His fate unknowingly decided for him, Midoriya grabbed and dragged the man behind a wall. At the same time, DD jumped onto his friend, with his taser shoved into the man's neck. As Midoriya choked out the first Rifleman, DD dragged his buddy behind a wall as well. Four down, sixteen to go. Moving forward again, Midoriya spotted one Sniper standing on the right side of the building, and the other on the left.
They were decently far apart, and there was little cover he could use to get close. So he drew his M1911. With its silencer on and tranquilizer rounds loaded, Midoriya snuck up just a bit closer to the two Snipers, and aimed his pistol. The Sniper on the right had his head covered by a boonie hat, so Midoriya targeted him first. He fired swiftly, the round striking the back of the Sniper's neck.
Now unconscious, the man slumped forward and fell off the building. His subsequent crash into the water alerted the other mercs to his fall. Rather quickly, Midoriya ducked behind cover. Meanwhile, the last Sniper and a new Rifleman, who currently climbed up from the second floor, turned to where the last Sniper was.
"[What happened!?]" The last Sniper exclaimed, rushing to the old Sniper's position. The Rifleman beat him there, though, and looked over the edge. Seeing the man's body floating in the water, the Rifleman turned and looked around.
"[Oh bloody hell… the doos tripped and fell]" the Rifleman concluded, seeing no one else around. The last Sniper then scoffed, annoyed.
"[That domkop]" the Sniper muttered, "[Hope everyone else is more careful than he is. Don't want any more croc chow.]"
Annoyingly, the Rifleman and Sniper decided to stick together as the Sniper returned to his post. The Rifleman followed behind him the entire time. He shook the entire time, as if it were the middle of winter. Midoriya at first assumed it to be due to a quirk, but that assumption was shot down as he heard the man start talking.
"[Fok… fok… fok…]" the Rifleman muttered, the Sniper glancing back at him every so often. While he did this, Midoriya moved to shoot at the Sniper, only to find no clear shot. The man had camo netting around his head, which, annoyingly, would obstruct his shot. That left his rifle, or sneaking in close. His ACR seemed like the practical choice, but it would only work if he was a quick enough shot.
He'd need to shoot the Sniper and the Rifleman within seconds of each other. At the same time, if they fell off the building like the last Sniper, then the other mercs would know something's wrong. If he snuck in close, though, DD could deal with the Rifleman while he dealt with the Sniper. It also ensured the other guards wouldn't hear their buddies crashing into the water below.
It was riskier, but Midoriya thought it was worth it. So he double checked his surroundings, ensured the area was clear, and crawled forward.
"[...The hell's your problem?]" the Sniper then asked, as the Rifleman continued to swear.
"[Hm? Me? No problem. None at all]" the Rifleman replied, while Midoriya slowly got closer, "[You got a spare gebruiker?]"
"[Seriously? You've got a problem]" the Sniper groaned.
"[Do you have one or not?]" the Rifleman demanded, causing the Sniper to groan.
"[No. We've been out of smokes for days]" the Sniper replied, tiredly.
"[Fok… fok]" the Rifleman muttered. Now Midoriya was two feet behind them. Standing up, Midoriya saw DD get his taser again and readied himself. The Sniper in front of him shook his head and sighed.
"[You need help, bru]" the Sniper stated, the Rifleman only scoffing. Both men remained entirely unaware of Midoriya. With a quiet breath, Midoriya moved in toward the Sniper, and-
"[Kontak!]" a voice loudly yelled from above. Midoriya barely had time to react before the Sniper and Rifleman in front of him turned around. Above him, a Flyer had spotted him out in the open. Rapidly, Midoriya kicked the Sniper off the roof, the man yelling as he was knocked over. The Rifleman next to him tried to aim his R4, but found DD leaping on top of him. The moment both men were down, Midoriya ducked and rushed back into cover.
Bullets pinged off the thick AC unit he hid behind, and Midoriya didn't dare move yet. Grabbing his ACR, Midoriya peeked over cover for a moment, only to hear DD growling next to him. His eyes went wide, and Midoriya quickly dove out of the way. A second later, the Shotgun Flyer fired, a slug soon tearing into where Midoriya previously was. Turning around, Midoriya spotted both Flyers circling him from above.
Targeting the Shotgun Flyer, Midoriya effectively emptied his rifle's magazine. Most did nothing but skim by, as the Flyer erratically began moving through the air. It was like trying to shoot a drone, as the man moved backwards, forwards, right, left, up, and down, at the same time. Grumbling, Midoriya soon got up and slid over the AC he was next to. It gave him cover from the Flyers for only a second.
But it was enough time for him to reload his rifle. Both men soon darted overhead, while Midoriya patiently waited. As all this happened, the other mercs began to scramble. Hearing the commotion, the majority began climbing out onto the roof.
"[They're here! Radio the others!]" the Armored Rifleman yelled, right as Midoriya found his moment. The Flyers, as it turned out, had one small weakness. It was difficult to aim while on the move. Especially when flying in the air. The regular Flyer stopped to aim his rifle at Midoriya. Unfortunately, Midoriya had been waiting for him to do so, and within seconds, he fired six rounds at the man.
Three tore into his chest, while another two clipped his right arm and wing. Falling out of the sky, the Flyer crashed into the waters below. With him gone, Midoriya turned and booked it, as the Shotgun Flyer began to empty his weapon. Twice the man fired, and twice he missed. Yet it was enough of a danger to keep Midoriya running. Sliding behind a wall, Midoriya flinched as bullets tore into the brick and mortar.
"[You're dead, kid! Dead!]" the Flyer taunted from above, while Midoriya ducked. Behind him, the last six Riflemen had climbed onto or were taking cover on the roof. Along with them, the Medic and the roof Shotgunner opened up on his position. All while the Shotgun Flyer tried to flank him from the side again. Incredibly fed up with him, Midoriya waited for the man to stop moving before shooting his grappling hook upward. Stabbing into the man's wing, Midoriya yanked him to the ground.
Tumbling out of the sky, the man found himself slamming into the ground. He quickly rushed to get back up, but found Midoriya's fist greeting his jaw. Knocking him out instantly, Midoriya shook the pain out of his hand before discarding his Mk 13 for the Flyer's Beretta SP312. At the same time, Midoriya heard more gunshots ring out behind him. Only these were now from Uraraka.
She began laying down covering fire to his left, and managed to hit a few Riflemen. However, this success didn't last long, as the Medic quickly held out his hand, and both men's wounds just disappeared.
"[The goffel's behind us!]" one of the Riflemen would then call out. Seconds later, Midoriya saw the Armored Rifleman climb up to join his buddies on the roof. Knowing Uraraka was going to get surrounded, Midoriya decided to switch tactics. With the shotgun in hand, Midoriya found a hole in the roof and dropped in. DD followed him closely, and they both landed in an empty bedroom. Running forward, Midoriya booked it through the halls, winding through apartments. He was looking for a suitable position to flank the troops above.
In one hall, he found the second Shotgunner. Ducking behind a wall, Midoriya peeked around cover and saw the man teleport just a few feet forward. He did this a few more times, moving far faster than normal. Timing himself, Midoriya waited for the man to teleport again. The second he reappeared, Midoriya slammed and fired his shotgun. Two slugs shot forward, knocking the Shotgunner off his feet and tearing apart his chest.
Quickly, Midoriya scooped up the man's ammo before continuing to run. Reaching the other side of the apartment complex, Midoriya climbed back up onto the roof. By now, Uraraka had been surrounded, and Midoriya's eyes widened with terror. Barely having to think about it, Midoriya fired his ACR at the first Rifleman he found. Three rounds flew forward, and two struck the man in the head.
