" To the darkness I bring fire. To the ignorant I bring faith. To those who welcome my gifts may live, the rest shall receive nothing but death and eternal damnation. Repeat after me, "We are the good guys."

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" " = talking and speaking

= author's pov

' ' = Thinking

(Meanwhile)= Spick, and pov change

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Chapter 3

Awakening

Izuku lay in bed as Lights came in and out of focus as reality and his surroundings ebb and flow together. Hitting Izuku like waves battering on a beach, and then receding once again. As the lights ever-present hit his eyes adding to his growing headache every time it would seem he was going to awaken just to fall back into darkness. 

Dreams, nightmares, and reality seemed to mix as things filled his mind. Sights and memories of home mixed with memories of the things he saw in the portal. They seemed to overwhelm him and his memories overtaking them, despoiling them in their warped images. 

As the warped sight and sound filled his ears he saw his mother in their home. She was worried, pacing as the front door opened and he saw police and the same man who had grabbed his hand outside the door. Then a sound more dreadful and horrifying than any of the whispers or promises of creatures filled his ears. The sound of his mother’s wailing and the giggles of the monsters as he reached for her from wherever he was. Only for them to grab him kicking and screaming to let him go.

The sight from his eyes was gone but the wailing was still there. It felt as if it was getting louder as streams of blood ran from his ears. The creatures were delighted by the sounds. They’re mocking laughter echoing off the walls through his ears making him feel sick, ecstatic, angry, and hopeful. Each different emotion hits him in different ways but all of them at once. Just as it started a great bird cawed, scaring the other beasts away as Izuku saw its ever-shifting mass unfurl a pair of massive and mighty wings. As thousands of eyes open on them.

Just as it started he awoke and blinked slowly as the light hit his eyes, and the air filled his lungs as he stayed still feeling the terror of his nightmare kept him still.

Izuku just laid there still feeling the aftermath of his nightmare, and felt awful. His head was aching as if he studied for several days, and nights cramming his cranium with knowledge he never remembered reading about. 

His skin was sore and itchy, unlike anything he ever knew. When he moved his hand to rub at the itch found his hands shackled to the unfamiliar bed frame along with his legs. The shackles were long enough to where he could check himself over but not get out of bed. He managed to reach long enough to wipe away the tears that had run down his face. Strangely a few trickles of blood had come out from his eyes and ear.  

Confused as to why he was restrained and what type of hospital he was in, began to truly look around to where he was. He was in a well-lit room with candles and all manner of medical instruments, medicine, and equipment in the room like an IV in his arm leading to a pole with drained blood bags.

 The air in the room tastes, in his opinion stale, and dusty. It would have looked like a normal hospital except for a few things. The architecture made the room feel very big, and cavernous with its gothic architecture. Symbols he didn’t know about lined the walls, two-headed golden eagles, and golden skulls lined everything. 

Yet something nagged at him, something that told him what they were, but that voice was interrupted by the door to the room opening. 

People who resembled nurses in habit clothing or the clothes nuns wore a long time ago, particularly the ones who tended to the sick. They were wearing white and red clothing as they entered the room and then noticed he was awake. 

Suddenly the nurses in white were all over him examining every nook and cranny of the boy. Lights flashed in his eyes, hands in his mouth looking over teeth, and eyes peering down into his ears. Izuku began to turn red at the poking and prodding as he was unable to get a word out turning red at the questions the nurses asked in a language that didn’t sound Japanese and he shouldn't have been able to understand yet did somehow. All of it was too jarring, too much for the poor boy, as the machines got louder with his heart rate as he threatened to pass out. A stern voice spoke and stopped the chaos.

“ That is enough, stop pestering the patient. “ Came the voice of a very tall chubby woman from the doorway into the room. She was wearing an outfit similar to the other nurses but had more embellishments. Her dress, like the others, was also red, and white with symbols Izuku couldn’t recognize. He then noticed looking at all the nurses, seeing pure white hair on all of the women. She like the others wore a white headdress with a red headband but her’s was the only one with a symbol on it.

She was flanked by two figures in white robes with bowed heads, as the very tall woman stepped into the room speaking with a stern yet monotone voice, “ Leave us.” The other nurses bowed their heads to the senior nurse putting their things down and left the room, closing the door behind them. 

The woman who entered and stopped the other nurses stepped forward walking with a file in one hand. Her white hair was very long bangs covering her eyes with a lush high ponytail behind her headdress. Her ponytail swayed under her headdress from side to side as she walked.

