Adrian, Walker, and Fatal run out of the stadium.
Adrian: Dammit! Where the hell is he!
Fatal: He couldn’t have gotten far. We just have to search.
Adrian: There’s no time! He could have already killed someone by now, and Hayze will be blamed for it! We have to find him! Now!
Walker: Calm down.
Adrian: Huh?
Walker: Take Rachel to Recovery Girl, her eye may not be salvageable, but if there’s any chance, you need to go now.
Adrian: What? Why me! You’re also hurt! Plus, I’m the only one here who can defeat him one-on-one! So if anyone should go with Rachel, it should be you!
Walker: Since when did you surpass me? I can handle him on my own.
Adrian: No, Damien, you can’t, and the only reason I can is because of my quirk. That’s it, and it’s my fault that this happened. Hayze was interning with me when Khaos last appeared, and I promised him I would make sure Khaos never returned. I broke that promise, and there could be severe ramifications for that this time. Stopping Khaos has to happen as fast as possible.
Walker stares at Adrian.
Walker: That’s why you need to separate yourself from this fight.
Adrian: What?
Walker: You’re letting your emotions cloud your judgment. When you allow your feelings to control you, you make sloppy mistakes just like the one back in the arena.
Adrian doesn’t have a response.
Walker: I understand that you promised Hayze, but you’re allowing your anger to misguide you. You can’t handle Khaos on your own like this. You have tunnel vision, and that’s dangerous for you and the people around you.
Adrian: Tunnel vision? What do you mean?
Walker: The woman you love is bleeding from her eye and in danger of having to wear an eyepatch for the rest of her life, and all you care about is fixing a mistake you made.
Adrian is taken aback.
Fatal: (Adrian…)
Walker: Hayze is my student, and his safety is my responsibility. I’m going alone, don’t follow.
Adrian is quiet.
Walker: That’s what I thought, now then I’ll-
Fatal: Stop.
Walker and Adrian both look at Fatal.
Fatal: Since when did you two become my parents? I’m allowed to have a say in this matter.
Adrian: Rachel…
Walker: You’re right, you are.
Fatal: We’re sticking together. I’m not going anywhere.
Walker and Adrian are both surprised.
Adrian: But Rachel! If you don’t go see Recovery Girl-
Fatal: I know what will happen, and I’m willing to let it.
Adrian: But-
Fatal: But nothing. We’re a team, and we have to stay that way! Khaos is powerful, and fighting him one on one isn’t a good idea. Damien, I know you’ve been kicking yourself over what happened in the forest and the mall, but that isn’t 100% on you, and you should know that!
Adrian: What?
Adrian looks at Walker.
Adrian: You’ve felt that way this whole time?
Walker opens a portal beneath Fatal, and she falls into it.
Adrian: Huh!
Walker: She won’t be happy. Go with her.
Adrian: Why did you do that? You heard what she said!
Walker: Do you trust me?
Adrian: Huh?
Walker: Do you trust me?
Adrian hesitates.
Walker: Because I trusted you, and apparently, you’ve been hiding things from me since our first year at U.A. I’d like to know that, at the very least, that trust was reciprocated, or else maybe I’m just a fool.
Adrian: Damien… that’s not.
Walker: I’ll stop Khaos. You have my word.
Adrian stares at Walker.
Adrian: Okay… I trust you.
Walker: Good, now go and make sure Rachel doesn’t leave until she’s healed.
Adrian nods and jumps through Khaos’ portal.
Walker: (I’ve never cared much for either of the other classes I taught, but this one is different. I care about their success and failures, and I don’t want to be responsible for the latter. So many bad things have happened to them over this year, and I shoulder the responsibility for most of them. I spearheaded modifying their final exams to better prepare them for the future. Rachel has been my friend for a long time, and I refuse to allow her to make a life-altering decision to aid me in a task I can do myself. I will stop Khaos. That’s a certainty.)
Jake, Lilith, Wes, Verity, and Alden teleport on top of a skyscraper still in construction.
Jake: Well, that went well.
