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It's cold when Fizz wakes. For a while, she believes she's back in America. The room she wakes up in looks identical to the one back ‘home’. Grey-ish white walls, a bed in the corner, a desk, cold tiles on the floor. Slowly, the events from the day before flow back into her brain. That old guy.
She shudders.
She gets up to take a closer look at the room. Over on the desk, there is a gray notebook with a pencil placed neatly on top. There's a soft-looking swivel chair pushed under the desk. After a brief moment of hesitation, she pulls out the chair and sits down.
Honestly, it's not as comfortable as it looks. It's a bit stiff, but Fizz chooses to ignore it. She runs her hands over the wood on the desk. There are ridges, and she gets lost in the texture for a moment.
She continues, moving the pencil to the side and opening the notebook. The contents are empty, save for a yellow sticky note stuck to the front page. In neat handwriting, the note reads:
“ Fizz,
I am delighted to have you here. I ran a few small tests while you were asleep, and I’ve found that your quirk factor has already been adjusted by someone. That is quite fascinating. If that were not the case, I’d have had you turned into a Nomu by now.
In any case, when you wake, I will be there to collect you. I will be running a few more tests on you. I believe you could help our cause. For your own sake, comply.
- Dr. Tsubasa. “
Maybe this is as close as she can get to home in Japan. Assuming that the rules are the same as at home, she should be fine. Fizz is already accustomed to the Lab Life ™ , and maybe they’ll even be nicer than at home. Honestly– and this might be a stretch– Fizz will take anything that isn't her home in America.
After she places the notebook back down, she crosses the room to sit back down on the bed. She sighs, wondering if she should go back to sleep. She doesn’t know the rules. If he comes in and she’s asleep, will he get angry? How is she supposed to know what to do? Does she have to relearn everything again?
Her thoughts are, thankfully, interrupted– she does not want to deal with a meltdown at the moment! – by the door opening. Fizz’s head whips around to the door.
“Good morning, Fizz,” the doctor greets, shutting the door behind him. “We have a lot to accomplish today, did you sleep well?” he grins, and Fizz represses a shiver.
She nods her head once, but he’s already moving on. He’s briskly walking towards her, a clipboard held tightly to his chest. “You are going to meet someone very special today. I expect you to be on your best behavior, kid. Master does not tolerate nonsense.”
There’s a brief pause. No words or sounds from the two in the room. Fizz stares at the floor in front of where Dr. Tsubasa stands. The words from the note echo in her mind.
“For your own sake, comply.”
Slowly, she tilts her head up to meet his gaze. He stares at her, a smile never leaving his face. His eyes crinkle at the edges and his eyes are dark.
Fizz smiles awkwardly. “Yes, sir.” She says, voice clear and calm–she is not calm, but he doesn’t need to know that. His face lights up, and he nods curtly.
“Alright then, kid.” He starts, and Fizz has to restrain herself from turning tail and running for her life . He turns around and opens the door, holding it open for her. She walks through, legs trembling and breathing shallow.
☆
Dr. Tsubasa leads Fizz through a maze of hallways, and if she had good survival skills, she’d have tried to keep track; but honestly, she didn’t think it was worth it.
They reach a door, and Dr Tsubasa doesn't even spare Fizz a glance before opening it and walking in. She only hesitates for a second before walking through the door. The doctor stops in the middle of the room, looking up at someone.
“...Be on your best behavior, kid.”
Fizz gives the man a tight smile, taking a small step out from behind Dr. Tsubasa. Fizz takes a moment to study the man in front of her. He’s tall, towering over Fizz by maybe two feet. He’s wearing a black suit, which is in almost pristine condition. There is a mask covering his face. It’s weirdly shaped, covering the top of his head, the front of his face, and his neck. Tubes are coming out of the side of it. She wonders what they do-
The doctor clears his throat.
“Master, this is Fizz.” He says, and ‘Master’ nods his head once. “I believe she could be of great use to us, however you may see fit. She has potential for our project. Her quirk gene has already been tampered with. Her vitals are strong, and with some training, we could use her to help us defeat All Might. Or, we could inject-” All might?, Fizz thinks, I’ve heard that name before.
Their conversation fades out as Fizz’s thoughts race through her head. Defeat All Might, he had said. They want to use Fizz to defeat All Might? They want to defeat All Might? Isn’t he, like, the biggest hero in Japan? That’s… insane.
“-Isn’t that right, Fizz?” The doctor purrs, and Fizz whips her head up. She smiles shakily. “Yes,” she breathes out, “Yes, sir.”
‘Master’ laughs, and Fizz suppresses a flinch. She looks up at the man; the strange mask he wears shines against the fluorescent lights on the ceiling.
“Well then, Miss. Fizz.” He says, and, this time, Fizz does shudder. Nothing in the world could have prepared her for that voice. Cold. “I am All for One, but you should call me Master. You won’t be seeing me much; however, as this is the first time I have seen you, Dr. Tsubasa decided we should be introduced.” Fizz nods, afraid of using her voice.
All for One turns his attention back to the Doctor. “Well then,” he gestures to the door, “You are to give the girl a tour. Have her back to her room before nine.”