Author's Notes: Chapter edited and corrected by Vongrak.
My body tensed completely upon hearing both names. Calvert and Alcott, Thomas Calvert and Dinah Alcott, were two of the names Izumi had made me memorize when it was decided that I would have to come to Brockton Bay for my internship.
Not only that, their names and quirks were the things he had made me memorize. While Dinah's name remained the same, Thomas Calvert's was actually Tamsin, an acceptable deviation according to what Izumi had said.
And that brought us to Quirks. Dinah Alcott probably had one of the strongest precognitive powers Izumi had ever seen. She had the ability to see the probability of something happening in the future, expressed as a percentage. She was able to see billions of possible futures and categorize them into a single event, with very few restrictions.
Meanwhile, Thoma-Tamsin Calvert was another precog, but in a very different way. Her quirk allowed her to simulate or see in vivid detail two possible timelines, where Tamsin herself could make different decisions to predict two different outcomes with extreme accuracy, and then, she would choose one of them and Calvert's quirk would automatically move her body so that the chosen outcome would happen.
All while maintaining a record of all the information and events that had occurred in both timelines or simulations. Despite not seeming like much, her power was an excellent way to gather information completely discreetly. She simply had to simulate two futures, one in which she did nothing and the other in which she collected information, and then choose the first one.
And by gathering information, she could do anything, like trying a plan over and over to see where it failed and adjusting it with each new attempt. Or something much worse, she could simply torture a person to extract all the information she could in a simulation, and then just discard it. No one would ever know what happened inside their mind, inside their quirk, but Calvert, she would keep everything she had learned.
He was able to draw out a person's deepest secrets without that person even realizing it.
If we add to that Dinah's extremely powerful ability to predict the future, combining the two would be almost unstoppable. Calvert would only need to start asking questions in a discarded simulation, secretly gather information, and build contingencies around it.
Izumi had mentioned that there was a poor interaction between their powers; since both were so powerful, they couldn't be used to ask unlimited questions. One of them would definitely start having trouble keeping up with their quirk. Probably Calvert.
And now they were here, right in front of me, along with the Federal Bureau of Hunters, and that was a problem, wasn't it? According to Izumi, Tamsin Calvert was supposed to be Coil, a villain in Brockton Bay. I'd definitely been able to confirm her existence a couple of years ago, but Coil had vanished into thin air. I thought she'd been well hidden, but apparently not.
Meanwhile, Dinah Alcott, who should be just a child, and is, should be between 12 and 14 years old, and certainly looked that age, she seemed quite young, quite healthy and very comfortable where she was, she didn't seem to be being forced to do anything.
Somehow, they had both joined the Federal Bureau of Hunters and were now working together, which is surprising because according to Izumi, Calvert, acting as Coil, would kidnap and drug Dinah to keep her as a pet, but now… they seem comfortable being together.
And if we add Selner and Thomasin Andre to Calvert and Alcott, then… the hunters of the United States had much more power than they let on.
And suddenly it was easy to see how they had been able to attract so many promising hunters, both A-Rank and even some S-Rank from various countries. With Calvert and Alcott's abilities, they were able to simulate hundreds of meetings to try and entice the same person. With Alcott's questions and the information gathered, each meeting would become increasingly enticing to the other party, to the point that they always succeeded in recruiting someone they wanted.
And if we add to that Selner's ability to enhance other people's quirks... yes, this was a losing battle for anyone easily tempted.
I took a deep breath as I pushed the feeling of discomfort and nervousness down. I clung to what Huntress Andre had said, that everything had happened just as Calvert had seen it.
"So... how many times have we had this conversation?" I asked tensely, looking at Calvert. She just smiled, almost slimily.
"It's been 57 times in the last three weeks, making it 58 this time," Calvert said, making no attempt to lie. "And yes, you've asked that same question every single meeting I've attended," Calvert added with amusement. I could only grit my teeth.
"58 times, and yet, we're still here. That means I've rejected you 57 times," I said, frowning. "Why rebel if you know it'll be completely pointless? If you know I'm going back to Japan? " I asked cautiously. Calvert just kept smiling.
"3.794% chance that Taylor Miyamura will decide to stay in the United States of her own free will," Dinah said without hesitation. I tensed slightly and looked at her. "4.835% chance that Taylor Miyamura will decide to return to the United States in the next 5 years if she doesn't meet Selner, Calvert, and me. 5.322% chance that Taylor Miyamura will decide to return to the United States in the next 10 years if she doesn't meet Selner, Calvert, and me." I looked at her in surprise; I almost wanted to sigh with relief.