At first, Midoriya assumed that they were now down to five Riflemen. But then he heard the Medic call out "[Both of you, back on your feet!]".
When he started counting the people on the roof, Midoriya found the two Riflemen he had knocked out before back up on their feet. Seeing what was happening, Midoriya wasted no time and grabbed a grenade from his belt. He held it close and provided Uraraka some cover fire. Seeing her chance, the girl dove into a hole in the floor and began booking it from below.
Once she was clear, Midoriya chucked his grenade at the Medic. It landed dead on, the Medic and a nearby Rifleman scrambling to get out of the way. Neither succeeded, and instead were caught in the blast. Both were shredded like cheese, and Midoriya thought he'd have time to breathe. He was instantly proven wrong.
"[Stand clear!]" the Rocketeer yelled, ensuring his companions wouldn't get caught in any back blast. Hearing this, Midoriya rapidly dove back into the hole he'd climbed through. Seconds later, the RPG slammed into his old spot. Parts of the roof collapsed next to Midoriya, and he ran fast. Running through the apartment complex's halls, he heard the mercs above scrambling to find him again.
Mentally, he tried to count just how many people remained. From what he could remember, there was the Rocketeer, the Armored Rifleman, one last Shotgunner, and seven Riflemen. With this checklist, Midoriya turned around a corner and found Uraraka hiding behind a wall. She looked up, her breath had, and reloaded her Beretta.
"Hey," was all she said, while Midoriya slid up next to her.
"Hey," Midoriya replied, while taking a moment to reload his rifle. Tiredly, he peered around the nearby halls, as footsteps echoed above them. Turning back, he faced Uraraka. Midoriya almost motioned for them to start moving again, but stopped.
"You're bleeding," Midoriya said, trying to keep his tone calm. Internally, he could do nothing but panic as he spotted a bloody hole on the side of Uraraka's torso.
"It's nothing. Just a flesh wound," Uraraka told him, while Midoriya begged to differ. The bullet appeared to have just grazed her, but it was worryingly close to her stomach. Something had to be done, so Midoriya dug into his bag. Both he and Uraraka should have had medical supplies on hand. And thankfully enough, he found some bandages.
"Stay still," he told her, before scooting in close. Carefully, he wrapped them around Uraraka's wound, while she gritted her teeth. The moment he was done, both teens heard the mercs yell again.
"[Everybody! Third floor! Now!]" the Armored Rifleman ordered, and Midoriya heard loud thuds echo from across the hall. Standing back up, both he and Uraraka rapidly began moving again. Staying close together this time, they both found two Riflemen and the Rocketeer dropping in from above. Midoriya swiftly shoulder checked the Rocketeer, while Uraraka struck a Rifleman with her hammer, and DD jumped at and started mauling the last one.
The Rocketeer slammed into a nearby wall and began to raise his fist to fight back. But Midoriya was quicker than he was, and the teen rushed forward, swept his legs, grabbed his face, and slammed the man's head into the wall again. Knocking him out, Midoriya heard other mercenaries running in from behind. Ducking behind an abandoned table, Midoriya watched as three more Riflemen showed up in the hallway.
Opening fire, Midoriya watched as the three scattered for cover. It became a tit for tat show as both sides shot at each other. Eventually, the mercs got a good shot in. Two rounds. Midoriya in the chest. His body armor kept them from penetrating, but he felt the familiar pain of bones cracking. Gasping for air after it was knocked out of him, he ducked behind the table, rounds still cutting through his cover.
As he did this, the last Shotgunner showed up in the hallway. Midoriya quickly aimed his rifle at the man, only for the Shotgunner to suddenly dash out of the way.
"[Missed doos!]" the Shotgunner taunted, while aiming his shotgun. He nearly fired, but was stopped by Uraraka mag dumping her pistol. The rounds struck his ballistic vest and failed to penetrate. Yet each round still hurt like hell, and staggered the man long enough for Midoriya to grab his own shotgun.
With a single shot, Midoriya knocked the man off his feet, the shotgun slug killing him. He didn't dare rest after the kill, though, and instead shot his grappling hook forward. Snagging the man's shotgun, Midoriya caught it in midair before turning to Uraraka.
"Here! Take it!" Midoriya told her and quickly tossed the shotgun forward. She was surprised for a second, but caught the weapon carefully. Examining it for a second, Uraraka pumped the shotgun, accidentally throwing away a shell. But it gave her enough info to work with for now. She swiftly fired at the opposing Riflemen, while Midoriya booked it to a sturdier source of cover.
Now ducking behind a kitchen island, Midoriya tossed another grenade out toward the enemy. It landed between the three Riflemen, and like before, they scrambled to escape. Two succeeded, but the third was killed quickly. Seconds later, the last two Riflemen and the Armored Rifleman joined the fray. By now, Midoriya was throwing caution to the wind. He grabbed the last two grenades from his belt and chucked them forward.
Three Riflemen were caught in the blast, as two of them had accidentally dove into a grenade while trying to dodge the other one. The last one was unknowingly being snuck up on by DD, and the dog soon tasered the man to the ground. The Armored Rifleman was all that was left. So turning around, Midoriya found the man walking toward him. Firing his ACR, Midoriya watched as a dozen rounds struck the Armored Rifleman harmlessly.
He fired a dozen more, and they simply pinged off the man.
"[Come on, keep trying brat! It'll make this so much easier for me!]" the Armored Rifleman taunted, laughing. Hearing this, Midoriya changed tactics and switched to his shotgun. At the same time, the Armored Rifleman opened fire, forcing Midoriya to duck behind another wall for cover. The man got ever closer and was only stopped by Uraraka firing at him from the side. That momentary distraction was all Midoriya needed.
Hopping out of cover, Midoriya shot his grappling hook at the floor next to the Armored Rifleman. Pulling himself forward at breakneck speeds, Midoriya held his shotgun ready. The Armored Rifleman, who'd turned to face Uraraka, now turned to find Midoriya a few feet in front of him. With little time, Midoriya slam-fired his shotgun at point-blank range. The Armored Rifleman staggered backwards after every shot. By the third round, his body armor had cracked, allowing Midoriya to finally finish him off.
With a final fourth slug, the Armored Rifleman collapsed dead on the ground. Breathing heavily, Midoriya looked around. Seeing no one else, he began to sprint forward.
"Come on! We need to move!" Midoriya yelled out while scooping up some more shotgun shells from a downed Shotgunner. Pequod was still out there, and this fight had cost them precious time. Worse, it alerted the rest of the PMCs to their presence. Reaching the roof, Midoriya attached DD to his harness and grappled up to a new building. Uraraka followed close behind, and the two began swinging past the streets again.
They moved as quickly as they could, took every shortcut they could find. Whatever they could do to go faster, they did. And yet to Midoriya, it felt like it wasn't enough. The smoke was getting closer, though, and for that he was grateful. Eventually, he spotted a long highway that was elevated over the water. It stuck out over the shore a bit and looked decently stable. Good, Midoriya thought to himself, we could land there and have something to run along-
"[They said they were in the area, so keep-]" a Vityaz merc began to say, right as Midoriya swung over the highway. His eyes widened in panic as he spotted them. A whole convoy of mercs was moving up the highway, brought on by the Luiperds' call. And they'd brought along armor. A T-72B3M stood in the middle, a BTR-82A was in the front, and a ZSU-23-4M5 Shilka was in the back. Midoriya pleaded that they could be avoided, but then a Vityaz Rifleman spotted him.
"[They're up there!]" the man quickly called out, and a dozen eyes shot upward, "[I see them!]"
