The next day came pretty quickly, Dante was walking through the halls of U.A., he was extremely bandaged up. His skin was pale, the lingering after effects of using that final attack catching up with him. Despite it all, he was walking fairly easily through U.A.
Kendo had also called him last night, just a short check in, she must've heard the news.
Dante was wearing plain black clothes provided by U.A., covering the worst of his bandages. His sleeves were rolled low to hide the rest.
When he finally stepped into Nezu's office, the air was quiet. The principal sat on his desk, paws folded, smiling as per usual. Aizawa was also here, arms also crossed.
"You look like hell," Aizawa said.
Dante just gave him a dry look. "Thank you."
Nezu's voice was light and childish. "You are well enough to travel. That's all that matters."
There was a pause before either of them said anything else. Aizawa's gaze softened just a little.
"Even though they're saying it was a vigilante, I'm pretty sure I know who that was." He said. "You shouldn't have done that, but good job."
Dante didn't answer.
Nezu checked the time, then hopped off his desk. "Good timing, let's go."
They left the office together. Outside, waiting at the edge of the school grounds, was a convoy of men in black suits and dark tinted glasses. They weren't police or anything. They were government. High level people for sure. The kinda people that didn't ask questions nor introduce themselves. Without a word, they formed a protective perimeter and escorted Dante, Nezu and Aizawa to a waiting helicopter pad nearby.
There was already a helicopter there, its blades spinning, sending harsh winds through Dante's hair. As they climbed aboard, Dante took one last glance at the ground, then the doors closed.
The helicopter lifted, flying up into the sky.
Inside, Dante sat across from a stern faced man in a pressed black suit. His silver tie in bore the insignia of the Public Safety Commission and his sharp eyes hadn't left Dante since they took off. Beside him sat a broad, no nonsense man in military grade armor, the head of security at the Tartarus offshoot facility where they were headed.
The suited man leaned forward slightly, speaking clearly over the thrum of the rotors. "Your name?"
"Dante Graves, sir." Dante said firmly.
The man studied him for a moment longer, eyes narrowing, then he pulled out a tablet. "Before we arrive, protocol requires a few questions. This is an unusual visit, after all."
Dante said nothing, he just waited.
"First," the official continued, "are you aware of your father's identity?"
"I am."
"Do you know what he's done?"
"I've read reports," Dante said flatly, eyes locked on the official. "I've seen the aftermath. I know enough."
The man glanced briefly at Aizawa and Nezu before turning back. "And you're certain, without a shadow of doubt, that you still wish to proceed with this meeting?"
Dante paused, exhaling slowly. His gaze drifted out the window for a moment before he looked back, thinking of little Dante.
"I need to see him. That's all there is to it."
The official nodded, not in satisfaction, but in acceptance. "If he becomes hostile, you will be removed immediately. There are no exceptions to that. The guards will be watching and listening every second. Any attempt to provoke him or compromise security will end this conversation."
"I'm not here to start anything, no trouble. I just need some answers."
The head guard finally spoke, his voice deep and croaky. "We know about your quirk. We've read your files. You act up, and you won't have time to do anything before we shut you down."
Dante nodded with a straight face, understanding. "I understand."
The rest of the ride was spent in silence, tension settling in Dante's chest.
…
…
Finally, the helicopter touched down and the doors slid open. Dante looked out and was immediately hit with a wave of cold and salt carried by the coastal wind that swept into the cabin. The huge prison was just ahead, steel, concrete and barbed wire could like sort of old fortress.
Aizawa stepped out first, followed by Nezu and then Dante, then everyone else.
They were greeted by a small convoy of heavily armed guards who said nothing, simply motioning them forward. They passed through many layers of security, retina scans, reinforced gates, cameras tracking their every steps. Eventually, they reached a sterile, gray walled waiting room. Dante was motioned to step aside for a moment.
"This is the standard," said the head guard, already pulling in gloves. "We'll be conducting a full body search. No personal items, no hidden devices, no hidden physical weapons."
Dante nodded and raised his arms. The guards were very thorough. Gloved hands ran down every limb to make sure he wasn't hiding anything. They checked inside of his mouth, under his bandages and even scanned his body with quirk nullifying sensors. When they were finally done, they handed him a plain gray shirt and joggers, his other clothes being packed into a bag.
"Now," the official from the helicopter stepped forward, fixing his cuffs, "here is how this is going to work."
A panel slid open in the wall, revealing a digital display with a layout of the interrogation room. "You will be placed in a reinforced observation room, one half of the chamber. Your father will be on the other side, separated by bullet proof glass several inches thick, reinforced with quirk dampening alloy. You will not be able to touch him. You will not get close. Communication will be done via these." He pointed to the corded telephones on either side of the room diagram.
"No yelling, no threats, no activation of quirks. You'll be watched by at least 20 personnel, all trained to respond within seconds. Eraserhead and Principal Nezu will observe from the adjacent control room."
Dante ran a hand through his hair, his fingers brushing the healing wounds still raw across his skin. "Jeez, he's not that dangerous… I'm not here to cause problems."
The official gave him a long, measured look. "Hm. Okay, well let's just hope he feels the same way."
With a nod from the warden, the steel door creaked open, and Dante took a deep breath, stepping into meet his dad.