She looked at charts and papers handed to her by the two people at her sides, but Izuku couldn't see their faces; he only saw bits of metal on their hands that poked out from their sleeves. “ Now then… Can you understand me?” She asked Izuku as she sat down at his bedside as the two others began checking the machinery outside his view.

 “... Yes.” Those words didn't sound Japanese neither was the word he said yet he knew what they meant. How did he know that? It was confusing and before he could hold his she spoke again.

“ Good, then the induction protocol did what it was supposed to do.” She said as one of the figures undid the IV in his arm and felt a sudden pull and winced at the unpleasantness yet still couldn’t see their face. “ Induction protocol, What is that? Can you please tell me who you are, and where am I?” Izuku asked, hoping for an answer from the stern yet kind-looking woman as she focused back on the woman looking over the charts.

“ The induction protocol is a psycho-encoded process that rapidly instills knowledge into a person’s mind. It was so we could understand one another when you woke up. I understand it to be a bit jarring but that will fade sooner or later.” She said her bangs moved showing one of her blue eyes now staring straight at Izuku, as more questions flooded his head on where he was and what was going on. Izuku’s muttering gets louder, and more sporadic by the second. The woman narrowed her eyes at Izuku and snapped her fingers in front of his face, “ None of that now, “ she said in a sweetly stern voice like a teacher getting her student back on track. As she took out a paper and quill much to Izuku’s growing confusion.

“ I need you to answer some questions and I can’t understand a word of your mumbling so please calm down and answer my question.” 

“ Yes… Ma’am.”

“ Hmmm, you’re one of my more polite patients. As for your earlier questions, I am Praxis Olgira, senior medical officer. I am in charge of your well-being for the time being. Please answer my questions and we can see about getting you out of that bed. “

Izuku paused, still confused at everything going on but if it meant getting out of this bed he would do anything.  

“ Name?”

“ Izuku. Izuku Midoriya.”

“ Place of birth?”

“ Uhmm, Musutafu Japan?” He knew he wasn’t in Japan and perhaps the man on the subway had just teleported him somewhere else and he was closer to getting home. 

“... I meant planet of birth. I understand if you don’t know but please try your best. “ She said with a sign, probably too used to that answer. Which freaked Izuku out even more, what did she mean by planet? Weren’t they on one now?

“ Earth,”

“ Hmmm, okay next question, what is your religion?” She asked with a stare up from her paper. Izuku felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise as if the question was like when Bakugo was very angry at him or planned to hurt him. His instincts were telling him this question would determine whether he left this room alive or not. The two other figures working go stiff at the question waiting for his answer.

“ I … Don’t have one?” He said with a slight turn of the head. It was the truth besides a bit of practicing Buddhism he had no religion to speak of. His head shrunk back into the crook of his neck as the silence in the room became thick with tension where you could cut it with a knife. Yet then again maybe his answer would get him cut with a knife. 

The woman gave out a sigh and wrote something down on the paper she was writing on hearing her mutter to herself. “ Disappointing but not unexpected from those not undocurated into the Imperium’s fold. We will have to change that but for now, that will do.” She then spoke out loud again to Izuku,” Tell me how you feel. Anything bothering you or making you uncomfortable?” She continued writing but peered up from her paper.

“ No… Except for a slight itchy feeling over my body.”

“ I see that is normal when you came in we had to remove old scar tissue covering your body. It was too much of a risk of becoming infected. Rub it if you must, otherwise leave it be.” She said as she stood up and began to unbind his wrists. As Izuku began to rub his wrist and looked over his body to see many of the scars gone. He could barely see any trace of his old scars or the surgical lines. It felt as if he was born anew. 

“ I… Thank you,” Izuku said with a slight sniffle in his words as he felt pain, and torment from so many years get pulled from his shoulders making the burden he carried far lighter. 

Praxis turned around grabbing some folded clothes from one of the people she walked in with. “ Think nothing of it, your well-being is my duty and now would you like some real clothes?”  She asked, holding out the folded clothes as Izuku looked down at his hospital robes. Izuku blushed, feeling a slight breeze go through the gown, and shying nodded. Paxis’s straight face gave a small modicum of a grin and pointed to a corner with a medical curtain to change.  

Praxis turned away from Izuku as he changed in the corner. One of her helpers brought her a radio-like device known as a vox to radio privately to the lord captain. She voxed the Lord Captain to give her a report. 