Wes: WHERE THE HELL DID YOU COME FROM!
Jake: Huh? The ground.
Wes slaps Jake.
Wes: CORRECT ANSWERS ONLY!
Jake: I was walking to school to watch the match when I saw you guys getting attacked and decided to help.
Wes: THE MATCH WAS OVER! What do you mean you were just arriving then!
Jake: I got there as soon as I could.
Wes: *frustrated grunt*
Wes hears the sound of someone sobbing.
Wes: Huh?
Lilith is crying. She sits down next to a wall and buries her face in her knees.
Wes: Ah, man…
Jake: Guess you should deal with that.
Wes: WHAT! Why me!
Jake: Because I’m going to teleport away and find some chicken nuggets so that I’ll be ready to go if we get attacked again.
Wes: What! What if we get attacked while you’re gone!
Jake: I’m sure you guys can handle it.
Verity is still catatonic, lying face-down on the ground, Alden is barely conscious, and Lilith is crying.
Wes: NO! NO, WE CAN’T! YOU CAN’T G-
Jake teleports away.
Wes: FUCK!
Wes looks back at his fellow classmates.
Wes: *sighs*
Wes walks over to Verity.
Wes: (At least she’s got a nice ass…)
Verity: *muffled* Please stop staring at my butt.
Wes: HOW DID YOU KNOW! YOU WEREN’T LOOKING AT MY EYES!
Verity lifts her head.
Verity: You’re a male. Obviously, you would take a look, and given I’ve read your mind and been the victim of your perversions before, I guessed that you would stare.
Wes: My perversions? I’m not a pervert!
Verity: The entire purpose of our species is to sexually reproduce to continue our existence. Thus, the goal of all men is to find a woman to fornicate with and eventually impregnate. Thus, all men are perverts in some capacity, but it’s alright all women are perverts, too. After all, the same can be said about them, except that they’re the ones trying to be impregnated.
Wes is dumbfounded.
Verity: What?
Wes: *sighs* At least you don’t look like a zombie anymore. What the hell was going on with you?
Verity looks away.
Verity: That thing… I read its mind… its thoughts were… dark.
Wes: What “thing?” Do you mean Hayze?
Verity: That wasn’t Hayze, that’s for sure.
Wes: Come again? Mr. Walker said he was possessed, but you’re making it sound like a completely different person was standing in that arena.
Verity: That’s because there was.
Wes: What?
Verity: I’ve never seen someone’s thoughts shift so quickly. It was as if his mind had been replaced. But that wasn’t the thing that made me freeze…
Wes: Then what did?
Verity: Its memories… were the same as Hayze’s.
The rest of Class 2-A have reached a fallout shelter. It is a long ladder that leads down into the underground. Two C-rank heroes are standing guard: Cementman and Heatwave.
Cementman: More civilians!
Heatwave: Hey! Those are U.A. students!
Karma: Is there still room in this shelter? There are eleven of us.
Eve: With two more on the way.
Cementman: There’s definitely enough room, but we’re being advised to close the doors in the next few minutes.
Heatwave: Apparently, some of the “things” attacking the city are spreading further and getting closer to the shelters.
Cementman: So, we’ll have to make this quick and then close the doors behind us.
Isaiah looks down the ladder shaft.
Isaiah: *gulps* That’s deep.
Alexis: It has to be. The heroes want all civilians as far away from the danger as possible.
Cementman: The fewer people we have to worry about saving, the better. It lets us focus on fighting the villains.
Heatwave: It’s been a long time since we had to use these shelters, so they might not be too cozy. Just stay safe down there.
Isaiah: What if I’m afraid of heights?
Angel grabs Isaiah’s collar and starts flying down the shaft.
Isaiah: NO! NO! NO! I’M ALSO CLAUSTROPHOBIC!
Angel: Too late.
Demetri walks up to the ladder.
Demetri: I’ll go first and then the girls. That way, if anything happens, I’ll take the brunt of it.
Demetri winks, smiles, and gives a thumbs-up as his teeth glimmer.