"[Open fire!]" another Rifleman ordered. Very suddenly, Midoriya found the sky around him getting lit up. The Shilka and BTR's turrets turned around, and their guns aimed upward. Panicking, Midoriya looked around for a solution. He found one in the shape of an abandoned skyscraper. A large hole stood in its side, and Midoriya didn't have to think twice. Finding Uraraka behind him, Midoriya quickly gestured to follow him, while swinging toward the building.
All the while, gunfire continued to soar around him. Some rifle rounds struck his thigh, causing him to cringe in pain. Yet he had to keep going. Landing in the building with a role, Midoriya waited for Uraraka to join him. She came floating in, just as a round struck her arm. The momentary loss of concentration almost caused her to fall, so Midoriya quickly grabbed her hand and pulled her back.
Both now on semi-solid ground, they both booked it. Midoriya and Uraraka desperately ran through office space after office space. The T-72 from below began to fire its 125mm gun, each round slamming into the skyscraper. Glass and concrete were chucked all over the place as every single merc fired everything they had into this one building. Rocketeers with RPG-7s, Grenadiers with RG-6s, Machine Gunners with RPK-74Ms, RPL-20s, and PKPs, and Minigunners with DShKs, NSVs, and Kords, all fired relentlessly.
"They really want us dead!" Uraraka exclaimed, ducking as part of the roof collapsed next to them. They felt the building shake then, and another series of RPGs soon crashed into the building's structure. The floor started falling, and in the blink of an eye, Midoriya found himself sliding along the collapsed remains. Ramping up speed as he slid downward, Midoriya felt himself moving faster. It hurt like hell, scraping his butt and legs against his concrete slide. Yet when it finally seemed like it was coming to an end, he found a window sitting at the end of his path.
"Oh crap!" Midoriya couldn't help but exclaim as he quickly tried to shield himself and DD. Crashing through the glass, he heard his dog whimper in pain. Midoriya himself felt pieces of glass cut into his arms, and one piece scraped his forehead. Of course, this pain was ignored as he fell out of the building and toward the water. Seconds before he hit the water, he felt Uraraka touch his shoulder.
Her quirk slowed his descent just enough that he survived landing in the water. Midoriya still felt something crack in his right leg, though. Quickly surfacing above the water, Midoriya floated upwards, panting. Readying his grappling hook, he aimed upward at a nearby building and hooked onto it. Pulling himself upward, he heard the roar of several engines call out from below him. Looking back down, he found the BTR-82 from before was now moving through the water.
Along with some friends, as the Gold Coast Mercs decided now was the time to join the party. Two ZLT-05A amphibious fighting vehicles followed behind the BTR. 105mm shells and machine gun rounds peppered the sky, causing Midoriya to groan angrily. This was taking too long! Scrambling up the building, he continued to run forward. Pequod's helicopter was now just a street away.
Ignoring his pain, Midoriya pressed forward, seeing the smoke getting ever closer. He was just one alley away, and Midoriya swung toward it. There he spotted Pequod's helicopter, half embedded in the wall of a tall H-shaped building. It was situated along a small bridge section that connected the building and formed its H-shape. Finding a broken window, Midoriya clambered through it and ran down the hall.
Unhooking DD from his harness, Midoriya sprinted until he reached Pequod. Looking the pilot over, Midoriya could only feel angry. The man was slumped over his controls, with blood dripping down his face. Worse, his breathing was far too quiet. As Uraraka stepped up next to him, Midoriya quietly reached for the pilot's unconscious body. He barely touched the man, and yet the helicopter loudly inched backwards.
Freezing in place, Midoriya carefully looked back at Uraraka.
"Can you float this real quick?" he asked, gesturing to the aircraft with his head.
"The helicopter?" Uraraka questioned, shocked, with worry lacing her tone, "That's… that's a bit past my weight limit."
A bit, Midoriya anxiously thought. The maximum her quirk could lift was three tons. The blackhawk was at least nine tons. In all likelihood, the aircraft wouldn't so much as raise an inch off the ground. Rapidly, Midoriya tried to think up a solution. He should have some extra explosives on hand. He could toss them at the back of the helicopter, blow them up, and shed a good chunk of the helicopter's weight.
But… Pequod was still in the helicopter. If he blew it up, he'd blow up Pequod, too. Before he could, Uraraka took a deep breath and placed her hands on the helicopter.
"I'll… I'll try. But be quick," Uraraka nervously told him. Slowly, Midoriya nodded. Again, Uraraka breathed in deep before activating her quirk. The helicopter lifted up by a centimeter, and almost immediately, Midoriya saw Uraraka turn green. She shook heavily, struggling to stand, yet Uraraka kept her focus on the helicopter.
"H-hurry!" Uraraka told him, while trying to keep her lunch down. Quickly, Midoriya reached into the cockpit and unhooked Pequod from his seat. He pulled him out of the vehicle and, with DD's help, set him on the floor. The second he was out, Uraraka placed her fingers together.
"Release!" Uraraka exclaimed, the helicopter's weight returning to it. Mere seconds later, both teens heard the sound of metal scraping against concrete. The blackhawk fell backwards, plunging off the building, and crashed into the river outside. It was far too close for Midoriya's comfort. Uraraka's too, though by this point, the helicopter was the least of her worries. As her stomach decided now was the time to screw her over.
Angling herself away from Pequod, she collapsed to her knees and threw up on the concrete floor. Uraraka then coughed loudly as she tried to wipe the bile away from her mouth. Sitting down next to her, Midoriya offered her a small rag from his bag.
"Breath, breath," Midoriya told her, as she grabbed the rag, "You did it."
"Y-yay," Uraraka cheered with a weak smile, "Next uh… next time we train, I think we should focus on my quirk more."
"Yeah," Midoriya agreed. After today, that might be a good priority. Slowly turning back around, Midoriya walked toward Pequod. Now that the man was outside the helicopter, Midoriya got a better look at his state. And the teen could only grimace at what he saw. Carefully, Midoriya began to examine the pilot, finding more bits of blood covering his person. When Uraraka recovered enough to stand on her feet, she looked at Midoriya, worried.
"How is he?" Uraraka asked, causing Midoriya to groan.
"Bad," Midoriya replied anxiously, "He's got a cut on his head, several more along his torso, one worryingly close to his neck, a dozen broken bones… likely a concussion too."
He needed a doctor now. The MSF should have sent another helicopter to pick them up. Not to mention backup. And at first, Midoriya wondered what was taking them so long. Only for the familiar sound of gunfire to echo through the city again. It was the PMCs' surviving anti-air weapons firing at something in the distance. Fighter jets, bombers, something. Midoriya didn't know what.
What he did know was that DD had started growling. With a loud bark, DD quickly got Midoriya's attention.
"What's wrong, boy?" Midoriya asked, and the dog soon rushed toward the gaping hole in the bridge. Following him, Midoriya's eyes widened as he looked toward the ground.
"Ah, crap," Midoriya muttered, the teen quickly grabbing his ACR and ducking behind a wall. Seeing this, Uraraka quickly joined him with her pistol raised.
"Our friends again?" Uraraka inquired anxiously, with Midoriya nodding.
"Yep," Midoriya confirmed, as he peeked over the wall yet again. Below them was a sight he dreaded. The BTR and ZLT-05As had shown up again, accompanied by a lot of infantry. Rapidly, Vityaz, Gold Coast, and Luiperd mercs began taking positions around the building. Two teams of five quickly booked it up a nearby building, both teams having Rocketeers and Snipers now aiming at Midoriya's building.
The rest of the infantry, meanwhile, broke into two groups. One either swam or climbed onto Midoriya's building and got ready to breach the lower levels. The second, with several amphibious APCs, began to circle the building itself, ensuring Midoriya and Uraraka were surrounded. One vehicle soon stood out to Midoriya, as a BTR-90 without a turret, swam through the water.