“ Lord captain?” Praxis whispered into the vox on a private channel few had. Only the captain, and her most trusted, had this channel, not even the master of whispers Kunrad had it. Not ever since the incident where several members were purged from the crew and Kunrad fell from her favor. She was glad she didn’t fall from her lady’s good graces or was purged. 

“ Praxis, report?” Theodora answered. Her tone sounded slightly sweet and gave away the fact she was most likely having a dink.

“ Reading comes off as clean. He is not a believer but that can change.”  Praxis reported to the captain with a slight distaste the young boy was not a follower of the Emperor. Otherwise, he was a model patient, most certainly the best one she had the pleasure of treating in the most secure part of her medical wing. 

“ I see, then you have carried out your task just as I ordered.” 

“ Thank you lady Theodora, shall I bring him to you?”

“ No, stay where you are. I will have someone bring him to me. You, myself, and a few others actually know he is onboard or why that is and I would like to keep it that way. Can you assure me your staff will stay silent about him?” Theodora asked with a slight threat to her voice. The captain had become even more fierce with the keeping of her secrets as of late. 

“ Yes my lady, not even Kunrad could pry the secrets from my staff.” 

“ Good, then his escort will be there shortly. Have him dressed and ready by the time he arrives.”

“ As you command lord captain.” She hung up the vox handing it back to what others called her little helpers. Just as Izuku came from behind the curtain fully dressed. 

“ I’m done, and thank you for the clothes?” Izuku said slightly confused about the clothes she had given him. She had handed him a set of black boots with a simple white dress shirt and pants. It had a blue colored uniform vest that covered his torso and hung past his knees. It looked like a navy uniform, the kind that would have made his mother fawn over him saying how handsome he was. The last thing he noticed was a symbol of a golden eagle on his chest. 

“ Perfect, except for a few places, come here, “ Izuku did so, as she then fixed parts he put on incorrectly, spiffing him up. He looked like a sailor right before his first deployment, he just wished his mother was here. “ Thank you, but why did you give me a navy outfit?” 

“ Because if you couldn’t tell, you are on a ship, and we don’t have any clothes for civilians.” She stated as she fixed his collar. They did have civilian clothes but he would need to blend into the crew and didn’t need to know that. 

More questions flooded Izuku’s mind as the woman frisked him over fixing his clothes. How did he end up on a ship, and what type of ship had architecture like this? The question stopped as Praxis’s hand tapped his shoulder and pointed to a mirror now stepped up in front of his face. He looked-

“ Why, he looks rather dashing. Wouldn't you say Praxis?”

Someone spoke in a posh regal accent behind them. Izuku turned to see an old man with a more regal navy uniform with a metal armor plate on his chest. His hair was slicked back and gray with age and had a red mechanical eye where his left one should have been. Praxis’ lips curled into a slight smile again upon seeing him.

“ Abelard I assume you are to take our guest to see the lord captain.”

“ You assume right, my lady.”

“ Very well, Izuku, this is Abelard. He will take you to see the lord captain.”

Izuku nodded at the woman as he walked towards the old man. He stood straight as an arrow and kept a straight face as he looked at Izuku. “ Hmmm it seems he is missing something, would you please, praxis?”  

“ Yes, I will Abelard. Adak, Lei my brush and comb please.” Praxis called out to the two hooded figures that had come in with Praxis. They both came over with a brush Praxis most likely used to brush her hair. She grabbed Izuku’s head pushing his hair back and brushed back his coatic hair. Izuku finally saw her helper’s face. 

He expected to see something, a face. He didn’t see a face. Neither of them had a face. Praxis’ helpers had no face, only a bare skull with no eyes except for mechanical camera-like ones that seemed to glare into his soul. Their soulless red mechanical eyes stared back; the only difference between the two was the one called Adak’s skull was covered in gold, and Lei’s was covered in silver. 

Izuku shook in terror at the sight of what used to be two people. Their bodies and hands have been mutilated with wires running through their bodies.  Wires and tubes ran from their skulls down what used to be their throats into their bodies. Their hands now have needles, and medical tools with a surgical saw, and drill for their left arms. 

Izuku just stared at their bare metal cover skulls, and a multitude of red eyes leering from their eye sockets. Questions ran through his head, ‘What is that?!’ Other questions followed, ‘ who did that to someone, and why?!’ Answers he didn’t know and could have only been put into his head by the induction protocol. The answers to his questions strangled his mind, 

Servitor, his mind said

Slave, it said

necessary evil, 

no AI.

reward

punishment

 Izuku even more frantically shook as Praxis was brushing his hair as she and Abelard noticed Izuku’s panic attack. As he began to crumple to the floor, 

Praxis cursed under her breath, handing the brush to her servitors, and issued a command to them. As Abelard seemed confused at the situation having grown somewhat numb to the presence of servitors. 

