Chapter 45
The press conference continued after Izuku landed and the reporters asked questions about Izuku, Tanya, their individual plans, and their combined plans. Both Izuku and Tanya answered what they could, except for their future plans, stating that they didn't want the villains to be ready for them when they came to crush them, which made the crowd of reporters laugh.
“They are getting married after they graduate!” Inko yelled and then slapped a hand over her mouth.
“Mom!” Izuku shouted; but, it was too late. The reporters were now in a frenzy.
“S-s-sorry!” Inko said and blushed.
“It's all right... mom number three.” Tanya said, which really set the reporters off and questions flew like bullets from an automatic weapon.
“Three? Why three?” Someone managed to loudly ask through the flurry of questions.
“My birth mother that masked villain killed was Mom One.” Tanya said and they quieted down. She reached back a hand to Miss Jasina. “This is Mom Two. Without her help the last five years, I couldn't be where I am today.”
“AWWW!” The crowd said loudly as Miss Jasina cried and hugged Tanya.
“So, Inko is Mom Three.” Tanya said when Miss Jasina let her go and Inko stepped behind her chair and hugged her next.
“Before anyone bad gets any ideas, I should remind you that quirk usage is justified in defending ourselves.” Izuku said, his voice deep and resonating. “No attacks against our families will be tolerated. You. Have. Been. Warned.”
The entire crowd shivered, even Aizawa. They didn't feel like that was a bad thing, though. Who could be angry at a son protecting his mother? No one, that's who.
“Are there any other questions?” The man running the press conference asked.
No one said anything, so he smiled.
“Then on behalf of Miss DeGraff, Mister Midoria, and their families, I thank you for allowing us this time to speak to you. Press release packages will be sent to you tonight with more information.”
That made all of the reporters very happy. Getting free material for stories was always a good thing. The gathering quickly broke up, especially the ones that had taken video. They had some editing to do to submit it for broadcast. Surprisingly, none of them tried to go over to Tanya or Izuku to ask more questions. When they were all gone, Miss Jasina and Inko led Tanya and Izuku over to a rented car.
“Who hired the media consultant?” Tanya asked.
“UA tried to.” Miss Jasina said with a smirk, which made Tanya smile and Izuku laugh.
“How many technical difficulties were they planning?” Izuku asked, guessing what they wanted to stop being shown.
“A total meltdown of the equipment.” Miss Jasina said. “Luckily, Tanya has made several important deliveries for the man's media company and he was a little bit angry about your treatment.”
“Not enough to get a discount for his services, surely.” Tanya said, her smile still evident.
“Oh, no. He's a consummate professional.” Miss Jasina said with a grin.
Tanya barked a laugh and nodded. “Send him a little bonus or offer a free delivery package.”
“I already did.” Miss Jasina said with satisfaction in her voice.
Tanya nodded and the rest of the drive passed by without anyone talking. When they arrived at Tanya's home, Inko had the waterworks ready and hugged her tightly and kissed her cheeks and forehead.
“I'm so happy that you're home!” Inko exclaimed.
“Me, too.” Tanya said as Izuku did his best to pry his mother off of his girlfriend.
“Mom, I'm staying over for a few hours, maybe all night, depending on what Tanya needs me for.”
“OH! My little boy is growing up!” Inko cried and latched onto him instead.
“I didn't mean...” Izuku stopped trying to explain and just held his mother. “Go on inside and I'll come in when she's calmed down.”
Tanya and Miss Jasina nodded and left the car.
Izuku entered the house ten minutes later. “She was still crying when the car drove off; but, I managed to fake dying and escaped.”
Miss Jasina laughed and Tanya just shook her head.
“I'll get supper started. You two go to your secret lair and get some work done.” Miss Jasina said.
Tanya and Izuku looked at her with shock on their faces.
“What? It's not like I never check on the two of you when you hide down there for hours.” Miss Jasina said.
“But... the security system... it should have...” Izuku mumbled.
“It only stops evil doers and villains from finding it and wrecking things.” Miss Jasina said with a smile, pat Izuku's head, kissed Tanya's forehead, and went into the kitchen.
“Did we really leave a massive hole like that in the security grid?” Tanya asked, her thoughts whirling.
Izuku gave her a searching look, which she returned, then the two of them ran for the secret entrance and practically dove into the control room and started checking over the security protocols and any references to Miss Jasina. Half an hour later, they sat back and looked at the results.
“I can't believe it.” Tanya said. “She just walked right in and nothing happened. Nothing.”
