she was here for Eri. The drones also spilled lead into the bodies. No one was being spared.
Eleanor, with her helmet, knew exactly where to go. And with some drones providing a live feed of the area, she could see ahead of where she was running through the live feed on her visor. She knew what was coming.
The instant she turned the corner of a hallway, she saw him. He was heading to Eri's room. Time seemed to slow down as Eleanor's footsteps echoed through the hall. Overhaul looked behind him, his eyes narrowing.
Both of them reacted instantly. Eleanor aimed the railgun at him. Overhaul was getting ready to use his quirk. But there was a difference. Eleanor had the brain-computer interface. The helmet, operating on her orders, forcefully activated the precise electrical signals to her brain that then moved the parts of her body responsible for putting a tungsten slug into Overhaul. And she pushed it hard.
The average human reaction speed is 200–250 milliseconds. Overhaul had to react; Eleanor removed it entirely. Machine speed will always be faster than human speed.
A high-frequency electrical hum filled the hallway before a sharp, whip-like snap overtook it. The tungsten slug shot out from the railguns, instantly breaking the sound barrier. It was at this moment that Overhaul could finally activate his quirk, but it was far too late. The tungsten slug ripped into him, right into his chest. One moment, he was there. In the next moment, he was gone. In an instant, Overhaul's body disintegrated. The previously empty white halls now had a gruesome and brutal red stain. Blood covered the walls, floor, and ceiling. The tungsten slug continued before impacting a concrete wall, leaving behind massive spiderweb-like cracks.
Overhaul was dead. Just like that. No grand battle. No monologuing. Just ruthless and brutal action.
Eleanor barely reacted. She saw this with Dabi already. Eleanor continued forward and passed a room that caught her attention. It was a lab of sorts. Inside, she saw the quirk-destroying bullets and some guns. Without hesitation, she went in and grabbed as many of the bullets as she could, along with a revolver. She stashed them in her outfit before she left and continued.
Eleanor continued forward to where Eri was. Only then did she slow down. She slowly opened the door and saw her. Eri was curled up in bed, shaking and in tears. She felt the tremor from the explosion earlier and the sound of guns firing.
'I'm sorry, Eri. I hope you can forgive me for that,' Eleanor thought to herself.
She slowly entered the room and closed the door. She could finally breathe freely. She set the railgun on the side, took off her helmet and also set it to the side, and put her hands up. Eri saw her. She didn't know who this person was in front of her.
"It's okay. It's okay. I am here. I won't hurt you." Eleanor said quietly as she slowly approached Eri's bed. "The monster's gone, and he's on the run. You'll never, ever have to go through anything again. I'm here to save you." Eleanor stopped approaching and got on one knee. She still had her hands up, but she slowly reached out, extending a hand to Eri. "Take my hand. Please, let me save you."
Eri looked up. She looked a little scary, but she'd never seen this person. She had a smile on her face, and her eyes looked at her with gentleness and warmth. Eri slowly got off the bed and approached Eleanor. She slowly grabbed her hand before running fully ahead and hugging Eleanor. Eleanor gently wrapped her hands around Eri. She patted her head, quietly consoling her.
"Don't leave me. Please. Don't go." Eri cried as she hugged Eleanor.
"I've got you. I've got you." Eleanor whispered to Eri. She had to hold back her own tears, but she couldn't show Eri. "Let's get out of here. Don't worry, I'll be next to you. Here, I'll carry you." Eleanor gently lifted Eri up and held her close to her chest. Eleanor supported Eri with one hand as she walked to the door. "Eri, close your eyes and hold your breath. Don't worry, nothing bad will happen; don't have any fear."
Eri closed her eyes tightly. Eleanor picked up her helmet and put it back on. She picked up the railgun, smashed the doorknob, and left the room. She put the railgun back on the drone before making her way back through the compound. Drones armed with C4 were summoned and flew to strategic locations of the compound. She went fast, but not too fast. She didn't want Eri to accidentally breathe in from shock or fear. Quickly, both of them left the underground area and then eventually the compound entirely.
"Eri, you can open your eyes." Eleanor whispered.
Eri opened her eyes. Despite the dark clouds and the rain, it looked beautiful to her knowing she didn't have to go back.
"Where will we go?" Eri asked.
Eleanor sighed. She felt bad. Very bad. "I'll…I'll take you somewhere with good people. They can take care of you. You can play games all you want and eat all the food you want. You'll probably gain weight, but that's not so bad."
"Will you be there?" Eri asked.
Eleanor had to close her eyes and look away. She didn't know what to say. "I…well. I'll take you there first."
/\\//\\//\
Eleanor returned to her dorm room. It was basically empty now. She didn't like it, but she had to be quick. She quickly wrote down a few things on a piece of paper. Eri was sitting on the bed watching her.
Eleanor went to the phone and dialed a number. The phone rang for a bit before there was an answer. "Nezu, it's me, Eleanor. I need you to come to my dorm room. It's very urgent and an emergency. Feel free to come with as many people as you want, but you yourself need to be here. That's all." Eleanor hung up the phone before Nezu could say anything.
Eleanor approached Eri and got on one knee. She smiled a bit and ruffled her hair. "Eri…I won't be able to stay here. Don't worry. The people who will take care of you are heroes. We're at UA, one of the top hero schools in Japan. You can trust these people to take care of you and maybe spoil you. They will be much better suited to take care of you than I can. I'm sorry to have to depart so soon after we just met, but I hope that when you grow up and learn, you can come to understand my actions."
"Will I ever see you again?"
"Yes. Yes, you will. We'll see each other again. I don't know when, but we will."
"Promise?"
Eleanor smiled. "Yes, I promise. I have to go now, Eri."
/\\//\\//\
Eleanor was on top of another building as she overlooked the compound. This was it. No going back. Might as well make it a bang.
Literally.
'Theodore, detonate it,' Eleanor commanded.
The drones loaded with C4 in the compound exploded all at once. A massive but controlled explosion rattled the nearby area. The building of the compound exploded outwards. Wood, concrete, stone, and other debris went all over the place. Onto the street and near other buildings. The underground section was completely destroyed, destroying everything in it. Any drugs, equipment, and other evidence. Any bodies left in there were blown to pieces, unrecoverable and unrecognizable in the debris of everything else. The compound sank into the ground, leaving a large crater. Only a large smoke cloud was left.
Eleanor smiled a bit before she left.
From this point on, she had a lot of work to do. But she needed to find a new place to live first.