MHA – Shoto Todoroki : Modern-day Terrorist

"Ladies and Gentlemen. This is a difficult time for Japan. Today we have suffered a national tragedy. Individuals have attacked our capital with the aim of bringing our country . The victims were at home, with their families and friends : fathers and mothers, friends and neighbors. Thousands of lives ended because of cowardly and heinous acts. The visions of horror we have all witnessed, fires spreading across the capital, buildings collapsing, fill us with a sense of disbelief and profound sadness, but above all with a silent but unshakeable anger. These acts of mass murder were done to frighten our nation and force us to retreat into chaos and fear. But they failed : our country is strong. A great people has been called to defend a great nation. Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our tallest buildings, but they cannot shake the foundations of our country"

The whole country was silent, in shock, hanging on the General's every word.

"I've spoken to the Prime Minister, the Mayor of Tokyo, the Director of the Heroic Commission, and ordered that all the resources of our government shall go to help the victims and their families. To ensure the safety and peace of our fellow citizens, a series of measures will be put in place. An international investigation is now underway to track down those behind the attack. To this end, Tokyo is and will remain under martial law until further notice"

Armed soldiers were stationed at key points around the conference hall in an intimidating show of power. They were broadcast live all around the country.

"No one, Hero or civilian, is allowed to enter or leave the capital. All government offices, schools and non essential businesses are closed until further notice. Hospitals, grocery stores and other essential facilities, a detailed list of which will be provided shortly, will remain open, but under the exclusive and temporary management of the army"

The general - an old man with a hard, sharp, cool face - paused to emphasize the gravity of his words.

He had the face of a man who had known war, a man who had had to make tough decisions and who'd stuck to them.

Bright military decorations shone on the chest of his fatigues, light flashing on them when he moved.

"All Heroes are hereby relieved of their duties : Quirks licenses are now null and void during this special regime. A curfew will be in effect from 8 p.m. today until 6 a.m. tomorrow until further notice. Anyone violating the above rules will be tried by court martial at our discretion"

The Commander in Chief's eyes were cold, pale, yet intense.

"In order to avoid unnecessary and misleading propagation of news concerning last night events, we will temporarily revoke the rights of all media in the country as of tonight. A single, army-owned broadcast channel will keep all our citizens updated on the latest developments in the capital every night at 8 pm"

The journalists' faces were tense, their eyes nervous.

"The aim of this exceptional regime is not to jepoardize the population, but rather to maintain control and prevent the spread of disorder and insecurity. As part of this effort to restore peace and security within our capital, an investigation will be opened regarding the events leading up to last night. A closed-door Martial Court will be set up to try the various parties involved in last night's events. The ins and outs that led to the invasion and destruction of Tokyo will be assessed. Judicial reports will be made public at our discretion"

The word "closed-door" echoed bitterly in the minds of journalists.

In a single night, Tokyo had been transformed into a dictatorship.

"As for the creatures that roamed the capital last night, rest assured : they've all been incapacitated"

Relief swept through the room.

The General paused to give everyone time to process the news.

"Our research teams are actively at work on the origin as well as biological aspects of these creatures. Though the answers are scant at the moment, we now know why they were so intent on feeding on us ; their metabolism is highly energy-intensive, thus they need to feed regularly - but they need to feed on individuals with ample resources"

The General looked up from his paper.

"In other words, these abominations must feed on other Quirk individuals to draw energy from their singularities, otherwise they are to decompose and die"

Disgusted faces.

"I'd like to emphasize that there are none of these creatures roaming our capital. Our army has secured our streets and all strategic points in the capital : rest assured that the events of last night will not be repeated. I insist that you should remain calm and refrain from panicking. Follow the instructions that will be sent to you shortly : do your shopping in authorized places, respect the law, do not create unnecessary disturbances that could interfere with the work of our armed forces"

He briefly looked down at his speech.

"The rebuilding task that lies before us is arduous and difficult, but it is a collective task that, I am sure, we will accomplish without the slightest worry thanks to our collective efforts. More than ever, we must all rely on our tight knitted community and help the community. To this end, I ask all the wounded who are currently sheltering at home or elsewhere to go to the emergency relief zones set up in the capital, which you can see on the map below. Do not go to hospitals, which are overcrowded. For those whose homes were damaged or completely destroyed in last night's attack, I encourage you to call the toll-free number you see at the bottom of your screens. You will be fed, housed and clothed at our government's expense ; you will not have to pay for your homes to be rebuilt or for your lost and damaged property. A compensation fund for the victims and their families has just been set up"

The general paused, moistened his thumb, and then flipped his page.

"The emergency number you now see at the bottom of your screens is available 24 hours a day for any difficulties you may encounter. If you have lost a loved one or are yet to receive any news, we ask you to stay calm and refrain from panic ; several areas of the city have suffered power outages and network disruptions. Our teams are actively working to fix the problem. We ask that you wait for the official fatality list and search notices before beginning your mourning and burial procedures"

The General looked up from his speech and stared directly into the camera in front of him, as if he could see each and every citizen behind their screens.

"I would now like to address the perpetrators of this attack. Whatever your motives were, Japan is not the kind of nation you can attack with impunity and suffer no consequences. You attacked us on our soil, used our civilians as shields, targeted our law enforcement officials. You thought you could hit us and get away with it, but you were wrong"

The general's eyes, hard as steel, shone with ferocity.

"We have been attacked with fire, and rest assured, we will respond with fire"

His powerful words echoed in everyone's minds, etching themselves into memories like a scalding iron, engraving themselves into hearts like a bearer of hope and a promise of vengeance.

The General took two steps back away from the microphone.

He greeted the crowd of journalists with a short, curt movement of his chin, then turned on his heels and left.