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CHAPTER START---
Sitting at his desk Horizon is slumped over, asleep.
After spending 37 hours reviewing data he decided to take his one hour nap to feel fully refreshed.
Which is how he's currently spending this Saturday night.
Behind him the tinted windows of his office in Horizon tower show the Tokyo skyline, colorful and lively against the dark night sky, full moon and all.
Millions of people in Minato Tokyo alone, all peacefully enjoying their lives amongst nearly no villains.
Simply because Horizon tower stood here, staring down at them like a obelisk of justice and peace.
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
Horizon, or more accurately, Law, jolts awake.
His visor was on the desk staring at him, only the body glove was on with the face mask portion laying on the desk.
Here within his office, even with the guests in his tower, he felt more than comfortable taking off his visor to get some fresh air.
Even if day by day he's noticing that the visor feels more comfortable than having his face exposed.
"Mmm, now what's this about," he rubs his eyes and cracks his neck before touching the keyboard.
The two monitors on his desk light up to reveal the processes he'd sent in motion were now completely.
'DNA Match, 50%!' one screen said.
"Ok, lets see what we've got," he begins looking at the lower percentile DNA matches.
"So the samples from Yoroi Musha's sword are...a Nomu, another Nomu, and the main one is..."
He reads the results a few times before sitting back in his chair and staring at the screen, trying to make sense of it.
He glances to his right, where his sword -Scalpel-, and Yoroi Musha's recovered katana were leaning against the desk.
"The DNA must have been more contaminated than I thought...right?" he asks aloud.
'There has to be some logical explanation for this.'
"Computer," he commands aloud, "what were the parameters for DNA Sequence search?"
The computer announces his own instructions back to him, "use entered DNA Sequence data and compare to all catalogued samples within Pro Hero Database, alongside Villain and Prisoner Records provided by the Hero Public Safety Commission and Law Enforcement."
"How many times were these comparisons run?"
"43 Million tests were run, including repetitions, prioritizing matches above 15%."
"Ok so my parameters weren't broken," Law mutters. "Maybe I made a mistake. But still, the chances of this being the outcome are so small, not to mentioned I've been doing tests like these for so long to find targets that its unlikely."
"Computer, confirm DNA Sequence Match."
"DNA Sequence Match of 50% found between Sample 7 and Enji Todoroki, AKA Pro Hero Endeavor -The flame hero-."
"Fuck," Law mutters. "Ok, so the most likely case is that they made a failed clone of Endeavor. It has to be a failed clone if even Yoroi Musha was able to cut it without his sword melting. And the worst case scenario, also the least likely, is Endeavor switched sides."
"Computer, Hero Network Confidential Files, Endeavor, Logs, 48 Hours ago."
The screen immediately shows a video and report from within Endeavor's personal account and the news of him actively fighting a villain during the time of the attack against Yoroi Musha.
"Ok so probably a clone," Law says. "But if it was a clone why would it be 50% match? It would be 100%. Maybe Shigaraki's Nomu guy spliced it with another Quirk for better performance. Maybe wind to increase the damage or ice to reduce the drawbacks..."
As Law is looking at the screen, showing Endeavor's personal information including a list of his family members, he raises a brow at Natsuo's name.
"Fuyumi seems harmless, the mom is in the hospital, and the others are heroes or dead, but I've got no idea about Natsuo..."
As always Law decides to be through.
"Run Sample 7, against Civilian DNA Database file, Rei Todoroki."
A progress bar appears on the screen for a few seconds before disappearing.
"Sequence comparison complete, 50% Match."
"As expected, children are only able to get 50% against parents after all."
"Run Sample 7, against Civilian DNA Database file, Fuyumi Todoroki."
"Sequence comparison complete, 50% Match."
"So at least my favorite Todoroki isn't moonlighting as a villainess, fuck it. Run Sample 7, against Todoroki Family, branch, Enji Todoroki."
"95% Match Found."
Law raises a brow at this, "95%? Repeat command!"
"95% Match Found."
"That doesn't really make much sense, it should be a perfect match for Natsuo, unless...maybe they gave him some kind of enhancement?"
"Computer, display side by side DNA Sequence Comparisons for the highest probability match."
On Law's left monitor, Sample 7 appears. But on his right monitor, something surprising happens.
Where Natsuo Todoroki's name was expected to be, instead he saw Toya Todoroki.
"The dead kid," Law glances at Toya's file, seeing him pronounced dead as a child. "But the hormones in the sample were from an adult, a lot of things aren't adding up here. I'll need to talk to Enji to confirm."
He looks between both the screens to see the more recent sample having familiar alterations in its DNA sequence.
Had it not been for his perfect memory and absurd mental processing screen, he would have missed it in the sea of colors flowing by on the screen.
But in his mind each sample of helical DNA was impossible to confuse for another, especially his.
"Computer, Monitor 2, DNA Sample, Private Database, HRZN-L-3."
"Confirmation key required?"
"Miracle Elixir," Law says clearly and calmly.
BEEP!
On the right monitor the requested sample appears.
DNA Sequence, HRZN-L-3, a partial sample of his own DNA scanned and stored on his own server within Nezu's server.
With key components missing so even if someone did manage to get it and make a clone of him, by some miracle, they'd only get a lump of dead meat.
Because not only is it incomplete, its also scrambled.
But his mind allows him to easily fill in the gaps and solve this 100 million piece puzzle at a glance.
Not that anyone else even has a chance, because as with many other aspects of Horizon, his DNA is unique.
