Arkham Enterprise stood tall, a sleek, seven-story complex that embodied modern innovation.
As one of the fastest-rising companies in the industry, its primary focus was developing cutting-edge support gear for heroes. But ambition didn't stop there; Arkham also pursued any venture that promised profit and prestige.
At the very top of the building, inside a spacious private office, Izuku Midoriya sat deep in thought.
His sharp green eyes scanned the glowing screen of his computer, where tabs of dense research flickered: Quirk Extraction. Cloning. Replication. His expression was unreadable, but the tension in his jaw betrayed his focus.
'If I could just locate that doctor… this research would go twice as fast.'
With a quiet sigh, he leaned back, rubbing his temple. His body still ached from yesterday… activities. No vigilantism for a while doctor's orders.
A sharp knock echoed three times against his door. In one smooth motion, Izuku closed the tabs including one labeled Super Soldier Serum just as the door swung open.
A tall, blonde woman strode in, her heels clicking against the polished floor. In her hands was a tablet, its screen glowing with notifications.
"Good morning, boss."
Izuku offered a small smile. "Morning, Elena."
Elena Cipher, his ever-efficient personal secretary, arched a brow. It wasn't often he occupied his office unless something critical demanded his attention.
Noticing her curiosity, Izuku chuckled. "What? Can't a man enjoy his own building?"
Elena smirked. "When that man is you? Rarely." She tapped her tablet. "Since you're here, the R&D team wants to show you their progress. They're… excited."
"Then let's not keep them waiting." Standing, he grabbed his blazer and shrugged it on, smoothing the fabric as they walked.
The office buzzed with energy as employees greeted him with nods and smiles. Izuku returned the gestures before stepping into the elevator, descending to the heart of Arkham's innovation, the laboratory floor.
The moment the doors slid open, a group of researchers practically vibrated with anticipation.
"Sir! It's a pleasure!" one exclaimed.
Izuku nodded. "Elena mentioned you had something to show me."
"This way, please!"
At the center of the lab stood Dr. Clara Smith, the lead researcher, her gloved hands hovering over a holographic display. When she spotted Izuku, her face lit up.
"Sir! Perfect timing."
"Clara." He approached, eyes scanning the data. "What's the breakthrough?"
With a grin, she expanded the projection. "We've done it, a stabilization method for Quirks."
Izuku's breath caught. The implications were staggering. "You're sure?"
"Positive. And we wouldn't have cracked it without your notes on overload thresholds."
He shook his head. "I just pointed in a direction. You did the real work."
Clara crossed her arms. "Modesty doesn't suit you, sir. Four months maybe less and we'll have a prototype ready for mass production."
A slow smile spread across Izuku's face. "Outstanding. Keep pushing forward."
As he turned to leave, the hum of progress followed him another step closer to reshaping the future.
. . . .
6:00 PM.
Izuku shut down the computer and pushed back from his desk, the chair creaking softly as he stood. The dim glow of the office lights flickered overhead as he stepped out, the hum of the building fading behind him.
"Have a nice day," Elena called from her desk, offering a small smile.
"You too," Izuku replied, with a smile.
Outside, the cool evening air brushed against his skin. He swung his leg over his bike, fastened his helmet, and kicked the engine to life. The machine growled beneath him as he pulled away, the city lights blurring into streaks of gold and neon in his periphery.
He took a familiar route turning onto an abandoned road, the asphalt cracked and weathered. The tunnel loomed ahead, its mouth dark and yawning.
Without hesitation, he veered right, the bike's tires crunching over gravel as the path narrowed, leading him deeper into the skeletal remains of an old train yard.
His hideout waited, hidden in the shadows. The gate groaned open at his approach, and he rolled inside, killing the engine. Silence settled around him as he dismounted, pulling off his helmet and setting it on the nearby table with a dull *thud*.
The glow of monitors greeted him as he took his seat, fingers flying across the keyboard. The enhanced computer whirred to life, casting an eerie blue light across his face. Quirk research files sprawled across the screen; theories, hypotheses, dead ends.
"Oracle," he said, voice low. "Run analysis on this research."
A brief pause. Then, the Oracle responded.
[It's purely theoretical, not a practical study, just like the Super Soldier Serum. Human trials are the only way to advance it. Without experimentation, the research can't move forward]
Izuku leaned forward, resting his elbows on the cold metal table. His eyes locked onto the holographic display flickering to life before him.
"Show me The List."
A soft chime echoed through the room as Oracle complied, projecting the file onto the screen.
The List.
It was more than just names, it was a catalog of the worst humanity had to offer. Every individual on it had been meticulously researched, stalked, and confirmed by Izuku himself to be irredeemable. Monsters hiding in plain sight.
His fingers swiped through the entries, scanning for the perfect targets. Two names stood out, low-profile, vulnerable, easy to take without drawing attention.
Satisfied, he pushed back from the table and strode toward the mannequin standing in the corner. "How's the suit coming along?"
[Still requires repairs,] Oracle responded.
Izuku studied the armored suit, its damaged plates suspended in the grip of robotic manipulators.
With a sigh, he turned and made his way to the lab. This was part of his routinea weekly ritual of self-inflicted agony.
He crossed the room to the refrigerated unit, its glass door fogged with condensation. With a quiet hiss, the seal released as he pulled it open, revealing rows of slender vials neatly arranged inside.
Each one glowed faintly under the sterile lab lights, their contents a spectrum of eerie hues crimson like old blood, emerald like poison, sapphire like something not quite of this world.
Forty in total. Or at least, there had been.
Now, slots one through twenty sat empty, their glass homes barren. His fingers hovered over them before settling on vial twenty-one. He plucked it from its cradle, feeling the chill of the liquid inside seep through the glass.
Without hesitation, he drew a syringe, plunged it into the viscous substance, and filled the chamber.
Then, without flinching, he drove the needle into his right arm.
Fire erupted in his veins. His muscles locked, his jaw clenched hard enough to crack teeth. Every nerve screamed as the poison surged through him, a calculated assault on his own body.
"Damn, this one's strong," he hissed through gritted teeth. His vision blurred; his knees buckled. He barely caught himself on the edge of the table, knuckles white with strain.
A wet cough tore from his throat. Blood splattered across the floor.
And yet he smiled. Wiping the crimson streak from his lips, he exhaled a shaky laugh.
"Now that was something."