"Hiya."
_______________________________________________________________________________
Wolfram's eyes followed the screen with mild irritation as the image froze on Patch—impaled clean through by a massive spike of ice, its mismatched body twitching once… then going still. The feed lingered on the creature for a moment longer than necessary, as if mocking him.
"Tch… figures," Wolfram muttered, clicking his tongue. "So this is what losing a bet feels like."
He leaned back in his chair, utterly relaxed, fingers drumming against the armrest.
"Welp. The show's over. Time to leave."
At his unspoken command, thick metal tendrils slithered across the floor like living things, wrapping tightly around David Shield, the bleeding Samuel, and the reinforced suitcase containing the research. David stumbled as he was yanked forward, metal cuffs biting into his wrists.
A deep voice crackled through Wolfram's radio.
"Boss, extraction teams are in position!"
Wolfram lifted the radio casually.
"Understood," he replied. "Let's get moving, boys."
Almost on cue, the low, thunderous whup-whup-whup of helicopter rotors filled the air. Wolfram turned, hovering toward the control panel with mild curiosity.
"Now then… which of these delightfully overdesigned buttons opens the skylight… ah."Click.
Panels above them split apart, retracting smoothly as the night sky flooded the control room. Wind rushed in, papers fluttering wildly as a formation of sleek black helicopters descended, their floodlights cutting through the darkness.
David Shield stared upward, disbelief etched into every line of his face.
"…H–how?" he stammered. "The automated defence systems—every unauthorized aircraft should have been shot down instantly! Even with the tower compromised, the backup generators—"
Wolfram glanced over his shoulder, amused.
"Who said we were unauthorized?"
He gestured theatrically toward the helicopters.
"Clearly… these are guests."
The realization hit David like a physical blow.
Guests.Access codes. Override permissions.
Someone inside the system. Someone deep.
David's breath hitched as the implications stacked one atop another—but his thoughts were abruptly cut off by Wolfram's radio screaming with static.
"B–Boss—!"gunfire "We've got intruders! Ambush—looks like kids from the gala, the—!"
The transmission died in a burst of static.
For the first time, Wolfram's expression hardened.
"…Annoying."
He exhaled slowly.
"Those men were expensive. Leaving loose ends is bad for business." He glanced at David. "But I suppose you heroes don't really care about things like cost efficiency."
David clenched his teeth.
"Don't flatter yourself," he snapped. "Trying to sound regretful after everything you've done is pathetic. No matter what excuse you give, you're still nothing more than a criminal."
Wolfram opened his mouth to reply—
—and the world exploded in green.
A violent CRACK of air tore through the room as emerald lightning streaked across the floor, shattering metal, scattering guards like bowling pins.
"GET AWAY FROM HIM!!!"
Izuku Midoriya slammed into Wolfram like a living missile, One For All flaring at 15%, green electricity arcing wildly across his limbs. The impact sent a shockwave through the control room, screens shattering, metal warping.
Wolfram reacted instantly, metal flooding up his arms, forming layered shields—but even then, he was forced skidding backward across the floor, boots grinding against steel.
"So," Wolfram growled, bracing himself, "the main character finally arrives."
Izuku didn't respond. His teeth were clenched, eyes blazing with fury and desperation as he followed up with another strike, fist cocked back and launched forward with a whip-crack of compressed air.
Wolfram barely deflected it, the metal around his arm denting inward.
"Persistent," Wolfram noted, though strain crept into his voice. "I suppose I should be flattered."
While the clash raged, a smaller figure slipped past the chaos.
"Dad!"
Melissa Shield sprinted across the floor, dodging debris as she reached her father. She skidded to a stop beside him, hands shaking as she took in the metal bindings, the exhaustion etched into his face.
"Dad—I'm here! I made it!" she said quickly. "Izuku and the others got me up here—just in time!"
She tugged uselessly at the metal restraining him, frustration flashing across her features.
David barely heard her at first.
He was still staring at Izuku.
At the boy throwing himself—again and again—at a villain who should have been far beyond him.
His throat tightened.
"…Melissa," David said hoarsely, finally turning to her. "I'm… I'm so glad you're safe."
But the words felt hollow.
Guilt pressed down on him like a physical weight.
This was his island. His research.His dream of restoring All Might.
And now… children were bleeding for it.
David looked back at the battle—at Izuku Midoriya, electricity tearing at his muscles, refusing to back down—and for the first time since this nightmare began, David Shield couldn't escape the thought:
This… this is all my fault.
_____-_______________________________________________________
[Auther: Ah, I'm back to where it began.]