Vigilant: Part 2 - An MHA AU Story

Chapter 8: Markus

Izuku, Katsuki, and Mei had landed in a spot in the New York backwoods where no trucks nor commuters drove by. They were forced to march together down the stretch of road past endless trees and up and down hills, until they came to a clearing and spotted a country-style pub.

Katsuki pushed past the other two and marched himself inside impatiently.

Izuku sighed and walked with Mei to the doors, letting her walk in first.

Inside was every warm American welcome they could ask for: posters of women in tight clothing resting on motorcycles, loud rock music playing, and neon lights everywhere.

It was midday so it wasn't very busy at all. Still, the inside looked like it was that way all hours of the day, with the same amount of lighting even with windows open.

Katsuki sat himself at the bar. "What do ya have?" He asked the bartender.

"Hm?" The man standing on the other end looked at him funny.

Izuku then realized. "Mei... You wouldn't happen to speak English, do you?"

Katsuki groaned. "Great. We crash in the one part of this country that would never speak anything besides English in a million years."

"It's not like we chose to land here, Kacchan." Izuku sighed.

The bartender sighed then called for someone in the kitchen, probably to help translate.

Out of the kitchen came a physically fit blonde-haired man in the usual cook outfit, with a stained apron and hat.

He looked very familiar. The bartender spoke to him in English and pointed to the trio.

With a quick nod, the blonde man marched over and slammed his elbow on the bar across from them.

"Either you guys really like to cosplay as your favorite Japanese heroes, or I ate too many sweet rolls." He said.

His eyes darted to each of the three, then to the corner of the room behind them.

None of them said a word in response. Izuku did not want to be recognized. There was no telling who was listening. They were still so far from where they needed to be.

Katsuki and Mei felt the same way.

"Anyways. What can I get for you?" The blonde asked.

The three remained silent. A little too long. Quit making it obvious!

"We'll just get some water." Mei spoke out.

"Scotch for me." Katsuki said.

"Perfect! Some hydros for Cosmo and Wanda, and some masking tape for Katsuki Bakugo." He said. As he spoke, the sarcasm in his voice dropped as he stared at the group.

Quickly, Izuku jumped forward to attack the cook when suddenly Mei pulled him back in his seat. A loud blast was heard by the others in that moment, and lodged in the wall between himself and the cook was a series of small craters. Buckshot of some kind.

"Hands where I can see them." A voice from the corner of the establishment announced. His voice sounded muffled like he was wearing a mask.

All Izuku could see in his peripheral vision was the barrel end of a large handgun.

"Move, and I'll shoot the slowest one of you." He said.

The cook sighed. "Do you have to do this now, Snipe?"

The three heroes turned their heads in the direction of their armed foe. Stepping out of the dark corner into the dim light was a tall, western looking man sporting a large cowboy's hat, a small muzzle shaped to look like an old gas mask, a large poncho covering most of his body, and of course the gun in his hand which poked out of the cloak. One of UA High School's finest teachers and heroes back in Japan.

"S-S-Snipe?!" Izuku asked excitedly.

"I said don't move!" He snapped, clicking the gun and raising it higher.

"Who do you think you are holding us up like this, old man?" Katsuki hissed.

"Cook, let's go. Tie em up." Snipe ordered.

The cook came from behind the three and started to handcuff them all one by one.

"Just do as he says, guys." Mei suggested. "Trust me..."

"Trust you? I'm surprised you didn't tell me that sooner, Deku. Since you just looove all heroes." Katsuki grumbled.

"Hey, I'm as confused as you are, Kacchan." Izuku said lowering his head. Although he was excited for a moment to see a familiar face so far from home, especially one that he once had trusted with his life.

"Alright now. Time to bag em." Snipe said.

Instantly, Katsuki, Izuku, and Mei had something thrown over their heads and cover their eyes.

When the Accords were passed, every country that signed them abandoned the hero program, and the heroes within. Many were given employment and career options elsewhere with help from the government. But some seemed to fall out of existence as soon as they fell out of relevancy.

Izuku could feel the men that blindfolded them shove their bodies towards the kitchen, through a series of doors, and outside. As the darkness through the blindfolds increased in brightness as the feeling of gravel replaced the smooth floors.

"Don't fight them, guys." Mei's voice constantly reminded Katsuki and Izuku.

"They better not give me another reason to." The blonde-haired man grumbled.

"In the van." Snipe's voice ordered. And the group was pushed inside the back of an unseen vehicle.

After some silent amount of time transporting from a van out on solid ground again and guided inside a new set of floor, the trio suddenly had their blindfolds ripped off.

Katsuki growled and looked around the room they were left in.

Mei backed away from the boys. "No... This is your hideout, Mark?"

Izuku and Katsuki looked from her to around the room. And yet they were all alone, with nothing but the single lightbulb hanging above their heads.

"Mark?" Izuku asked. "Mark Handsaw?"

"Apologies, my friends."

All three turned around to spot a man with grey hair, and a fancy suit sporting coattails and black eyeliner approaching them calmly.

"Obviously, I am not Markus. But I am here to welcome you all!" He proclaimed.

Katsuki marched right up to him and grabbed his throat. "Who are you? Why did you bring us here?!"

"Bakugo!" Mei shouted. "Let him go!"

"Kacchan, that's Gentle Criminal!"

Both Mei and Katsuki turned back to the green-haired man in pure confusion. "Who?" They asked in unison.

"Ehh... Eheh." The man chuckled nervously. "That is not a name I go by anymore."

"Then talk." Katsuki his attention back to the older man.

"That's enough."

Everyone in the room turned to the new voice. A young man stepped out of the shadows with short, pink hair, and pink beard stubble.

"No..." Izuku's heart dropped.

"That's just Mark Handsaw. He brought us here. Izuku Midoriya please calm down!" Mei rambled on very quickly, trying to keep him calm. But it did nothing now.

Now it was Izuku's turn to charge someone and physically threaten them.

The young man did nothing as he watched this former hero rush him and wrap his fingers around his throat.