“ Exodus protocol, cover your heads.” The servitor covered their heads and walked out from the room heading to wherever the protocol dictated they were to go to. Praxis got to the floor and held Izuku’s head using her training to calm trauma and anxiety patients. 

“ Shh, shhh tell me what are five things you see.”

“ Uhmm, I can see…” Praxis just held his head as Izuku answered her questions, and slowly calmed down. Abelard looked puzzled as he remembered when he introduced his children to one. He remembered them being scared but a panic attack was not what he was expecting.

“ Uhmm, I am no medical expert. Why is he having a panic attack?” 

“ Unfortunately, it is most likely one of the possible side effects and drawbacks of the induction protocol. “ She said to Abelard as she continued calming Izuku down, “ Good Izuku now four things you can touch.” As Izuku slowly but surely began to calm down and list things off. 

“ The benefits of the Induction protocol usually outweigh the drawbacks but they are more than just a light tap. “ She patted the boy’s back as he slowly calmed down. “ The protocol imparts knowledge regardless of moral outlooks. Learning about things that go against their morals, and way of life.” 

The knowledge baffled Abelard, seeing this boy snaking as Praxis continued to ask him to list off things he dect with his senses. ‘ Who is this child?” Abelard thought as Izuku calmed the vox in Abelard’s wrist and rang a message from his lady growing slightly impatient. Abelard glanced at Praxis, tapping the vox to say the lady was waiting.

Praxis gave out a sigh before finishing up, “ Okay last thing, one thing you can taste?”

“...My tongue?” 

“ Good, it seems you calmed down enough. Now up at them.” She said, pulling Izuku to his feet.

“ Thank you… For helping me I’ve never had a panic attack like that before, but no one has helped me with them.” Shaken but standing, Izuku smiled at her, as if a small drop of morning light had appeared out of his face.

“ Perhaps the Emperor willing, we will not have to deal with another, and if you should I will be here to aid you. For now, you must be going and if her ladyship wills it mayhaps we will meet again soon.” Abelard took this as an invitation to get the boy to his ladyship quickly.

“ Yes we should be going, her ladyship is waiting. Come now then uhm…” Abelard in a moment of uncharacterized forgetfulness or just didn’t hear what to call the boy, stumbles on what to say in a rare moment for her lady’s Scenechal.

“ My name is Izuku, sir. It is nice to meet you.” Izuku said, giving a bow much to Abelard’s further confusion.

“ I am Abelard and the same to you Izuku. Now then we must depart, Praxis good day.” He quickly and awkwardly bowed, then turned walking towards the door Izuku not far behind saying farewell.

“ Goodbye praxis.”

“ Goodbye Izuku, and may the Emperor watch over you.” She prayed with a hand held over a golden pendant of a two-headed eagle. 

The two walked out of the room into the medical bay passing guards, and other patient rooms. When Abelard turned right Izuku looked straight ahead to see Praxis’ servitors hobbling towards a room at the end of the hall. For a brief moment, they turned to look at him, their skulls tilting to the side as their red eyes stared back before turning back around to where they were originally headed. 

‘ Who were they, or rather who did they used to be?’ Izuku thought before Abelard turned around beckoning for him to come along. Turning back one last time to the pair and concluding one thing before going to Abelard, some things were just better off unknown. 

As they walked away the guards stood still keeping their posts as new ones arrived relieving them of their positions for the shift change. The pair headed into the medical area security. Dozens of screens feeding video and data to dataslates from cameras, and cherubs watching the wing.

The guards looked around in the room at one another checking to make sure none other than them were listening. They stopped to stand and salute to one another but not the salute of the Imperium, something far darker.  The ones at the consoles made sure no devices were listening in or recording as they sealed the door. 

“ Hello comrades, any news? Have you seen the boy?”

“ Yes, I did. Looks like a new junior officer, surprisingly he is the only new one.” Replied the one who had been sitting at the monitors. 

“ There is more there we should inform the master.” 

“ All in due time but the preparations must be made first.”

“ I grow tired of waiting when we strike?”

“ Hold your tongue, the master cares not for your impatience and you will wait if you wish to see his plan fulfilled.” He turned around making sure the other understood the plan. “ Soon the final dawn comes for the ship, praise be to the final dawn.”

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Adak and Lei
Medical Servitor