—Musutafu Station—
The fire raged on at the station. Debris was scattered everywhere, the smell of charred remains thick in the air, and the creak of broken steel filled the ears of the officers on scene.
The instant the terrorists detonated their bombs and the runaway maglev slammed through the station, multiple agencies were alerted and sent their best heroes to respond.
Similarly, the HPSC diverted resources away from the summer festival to assist.
"My god—" Director Takeda was speechless when he arrived at the scene. Just a few minutes earlier he had been patrolling the festival in case of something exactly like this happening.
Unfortunately, he had pulled his agents away from the station to bolster security elsewhere.
Rushing inside with his men trailing behind, Takeda grimaced as he passed the charred bodies being carried out.
Steeling himself, he pressed forward and met up with one of the HPSC hero operatives.
"What's the situation looking like?" Takeda asked.
The agent's visor was smeared with soot, his costume scorched at the edges.
"Sir, it's bad. The concourse collapsed when the maglev rammed through. Dozens died on impact and even more from the fire. We're still pulling a few survivors out, but…" He glanced back toward the smoldering wreckage. "Most didn't make it."
Takeda's jaw tightened. Shattered beams piercing through piles of rubble, smoke coiling up from what had once been glass walls, it was awful.
A rescue team struggled to lift a section of twisted rail as the muffled cries of survivors trapped beneath the rubble echoed. Another unit zipped body bags shut with a practiced precision that indicated this wasn't their first disaster scene.
"And the perpetrators?" The Director asked, forcing his voice to stay steady.
The agent shook his head. "They went down with the train, it was a suicide run. We've found remains that match their uniforms, seems they wanted to make a statement."
Takeda's fists curled at his sides. "What about the passengers?"
"Families, office workers, students. The train was pretty full." The operative hesitated, "The ones still alive are barely holding on."
He glanced at the datapad in his hand, its cracked screen flickering. "Majority of the children we found are pretty shook, but one gave us his name, Kanzaki Renji."
Takeda blinked, the name hit him sharper than the smoke that was being funneled out into the air. "His condition?"
"Superficial injuries only, besides the smoke damage. He's got some scrapes and bruises but he was lucky, compared to the rest. Medics have him with the other survivors." The agent's voice dropped further. "But there was no sign of his parents. Judging from the wreckage… sir, it's unlikely they made it."
Takeda's chest tightened. Amid the chaos of the fire and the endless procession of body bags, the boy's name burned in his mind.
For a moment, the weight of his earlier decision to reassign agents from the station pressed on him like the smoke filled air. Maybe Hideo's family wouldn't have been separated, maybe the boy wouldn't be standing alone in this hell.
But guilt wouldn't help the survivors. Letting out a deep sigh, he forced himself upright and turned back to his men.
"Keep the site secure," Takeda ordered. "Catalog every survior, get our information services up and running, and get me a report on Kanzaki Renji."
The agent nodded sharply and moved off.
Takeda lingered at the edge of the wreckage, the smell of ash clung to his clothes. Renji's name refused to leave him. In all his years, he had seen too many children caught in the crossfire of villain schemes.
"Damn it."
—
[Two hours later]
—Outside Musutafu Station—
Director Takeda sat down on the few remaining steps leading up to the train station. He had heavy bags under his eyes and he couldn't help but let out a deep sigh.
"What a day huh, Director?" A senior agent walked up behind him.
"Don't you know it." Takeda replied, staring off into the night sky. "What do you have for me?"
The agent crossed her arms behind her back. "I have the report on that boy you mentioned earlier. Strange of you to ask specifically for someone like this."
"Relax, Inoue." He said with a grim expression, "I knew his father, he worked under me for a while."
"Gosh…" Inoue gripped her datapad tightly, "Poor kid got it rough."
"Just give me the report already." Takeda urged her impatiently.
Without further ado, she handed the datapad containing the report to the Director.
[Kanzaki Evelyn]
Formerly: Evelyn Hayes
Age: 35
Nationality: American (Naturalized Japanese Citizen)
Current Residence: Musutafu, Japan
Relations:
Spouse: Kanzaki Hideo (deceased)
Child: Kanzaki Renji
Quirk:Stasis
Description: Subject is capable of arresting the motion of physical objects within her line of sight. Effectiveness is determined by both the size of the target and duration of suspension. Strain increases exponentially when attempting to halt larger or faster-moving objects. Quirk demonstrates particular efficacy against small to medium projectiles or machinery components in motion.
Background Notes:
Place of Birth: New York City, United States of America.
Relocated to Japan at age 23 for professional opportunities in education.
Integrated quickly into Japanese society, gaining a reputation for resourcefulness and strong bonds with colleagues.
Married Kanzaki Hideo (civil servant, quirk: Calculatrix) at age 25.
Predicted to have been killed in the Musutafu Station bombing incident.
[Kanzaki Hideo]
Age: 37
Nationality: Japanese
Current Residence: Musutafu, Japan (deceased)
Relations:
Spouse: Kanzaki Evelyn (deceased)
Child: Kanzaki Renji
Quirk:Calculatrix
Description: User is capable of perceiving and analyzing the probabilistic outcomes events and tactical scenarios. Provides the ability to "map" multiple future paths simultaneously, but at the cost of rapid exhaustion.
Background Notes:
Born in Musutafu, Japan.
Entered service under the Hero Public Safety Commission (HPSC) as a civilian analyst.
Recognized for his meticulous intelligence-gathering and predictive modeling, proving invaluable in identifying patterns of villain activity.
Known among colleagues for his composure and stoicism, though noted to exhibit deep loyalty to family.
Predicted to have been killed during the Musutafu Station bombing incident.
[Kanzaki Renji]
Age: 10
Nationality: Japanese-American
Current Residence: Musutafu, Japan (orphaned; status under review)
Relations:
Mother: Kanzaki Evelyn (deceased)
Father: Kanzaki Hideo (deceased)
Quirk:[Unmanifested/Unknown]
Description: Subject has yet to fully manifest a stable quirk. Observational reports from the Musutafu Station bombing predict a possible quirk awakening under extreme emotional stress.
Background Notes:
Born in Musutafu, Japan.
Displays above-average intelligence, advanced reading comprehension, and a strong aptitude for analytical reasoning.
Historically ostracized by peers for lack of an apparent quirk, resulting in signs of early social isolation.
Parents maintained high academic expectations for subject, with plans for private academy admission in Tokyo.
Orphaned during Musutafu Station bombing incident; considered a potential high-value individual due to projected growth.
"Shinkou Academy?" Takeda noted, clicking through the files.
"Yes, sir." The agent replied, "Our sources say that he had been accepted to the academy two days prior. He was meant to transfer at the start of the semester."
"What a mess." Shaking his head, Takeda handed the tablet back to his subordinate.
"Listen carefully, for the time being we'll leave him with the Academy, they have their own on-site therapists that should be able to handle him."
"He'll have questions, Director." Inoue pointed out, "He was pretty adamant on knowing what happened, although I have a strange feeling that he already knows."
"I'll deal with it when it starts to become a problem." Takeda answered. "For now we'll leave him to the experts. I'll handle any complications that may occur.
Poor kid doesn't even have any extended family. Inoue glanced down at the datapad. The best we can do is provide as much support as possible.
"We'll get him situated right away, Sir." She said, beginning to move toward where the survivors had bunkered down.
Takeda simply nodded, watching her leave with a frustrated look on his face.