My Hero Automata

Summary: Jackals, side entrances are a thing, and something that resembles actual logic!

Chapter 9: A Three Ring Circus and Opening Shots

Izumi and Momo both grimaced as their driver was forced to let them off two blocks before UA the next day. Momo's security team were obviously even less happy than the girls, but trying to force their way through the crowd of media that was covering the entire street in front of UA would only draw attention to them. Which wasn't something any good security team wanted. With a thought, Izumi transformed just far enough to activate a connection to the school's servers, sending a query through them and getting a quick response.

There were, indeed, five additional entrances to the University that were only accessible with student IDs. They didn't show up on the semi-public maps Izumi had first downloaded, likely for security reasons. But her new query, this time using her student ID number, had gotten a more complete map that identified the extra entrances. Noting that the nearest would still be in sight of the media, Izumi took her girlfriend's arm and guided her away, around the side of the Campus. It would be a few minutes of walking, but it was worth it to avoid that mess. Momo looked at her curiously, but didn't protest.

"Side entrance. I queried the server with my student ID and got a more complete map."

Momo nodded, looking relieved.

"Good idea. Should we see if we can spot any of our classmates?"

Izumi frowned, subtly forming a monocle instead of her usual full visor, letting it scan the crowd. It pinged with three hits…but two of them were already trapped in the crowd. Izumi steered herself and Momo toward the third.

"Looks like Uraraka is the only one we can save from that vicious pack of hyenas."

Thankfully, they made it to their classmate before she worked up the nerve to dive into the chaos, though she almost gave them away when she lept half a foot as they surprised her from behind. The brunette grasped her heart as she pouted at them.

"Oh, god! Don't scare me like that. I was already on edge because of…"

She gestured at the crowd and both Izumi and Momo nodded in understanding. Izumi grinned, though it was a bit strained at the reminder of the reporters nearby.

"That's why we came over, actually. I was able to access a more complete map of the Campus with my student ID, and there's a side entrance. It's a few minutes walk…but that's a lot better than dealing with the media jackals, I think."

Uraraka's eyes widened and she nodded with feeling.

"Heck yes! Lead the way, please!"

Izumi's strained grin shifted to a genuine smile as she did just that, leaving the reporters behind.

... ...

Because it was a non-core day, it wasn't a surprise that more of the Heroics Course students had lunch at the same time. Over half of them had chosen to take Intro to Heroic Law at the same time, a class that ended right before lunch. They'd even been joined by some members of the other Heroics Course group, as well as few Support Course students that needed to know at least basic Heroic Law for planning purposes. It had been nice to put faces and names to a few of the B Group students, though there hadn't been much time to actually talk, and none of them had attempted to join Izumi and Momo's group for lunch. This time, said group included more people than ever before, Iida and Jirou being joined by Asui, Ashido, and Kirishima. More Group A members were scattered around, including Tokoyami, who actually was sitting with two members of Group B. But no one had claimed the single remaining chair at their own table.

That, frankly, was fine as far as Izumi was concerned. This was already far more people that she was used to dealing with at once and she was feeling a tiny bit overwhelmed as a result. Momo, socialite that she'd been raised to be, had no such trouble. Which made Izumi extremely grateful that her girlfriend was more naturally extroverted than she was, as Momo happily managed the flow of their group's conversation. If anything, she seemed outright cheerful to have so many people to talk with, even if only Izumi fully realized it, the majority of Momo's exuberance hiding under the well-trained mask her girlfriend had been brought up to wear in public. Just as Izumi was about to say something about the topic at hand, comparing their schedules as it happened…something else disrupted the peace of the lunchroom.

*ALERT! ALERT! SECURITY BREACH, LEVEL 3! THIS IS NOT A DRILL. ALERT! ALERT! SECURITY BREACH, LEVEL 3!*

The blaring of the alarm was accompanied by red emergency lighting and the shouts of panicked students. Izumi herself went into immediate threat-assessment mode, partially transforming and falling into hyper-cognition mode. The world slowed to a crawl around her, even as she reached out to the UA servers. She grimaced mentally as she found military-grade hardened security firewalls in the process of flaring up all across said servers…but she'd reacted quickly enough that they hadn't all had time to come online yet. The wireless network had been shut down already, but Izumi didn't actually need an active wireless network. The pseudo-cyberpathy she gained via 2B meant she only needed the systems in question to have a connection at all, active or inactive didn't really matter much. She slipped through the security before the firewalls could all finish coming online, tapped into the staff-only channel…and mentally sagged in relief.