Karma: Wow, Demetri, that’s unnecessary, but you’re actually doing something chivalrous? I’m impressed.
Eve: Karma, look down at your waist.
Karma and Eve are wearing skirts.
Karma: Oh…
Demetri: Foiled again!
Eve pushes Demetri down the shaft.
Demetri: WHYYYYYYYYYYYY!
Eve, Karma, and Alexis start climbing down the ladder.
Cementman: Alright, now the rest of you.
Gus and then Jace start climbing.
Heatwave: Next.
Zach: I guess I’ll go.
Zach starts climbing the ladder when suddenly the ground shakes.
Cementman: Oh no!
Heatwave: Faster, kid! Go now!
Zach speeds up his descent. The heroes turn to Silver and Justus.
Cementman: Get on the ladder right now!
Heatwave: We’ve gotta close this hatch before they get here, or everyone down there is going to-
A clone smashes into the ground 25 yards away from them.
Clone: DIE!
The heroes push Silver and Justus aside.
Cementman: Start climbing! It’s just one. We can handle this!
The heroes dash towards the clone.
Cementman: Cement Cyclone!
Heatwave: Heatwave!
Cementman douses the clone in liquid cement while Heatwave heats the cement, causing it to harden and encase the clone.
Justus: It looks like they have this handled. We should do as they-
The clone breaks free of the cement without moving a muscle. Scaring the heroes to death.
Cementman: Oh god!
Heatwave: He made that look easy!
The clone rushes towards Cementman.
Cementman: STAY AWAY! Cement-
The clone rips both of Cementman’s arms off.
Cementman: AHHHHHHHH!
Heatwave: OH MY GOD!
As blood gushes from both of Cementman’s arms. The clone grabs his head and squishes it, killing him. Heatwave, Justus, and Silver watch with horror.
Heatwave: Oh god! PLEASE NO!
Heatwave tries running towards the ladder but the clone steps on his ankle and crushes it, causing him to fall in extreme pain.
Heatwave: AHHHH!
Heatwave looks up and sees Justus and Silver haven’t climbed down yet.
Heatwave: WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING! SAVE YOURSELVES!
The clone steps on Heatwave’s head and crushes it, killing him. Silver and Justus are in pure shock.
Clone: TWO DOWN! TWO GO!
Silver and Justus both shake their heads.
Justus: Silver, we’ve gotta go.
Silver: No, we can’t just have let those heroes die for nothing!
Justus: They didn’t die for nothing! They died so that we could escape, and not doing that would be like spitting on their graves!
Silver: That thing just popped that hero’s skull like a grape! You don’t think he can’t get through that hatch, do you? If we go down there, he’s just going to rip through it like paper and kill everyone, including our friends! We’ve gotta hold him off for them!
Justus hesitates.
Justus: You’re right, but if they couldn’t stand up to him, how can we-
Silver shuts the hatch.
Silver: We’ll figure it out later!
The clone rushes towards them.
Clone: DIE!
A small stream of silver dust slams into the clone's face and gets in his eyes.
Clone: AHHH!
Justus looks back at Silver.
Justus: I thought you didn’t have any silver on you.
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Silver reaches into his pocket and pulls out some silver dust.
Silver: Pocket silver. Never leave home without it. But never mind that. Let’s get moving before he regains composure.
Justus: Right!
Silver and Justus start running as the clone rips the silver from his bloodshot eyes.
Clone: DIE!
Khaos remains calm despite the gun being pointed at his head.
Khaos: I must say, this is unexpected. I never would have taken you as the type to have a gun… Dr. Moore.
Dr. Moore: I created you, and I can destroy you too.
Khaos laughs.
Khaos: I think we both are well aware you’re not going to pull the trigger.
Khaos looks Dr. Moore in the eyes.
Khaos: Unless you’re willing to kill Hayze too.
Dr. Moore trembles as she stares at Hayze’s face before inevitably lowering her weapon.
Khaos: Good.
Khaos backhands Dr. Moore, and she slams into the wall.
Dr. Moore: *groans*
Khaos: Now then, I’ll be on my way.
