Izuku hopped off, glaring at a smug-looking Ezra. His nerves snapped with the teasing. "How can any of that make sense? People fly in and out all of the time, from everywhere! You can drive to two other countries from- How can all of this be accounted f- Is this just in California? ..What happens when people communicate- drive from other states? How about the news?! The INTERNET?!" Izuku had begun flailing his arms. "And to what point?!"
Pulling down on his face, this went beyond his typical muttering. Each thought was just full-on tripping over the next.
"..I thought that since I didn't tell my Agency where I was headed to, that I had just missed a tip about using our he..work badges or something." He had slowed down before ramping back up. "On the way here, there weren't any issues.. are other countries just.. Unaware? Or on board?! With this.. this conspiracy??"
Ezra's eyes had darted with every rise and fall of Izuku's heaving chest. Apparently humored, he scoffed.. "Conspiracy.."
Izuku stopped pacing to silent scream with his hands demanding answers. He debated asking a question, the question just on the tip of his tongue - til he justified voicing it aloud.
I doubt that we're even partners on this, I only have his word, and well, his word is-
"Alrighty!.. Any more questions?" Ezra clapped once.
"What is your quirk?"
"..." Ezra put on a surprised look, a look that was new to Izuku.
If he doesn't know what I mean, it won't hurt. 'Quirks' have a different meaning here, 'a peculiar behavioral habit'.. and Ezra's chock-full of those. Instead of saying something like super power..
Skipping a beat, Ezra smiled wide and called out Izuku's pseudo-bluff.
"Ah, but aren't I super quirky though? And you love all my quirks." He added with a wink.
I *ing hate this guy. Even in Izuku's mind, he censored his cursing.
"Uuf, language.." Ezra scolded playfully.
! Izuku got a sudden sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. The brightness around him contradicted the chill he felt. He.. YOU! You can hear my-!
Ezra made a popping sound with his lips before offering a knowing smile. "Wouldn't it be quirky if those forms were under some sort of contractual 'spell', or like, there was some kind of dome over the state?" Ezra suddenly bounced excitedly, "Hey, we should totally pitch a script to Holly-!"
Izuku had never wanted to punch someone who hadn't raised their hand first, before.
Ezra waved ironically, in contrast with his next 'order of business', "There had been a decline in crime for decades.. then there seemed to be a surge in activity which was kept under wraps in Japan. Probably to soften the blow after the fall of some symbol or something to that effect..
Any thoughts on who that would've been? ..A prime minister, or-?"
Izuku gritted his teeth.
Ezra continued, "Then some gangs united to become the.. What was it? Paranormal something or other?"
"..." Izuku was now actively cautious not to recall anything in regards to these trigger words. He was about certain that Ezra had a quirk, or at least was a damn good detective.. But, what was his angle??
To be safe, Izuku schooled his face and started to repeat words to create an echo within his mind.
With a slight furrow of the brow, Ezra went on. "At any rate, if the government wanted to withhold the existence of those with super powers, rest assured they'd find a way.
My guess is that California has just been the test run. If 'they' can wipe out the notion just across the ocean from the hottest hot spot on the globe.. then maybe they'd inch further east til they hit Area 51, then so on.
..To what point? Maybe they just want to phase out the theatrics of it all.. Just have undercover soldiers doing their bidding out of the public eye. Maybe they only want supers they can control."
Area- We're talking aliens now? This was too much and Ezra's nonchalance as he listed off concerning theories just deepened Izuku's headache.
"Who knows? Maybe it's just Japan that is the lab experiment." Ezra stroked his chin thoughtfully.
Izuku visibly shook his head, slamming an open hand in the air - Stop. "Ezra. Why do you 'know' all this and why am I 'partnered' with you? Why are either of us involved with this at all?"
Ezra just cocked his head from side to side with each question.
"Why won't you tell me what you know I want to know?!" Izuku burst out, ignoring startled onlookers as he glared at Ezra. He had to refocus on echoing instead of feeding new thoughts. Tell me, tell me.
Ezra looked away with no expression, dug out his phone and forwarded an address. "We'll meet here tonight for our date. There's that intel about newborns receiving shots when they're born.. now it looks like they've been made into pills. We'll do a stakeout, all night long."
***