"9.152% chance that Taylor Miyamura will decide to return to the United States in the next 5 years if she learns of our existence. 13.525% chance that Taylor Miyamura will decide to return to the United States in the next 10 years if she learns of our existence." Dinah continued, my eyes widening. "97.967% chance that Taylor Miyamura will decide to return to the United States at any time if Izumi Miyamura decides to move to the United States." I froze completely. "11.739% chance that Izumi Miyamura will decide to move permanently to the United States in the next few years if he learns of our existence." Dinah finally finished reciting.
I froze, my mind racing through the numbers Dinah had just told me. A 5% chance of returning to America on my own, a 14% chance if I knew about them. It was almost a certainty if Izumi moved to the United States, and it didn't surprise me at all. But Izumi also had a 12% chance of moving to the United States in the next few years.
If my math wasn't failing me at this point, what really mattered were the odds of Izumi and me moving to the US. The odds could overlap or be completely different, so when combining the odds, there was anywhere from 9% to 25% chance of us moving permanently to the United States.
"You knew you were going to fail this time, you're betting on that 20% of the future," I said without hesitation, looking at everyone incredulously. Calvert smiled even more widely.
"It's always a pleasure to work with someone who understands quickly, or rather... someone who already knows about us," Calvert said, laughing. My insects shuddered. There was something repulsive about her, or perhaps it was simply the fact that they were aware I knew about them, about their quirks, about what they were capable of. Whether they knew about Izumi was still a mystery, but it was safer to assume they did. Who knew what methods they used the previous 57 times?
"I told you to stop laughing like that, it's disgusting." Dinah huffed as she hit Calvert on the hip, who just laughed amusedly.
"Now, my dear Dinah, this is my normal laugh, I can't change it." Calvert said playfully as she leaned in to look at Dinah, who just raised an eyebrow.
"87.483% chance you're doing it on purpose." Dinah said, rolling her eyes. Calvert's eyes sparkled with amusement.
" And yet, it's not 100%," Calvert said with a wide grin. Dinah just snorted, crossed her arms, and puffed out her cheeks. I blinked at the sight. They... really get along? That... was weird. Or rather, wasn't it? I could see why Izumi was reacting to telling us so much about his visions. While their quirks seemed completely the same, their... backstories were different.
I couldn't judge them based on what I knew, on what Izumi had told me, because everything I knew, or who knows what parts of it, seemed to be false. It only became more confusing the more I thought about it. It must be awful for Izumi to meet people like that while having to constantly compare and discard information with what he had.
"Miss Miyamura, if I may." A woman in a suit suddenly interrupted, gesturing toward one of the sofas. I narrowed my eyes.
"It's not necessary," I said simply, and the woman nodded.
"I'm Deputy Director Connor, I'll be direct, Taylor Miyamura," said the woman named Connor, straightening up. "As you know, we want you to return and remain in the United States. As Ms. Andre offered, you can join any guild you want or work as a hero at any branch you want."
"Furthermore, we will offer to improve your quirk with the help of Mr. Normal Selner, along with other benefits if you are willing to listen to us."
"And even if you refuse, we'll be happy to offer the first stage of Mr. Selner's Upgrading and let you ask Miss Dinah Alcott five questions right now, as a gesture of goodwill." Connor said without hesitation, and my eyes widened.
"That's... quite generous for someone who already knows I'm going to refuse." I said cautiously, Connor just smiled.
"We know, nothing we do here and now will convince you, but that doesn't mean we can't push the odds in our favor," Connor said confidently. I narrowed my eyes.
"Why?" I asked again. "I can... understand your need to attract strong people, but why me? I know there are many who would accept your offer much more easily than I would. Why bet the next 5 or 10 years on only a 20% chance of me coming back?" I asked slowly. Connor just smiled before looking at Dinah and nodding. I looked at Dinah.
"2.205% chance that Taylor Miyamura is able to defeat Thomasin Andre right now." Dinah said, and I tensed up and looked confused. That wasn't unusual. "9.442% chance that Taylor Miyamura is able to defeat Thomasin Andre, if she survives her first attack." I looked at Dinah in surprise. "12.768% chance that Taylor Miyamura is able to defeat Thomasin Andre, if she survives for 5 minutes."
"29.538% chance that Taylor Miyamura will be able to defeat Thomasin Andre after two years." My eyes widened in shock. That… what? In just two years, I'd have a 30% chance of defeating Thomasin Andre?
Were they betting on that? Why would I be good enough to defeat a National Rank Hunter one out of three times? I mean… the odds weren't minuscule at all. Right now, I had a 2% chance; Andre, the practitioner, would crush me. That I was able to improve that much in just two years? What the hell was going to happen for me to even reach that level?!