Khaos starts walking away.
Dr. Moore: Wait…
Khaos stops.
Khaos: What is it? You’ve already wasted enough of my time. I have people to kill, you know.
Dr. Moore: How about me?
Khaos’ eyes widen as he turns to Dr. Moore. He gets a sinister grin on his face.
Khaos: That can work.
Khaos creates his executioner’s blade in his hand.
Khaos: I can only kill people Hayze hates. However, with your consent, that rule becomes null.
Dr. Moore: Out of curiosity, what happens if you kill someone Hayze doesn’t hate?
Khaos: That’s none of your concern, but if you genuinely want to die, I need your permission, so give it to me.
Dr. Moore slowly gets to her feet.
Dr. Moore: Not yet. I need to take care of something first.
Khaos: *frustrated grunt* It better be quick. I’m not a fan of assisted suicide, but if it means I can kill someone Hayze cares about, I’m more than willing to do it.
Dr. Moore: Then follow me, and you’ll get your wish.
Dr. Moore starts walking down the hall, and Khaos follows behind her.
Khaos: (This could be a trap, but she’d be a fool to try me.)
Blair, Ash, Alec, Aster, and Kevin lie unconscious in Recovery Girl’s office while Madame Mummy stands guard outside.
Recovery Girl: That was quite the battle they had.
Recovery Girl inspects Kevin's burns.
Recovery Girl: (This looks like a job for the Gamma Ring.)
Recovery Girl pulls off her glove and reveals the Gamma Ring. She hides Kevin’s bed behind a curtain and removes the ring to place it on Kevin’s finger. Suddenly, his burn marks begin healing at an extreme pace.
Recovery Girl: (Without this ring, this school would never be able to have battles as intense as that one.)
Kevin’s healing finishes, and Recovery Girl removes the ring from his finger.
Recovery Girl: (Hopefully, whatever is happening in the city isn’t the doing of Ivan… otherwise I-)
Ewing kicks the door open.
Recovery Girl: Huh!
Ewing: Please help my granddaughter! Right now!
Saige is pale and bleeding out in Ewing’s arms.
Recovery Girl: Don’t scare me like that, Ewing!
Ewing: We don’t have time for you to scold me! You need to heal my granddaughter!
Tears are flowing from Ewing’s eyes.
Recovery Girl: Put her on that bed over there.
Ewing does as Recovery Girl says. Recovery Girl reaches for the curtain.
Ewing: We don’t have time for that! Just give her the damn ring!
Recovery Girl looks at Ewing for a second before complying.
Recovery Girl: How did she end up like this?
Ewing: Did Madame Mummy tell you about what happened with the student Adam Hayze?
Recovery Girl: Yes, she did.
Ewing: Well, whatever is controlling him found her and did this. He offered a deal to spare her life If I let him get away, and I accepted.
Recovery Girl: I understand.
Recovery Girl looks at Ewing’s blood-soaked clothing.
Recovery Girl: You might want to change.
Ewing looks down at himself and trembles.
Ewing: I’m covered in her blood… oh god...
Recovery Girl: Ewing, calm down. She’s going to be alright, see?
Saige’s wounds have fully healed.
Recovery Girl: You got her here as soon as possible, and she’s fine, alright? There’s no need to-
Ewing: This is my fault… I shouldn’t have had this Festival. I should’ve just listened to the police and canceled it. Saige and I were just starting to reconnect, and now she almost died because of me…
Recovery Girl slaps Ewing.
Recovery Girl: Don’t let your granddaughter’s injury cloud your mind. You’re a damn leader, and you know the first rule of leadership is that you have to make decisions, good or bad, and live with those decisions! You made a call, and it was a good one. This festival brought positive energy to this school, and what’s happening in the city does not affect that! So don’t worry about what happened to Hayze or Saige. Right now, you need to be calm and act like the hero you are.
Ewing: You’re right…
Ewing has a glimmer in his eye.