When it came to a stop, Midoriya found the hatch opening up. And to Midoriya's surprise, out popped the head of Adonis. The man stepped out of the vehicle fully, with a megaphone in his hand. Dusting himself off, Adonis looked up at the building, his eyes going over every window. Without a word, he brought the megaphone to his mouth.
"[We know you're here brats!]" Adonis loudly called out. At the same time, Midoriya spotted a dozen more Flyers taking to the skies. A mix of mercenaries with flight quirks fluttered about the area, searching for the two teens.
"[There's nowhere to run! We have you completely surrounded!]" Adonis proclaimed, as Midoriya quietly glared down at the man. Calmly, Adonis began to walk across the BTR's roof with a frown plastered on his face.
"[Now you two have been nothing but a pain in the neck for the last week]" Adonis commented, his tone becoming slightly calmer, "[You have thoroughly pissed me off. And for that I give you full marks.]"
Quietly, Midoriya took note of the enemies present. The vehicles below would be the biggest worry. However, he soon spotted some of the Flyers had grenade launchers as well. Like ground-based Grenadiers, these Flyers had chest rigs decked out in 40mm grenades. That would be an issue, Midoriya calmly thought. All while Adonis continued to talk.
"[But you are going to pay for all the money you've cost us]" Adonis stated, unaware he was being ignored. His eyes finally settled on the bridge that Midoriya and Uraraka stood on.
"[Surrender now, and we'll make this quick! Keep fighting and we'll have some fun with you in your final moments!]" Adonis threatened, before letting the megaphone fall to his side. For a second, Midoriya looked back at Uraraka, and she looked back at him. With a quiet, deep breath, they both nodded. In the blink of an eye, Midoriya aimed his rifle at Adonis and fired. Three bullets shot forward, and all hit their target. But the merc's face bent inward, as if Midoriya had shot a slab of putty.
The man flinched back in pain, but his seemingly elastic body kept any of the rounds from penetrating.
"[Wrong choice brat!]" Adonis shouted into the megaphone, ducking his head back into the BTR, "[Fire! Fire at will!]"
The order was issued only a second after Midoriya fired, and soon every merc lit the building up. The BTR-82 and ZLT-05A's all fired their main guns at the building. Machine guns tore into almost every window, while Snipers searched the remnants for signs of movement. Periodically, Midoriya returned fire, but it did little against the oncoming barrage. Swiftly, he spotted the two Rocketeer teams on the ground.
On both buildings, they had one Rocketeer, two Snipers, and two Riflemen. It was a mish-mash of Vityaz, Luiperd, and GCM personnel, with little uniformity between them all. But all Midoriya cared about were the Rocketeers. The building shaking as the ZLT-05A's 105mm guns struck the building again told Midoriya exactly what his next move was. Carefully, he started aiming his grappling hook at the building across from them. Next to him, Uraraka looked over, confused.
"Where are you going!?" she asked, ducking as a 7.62mm round struck the concrete next to her. Finding his shot, Midoriya fired his grapple and hooked onto a water tower.
"To deal with their armor! You stay here and guard Pequod! I'll be back!" Midoriya hastily replied before jumping out of the building. Pulling himself forward at rapid speed, Midoriya flinched as mercs below him fired upwards. Nearing his destination, Midoriya saw the Snipers focusing on him.
"[The green one's heading toward us!]" he heard one yell out. Four rifles aimed up at him, all trying to follow his trajectory.
"[Shoot him down, damn it!]" a Rifleman yelled, bullets now flying up toward him. None hit him, but both Snipers soon spotted the grappling hook's cable. Instantly, they switched their focus toward the water tower. Knowing they were waiting for him to stop, Midoriya retracted his grapple from the water tower. Now falling forward, Midoriya found one of the Snipers sitting below him. With the ground coming closer, Midoriya slugged the Sniper across the face as he fell. Hitting the ground with a roll, Midoriya hopped behind a low wall.
"[Fuck, that looked like it hurt!]" the Rocketeer exclaimed, before ducking behind cover. Rapidly, Midoriya began to fire at the first Rifleman he could see. Within seconds, three rounds struck the man's chest. Yet Midoriya didn't cherish this victory. Instead, he moved to a new source of cover, as he remembered the Flyers above him. Sure enough, a Vityaz Grenadier Flyer attempted to flank him from the side. His momentary pause to lob a few grenades was met with buckshot, and the man fell dead.
Behind Midoriya, the last Sniper carefully waited for the teen to peek out of cover. Knowing this, Midoriya used his grappling hook to pull the Flyer's RG-6. With the weapon zipping into his hands, Midoriya aimed it overhead and fired two grenades. The last Rifleman saw this and quickly dove out of the way. But the Sniper himself found both rounds landing right on top of him. With him dealt with, Midoriya continued to move forward, continually darting between walls, furniture, and whatever else he could find.
"[You're head is mine brat!]" a GCM Shotgun Flyer would eventually taunt. Only for Midoriya to snag his leg with his grappling hook and pull him downward. Crashing to the floor, Midoriya slammed the Flyer's head into his knee. At the same time, the Rocketeer had switched to firing his MP-443 pistol. Much to the last Rifleman's annoyance.
"[Hit him with the RPG!]" the Rifleman yelled angrily, while the Rocketeer groaned next to him.
"[He's too close! I'd hit him and us-!]" the Rocketeer began to say, just as Midoriya peeked over cover. Seeing an opportunity, Midoriya fired a four-round burst at the Rocketeer. Caught out in the open, each round struck swiftly, leaving only the Rifleman. However, he wasn't much of a threat. Sneaking around cover, Midoriya managed to flank the Rifleman on the left. The last thing he felt was the butt of Midoriya's ACR striking his neck.
With him dealt with, Midoriya rushed toward the Rocketeer's RPG-7. Dropping his grenade launcher, Midoriya scooped the new weapon up quickly and grabbed the Rocketeer's backpack. Once the RPG was in hand, Midoriya looked over the edge of his building to see the armored vehicles sitting below him. The BTR-82 and the ZLT-05As continued pummeling the skyscraper behind him, their rounds tearing holes into the already damaged building.
Knowing he had little time, Midoriya aimed the RPG at the closest ZLT-05A. Pulling the trigger, he felt the rocket zip forward. Within seconds, it slammed into the turret's roof. Sparks, smoke, and fire flew out from the impact zone. When it all cleared, Midoriya saw the assault gun begin to smoke. Not satisfied, Midoriya rapidly began reloading. The mercs on the ground swiftly noticed his stunt, though, and Midoriya knew the second ZLT would be turning toward him.
So, not wanting to let them have the chance, Midoriya fired before they had the chance. This second RPG struck the other assault gun. With its greater distance, the round didn't hit the roof. But it did strike the vehicle's gun. The ensuing explosion tore apart the main gun, ripping apart nearby armor and the coaxial machine gun. The pintle-mounted 12.7mm machine gun turned up to fire at Midoriya. Yet before it could, a 105mm HE shell already chambered in the main gun cooked off.
The rest of the vehicle went up in smoke, the shell blowing the vehicle up from the inside. Satisfied, Midoriya began to reload his RPG again, only to stop. Rapidly, he dove out of the way as the second RPG team began firing at his position. A rocket slammed into the building, blowing up the wall Midoriya was previously behind.
"[Reload! Reload!]" the Rocketeer called out from across the street. His words were mostly muffled as Midoriya's ears loudly rang. Getting back to his feet, Midoriya swiftly aimed his RPG at the still surviving ZLT. Firing one last time, his rocket crashed into the vehicle hard. Its armor spalled, and more smoke rose from the vehicle. Unlike the first ZLT, its end was not loud and bombastic. Instead, Midoriya found the vehicle stopped moving, its crew likely dead or knocked out.