Even now, if I could survive her initial attack, would I have a 10% chance? I mean… the first thing that comes to mind is using a lot of poison and suffocating her to death somehow. A head-on fight is impossible against Andre.
I glanced sideways at Thomasin Andre, who had a wild smile on her face as she stared at me. I barely resisted the urge to tremble once more.
All of this… all of this was manipulation. I didn't even know if those odds Dinah was reciting were real, and even if they were, mentioning them directly meant it didn't matter. I refused to believe they hadn't asked Dinah if that lowered the chances of me coming back.
So the question remained. This was all staged, that much was obvious; they were trying to manipulate me, there was no doubt about that either. So… what to do? Everything I did in this moment could be part of their plans, plans to manipulate me, or Izumi. What could I trust?
Should I leave without accepting anything? Cut all ties and forget about this?
I-
I stopped myself before taking a deep breath. No. What would Izumi do in this situation? It was easy. Take everything they offered, mock everyone, and then go on with her life as easily as before. Let them rot in hell. It didn't matter if this wasn't the first meeting of the day, or if this world was a simulation; Izumi would just keep smiling mockingly. I smiled broadly as I chuckled.
"I will accept your gifts with honor," I said without hesitation. Connor smiled discreetly, even though her eyes were sparkling, then looked at Selner. He nodded as he approached me.
"I assume you know how this works," Selner said gently. I nodded.
"You can Upgrade a quirk by 20 to 30%, you need to do it gradually in three stages." I said without hesitation, Selner nodded without worrying that I knew the information.
"Exactly. Just look me straight in the eyes." Selner said, his eyes beginning to glow blue before he took my hand in his. "This is the first step." I could feel as if I were in a trance. I could feel something sinking into my aura effortlessly, as if it were coming from within me, before I felt something unlock.
My eyes widened as I felt my aura and insect range expand. It wasn't a dramatic increase, but it had definitely grown by at least 10%. Truly impressive, and for some reason, it wasn't just my range that had grown; I also felt as if the strength of my control had increased. Which made little sense since the insects couldn't put up any fight.
Even so, I could see how anyone would agree to join in order to achieve the full upgrade.
"Truly impressive, thank you Mr. Selner," I said honestly. I could see the tiredness in Selner's eyes as he let go of my hands. He smiled wearily before heading to one of the seats.
"Excellent, you can ask Miss Alcott your questions," Connor said with a broad smile.
"One question before, I thought Miss Alcott had a limit on questions, she's been saying percentages one after another, isn't she getting tired?" I asked gently, Calvert laughed.
"You already know the answer to that, Mrs. Miyamura, the questions were asked in the previous days," Calvert said easily. I stopped and nodded.
"And I suppose there's no point in asking about All For One." I said her name easily, and I could see everyone tense up slightly before Connor shook her head.
"We're taking care of that," Connor said vaguely. I smiled slightly. Well, let's see if my past or alternate self has already asked these questions.
"What are the odds of Star and Stripe dying against All For One if they fight head-on?" I asked gently. Everyone froze, even Dinah, who paled.
"8-87.539% chance that Star and Stripe will die fighting All For One." Dinah said, completely pale. I could see Thomasin Andre stand up.
"What are the odds that Izumi Miyamura will unlock his tenth summoning?" I asked once more.
"88.580%," Dinah said immediately. I nodded, then smiled broadly and sadistically.
"What are the odds that Izumi Miyamura, once he unlocks his tenth summoning, will kill everyone in this room, including Thomasin Andre, if I'm hurt, injured, or negatively affected in any way?" I asked with a wide smile. Everyone tensed up, and Dinah paled even more.
"99.998% chance that Izumi Miyamura will kill us all." Dianh said in shock with a slight tremor, her eyes turned to Andre, who had a wide and wild smile.
"What are the chances that Izumi Miyamura will be stopped before he can wipe out the entire United States under the same conditions?" I asked gently. Dinah shuddered once again.
"85.981% chance he can't be stopped." My smile grew even more dangerously.
"What are the chances that Izumi will adopt a cute unicorn?" I asked playfully. Everyone turned to look at me incredulously at the complete change of questions. I just smiled sarcastically.
"A 71.342% chance that... he'll have a unicorn?" Dinah said, confused and shocked. I smiled. More than I expected; I really should prepare myself to have a daughter.
"I guess that's it, right? " I finally asked, looking at the others. They all stared at me incredulously before Andre burst out laughing.
"Y-yes, that would be all, Mrs. Miyamura," Connor said with a strained smile.
"There's no need to fire me, I know the way out." I said easily before turning around and starting to walk towards the exit.
"I'll be waiting for our next meeting, Miyamura, and your husband's." Andre shouted, and I looked at her over my shoulder.