Ewing: I may be the principal of this school, but I’m still a hero at the end of the day. I shouldn’t be worrying about the ramifications of today; I should be doing my job. Besides Adrian, Rachel, Damien, and everyone here, the school should be evacuated entirely. But that doesn’t mean the attackers won’t decide to knock this school down a peg while it’s defenseless. Madame Mummy and I will guard the front gates and engage any intruders.
Recovery Girl: What about the students? They’re heroes in training. After all, they’re bound to want to help.
Ewing: Have they all been healed?
Recovery Girl: Yes, Kevin Baldwin, Alec Vyxon, and Aster Maddox should be waking up soon. Ashley Wright was knocked out by her own quirk and will be out of commission for a bit longer. The same goes for Blair Maddox.
Ewing: And then there’s Saige.
Recovery Girl: I’ll have to do a blood transfusion. She lost a lot of blood.
Ewing: Hm… it’s probably safer to get them to a shelter than keep them here… but how could we-
Adrian: We need some help!
Adrian has arrived with Fatal draped over his shoulder.
Recovery Girl: Oh my…
Ewing: What happened to her?
Adrian: Khaos sliced her eye open, and she’s bleeding a lot from the socket. She was doing fine for a while, but I think the blood loss caught up to her.
Recovery Girl: Well, I’m kind of running low on beds here.
Aster: She can use this one.
Aster is sitting up in his bed.
Ewing: Aster? You’re awake already?
Recovery Girl: That was faster than even I was expecting.
Aster: Yeah, well, I’m tougher than I look.
Aster gets out of bed, and Adrian rushes over and places Fatal in the bed.
Recovery Girl: Let me get a look at her.
Recovery Girl removes the sleeve Adrian used to cover Fatal’s eye.
Recovery Girl: Jesus…
Adrian: Can you save it?
Recovery Girl: I have no idea.
Recovery Girl looks Adrian in the eye and motions to her hand. Adrian realizes what she’s referring to and backs away so she can pull the curtains and cover the bed. Then, Adrian walks over to Aster and Ewing.
Aster: So, uh, what’s going on? The last thing I remember was using Phoenician Impact, and then I woke up here. Why is Ms. Fatal hurt?
Adrian: Your fight with Hayze was interfered with. Someone or something took over Hayze’s body. Mr. Walker, Ms. Fatal, and I engaged it, and this happened.
Ewing: At the same time, a large group of attackers launched an invasion of the city, prompting a full-scale evacuation. The battle is still going on, and presumably, Mr. Walker is still chasing after whatever is controlling Hayze.
Aster: You’re saying things like “something” and “whatever is,” but when Mr. Copy walked in the room, he referred to “it” as “Chaos”? It sounds like you guys know more about it than you let on.
Adrian and Ewing look at each other.
Adrian: We might, but that’s none of your concern, Aster.
Aster: Okay… then what is?
Ewing: Well, getting everyone to safety is a priority. I don’t feel comfortable having six students be on campus during all of this. Adrian, would you mind leading a group to the fallout shelters?
Adrian: I’d like to stay by Rachel’s side, but… I understand that the students take priority.
Ewing: Good, take Aster here alongside Kevin and Alec to one of the back exits of the school and head out. Once Recovery Girl finishes healing Rachel, she’ll lead the other group.
Aster: Can I say I’d feel more comfortable if my sister came along with our group? Families should stick together in a crisis.
Ewing: She needs more time to rest. Alec and Kevin merely need to be woken up. I can assure you she’ll be safe, Aster.
Aster stares at Ewing for a few seconds.
Aster: Okay, I’ll take your word for it.
Ewing: Stay safe, Adrian. I’m counting on you.
Adrian: I understand, sir.
Adrian and Aster walk over to Kevin and Alec’s beds, respectively, and start shaking them to wake up.
Kevin: *groans* What... happened?
Alec: *dreaming* Blood… guts... despair… everywhere.
Aster: This guy is a nutcase.
Aster lights Alec’s hair on fire.
Alec: *groans* Huh?
Alec notices his hair.
Alec: AHHH!
Aster splashes a cup of water on Alec’s face to put the fire out.
Aster: Calm down. It wasn’t even hot.