All that remained was the BTR. Or so Midoriya thought. Looking back toward the vehicle, he found its autocannon no longer firing. At first, he assumed it was a jamming issue. So Midoriya ducked back into cover, narrowly dodging rifle fire from the other RPG team. Yet the longer time went on, the longer it took for the BTR-82 to start firing again. That's when it hit him: they were out of ammo.
Cherishing this small victory, Midoriya swiftly jumped up and fired his RPG at the opposing Rocketeer. The RPG team was engulfed by the blast, but Midoriya didn't spend any more time watching them. Running back toward the skyscraper, Midoriya shot his grappling hook into its wall and pulled himself upward. Reaching the building, Midoriya pulled himself into what looked like an office space. If memory serves him right, he was about five floors below Uraraka, Pequod, and DD.
So with that thought, Midoriya quickly began searching for a way up. With their armored vehicles destroyed and their Rocketeers not damaging the building nearly enough, the mercs outside rapidly began to change tactics. As he ran for the fire exit, Midoriya heard Adonis call out over his megaphone again.
"[Breach the building! Get in there!]" the man ordered. Still running through the office space, Midoriya rapidly searched for the closest way upwards. He found it in the form of an empty elevator shaft. Its doors were wedged open on some concrete debris, and looking through the gap, Midoriya could see that the elevator itself was horribly broken. Its cable had snapped from a battle decades ago, and the entire thing had crashed into the ground below.
It was the perfect way to get up. So Midoriya began looking for a way through until he felt a rush of wind dart by his face.
"[Let's move it! They are not getting away!]" a voice yelled from the elevator shaft. Flyers darted upward past Midoriya, some carrying their buddies as they flew upward. Ducking behind a wall, Midoriya sat and waited for them to leave. One Flyer stopped to inspect the floor Midoriya was on. But seeing no movement, the man quickly moved on.
"Damn it," Midoriya muttered anxiously, before turning and booking it in the opposite direction. Gunfire echoed above him, the Flyers swiftly reaching the floors above.
"[There she is!]" one merc would call out, gunfire nearly drawing him out. Reaching an interior fire escape, Midoriya quickly rammed into the door, breaking it open. Running up the spiralling staircase, he heard the sound of footsteps coming from below him. He didn't dare look down, already knowing more soldiers were on the way. Instead, he decided to toss a few grenades over the side.
They dropped a good few feet, and Midoriya was unsure if they would actually kill anyone. However, the sudden explosion would likely stall them all for a moment. Sure enough, before the grenades blew up, Midoriya heard a loud "[Oh fuck!]". Afterwards, the footsteps stopped. Finally reaching Uraraka's floor, Midoriya charged through the door. Inside another set of office spaces, he spotted the bridge connecting both parts of the H-shaped building.
Not seeing Uraraka, though, Midoriya ran forward over the bridge. Reaching the other tower, he got his rifle ready for a fight, only to stop. Across from him, Uraraka stood breathing tiredly. Scattered throughout the room were the now dead Rifle and Shotgun Flyers he had spotted before, about six of them to be exact. Along with three Riflemen, two Shotgunners, and an Armored Riflemen with a hammer-shaped indent on his chest.
"You've been busy," Midoriya commented tiredly, taking a moment to catch his breath. Uraraka smiled back weakly while pulling her hammer up and holding it over her shoulder. Behind her, Midoriya spotted DD busily sniffing the room, his muzzle stained red with blood.
"Where's Pequod?" Midoriya soon asked, as he didn't see the pilot anywhere in the room. With a still exhausted breath, Uraraka pointed to a thick, hard wood desk in the corner of the room.
"O-over there," Uraraka replied, her arm drooping down to her side. Cuts and gashes littered parts of her body, more than Midoriya saw just a few moments ago. Tears in her fatigues revealed grazings, and at least one bullet was lodged in her side. The sight worried him. His adrenaline hadn't worn off yet, but he could feel the sting from his own injuries. Cracked ribs, an injured right leg, he could feel it all. Even if he couldn't feel it, no amount of adrenaline could hide how difficult breathing was now.
Yet both teens knew there was no time to rest. They heard footsteps rapidly coming from the bridge. Without a second thought, they both slid behind cover, taking position behind the office space's littered desks. Seconds later, Midoriya heard the footsteps stop. He didn't look out of cover, but a faint growl from DD told him all he needed to know. The soldiers tossed out multiple grenades, all of them rolling along the ground.
Each blew up and shot shrapnel everywhere, entire chunks embedding themselves in the walls and furniture. And it gave the mercs their queue.
"[Go! Go!]" One of them shouted, Midoriya now peeking over cover. Thirteen men charged over the open bridge. They were all a mix of the three PMCs, with six Riflemen, a Grenadier, two Machine Gunners, two Medics, and two Shotgunners. They rapidly dove for cover behind bits of scattered desks. Not wanting to give them time to breathe, Midoriya opened fire.
Nailing two Riflemen caught in the open, Midoriya was swiftly forced to duck as the Machine Gunners opened fire. A seemingly never-ending slew of bullets flew his way, as one Vityaz Machine Gunner had links of rounds popping out of his skin and into his RPL-20. The other, a Gold Coast Merc, just has a Gatling gun for an arm. Ducking behind his desk, Midoriya blindly fired over him, hoping to hit the two.
But they kept him pinned down. Up until Midoriya glanced to the side, and spotted Uraraka floating a desk. The mercs saw it too, but before they could aim at her, Uraraka struck the desk with her hammer. Launching the desk forward, both Machine Gunners dove out of the way, the desk soon crashing into the wall behind them. The momentary calm gave Midoriya enough time to stand back up and open fire. Within seconds, both men were struck with four rounds to the chest.
With the Machine Gunners down, Midoriya switched his attention to the Medics. One of which was quickly rushing toward the downed Machine Gunners. He bobbed and weaved between desks, firing occasionally at Midoriya's position. The other, meanwhile, was helping the two Riflemen he shot before.
"[Come on, get back in the fight!]" he heard the Medic yell, a faint gold glow emanating from the man. Small spectral crosses also floated near him, oddly enough. He decided to deal with this Medic, not having a clear shot at the other one. Instead, he whistled, gaining DD's attention. With a silent point at the Medic, DD had his order. The dog shot forward, weaving through cover, and Midoriya soon heard the Medic yell out "[Shit!]".
While DD was busy, Midoriya quickly fired at the second Medic. A few rounds darted by the man, grazing his shoulder and neck. So the Riflemen next to him began providing cover fire. Counting on this, Midoriya shot his grappling hook into a nearby wall and yanked himself forward. Within the blink of an eye, he was on the other side of the room. Now flanking the men from the side, Midoriya had them all caught in the open.
He fired nine rounds, each man receiving three to the torso before they even realized Midoriya had moved. Of course, as he did that, Midoriya spotted Uraraka busily firing at the leftover Riflemen and the Grenadier. Keeping them all pinned with rounds from her Beretta and the several desks she kept throwing at them, she didn't notice the Shotgunners quietly moving around her.
Rapidly, Midoriya had his ACR raised and yelled out, "On your left!"
Hearing him, Uraraka ducked behind a lone pillar, narrowly dodging the buckshot from one Shotgunner. One of the Shotgunners then laughed, pumped his shotgun, and fired another round at Uraraka's pillar. The side of the pillar had a chunk blown out of it, with pieces of concrete tearing into Uraraka's forearm.
"[You're mine, brats!]" the Shotgunner taunted, as he rushed toward the right. His buddy, meanwhile, ran to the left. Midoriya swiftly reloaded his ACR and shot at the guy on the right. Holding down the trigger, his suppressive fire caused the Shotgunner to pause and duck behind a desk. Uraraka, meanwhile, blindly fired her pistol around the corner, her shots not hitting anything.
