[38:Uranium Fever]
It was nighttime. While others may have been asleep at this time and enjoying the blissful comfort of their dreams, some were not so lucky.
"Alright, class is now in session! Now, we only have a week here, so we're going to move fast! I'm going to whip all of you into shape for next semester! I'll cover your weaknesses in algebra while also preparing you for algebra 2. We're going to cover chemistry as well. Other subjects will be mainly covered by Aizawa," Eleanor said loudly as she walked through the doors of the classroom and slammed some textbooks down on the desk.
"Huh? Eleanor‽ What are you doing here‽" Kaminari asked.
"Uh…you're not playing a prank on us like you did on the first day of class, right?" Mina asked.
Eleanor laughed and smirked. "Nope, not this time. I'm your supplemental instructor for this camp. I've been approved to teach you math and science."
"Just those?" Mina asked.
"Well, officially, yes, but if you need help in another class, I can try." Eleanor continued. "Anyway, quick question. What are you two doing in the remedial group?" Eleanor asked Mina and Kaminari. "Now, I understand everyone else here, but not you two. No disrespect to everyone else," She said, addressing Hanta, Rikido, and Eijiro.
"Well, we did good on the math final exam, but we did…not so good on everything else, so that dragged us down," Mina said.
"I see. Well, I hope you are excited. I've also been granted permission to do one lab experiment," Eleanor said.
"We'll be playing around with chemicals? Sounds fun!" Mina said.
"Okay, we have work to do. First of all, calling it 'playing with chemicals' is already a very bad mindset. And while it can be fun, I prioritize safety above all else. You see, lab safety will be part of the assessment, or 'grade' I have to give all of you, and I take it very seriously." Eleanor narrowed her eyes as she glared at everyone.
"Uh…maybe too seriously?" Kaminari said.
"No such thing, Kaminiari. People die and get injured in lab accidents due to not following safety precautions. Trust me, I know this very well," Eleanor said.
"What do you mean?" Mina asked.
"Don't worry about it. Anyway, let's get started. We may only have a week, but there are a lot of hours to teach each day.
"Wait, hold on, how many hours? It's already kind of late, so it can't be that much, right?" Hanta asked.
"Don't worry, we'll be leaving early," Eleanor said.
There was a bit of relief among the remedial class; unfortunately, Eleanor's definition of "early" was a technically correct version.
(A few hours later)
"Alright, so that's dimensional analysis. It's just a fancy term for a method of converting units to another. It seems simple now with basic conversion from centimeters, meters, kilometers, seconds, minutes, hours, milliliters, liters, and all that, but when we get into things like moles, stoichiometry, concentration calculations, and some more stuff, this thing will be your best friend," Eleanor explained to her group, who were beyond sleepy and tired.
"We have to do this for an entire week?" Hanta said as he leaned back in his chair.
"Alright, that's the chemistry section done. We covered significant figures, accuracy and precision, classification of matter by state and composition, units and conversions, and the scientific method. Good, we got all the boring stuff out of the way today. Make sure you study this. Oh, and don't forget your algebra. Right now, it was just a review of your Algebra 1 course, but we're jumping into the deep end tomorrow," Eleanor picked up packets and started to hand them out. "Here's your homework. And don't worry, it looks big, but you only have to do the first section, which is only two pages. So, that'll be all. Sleep well, and I'll see you all back here tomorrow."
"You said we'd leave early! It's 3 AM!" Eijiro said.
"Yes, I know. That's early."
"It's late!" Hanta said.
"If you were to wake up at 3 AM, would you say you're waking up early or late?" Eleanor asked.
"Uh…you tricked us!" Kamninari said.
"Nope. 3 AM is early. Be back here at the same time for the next lesson," Eleanor said as she walked out.
/\\//\\//\
(The next day)
"Eleanor, how about you try making the biggest thing you can?" Aizawa said. He'd had a hard time trying to think of ways for Eleanor to improve her quirk. Everyone else was already practicing. Constant explosions from Bakugo, lightning storms from Kaminari, and a lot of other things.
"Hmm…the biggest thing I can think of. Well…I can try. Let's see," Eleanor thought about what to try to make. She summoned her bow and aimed it at the sky. A yellow energy arrow appeared at her fingertips as she prepared to shoot it. Countless drones and aircraft went through her mind, but if the goal was to make something big, then she had just the thing. However, as soon as she tried to pull the bowstring, she felt a large amount of resistance. She had to change her position and brace herself. She turned her bow on its side and knelt before pulling on the bowstring again. She took a deep breath as she pulled the string back. Once it was fully pulled back, she released it. As the arrow flew through the air, it slowly transformed, changing shape and size.
"That's…" Aizawa didn't know what to say as he saw what the arrow turned into.
"That, Aizawa, is an AC-130J Ghostrider. It has a 30mm GAU-23/A autocannon and a 105mm M102 howitzer. And there's also the various guided missiles and bombs," Eleanor explained.