Where regular Helical DNA is simply two spiraling columns rising up in perfect unity, connected by what could be described as rungs on a ladder.
His was four such columns, with one straight pillar down the middle where all the rungs intersect.
A recent development after Hand Of God perfectly integrated his new Quirks.
So a mere few days after he received them, they all simply ceased to exist, effective fed to Hand Of God which made itself so much stronger.
But it would still be months before he could fully access the gargantuan boost in power this provides, without the backlash.
Before he has a grudge match that puts a new fear of god into the world, Heroes, villains, and civilians alike.
"I knew something was off," Law says as he looks at Sample 7, Toya's DNA. "This looks like they gave his fire Quirk to someone without fire resistance, morons. I'll have to ask Enji what happened to the body, they've clearly been collecting corpses for a lot longer than we realize..."
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
"Hey open up!" Ryuko yells from the other side of his office door. "Something big just happened!"
SHAMBLES!
His mask and visor are warped back on as he waves a hand.
Across from his desk there isn't any visible door, but the hidden door would open if he touched it, since his biometrics is accepted.
The alternative is what he just did, which is use Takt to carefully move the internal locks, a feature he has in this door and his other security doors and vaults for when he doesn't want to get up.
But usually he simply warps.
Ryuko walks his holding his sword, sheathed, wearing a baggy t-shirt and a pair of shorts. Glistening with sweat as her workout was interrupted.
"What's the big deal, and why do you have my extra sword?" Horizon asks.
"I always practice with the one you leave in the tower," Ryuko says as she drops it on the couch and walks over to him. "Didn't you see the news just now?"
"I was sleeping, what news?"
"Just look up 'Yoroi Musha death video'," she says while walking behind his desk as he's typing it in, and hiding his previous work.
"So the public knows?" Horizon asks. "Barely gave us 2 days to figure things out."
"You knew?" she asks as he clicks on the first video.
Horizon simply gestures to the side of his desk, where the original Scalpel -which he either always has on him or at UA-, and Yoroi Musha's katana are resting.
"Oh, why didn't you tell me?"
"My job is keeping secrets, comes with being a Top Pro Hero."
"I was a top pro too ya'know."
"You shared 42nd place with your entire team, I'm treated like the #1, we aren't the same."
"No need to rub it in," she points to the screen as the video appears, already having a hundred million views in only a few minutes. "See, the league leaked it!"
The video appears showing Yoroi Musha down on one knee, half of his armor and one of his katanas melted.
Dabi is standing a few feet away holding his arm which is bleeding, which sets off some alarms bells in Horizon's head.
Then the camera pans over to Shigaraki who has a injured Pro pinned down.
"It's been a while since I got to stretch my legs, I nearly forgot how much fun taking down you 'Heroes' was," Shigaraki says as he palms the man's head, causing him to wither away into grey powder.
"Looking cool boss!" Twice yells from behind the camera, and it shakes a bit as he cheers.
"I found this one trying to hide from the fight," Spinner says as the camera pans over to him.
There was a young girl on his shoulder, wearing a yellow skin tight suit with small knives attached to it.
Tears were flowing down her beautiful face as he drops her on her side, and through her bawling she sits up to try and crawl away from Shigaraki.
Shigaraki continues walking toward Yoroi Musha, and passes in front of her to do so.
And her first year as a sidekick, at 19 years old, ends as he casually taps the top of her head with one finger.
"Heroes are supposed to challenge villains, not hide like cowards," he says as the Decay spreads down her body and she falls apart as grey dust.
Ryuko grabs onto Horizon, he feels her hands trembling and rests a hand on her, helping her to calm down.
"So he doesn't need all 5 fingers to make contact anymore," Horizon mutters as the video continues.
Shigaraki arrives at Yoro Musha, and as the man is about to give his heroic last words he grabs his face and instantly decays him.
"You old people need to shut up and get out of the way, this is our era," he says before looking past the camera. "Twice, pack up everything useful, then I'll crater this place, we're done here..."
The video instantly cuts to a shot from above the base, the sound of flapping giving away that a winged Nomu was carrying Twice as he records.
And below they could only see the massive crater that was left behind...
"Quite a statement," Horizon says as he swivels his chair to the side and pulls the trembly Ryuko into his lap. "He chose the Black-market Loot Cache farthest from me for a reason, you'll be safe here."
"Its not me that I'm worried about," she says in a shaky voice. "Do you really have to fight that thing?"
Horizon wraps his arms around her and pulls her against his chest, "being in the top 50 means you have to fight serious villains, but being Horizon means you have to fights all the real monsters."
"What if---"
"Nothing will happen to me, if anything he knows he's outmatched and that's why he avoids me. Plus his Quirk doesn't work on me..."
"That doesn't mean you should risk it."
"And if I don't stop him, who will?" Horizon asks. "And how many people will die until they do?"
Ryuko falls silent at that.
Horizon gently pats her head and leans further back into his chair, "we, are selfish people, so you really don't have to worry. I don't plan to die playing hero."
"Good," Ryuko says. "I like our plan, so lets stick to it..."
She feels his chest expand beneath her as he takes a deep breath and waits until she relaxes a bit. "So, what's this about you wanting to be a sexy samurai?" he asks.
"Ohh, you like the idea of a sexy samurai girlfriend?"
"Wooow, since when were you my girlfriend?"
Ryuko scoffs, mind slowly drifting away from the video they just watched, "you're the worst."
"Yeah, and you love me for it..."
END CHAPTER---
I'm pulling my hair out trying to come up with unique chapter names :(