"[Shit aim bitch!]" the second Shotgunner taunted, his barrel pointed right at Uraraka's direction. He almost fired, were it not for DD jumping at him from the side. Gnawing on the Shotgunner's arm, the dog tore into the man violently. Ignoring this, Midoriya waited for the Shotgunner to pop out of cover again. Instead, he found the other four Riflemen and the Grenadier getting back up.
Within seconds, Midoriya grappled to the other side of the room, right as the mercs opened fire on his old position. This time, they reacted faster than before, and their aim quickly began to follow Midoriya's movements. Not stopping for a second, Midoriya leapt around the room, continually swinging, jumping, and weaving out of danger. All while bullets followed him.
"[Should have run home!]" one Rifleman taunted, just as Midoriya swung across half the room. A few rounds managed to nick his arm and shoulder, giving him a brief tumble. But he forced himself back onto his feet and kept running.
"[This is what you get for trying to play hero!]" the Grenadier shouted, his grenades tearing the room apart as he fired. Getting somewhat tired of all this running, Midoriya decided to take a page out of the Shotgunners' playbook. Grabbing a flashbang from his bag, Midoriya pulled the pin. As he grappled upwards and swung around, he tossed the flashbang at the mercs. Not wanting Uraraka to get caught off guard, he rapidly yelled out, "Flashbang!", and found her quickly covering her ears and eyes.
Doing the same, Midoriya heard the bang and saw the flash of light. Still in the air, Midoriya grappled onto the floor and pulled himself forward. Essentially sliding along the ground, Midoriya pulled himself a few feet away from the mercenaries. With all of them disoriented, they could do little as Midoriya drew his pistol. Jumping up, Midoriya shot the first Rifleman at point-blank range.
The second tried to throw a punch, but found Midoriya dodging it swiftly. Moments later, the teen grabbed his arm and snapped it. Howling in pain, the merc could do little to stop Midoriya from kicking him in the gut. Turning back around, Midoriya spotted the Grenadier, third, and fourth Rifleman slowly beginning to recover. Not wanting that, Midoriya swiftly charged forward, tackling the Grenadier onto a nearby desk.
Pinning the man down by forcing his arm onto the man's neck, Midoriya turned toward the two Riflemen and fired the last of his magazine into them. With two messy headshots, Midoriya then looked back at the Grenadier and found the man shoving Midoriya off him. Back on his feet, the Grenadier dropped his grenade launcher and just started swinging. He threw a right jab, a left punch, and a kick with his right leg.
Yet none hit Midoriya as he dodged out of the way. The Grenadier threw another punch, which Midoriya again dodged. Only this time, Midoriya followed this with a right hook to the man's jaw. Staggering the Grenadier, Midoriya threw a right kick at the man's gut. The Grenadier swiftly caught his leg, but before he could do anything, Midoriya spun around and kicked him with his left leg.
Striking the man's skull, the Grenadier fell back unconscious. Back on two feet, Midoriya turned to find the last Shotgunner, ready to take him down. Only to find Uraraka beating him to the punch. The Shotgunner was quietly sneaking around, trying to flank Uraraka again. Only this time, when he turned the corner, he found Uraraka's hammer already moving toward him. Swinging the weapon around, Uraraka struck the Shotgunner's left side, shattering his bones and knocking him off his feet.
With the mercs gone, Midoriya stopped to breathe for a moment. The peace was short-lived, as the teens heard more footsteps approaching. This time, the noise didn't come from the bridge, but from the room's fire escape. Exhausted, Midoriya forced himself to take cover, as the song and dance began all over again.
"Contact! Left flank!" he yelled, as twenty men came charging out of the halls. Midoriya and Uraraka swiftly fired at them all, ducking as Machine Gunners attacked.
"Armored guys!" Uraraka called out, Midoriya soon spotting two Armored Riflemen rear around a corner. They both jogged forward, not bothering to take cover as Midoriya shot a full magazine at both of them. Midoriya still had an RPG, and he considered using it, but disregarded the idea. He may still need it for later. So he grabbed the fallen Grenadier's grenade launcher. It took three rounds to knock out just one Armored merc. And by that time, Midoriya spotted a new problem.
"Speedster!" Midoriya warned, spotting a blur running across the bridge nearby. Another Shotgunner booked it into the room, darting towards Uraraka in the blink of an eye. Desperately, Uraraka grabbed her shotgun, and right as the merc came to a sliding stop in front of her, she unloaded the weapon's tube. The Speedster dodged some pellets, but he was no Flash. The sheer volume of fire tore him apart.
It felt like an eternity, but slowly the enemies dwindled. Again, Midoriya found a second to breathe. Then someone started detonating explosives overhead, and the ceiling came crumbling down. Bits of concrete crushed the bridge, causing the structure to collapse. Looking up, Midoriya found fifteen mercenaries dropping from above. More rounds struck his body armor, a few penetrating and burying themselves in his chest. Yelling in pain, he fell back behind some rubble for cover.
"You have to be joking!" he heard Uraraka cry out desperately, as she dove for cover. As she did so, Midoriya spotted some of the mercenaries staying above them and groaned.
"Snipers!" Midoriya called out before firing up at the annoying group. The Snipers were soon joined by a Minigunner, the Vityaz merc bearing down on Midoriya with a DShK. It tore into his cover, clipping off locks of his hair. He had to drop his grenade launcher and grab his discarded RPG. He fired a rocket at the large Minigunner and found it barely scratching the man. Having only two shots left, Midoriya fired those as well. Still, the Minigunner survived, the only damage being his now ruined clothes and a broken DShK.
The man only died after Midoriya shot him with three full magazines. Again, the mercs' numbers dwindled until the room went quiet. Standing back to back, both Midoriya and Uraraka's breath was ragged. They were covered in blood and rubble, and their fatigues were torn in almost a dozen places. Midoriya struggled to stay standing, his injured leg ready to give out on him.
Exhausted, Midoriya began wrapping some bandages around a bullet wound on his shoulder.
"I-is that all of them?" Uraraka asked desperately, while breathing rapidly. Midoriya wanted to say yes, but he could already hear more footsteps.
"N-no… there's another wave coming," Midoriya told her, gritting his teeth as he finished bandaging his wound. They were whittling through their numbers; that much was clear to Midoriya. There couldn't be that many of them left. There… There couldn't be. And yet more of them just kept coming. After what felt like an eternity, Midoriya turned to find more mercenaries entering the room. They piled through the fire escape, and Midoriya swiftly opened fire.
The mercs ducked for cover, as all of them had done before. And like always, they shot at each other, unloading magazine after magazine. It felt just like the last two waves. But Midoriya soon noticed something was off. The mercs before him weren't actually attacking much. The Shotgunners, who almost always tried to flank them from the side, who always charged forward to get in close, were now staying in the back line.
The Grenadiers, who did everything they could to force Midoriya out of cover, were now just lobbing explosives in his general area. The Machine Gunners provided suppressive fire, and the Riflemen took no advantage of it. Snipers missed shots that had struck Midoriya in the chest. Armored Riflemen who walked forward like living brick walls, now hid behind cover. The only ones following their usual role were the Medics.
It confused Midoriya. Then he heard the sound of glass shattering behind him. Rapidly, he turned around, only to find a fist striking him in the face. Twenty feet away from Midoriya was Adonis, standing right next to the window he'd climbed through. His arm extended forward, stretching to unnatural proportions. Staggering back from the blow, Midoriya heard the mercenary laugh.
"[No where to run!]" Adonis told him, his arm retracting back to a more normal length, "[I said we'd have some fun with you!]"