"I'm sure my husband will be just as excited," I said with a small smile. Andre just laughed louder. I left the room before heading for the elevator, then exited the building the way I had entered and saw Strider leaning against a wall. When she saw me, she immediately came over.
"So? I see a future member of the Federal Bureau of Hunters or the Protectorate?" Strider asked with a mocking smile. I snorted.
"Take me to Brockton Bay, I have to finish my last day of internship, and then come pick me up like always to go back to Japan. I have to prepare for my classes next week," I said curtly. Strider stopped and looked at me in surprise.
"Wow... you actually refused?!" Strider asked incredulously, I raised an eyebrow.
"Of course," I said, trying to appear indifferent while shrugging my shoulders.
"You've got two big metal ovaries," Strider said, shaking her head. Then she touched my shoulder before we disappeared. The Brockton Bay HQ platform was easy to spot; I'd grown accustomed to the sight. "Very well, I'll be back at the usual time," Strider said matter-of-factly.
"Thank you." I said simply.
"Don't worry, actually, I owe you one for that card and everything. I got paid, but even I know it wasn't right to ambush you like that. But unlike you, I really couldn't refuse if I want to keep my job," Strider said with a small, sad smile. I looked at her, surprised.
"Wow... thanks." I said, surprised. Strider smiled at me.
"Don't worry, if you need me to send you or someone else to the other side of the world, just call me, you'll have a round trip at no cost." Strider said, handing me a card before disappearing.
That was really generous. I put the card in my pocket before walking into headquarters. I greeted everyone I already knew before going into the locker room.
Finally, I let myself fall flat on my face while breathing shakily.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck." I muttered, almost in shock, as I caught my breath. Even with my insects twitching, I hadn't been able to suppress the shock any longer. Damn Izumi, infecting me with her madness. Only an idiot would practically threaten the Federal Bureau of Hunters while the deputy director, and even more so, Thomasin Andre, was present. I was truly lucky to get out of there alive, let alone hold out long enough to hide in here before I went into shock.
"Ha... hahahaha." I started laughing in disbelief for a few minutes before breathing heavily and banging the back of my head against the wall. I took a deep breath before standing up shakily.
Okay, I just needed to get this day over with, and then I could go and cuddle with Izumi or something. I took a deep breath before starting to put on my hero outfit. Finally, I stepped outside to see Miss Militia standing in the common room.
"Taylor, I was waiting for you," Miss Militia said with a strained smile.
"Did something happen?" I asked curiously. I really hoped not.
"Something like that?" Miss Militia said awkwardly. I stared at her and she sighed. "Annette Hebert is here," she said finally, and my eyes widened.
"Wait, here, like here at headquarters?" I asked, confused. She felt.
"She's been calling and coming around every day at the end of your shift to try and talk to you, even bringing breakfast every day, but as you asked, we told her you didn't want to talk to her. But I guess... since today is public knowledge that it's your last day, she showed up at the start of your shift and doesn't look like she's going anywhere." Miss Militia said with an apologetic smile. I blinked at that.
I… well, I'd admit that… it was a compromise. Even so, I frowned at that.
"You don't have to meet her," Miss Militia said gently. I sighed, but nodded.
"I know, but... I'll do it. I suppose it's time to close this... however it ends." I said almost solemnly. "Can I... take some time to talk to her?" I asked gently. Miss Militia smiled slightly as she nodded.
"Take all the time you need. She's in the dining room. You can use one of the meeting rooms if you want privacy," she said. I sighed. I guess it was time for this to end.
Author's Notes: Okay, finally we have Dinah and Coil, but working together! Now, it's unlikely we'll hear about them anytime soon, let alone their backstory (and maybe I'll forget it at some point or just won't be able to fit it in somehow). So, if you'd like, I'll give you a little preview.
To summarize, the PRT and the Federal Bureau of Hunters were aware of Dinah's quirk practically from the moment it manifested.
Dinah suffered from severe headaches caused by her power as a child when it first manifested, as she couldn't control it. This led to a lengthy hospital stay, which quickly caught the attention of the PRT and the FBH.
Both institutions contacted Dinah's parents to recruit her. Her parents refused, but the FBH insisted that they allow her to have bodyguards assigned to her.
Things come and go. Tamsin, like Coil, also found out. She tried to kidnap her, but failed miserably (a war of thinkers, which Dinah won with the help of the FBH). The FBH captured her and gave her two options: work for them or die. Calvert chose the former.
After that, Dinah partially joined the FBH, working part-time alongside Calvert. They get along relatively well, in the sense that Calvert is now Dinah's "pet." If she asks the questions with her quirk and Calvert decides to betray her, the FBH will eliminate her.
There's a bit more involved, but that's mostly the gist of it.