“She's amazing! And brave!” Izuku said and rewound the last video file to watch it again. “She completely ignored the auto-guns aiming at her and tracking her movement, then laughed at the electricity discharge warnings on the anti-personnel panels on the walls and doors.”
“Don't sound so shocked.” Miss Jasina said from right behind them.
Izuku let out a squeak of fright that sounded like a little girl while Tanya whipped her head around to stare at the woman that they had no idea how she had snuck up on them.
“I'm a retired school teacher.” Miss Jasina said, as if that explained everything. “Supper's ready. You can come back down here and play after you eat.”
Tanya and Izuku watched her walk out of the control room.
“I think we should follow her before she gets angry.” Izuku suggested.
Tanya nodded agreement and the two of them followed Miss Jasina out of their hideout and into the house. They ate a normal meal and talked about normal things, no one bringing up how Miss Jasina had done what she did. Izuku gave Tanya a particular look when the meal was over and she nodded.
Izuku stood up when Miss Jasina did and he gave her a hug and kissed her cheek. “Thank you.”
Miss Jasina blushed deeply because of his muscular arms holding her so tenderly. “What... what are you thanking me for?”
“Just because you're you.” Izuku said and let her go. “Do you want help with the dishes?”
“No, you go on. Tanya needs you.” Miss Jasina said, her blush not fading.
“Go ahead, I'll be right there.” Tanya said and Izuku left.
“You let him kiss my cheek.” Miss Jasina said.
“Well, he is apparently going to be your son-in-law.” Tanya said. “You couldn't tell me how both you and Inko came to that conclusion, can you?”
Miss Jasina smiled and took out a little electronic device. “Izuku always wears his whisper microphone for you.”
Tanya blinked her eyes at the blatant invasion of privacy, then she laughed. “I want a copy of the recordings for the last week when I was unconscious.”
“They're on your tablet in your room.” Miss Jasina said with a smile.
“You've definitely earned the title of Mom Two.” Tanya said and gave her a quick hug.
“Thank you.” Miss Jasina said. “That boy missed you as much as I did, so go and make him happy by working his ass off.”
Tanya barked a laugh and kissed her cheek before she jogged after Izuku.
*
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Izuku asked later that night as he put the last securing strap on his harness.
Tanya glared at him.
“Hey.” Izuku whispered and lightly cupped the side of her face. “You haven't used your quirk yet and we haven't tested it. I can't help but worry.”
Tanya's eyes lost the glare and she sighed. “I'm fine.”
Izuku gave her a quick kiss and hooked himself up to her back. “Then let's go. We have a villain hideout to destroy.”
Tanya smiled and lifted them up into the air. She was glad that it didn't hurt or felt different. She had been a little worried about that, especially after seeing the medical reports about the damage she had suffered. There was no telling what those little bone shards had done to her brain before Recovery Girl healed her.
The pair took off into the night at just under the speed of sound. It didn't take them long to reach the observation point they chose and came in for a landing. They disengaged and prepped their equipment to watch the hideout and to check to see how many people were inside and around the immediate area. That was Izuku's primary job and he used the devices he brought to scope out the enemy.
“Okay, I've got three outside and there's something in the walls of the building that stops or repels anything trying to get through it.” Izuku said and put down the army viewer to look at the micro-radar display. “There's definitely an electronic disruption field around it. I'm not picking up the building and we're looking right at it.”
“What about Lidar?” Tanya asked.
“Dispersed.” Izuku said and checked another small device. “It's like the building has a cloaking field or something.”
“I'll try to look for myself as I aim.” Tanya said and tried to use her zoom view spell. “AHH!” She gasped and dropped her rifle as she clutched at her forehead.
“Tanya!” Izuku said and dropped his own gear to hug her.
“Owowowow.” Tanya groaned and stopped trying to use her ability. The headache didn't go away.
“Dammit, I knew it was too soon.” Izuku whispered and held her.
“No, I... I'm fine.” Tanya said. “I just... give me a minute... or ten.”
Izuku used one hand as he handed her a bottle of water and aspirin.
“Thanks.” Tanya said and took them. She didn't try healing herself, since it hadn't worked to remove a headache the last time she had one.
“I wonder what else might be messed up.” Izuku said.
“There's only one way to find out.” Tanya said.
“No. You can't.” Izuku said.
“Izuku.” Tanya said in her command voice.
Izuku ducked his head. “Don't hurt yourself anymore.”
Tanya sighed. “I need to know.”
Izuku nodded and let her got to check her rifle, then handed it to her. “Forget the other modes.” He said and loaded a custom made explosive pewter pellet. “Go for the big one.”