She'd known already that a Level 3 Breach meant someone had gotten past the gates, but the staff-only info channel was already filled with the information that it was the Media. They'd apparently broken in past the main gate, which alarmingly looked like it had been completely vaporized. That seemed a bit much for the media, really, but there were no indications on the channel that there were any other breaches. Which meant…

Izumi snapped out of hyper-cognition mode, barely three tenths of a second after dropping into it. Even with so little time having passed, she could see many in the cafeteria moving in panic. It had taken a few seconds for her to process everything and drop into hyper-cognition. Still partially-transformed, she took full advantage to raise her voice above what she could possibly have managed otherwise, without actually shouting.

"Everyone! It's only the media! Look out the east window and you can see them on the grounds! Remain calm and report to your designated evacuation areas so the staff can get a headcount. If you don't know your area, they are listed on the front and back walls of the cafeteria. Barring that, go with a friend and inform the person that meets you at the evacuation area that you're not sure you're at the correct location."

Thankfully, she'd managed to get in front of the panic. Several students on the east wall quickly confirmed the media swarm, as well as the fact that they were already being met by security and some of the teachers. The crowd, now grumbling instead of panicking, reluctantly began abandoning their meals to obey the evacuation instructions, largely ignoring the continued sound of the alarms. An embarrassing number of students were scrambling to find out where those areas were. But, then again, it was very early in the semester.

"Um…Izumi…do you know where our designated spot is?"

It was an embarrassed-looking Mina that had voiced the thought, nearly causing Izumi to facepalm. Her sigh of exasperation caused Mina to blush…and Iida to get in the answer before she could.

"Ashido-san! As a hero student, you should know that we—"

Amusingly, it was Momo that cut him off with a hand in front of his face, raising her voice to be heard to a few of the other heroics students around.

"All heroics students have their evacuation points set as the heroics wing classrooms, in case we are needed in defense of the school. Though that's mostly for older students who have provisional licenses."

Izumi nodded confirmation at that, standing and beginning to carefully cut her way into the crowd.

"What Momo said. Come on Iida. You can lecture Ashido-san on the virtues of the student handbook on the way…"

... ...

Classes had been cancelled, once the staff had made it to the evacuation points. Those going to the wrong places had been very lightly slapped on the wrist, it was early in the year after all. But otherwise nothing had come of the break-in. Not so far as any of them could tell before Midnight had arrived to dismiss them, at any rate.

It had, however, left Momo and Izumi with an unexpected bit of free time. Free time which had been so unpredicted that the Yaoyorozu security teams hadn't had a chance to snatch them up before Momo had delightedly escaped their clutches for the afternoon. Given the break-in, Momo would probably pay for that later but, at the moment, Izumi was too amused by her happily bouncing girlfriend cheerfully attacking a shopping mall to remind her of that inevitability. Malls weren't exactly Izumi's thing, but getting out and doing 'regular people things' was Momo's favorite activity whenever she escaped her minders. Given that, Izumi wasn't going to protest, instead letting her girlfriend pull her through several different clothing shops…and a hero merch store that was admittedly more for Izumi than Momo. Besides, they had a standing deal for times like this, and Momo was showing signs she was about to pay up. The light blush on her face being the most notable.

Sure enough, the next stop, with furtive looks to and fro from Momo…was a lingerie shop. Izumi grinned as she took over, pulling Momo smoothly inside. Just because Momo could make them anything intimate they needed, didn't mean they couldn't get some good ideas from places like this, after all! Someday, she was going to get her friend into a sex toy shop as well…once Izumi worked up the nerve to go in one herself, instead of just ordering a few things online to be delivered to the small safehouse the two of them maintained above their private workshop. Goals for the future. Fun goals for the future…