**Author's Note:** "Since I couldn't think of anything except for 'FNAF Secrets of the Mimic,' I've decided to channel that energy into writing a chapter. This will have some major spoilers for SOTM, so you have been warned! Also, there is a content warning there are some graphic scenes that I've Try to tone down as much as possible. The events take place between Class 1-A's first day and the USJ incident. I hope you enjoy!"
Izuku stepped off a bus in the countryside. The part-time agency had been asked to check out an abandoned factory east of Masudafu. A truck registered to a man named Arnold Fixxer had recently been found smashed into a tree. The only information gathered from the records was that he had recently been at Murray's Costume Manor, the very location Izuku had just arrived at. He was given this mission because the rest of the hero agency didn't think it would be dangerously significant.
Izuku observed the front entrance of Murray's Costume Manor. It wasn't particularly impressive; it resembled many old-fashioned factories that existed before the era of quirks, giving the place a retro feel.
From what Izuku remembered, this factory had once produced a large variety of products. Their most famous commodity was hero costumes, but before the current owner took control, they primarily created mascot costumes and household robots. In fact, this location was no longer the main building; most of the company had moved to Tokyo, leaving this site behind. Apparently, the CEO had wanted to distance himself from his currently missing friend and his unprofitable inventions.
The current CEO had been appointed by the last one. Edwin Murray, the previous CEO, had recently lost his son in a tragic accident and no longer had the mental capacity to run the business. His friends and employees depended on the company for their livelihoods, so he passed the position to his close friend, Henry Emily.
Izuku walked up to the front of the building and pressed the red button next to the door, hoping it would trigger a security check or call someone to let him in. Instead, he was met with an automated message informing him that the front door was currently unavailable and that he was required to enter through the investors' entrance.
Sighing in frustration, Izuku made his way to the specified entrance, only to find it gated off. With the help of Mordred, he jumped the gate, landing on the other side before slowly walking over to the entrance.
The door slid open, and Izuku was greeted by a stage filled with animatronics and puppets that would have been singing and dancing if they hadn't been turned off. Izuku continued to scan the room, hoping to find a way out, but the only doors he could locate were locked, and he didn't have the keys.
As he investigated further, he heard a snap followed by an object falling from the ceiling, landing with a splat in the center of the room. Izuku stared down at it. It appeared to be a mascot costume, resembling a rat or some kind of mammal in a jester outfit. Even more disturbing was the human arm protruding from the suit, with blood pooling beneath it.
Izuku felt like he was going to throw up. He blinked rapidly, breathing hard. This was not what he had been expecting it would be. It was far worse and more serious, everything crashing down on him all at once, fear, disbelief, disgust, then came silence.
Izuku was no longer there.
James Moriarty stared down at his hands. It had been a long time since he was in control of the body. The other alters had vanished, either to console Izuku or to fall into similar states of unrest. But Moriarty was intrigued; he was created from the memories of the Sherlock Holmes series. His mannerisms, actions, and mind were all born to solve mysteries.
Slowly, he stood up and began to disassemble the mascot suit. Underneath, he revealed a person wearing a shredded employee uniform. They had a nondescript face, one that had been mangled and slashed by some unknown object. The only useful item on the body was a strange device attached to the belt.
Taking the device in his hand, he studied the retro Walkman-like machine. It was far more technologically advanced than one might think. However, it was clearly designed just for this building and other MCM locations, meaning its usefulness outside this place would be extremely limited.
As he observed the device, he noticed that the symbols on the screen matched those on the door. However, not all of them were available; clearly, this person did not have access to the more important facilities. They only had access to two keys—the square and the diamond key, or the basic and security keys, as described by the device.
Inserting the key into the only door, Moriarty slowly crept deeper into the facility.
Walking through the door, Moriarty found himself in a small hallway. In front of him was a window leading to a strange device with molten metal flowing through it. Beside it leaned a large stuffed dog, probably another costume. To his right was the rest of the hallway, which didn't seem to hold anything of importance. With nowhere else to go, Moriarty proceeded down the hall.
After traversing this short corridor and turning left, he discovered a storage room clearly filled to the brim with costumes. They stared blankly into space, and as he navigated his way past them, he felt the unsettling sensation of being watched by an unseen entity. Emerging into a larger area, he suddenly heard thumping footsteps behind him.
Turning around, he saw a large elephant with orange skin and a clown-like outfit, clearly made for birthday parties. But it wasn't just moving—it was running, charging straight toward him.
Looking around, Moriarty noticed a room with a shape matching one of his keys. Thinking quickly and desperate to avoid being caught, he dashed over and unlocked the door, slipping inside just in time. As the door shut behind him, the creepy costume slammed its fist against it, creating a loud clang and leaving a dent in the metal. The sound served as a grim reminder: he wouldn't survive if that creature got its hands on him. With the current mental deterioration of the other alters, Moriarty knew he'd likely be on his own for a while.
Moriarty looked around the small office space. The first thing he noticed was how the floor was covered in dust—not the dust of inactivity, but rather the kind that drifts down from somewhere above. Glancing up, he spotted the source: a giant hole in the ceiling. Clearly, someone or something had fallen through and sealed off the opening behind them, resulting in the dust settling everywhere.
The room contained typical features of a security office—a couch, pictures on the walls, and pizza boxes strewn about. However, there were also two strange devices and a computer.
Taking the odd handheld device out of his pocket, Moriarty approached the computer. He inserted the device into the machine and noted that it didn't seem to offer much information. The computer acted more like a monitor, merely displaying what was on the handheld device.
Just as he was about to investigate the two strange machines, he suddenly heard a voice come through the intercom. "Who are you, and how did you get here? You're not supposed to be here."
The voice was male, but something felt off. It had an unnatural quality, as if someone were attempting to impersonate another. The tone was choppy; most people wouldn't notice the discrepancies, but Moriarty, with his genius intellect, quickly detected the subtle inconsistencies.
"Who am I? I'm James Moriarty, part of the Hero System. But the better question is, who are you, and what was chasing me?"
Authors note.
Yay, I got a chapter out. I hope I can get one out tomorrow, but don't keep your hopes up. Hopefully this storyline will re-energize my Writers Block, and turn it into writers go? I don't know what the opposite of writers block is? Anyway, I hope you enjoyed. Goodbye.