Before Midoriya had time to fight back, Adonis's limbs shot forward again, stretching across the room in seconds. The man's right leg kicked him in the gut, his left arm upper cutted him, and his right arm struck him across the temple. With both hands, Adonis then grabbed Midoriya by the shoulders and slammed him into the nearest wall. Adonis then pulled back and dragged Midoriya through a set of desks, wooden shattering as bits launched into the air.
Struggling against the man's grip, Midoriya could feel Adonis's fingers digging into fresh wounds. Fighting against the pain, he drew his knife and moved to cut the man's wrists. Only for Adonis to then slam him into the ceiling, making Midoriya lose his grip and drop the weapon. With a bored glance and a yawn, Adonis began walking forward. Horribly disoriented, Midoriya looked out in search of a solution.
Instead, he found Galkin breaking down another chunk of the ceiling and falling from above. Guo landed next to him, the pair standing just a foot from Uraraka. Instantly, the girl swung her hammer at them, only for Guo to hold up a hand. Instantly, Uraraka froze in place.
"Uraraka!" Midoriya cried out, worried, seeing her struggling against Guo's quirk. With the flick of his wrist, Uraraka began floating in the air. Her own arms fought against her as her gravity hammer was slowly peeled from her grasp. DD then jumped in, ready to maul both men. But his attack was met by Galkin, who grabbed him with one hand. DD snarled loudly, kicking and thrashing against the mercenary. Galkin looked back at the dog uncaringly and simply tossed DD aside. Hitting the wall, DD whimpered as he struggled back to his feet.
Seconds later, he was met with the other mercenaries dog-piling him. A makeshift muzzle was tied around his face, the contraption made up of random bits of metal and duct tape. To further ensure the dog was dealt with, they tied up his paws. With DD finally down, all the mercenaries began to cheer. Lazily bringing Midoriya down, Adonis tossed the teen to Galkin. Who quickly grabbed and restrained Midoriya on the floor. Desperately, Midoriya tried to struggle against him.
Every part of his body yelled at him in pain as he fought, his blood more adrenaline than oxygen at this point. The only response he got from Galkin was a scoff.
"[Weak little child]" Galkin told him, his grip not weakening at all. Eventually, Midoriya stopped struggling. The more he fought, the more it became clear he wasn't going to break free. Quietly, Midoriya began searching for a new escape. At the same time, Adonis walked around the office space with a groan.
"[Honestly, was that so difficult!?]" Adonis cried out, throwing his arms in the air. He looked over the mercenaries assembled, about a hundred and nine left in total, and shook his head.
"[Sent in dozens of you dumbasses. We shoulda just charged in ourselves from the get-go]" Adonis muttered, earning a displeased murmur from his subordinates, and a mental scoff from Midoriya. They were the ones who wore him down. You just came in at the last second, Midoriya thought tiredly. Still walking around the room, Adonis clapped his hands together and looked down at Midoriya with a sadistic smirk.
"[Now then, what to do with you?]" Adonis questioned, before crouching down slightly to Midoriya's level. This proved to be a mistake, as Midoriya swiftly spat in his face. Adonis blinked a few times in surprise before sighing.
"[Still a kont huh]" Adonis commented, while wiping the blood off his face. He nodded his head slowly once the blood was gone, silently respecting Midoriya's action. Before kicking the teen in the balls. Instantly, Midoriya winced in pain, lurching forward as the mercenaries surrounding him laughed. The teen gasped for air, the pain making him feel dizzy and nauseous.
"[Ah get over it. I don't think you'll need those much longer]" Adonis taunted with a smirk. Silently, the man then walked over and picked up Midoriya's knife. Inspecting the blade quietly, Adonis turned around with it in hand. Much to Galkin's annoyance.
"[Get it over with]" Galkin told him, Adonis then rolling his eyes and grumbling.
"[I said I was gonna have some fun]" Adonis argued, before bringing the knife up to Midoriya's eye, "[Millions went down the drain because of these two. I think we're all owed some retribution.]"
Staring at the blade's point, Midoriya felt himself shaking. Yet he still looked at the mercenary and glared.
"[Y-you we're going to kill innocent people…]" Midoriya began to say, the pain slowly wearing off, "[You should have lost billions.]"
"[...Still, the tough guy I see]" Adonis muttered, a hint of surprise audible in his tone. Not expecting Midoriya to actually reply, the man pulled the knife back.
"[Seeing as you can understand me, and that you're not just incredibly stupid, how's about a choice]" Adonis stated, and quickly turned toward the rest of his men. Two of which were busy carrying Pequod out from the desk Uraraka hid him under.
"[The brak, the pilot, or the goffel]" Adonis told him, pointing towards each person with the knife, "[One dies, the other lives, the third suffers.]"
Midoriya's eyes went wide at the announcement. His gaze flicked over to Uraraka, DD, and Pequod. He couldn't make that choice. He wouldn't make that choice. It was nothing more than a trick.
"[Tick tock fokker]" Adonis said, swaying the knife slowly in the air. Midoriya stayed silent, the mercenaries all giving him an impatient look.
"[Fine, we'll choose then]" Adonis eventually decided, "[Guo, your preference?]"
Hearing his name, Guo only glanced over at Adonis. His attention was instead kept on Uraraka, who he kept floating in the air.
"[I'd rather keep the dog]" Guo replied.
"[As a pet or for lunch?]" Adonis asked, while scratching his face with his free hand. At the same time, Guo's brow furrowed into a glare, the man now facing Adonis.
"[Fuck you]" Guo grumbled, Adonis merely smirking back at him.
"[Galkin?]" Adonis inquired, the Russian now also glaring at Adonis.
"[Just kill all of them]" Galkin muttered tiredly, before bringing a hand to his brow. Adonis just stared at him for a second, looking at the larger man with a deadpan face.
"[...Fine, fine]" Adonis muttered, before motioning toward Guo, "[Bring the girl over. Oh, and strip 'em of their gear.]"
Calmly, Guo ever so slightly moved his hand and moved Uraraka's frozen form through the air. Once she was close enough, the mercs began to confiscate everything she had. Another band of mercs did the same with Midoriya, all of them tearing off his exo, grabbing his guns, and removing his body armor.
"[Huh, sturdy material. High-quality body armor. Might keep this for myself]" one Vityaz Rifleman muttered, a Luiperd Armored Rifleman scoffing next to him.
"[I'd prefer the brat's gun. Never had an ACR before]" the Armored Rifleman commented, earning a chuckle from a GCM Grenadier.
"[Keep it. I'm calling dibs on the hammer]" the Grenadier told him, while motioning to Uraraka. It caused the other mercs to chuckle loudly.
"[Assuming your noodle arms can lift it]" a GCM Shotgunner pointed out, a Vityaz Minigunner then scoffing.
"[Annoying manchildren. Hammer is mine]" the Minigunner proclaimed. Once all their equipment was removed, Guo had Uraraka slowly drift toward the ground. Within seconds, Adonis moved forward and stood next to her. With the knife in hand, he brought the blade close to her throat. Again, Midoriya began to struggle, only for Galkin to keep him pinned.
"[Keep your hands off her!]" Midoriya yelled, and again Adonis just smirked. He brought the knife to Uraraka's mouth, moving it around as if to carve a fake smile. Yet before he could do such a thing, he moved his hand just a bit too close to Uraraka's mouth. Fighting against Guo's control, she managed to open her mouth and bite down on Adonis's hand. Skin cracked, and blood dripped off his hand, making Adonis yell.
"[Ow, fokking bitch!]" Adonis cried out before punching Uraraka, freeing his hand. Shaking the pain out of his hand, Adonis took a small step back and grumbled.