Alec: WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT! Wait… what are you doing here? Did we win!
Aster: No, the match was interfered with. The whole city is evacuating, and we need to join them.
Alec: That was a lot of information at once...
Kevin: Evacuating? For what reason?
Adrian: The city has been invaded by attackers, I haven’t gotten a close look at any of them, but they must be strong if they brought the town to evacuation.
Aster: We’ll explain more on the way, but the four of us are heading out to the evacuation shelters for now.
Kevin: What about the girls?
Adrian: They aren’t ready to leave yet healthwise. We’re going to get a headstart.
Kevin: Okay.
Alec: I’d like more information before we just leave.
Ewing: Vyxon, this is a direct order from the principal; you will be expelled if you don’t follow Adrian immediately.
Alec hops out of bed.
Alec: So which way are we heading?
Adrian: Just… follow me…
Adrian, Alec, Adrian, and Kevin leave.
Ewing: Recovery Girl, I’ll be leaving too. I’ll come to check on you soon.
Recovery Girl: That’s fine. I’ll just be here until then.
Ewing: Right.
Dr. Moore and Khaos continue walking down the halls of U.A. into the science department.
Khaos: Where are you leading me?
Dr. Moore: To my lab.
Khaos: If this is a trap, it won’t work.
Dr. Moore: Don’t worry, it isn’t.
Khaos: If that’s the case, explain why you want to die?
Dr. Moore: Because of you.
Khaos: Care to elaborate?
Dr. Moore: I’ve used Project Q three times, and while it’s worked in all cases, its side effects are anything but pretty, and each time it gets worse. I saw the first time Rachel lost control, and it sickened me to my stomach that I had created a monster that lives inside her head. The amount of therapy she’s needed to go through, the amount of trauma I put her through. Do you know what it feels like for them when one of you sick bastards tries taking over their bodies?
Khaos: It feels as though they’re being ripped from the driver’s seat of their car forcefully. I’ve done it twice, and it feels incredible.
Dr. Moore clenches her fist.
Dr. Moore: You’re a fucking animal… you know that?
Khaos: You think so? Have you ever once considered how we feel? How it feels to be trapped inside someone else’s head? Can you blame us for wanting out?
Dr. Moore: Don’t try to play the victim. I know what you’re all about. Sympathy for you and Rachel’s second personality is not something I’m capable of.
Khaos: That’s pretty rude if you ask me, we may just be fragments of our host’s mind that formed into full personalities, but we’re still people. Don’t we deserve-
Dr. Moore: Just shut up.
Khaos’ eyes narrow.
Khaos: I’m going to enjoy killing you.
Dr. Moore: Yeah, well, I will enjoy watching from the afterlife as Hayze defeats you.
Khaos laughs.
Khaos: HIM? Defeat ME? Are you joking! He’s a pathetic loser compared to me! I’m ten times stronger than him, and he knows it.
Dr. Moore smiles.
Dr. Moore: If there’s one thing Hayze has taught me, strength is overrated.
Khaos: Then I guess you’re as big a fool as he is.
Dr. Moore: Oh, we’ll see who’s the fool soon enough.
Dr. Moore and Khaos reach her lab, she opens the door, and they step into the room.
Khaos: Why are we here?
Dr. Moore: So, I can close a chapter in my life.
Dr. Moore opens the freezer that contains Project Q. She grabs the four syringes in her hand.
Dr. Moore: This was my life’s work. I put so many years into this serum. So many sleepless nights, days where I would prioritize my research over my friends and family. These four syringes contain my entire career inside them.
Dr. Moore smashes the syringes against the ground.
Khaos: Hm?
Dr. Moore: *takes a deep breath* That felt better than I expected.
Khaos: Interesting choice.
