A Hero and a Villain

Scene 13: Revenge is Sweet Alright

[Shinso]

Hitoshi sprawled across his couch, his face buried in his hands.

Holy shit, I can't believe I said that to him. I basically just confessed! What what I thinking?! Now he'll think I'm weird, or maybe he'll hate me! I should go apologize!

There was a knock at his door, a frantic sounding one at that. He reluctantly slid off the couch and walked to the door, opening it to find Izuku in a sniveling mess. "S-Shinso! Y-You're okay! I-I heard you were in a shooting incident yesterday!"

Hitoshi pulled him inside and patted his head, "Whoa, Midoryia, calm down. I'm fine." Izuku hugged him, "B-But they said that someone was shot! A-And they didn't catch the shooter! H-He's still out there!" Hitoshi almost laughed, "Midoryia, you're almost talking as if you aren't the Symbol of Peace and one of the most powerful heroes on the planet." Izuku sniffled, "B-But he might come after you again! W-What if I'm not there to protect you?!" Hitoshi sighed, "Midoryia, I can protect myself just fine. The guy caught me off guard, that's all."

Izuku took a step back, trying to stop crying, "B-But, you at least got a good look at him, r-right?" Hitoshi nodded, "About 5'6, light skin, short navy blue hair—kinda like Iida's—and.....oh yeah, pitch black eyes. Trust me, I'd know it if I saw him." He grumbled under his breath, "Especially after he shot Andeddo."

Izuku perked up, "Andeddo? Is that the person who saved you?" Hitoshi flinched, Frick, I forgot his hearing was that good.

"Uh, yeah, it is. Remember that black-haired guy from the beach a while back? That's him." Izuku's eyes widened, "Whaaa?! Really?! He was there with you?!" Hitoshi rubbed the back of his neck, "Well.....no, actually. He only got there the split second the guy took the shot. He left me a voicemail a few minutes before I even went to the subway, warning me to be careful. I mean, I don't even know how he knew I was in trouble. Then again, I don't think I want to."

Izuku looked concerned, "You say he called you before it happened? As in, he already knew you were in danger? Isn't that a bit suspicious?" Hitoshi almost snapped at him, but he calmed down, "I—well—I don't know. Yeah, it's kinda weird that he knew, but I trust him. Hell, he took a bullet for me! Without hesitation!"

Izuku looked at his feet, shuffling nervously, "You really care about him, huh?" Hitoshi flinched, sighing, "Yeah. I do." Izuku smiled nervously, "Then I guess I do too." Hitoshi started tearing up, and they hugged, "Thanks, that means a lot, Midoryia." Suddenly, both of their pagers started buzzing like crazy.

*Attention Heroes, we have a possible situation on ***** Street, North **********. Please report to the scene at your earliest availability.*

Izuku smiled nervously, "Sorry. Duty calls." He went to turn around, but Hitoshi put a hand on his shoulder, "Nonsense. I'll tag along." Together they grabbed their Hero gear and jogged out the door in sync.

[Andeddo]

Andeddo paced back and forth, waiting for the blueprints to load on his device.

Marco found the corporation that the assassin had come from. It was a Russian arms-dealing industry, completely disguised under a false advertisement. Of course, Andeddo had already infiltrated the building. As he'd expected, it was filled with plenty of armed guards.

He was currently hiding in the shadows of a back room corner, watching the next patrol of guards walk by on their shift. The only advantage he had at his disposal right now was the element of surprise, and he wanted to keep it that way. If he got killed here, it would definitely be a setback to his plan.

Finally, the floor layout appeared on the screen, and he zoomed in on the room he was aiming for. It was a secret office further below the ground floor, but only those with specific key card clearance could access it.

Easy enough, right?

Andeddo slinked around the corner soundlessly, pulling out a small EMP device about the size of a quarter. He designed it to only target specific electronic signals, such as communication devices. Biting his tongue, he pressed the button, and as he'd hoped, the guards freaked and threw their earwigs to the ground in panic.

Andeddo used the opportunity to slip behind them and snap their necks, one with each arm. They slumped to the ground lifeless, and Andeddo snatched the keycards from their lapels, dashing towards the elevator.

He slid the keycards through the slot and the elevator dinged, the doors opening. He had chosen the right guards, apparently. He watched as the doors closed, and he pressed the down button. To his surprise, a keypad emerged from a panel in the elevator wall.

He hadn't expected this.....

Hesitating, he glanced at his watch. It was almost time for the next shift of guards. On a whim, he typed in the assassin's code name. Immediately, red lights started flashing all around him, and an alarm blared from the speakers. "Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert! Threat Level Alpha! Intruder Alert!"

"Ah, duck." he swore under his breath.

Without a second to spare, he jumped up and knocked open the emergency hatch, climbing out the top of the elevator. Balancing on the edge, he peered down into the dark elevator shaft. He couldn't see the bottom.

There was a screech of metal behind him, and he whipped around. The guards were trying to pry open the elevator doors from the outside. Andeddo grimaced, glancing back down into the abyss. "Only one way down." he muttered, removing his belt.

It was a special item made of a material similar to Kevlar, but much stronger. It could withstand at least 500-750 degrees Celsius of heat, and was strong enough to double as a bat if needed, yet still retains its flexibility.

He carefully scaled down the side of the elevator box, hooking his legs behind the cables below while he threaded the belt around them. Taking an end of the belt in each hand, he placed one foot on the flat side of the cables and unhooked his leg. He ziplined straight down the shaft at a dizzying speed, sparks flying from the friction between the belt and the metal.

It took him a few minutes to reach the bottom.

The doors were already open when he did, so naturally he entered cautiously. As he stepped into the platform, he replaced his belt back around his waist and clasped it tight as he emerged into a room. Clean white metal panels lined the wall all around, reflecting the bright LED lights on the ceiling. Sitting in the middle was a black desk and several computer monitors, large screens covering the back wall above a control panel filled with glowing multicolored buttons.

And standing in front of it all was the assassin from the subway, the very same gun leveled at his head.

Andeddo chuckled, drawing his katana, "Ah, just the man I was looking for..... снайпер." The man flinched, yelling in a heavy Russian accent, "Wh-Who za hell are yoo?!" Andeddo twirled the katana in his hand, "The name's Reaper. The Grim Reaper." The man froze, his gun hand trembling, "Y-Yull nevah take meh alive!" Andeddo smiled, running his thumb along the edge of the blade, "Oh, I didn't plan on it."

Everything after that happened in slow-motion.

Andeddo paced forward, making his steps as loud as possible, and held his katana out to the side. As he got within about ten feet of the assassin, he dropped his katana mid air and took a swift step forward, clapping his hands together in front of the assassin's face. The guy bent backward at an awkward angle, frozen from shock. In the next second, Andeddo grabbed him by the collar and yanked him to the ground with one hand, impaling a kunai through his heart with the other.

Panting, he stood back up, fleeing towards the exit. But before he could make it, the elevator landed at the bottom, and someone came out.

"You've got to be kidding me." he groaned.