Tanya gave him an odd look.
“If it works, I'll clean up anything that lives or escapes.” Izuku promised.
Tanya nodded. She knew using the largest and most destructive spell she knew was the best way to determine if her ability was completely crippled. If she could handle overcharging the explosive round, then the other modes would be simple to use in comparison. If she couldn't handle it, then she would know the brain damage she suffered was much more extensive than Recovery Girl had told her.
“Taking aim without remote view.” Tanya said.
Izuku gave her the coordinates he saw in the old army viewfinder and she aimed appropriately.
“Charging gun.” Tanya said and winced slightly as her quirk flowed into the rifle. “Arming shot.” She flinched as the pellet sucked it up like a sponge. She was sweating now and Izuku wiped at her forehead to keep her eyes clear. “Thanks.” She whispered and took a deep breath. “Firing.” She let the breath out and pulled the trigger.
*WHAAABOOOOM!*
A bright flash lit up the night as a gigantic explosion blew away the target building, the three buildings around it, and lit everything on fire.
“I'll be right back.” Izuku said and disappeared with a gust of wind.
Tanya picked up the old army viewfinder and watched as Izuku picked up bodies and threw them back into the main fire. He didn't have to kill anyone, since the pressure wave from the explosion had handled the three patrolling guards. When a figure stood up from inside the target building and pushed off some of the debris, he was half-covered in blue fire and had stitches all over his exposed body.
In the next second, Izuku was there and tore the man's head off, then he stomped on it and mulched it. The body was next and was spread out into the fire. The other bodies were added and Izuku seemed to make the fire more intense as he added more energy to it.
His kinetic aura sure had a lot of uses. Tanya thought as she watched Izuku work and take care of everything. He dug out a few things that looked like melted gold and then disappeared from view.
“I found something that could be actual gold.” Izuku said and dropped a half-crushed metallic something beside Tanya. “I don't know what to do with it, though.”
“I'm glad you didn't leave it for someone else to find.” Tanya said. “Crush it up some more and tuck it into the backpack. We'll figure out how to melt it down into something usable later.”
“Good idea.” Izuku said and did just that. He tucked the much smaller item into his discarded backpack and sat down next to Tanya. “Have you tried any other abilities?”
“No. My head's still splitting.” Tanya said and Izuku put a hand on her back and slowly rubbed it. “I should be fine when the aspirin kicks in.”
The two of them sat there and watched the fires burning. They had been fortunate that the surrounding buildings had been cleared out by the villains. Whether or not the villains had killed those people to do it, wasn't something they wanted to think about. It was much too late to help them now.
“I didn't see any computers or anything.” Izuku said as a small group of heroes showed up.
“I think my shot pretty much vaporized everything in that building.” Tanya said.
“Except that stitched guy.” Izuku said. “I didn't recognize him from the police files we copied.”
“He's probably a new villain... or worse, a hidden one that wasn't exposed until now.” Tanya said. “At least we removed three of Being X's fanatics.”
Izuku watched the heroes working on the fires. “Um... maybe.” He said and pointed. “Look at that guy. He's acting strange.”
Tanya picked up the viewfinder again and grit her teeth as she used her ability to detect Being X's influence, which made her head throb. She nodded when the man glowed. “You're right. He's a recruit.”
Izuku frowned. “I'll need a minute.”
“One distraction coming up.” Tanya said and switched her rifle ammo to load a normal pellet. “One Doorbuster to the building on the right, top window.”
Izuku smiled and kissed her cheek. “I'll wait for the sound of glass.” He said and disappeared.
Tanya took careful aim and charged the shot, then fired. The window shattered and the group of heroes all turned and looked up at the noise. Izuku blurred by them and tackled the target man, snapped his neck and crushed his head, then zoomed away with the body.
Tanya let out a relieved sigh as she watched the heroes go and investigate the noise and they completely missed their colleague being abducted and mulched.
Izuku came back and sat down beside her. “I tucked him into one of the nearby fires after breaking him apart.” He said and handed her several things. “He had all of this on him.”
Tanya looked down at the treasure trove of electronics, some money, and an unlocked cell phone full of contacts. “Good work, Izuku. If we're lucky, he's in contact with other recruits.” She said and picked up the phone to check the last messages sent. “Well, we're in luck. It's how he knew we hit this place.”
Izuku smiled. “We can watch them work for a bit before we leave. There's no rush.”
Tanya nodded and leaned back against him. She almost purred as his arms went around her and she kept checking over the phone for similar messages. It would help them immensely to clean up the mess that her unscheduled absence had caused.