Dr. Moore: I’ve seen Rachel and Saige’s personalities in control before. While Rachel’s is more violent, Saige’s was much more catastrophic to her mental state. But, despite that, I never saw anything that would make me think this serum was capable of causing harm to others, so that’s why I kept it around, and that was a selfish decision. I gave Hayze this serum selfishly; it was a complete breach of ethics. I prayed on his desire for a quirk to justify my own desires to satisfy my curiosity. It killed me to have put so much effort into creating this serum, only to use it twice. I wanted to make the world a better place and learn more, so I gave Hayze the serum. My sister thinks it was because I believed in Hayze, but no… that was just an excuse. I’m a terrible person, and I may have helped Hayze, but I also hurt him… by creating you. This serum is evil, you’re evil, and I can’t allow it to exist anymore.
Dr. Moore walks over to her computer.
Dr. Moore: Destroying the physical serum isn’t enough.
Dr. Moore places a single txt file in her flash drive and sticks it in her pocket. She then crashes the computer against the ground, destroying it.
Dr. Moore: Neither is deleting all of the research and shredding all of the paperwork. At the end of the day, there’s only one way to completely eradicate Project Q.
Dr. Moore turns to Khaos.
Dr. Moore: And that’s to kill the only person on the planet who can make it.
Khaos: I see…
Dr. Moore: With your public appearance, it’s almost impossible to keep the serum a secret anymore. The government will be all over it, they’ll want to use it and perfect it after countless tests, and I can’t allow that to happen. So the truth is I don’t want to die, but I have to ensure that the serum can never be created again.
Khaos: Then why not just kill yourself?
Dr. Moore: Because I can’t bring myself to do it.
Khaos laughs.
Khaos: So you’re going to put your blood on Hayze’s hands? Do you have any idea what that will do to him? I’m shaking with excitement just thinking about it!
Dr. Moore: As I said before, I’m a bad person, and because I’m not strong enough to do it myself, Hayze has to feel the burden. It’s poetic in a way. We met because I was selfish, and now, the reason we will depart is because I am selfish. I wish I could say that wasn’t the case, but it isn’t.
Dr. Moore starts to tear up.
Dr. Moore: I hope that finally having the freedom to tell everyone the truth will help him, Saige, and my sister. I’m freeing them from the shackles of protecting me. They’re off the hook.
Dr. Moore starts to cry. Khaos watches with indifference.
Dr. Moore: You can end it now… you have my permission.
Khaos immediately stabs Dr. Moore through the chest. Blood gushes from her chest as he rips the blade from her sternum. She falls to the ground bleeding out.
Dr. Moore: *groans*
Khaos begins walking to the door.
Khaos: The requisite has been met, but I’m not done yet. There’s more for me to-
Dr. Moore: Initiate… lockdown.
Suddenly the door to the lab is reinforced with a blast door. The vents and windows reinforce as well, completely locking the entire room down.
Khaos: What the hell! This was a trap!
Dr. Moore laughs but then grimaces in pain.
Dr. Moore: Oh god… that hurts.
Khaos: Open these doors right now!
Dr. Moore: Sorry… but you’re just going to cool down in here until you run out of energy.
Khaos: LIKE HELL I WILL! OPEN THESE DOORS!
Dr. Moore smiles.
Dr. Moore: What are you going to do if I don’t? Kill me? You’re a little early on that.
Khaos’ eye twitches.
Khaos: AHHHH!
Khaos slices and smashes his sword into the blast door repeatedly, but he fails to make a scratch or a dent.
Khaos: LET ME OUT!
Dr. Moore laughs.
Dr. Moore: I can’t feel pain anymore… that’s good.
Khaos storms over to Dr. Moore and grabs her collar.
Khaos: OPEN! THE! DOOR!
Dr. Moore: Sorry, but it’s password-protected, and the only person who knows the code is taking it to her grave.
Khaos drops her against the ground.
Dr. Moore: I may have caused the people I care about most a lot of pain, but I hope this last action of my life is enough to make up for what I’ve done. You’re not leaving this place until Hayze is in control again.
Khaos tightens his grip around his sword hilt.
Dr. Moore: You know, it’s kind of funny.
Khaos: *grinding his teeth* What is?
Dr. Moore: It’s like you’re trapped inside Hayze’s mind aga-
Khaos decapitates Dr. Moore.
Khaos: Bitch.