"[Might just take your advice, boy]" Adonis muttered jokingly, while still shaking his hand. And again, Galkin groaned, annoyed.
"[Can you hurry up?]" Galkin demanded, Adonis's face then shifting to a frown. The merc took a deep breath and turned back toward the Russian.
"[I've barely even started]" Adonis said with gritted teeth, Galkin then glaring back at him.
"[Just kill them already!]" Galkin yelled, the Russian's arms slowly tightening around Midoriya, "[Enough of these stupid games!]"
"[Oh come on, after everything they've done, death is too easy for them!]" Adonis argued as Midoriya felt Galkin's grasp get ever tighter. It was like getting hugged by a hydraulic press, and the teen cringed in pain the longer it went on.
"[One bullet to the brain, and it's over! So just shoot them!]" Galkin shouted back, causing Adonis to throw his arms in the air.
"[Why are you so impatient!?]" Adonis yelled before pointing the knife in Galkin's direction. On and on the two argued, as Guo watched them disinterested and the other mercenaries looked about, unsure of what to do. All the while, Galkin hadn't stopped crushing Midoriya. It felt like his back would give out at any second, and desperately, he looked for a way out. Where breathing was difficult before, it now felt impossible. The world grew black, his vision rapidly fading by the second.
"Midoriya!" Uraraka yelled out across from him, terrified. Midoriya again tried to struggle, but he couldn't break free. Just as he began to fade from consciousness, Midoriya heard something odd. A strange chopping noise. He thought it was the last of his bones, finally breaking. But that didn't sound quite right. The noise was too distant and not nearly loud enough.
To Midoriya's surprise, Galkin's tight hold on him loosened. The surrounding mercs went quiet, as everyone stood about, confused. Gasping for air, Midoriya's eyes began looking around for answers. Soon, the chopping sounded like it was… right outside the building. Instantly, everyone came to the same conclusion.
"[Helicopters?]" Adonis questioned, shocked, the man turning toward the window with wide eyes. Looking outside, Midoriya didn't know what to think. Before anyone could realize what was happening, a blackhawk flew up near the window, its doors wide open. And everyone's eyes went wide, as they stared down Snake manning the door's M134 minigun, and Lady Nagant standing next to him.
With her quirk, Nagant shot one round into the room before anyone could react. It struck Galkin square in the head, before overpenetrating, ricocheting around the room, and penetrating Guo's neck. With their captors dead, both Midoriya and Uraraka were released from their holds. In seconds, they fell to the ground, as all the mercs flinched in shock.
"[Fok!]" Adonis called out, covering his head. Behind him, soldiers rapidly raised their weapons, ready to fire. Midoriya almost jumped to grab his rifle, yet stopped when his radio crackled.
"Stay down!" Snake loudly ordered over the radio. He didn't have to ask why as Midoriya laid as low as possible. With them down, Snake opened up with the minigun. Like a knife through butter, thousands of rounds shot out of the gun. They cut walls, took chunks out of furniture, and ripped apart soldiers stuck in the open. For a solid minute, all Midoriya heard was a loud brt drawing out all other noise. When it finally stopped, Midoriya looked up from the floor, shocked.
"Dad!?" he exclaimed, confused about how the man was even here. Scrambling to his feet, Midoriya heard his radio crackle again and saw Snake motioning him to come forward.
"Let's move!" Snake told him, with Midoriya swiftly nodding back. Turning around, Midoriya grabbed up his gear and ran toward Uraraka. After helping her to her feet, Midoriya began providing covering fire as the mercs began to reorganize. Surviving Rocketeers moved to attack Snake's blackhawk, only to be cut down by the man's minigun, Midoriya's rifle, or Nagant's quirk.
With this momentary cover, Uraraka reached Pequod and quickly floated the pilot. Carrying him toward the open window, she carefully lined up a shot and pushed the pilot forward. He drifted to the helicopter listlessly and was intercepted by Nagant once he was close enough. At the same time, Midoriya began moving toward DD, the dog flailing in place as he tried to move. Sliding up next to him, Midoriya began to peel off the tape restraining his dog. Bit by bit, DD was freed. Right as he was about to grab the last piece, which was wrapped around DD's muzzle, Midoriya felt a hand grab his neck.
"[What the hell do you think you're doing!?]" Adonis yelled, his arm stretched forward. He began to hoist Midoriya up, and the teen rapidly reached for the closest weapon available, which happened to be DD's taser.
"[You don't get to just run away!]" Adonis told him, rearing back his other fist. Nagant attempted to stop him by shooting his head clean off, and instead her rounds just sank into him like they were hitting putty. The man's fist soon shot forward, and with little time to think, Midoriya shoved the taser into the man's arm. Instantly, Adonis shouted in pain, his hand dropping Midoriya. The teen rapidly charged forward, ducking as Adonis recovered and threw a few more swings at him.
"[Stay still damn it!]" Adonis demanded, as Midoriya then ignored him. Midoriya ducked under a right hook, side-stepped a left kick, rolled under a backhanded swing, and jumped over a left jab. Getting in close, he shoved the taser right into Adonis's gut, shocking the man quickly. Howling in pain, Adonis stepped back and missed Midoriya tripping the man up. The teen grabbed his legs as he fell and tied them up into a knot.
"[Son of a bitch!]" Adonis yelled, his arms darting forward to strike Midoriya. Dodging the attempt, Midoriya grabbed both limbs and wrapped them around Adonis's legs. With the merc now fully restrained, Midoriya took a step back from his handiwork and found Uraraka floating DD. Like with Pequod, the dog floated toward the helicopter gently and was caught by Nagant. At the same time, Snake cut down another two Riflemen who decided to poke their heads out.
Seeing they were the only ones left, Midoriya ran up toward the window, while Uraraka grappled into the helicopter. Following her, Midoriya shot his grappling hook into the helicopter and pulled himself upward. Ascending at a rapid pace, he was entirely unprepared for his cable snapping. All due to a lone bullet cutting into the cable. His eyes widened in shock. Midoriya was only a few feet from the helicopter. He desperately reached out for it, his fingers missing the aircraft.
He began to lose momentum, and Midoriya felt himself enter free fall. And then Snake's hand caught his. Midoriya held onto him for dear life, his father pulling him upward fast.
"I've got you!" Snake told him, pulling his boy into a hug. Stepping back into the helicopter, Snake walked up to the cockpit as Nagant took hold of the minigun.
"Morpho, get us out of here!" Snake ordered, the pilot nodding back.
"Yes, sir!" Morpho replied, shifting the helicopter's controls swiftly. At the same time, the last of the mercenaries tried to fire off their MANPADs at the helicopter. Yet no matter what they tried, they just couldn't land a hit. Nagant cut them down the moment they popped out of cover, or shot their missiles out of the sky with unheard of accuracy. The helicopter turned and flew off within moments, deploying flares and evasively moving about.
Walking away from the cockpit, Snake carefully set Midoriya down on a seat. Tiredly, the teen felt his adrenaline wear off, and the full weight of his injuries. It felt like every bone in his body was broken, and yet all he could offer up was a pained whimper. His vision began to fade again, only this time, he didn't fight it. Uraraka sat down next to him, the two taking a quiet solace in each other's presence. All while Snake talked into his radio.
"This is Big Boss, all units are clear to engage," Snake stated. The other helicopters assembled, then moved into position. Through a blurry gaze, Midoriya could spot Apaches circling the area. He didn't hear anyone respond, but he heard something explode in the distance. Every Apache fired their weapons at the H-shaped skyscraper, hell bent on bringing the building down. Only when they ran out of missiles did the building fully collapse. And by then, Midoriya and Uraraka fell unconscious next to each other.