In Recovery Girl’s office, Fatal opens her eye.
Fatal: (What was that?)
Fatal sits up in her bed and looks around at Blair, Ash, and Saige, who are still unconscious.
Fatal: Where is Adrian?
Fatal’s other eye is heavily bandaged.
Recovery Girl: He’s not here right now under Principal Ewing’s orders.
Fatal tries to get out of bed.
Recovery Girl: What are you doing! You need to rest!
Fatal: Something is wrong! I know it!
Recovery Girl: With what? What is wrong?
Fatal: I don’t know… I just know that something is wrong.
Fatal starts to tear up. Recovery Girl looks at her with a concerned look on her face.
Recovery Girl: Rachel, please lay down. I have some bad news.
Fatal: Did I lose my eye?
Recovery Girl: No… I was able to save it, but… it’s blind. I’m sorry… I did everything I could.
Fatal stares at Recovery Girl.
Fatal: No… there’s something else that’s wrong.
Recovery Girl: Huh?
Fatal: I can’t stay here!
Fatal runs off.
Recovery Girl: Rachel! No! You have to… stay… *sighs*
Recovery Girl looks at the three unconscious girls.
Recovery Girl: I guess I’ll just lock the door from the outside.
Recovery Girl runs out of the room and locks the door.
Recovery Girl: Rachel! Wait!
Colossus continues mauling through clones one after another.
Colossus: They just keep coming!
More warp gates open with clones stepping out of them.
Colossus: Speak of the devil!
Back on top of the skyscraper, Zaire has set up Hackmaster’s laptop and is typing on it. A camera is hooked up to the computer and pointing at Iota from atop a tripod.
Iota: Ready Zaire?
Zaire: Yes, Master.
Iota: Then let’s begin.
Zaire types on the laptop. Suddenly, all around Nashville, jumbotron billboards, TVs, computers, phones, anything connected to the internet or a signal begins streaming Iota. Colossus looks up at a nearby billboard.
Colossus: What’s this?
Iota smiles.
Iota: Hello, Nashville!
Iota’s voice echoes throughout the city.
Iota: My name is Iota, and I am responsible for this attack. I’m sure you’ve enjoyed my beautiful creations attacking, destroying, and killing you, and I’m also sure you all hate me right now, but let me tell you that none of this is my fault. You see, I was once a U.A. student, one of the best in my graduating class. I was going to be a hero, just as I always dreamed… but then something happened. I found out “the truth” about a particular hero, the number one hero. My former hero, Colossus, has been a liar and cheated his entire career. He’s not as strong as you all think he is. He’s merely playing the part of a symbol of peace. But that peace is fake, he’s not really who he says he is, and I’ve waited YEARS for this day, the day I rip off his mask and reveal to THE ENTIRE WORLD THAT THEY’VE BEEN PRAISING A FAKE ALL THIS TIME! JUST LIKE I WAS!
Iota clears his throat.
Iota: So, Colossus, I challenge you to a battle to the death.
Many viewers gasp.
Iota: If you accept my challenge, Colossus, meet me on top of the largest building in the city for our match. Oh, and I guess I should say the penalty for refusing…
Colossus’ eyes narrow.
Iota: Do you all remember a nuclear scare in Atlanta a few months back? And how the S-Rank quirk user, Xavier Kline, who can create and control atomic energy, died, right? Well… he didn’t.
X: That’s right, I didn’t!
Iota: Thank you, X. Colossus, if you’re not standing before me within the next five minutes, this city will be leveled by X’s quirk. In addition, if you approach this building with company, he will explode. Do you understand? Well, I hope you do, for everyone’s sake.
Ewing clenches his fist.
Ewing: What is Ivan doing?
Madame Mummy: Challenging Colossus.
Ewing: I know! I’m confused about why he’s doing it! He doesn’t stand a chance against Colossus! (The Iota Ring is powerful, but Colossus is unstoppable.)
Iota pulls out a timer.
Iota: Your time starts now. You had better-
Colossus slams down on the roof of the building.
Colossus: Time’s up.