"And you can control it?"
"Yes, of course, I can. Look at this." Eleanor had her tablet with her and opened it up. The screen had a black-and-white thermal view. The heat signatures of all the students in the camp were easy to see. There was also a crosshair and aiming guide for the various armaments. And of course, a distinct red button to actually fire the weapons. "It's pretty cool, isn't it? I can control it as if it were a video game! Isn't it awesome how I gamified a very lethal weapon to make it very easy to control?"
"This is very concerning," Aizawa said.
"How so? I see this as fine," Eleanor said.
"Do you feel any different? Are you tired, or have any feelings of exhaustion?"
"No, not really. The only hard part was pulling on the bowstring. That's something new I haven't experienced," Eleanor said.
"You should recall that thing."
"Alright," The gunship decreased its altitude, getting smaller as it did, as it returned to Eleanor's ship rigging. 'Heh. I go on and on about the science behind the quirks of everyone else, but look at my power. Don't even get me started,' Eleanor thought to herself.
"So, now what, Aizawa?"
"Just keep teaching the remedial group, Eleanor."
Eleanor shrugged. "Okay. Well, I'm going back inside at the camp; it's way too hot out here."
/\\//\\//\
(Evening)
"Thank goodness it's not too hot in the evening," Eleanor was outside, with only one cooling drone this time.
"You've been saying that for a while now, Eleanor. Help us cook some food." Momo said.
"What are we making?"
"We're making pasta," Momo said. "I also made some cooking appliances just in case we need extra."
"Alright. I'll see what I can do." Eleanor went to one of the pots. It was already filled with water and being heated up. She put some salt in it before she grabbed a bundle of pasta. She held it over the pot, but before she placed it in, she looked around.
"What are you doing?" Momo asked.
"I'm making sure there's no Italians nearby," Eleanor said.
"What?"
"The coast is clear." Eleanor broke the pasta in half before placing it in the pot.
"Oh." Momo saw what Eleanor did, understanding her concern.
"So, how did the day go, Momo?" Eleanor asked.
"We all trained our quirks, pretty much. What about you?"
"I took a nap for the entire day."
"They let you?"
"Apparently, they did. It was a good day all things considered. So far, at least."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Don't worry about it. You know, speaking of training your quirk, I have an idea for you, Momo. Try to see if your quirk has nuclear-level manipulation."
"What?"
"Just an idea. It'll open the door to a lot of new pathways."
"I don't understand."
"You have restrictions on your quirk, right? It's just like me, though it's…more of a suggestion, because what are they gonna do about it? Anyway, have you ever been told about making weapons? Maybe…WMD-implications?"
"Yeah, I've been told that."
"Well, they're stupid if they think that's the most dangerous thing you can make."
"What?"
"Do you have any chemical restrictions?"
"Not that I know of?"
"Perfect. Hold on a minute." Eleanor focused back on making her pasta. Some time passes before it is fully cooked and ready to serve. "Alright, this should be good. Okay, Momo, we can eat. And I guess we can join the others as well." Eleanor served herself a plate. Momo followed behind.
"I'm telling you, Eleanor is an evil teacher! We're doomed! This summer camp is supposed to be a good time, but it's not!" Kaminari exclaimed as he talked to those around him.
"Maybe it's just you, Kaminari? It can't be that bad," Jiro said.
"She said we'd leave early, but it ended at 3 AM!" Kaminari said.
"Technically…that's not wrong. It is early; it just depends on how you see it," Jiro said.
"It reminds me of Aizawa a little," Midoriya said.
"Am I really that famous?" Eleanor interrupted as she sat down. "Have you done your homework, Kaminari? It's due by next class."
"I'm still working on it," Kaminari said.
"As long as you finish it, it's fine. Whether it's right is another question, but that's for me to find out," Eleanor said.
"What were you and Momo talking about?" Midoriya asked.
"We were talking about Momo's quirk and ways to help her as well as what she can make," Eleanor explained.
"You mean the ways she's restricted? Like with guns and stuff? Imagine if she could make a nuclear weapon," Midoriya said.
Eleanor sighed. "You too, Midoriya? Okay, pay attention, everyone, especially you, Momo, I was going to tell you anyway. Guns, or in the extreme case, a nuclear weapon is nowhere near the most dangerous thing Momo could make."
"What do you mean? Momo can make a nuclear weapon, can't she?" Midoriya asked.
"In theory, yes, but in reality, no. Actually, let me rephrase it. With the current understanding of Momo's quirk, she can't make a nuclear weapon even if she tried." Eleanor continued, "Let's start with what her quirk does. Momo's quirk allows her to make any non-living object, as long as she understands the molecular structure, using her body as the material. And a nuclear weapon is non-living, a physical object, and built from specific materials. So, in theory, she could, because it checks all the boxes, but when you think about it for a moment, it breaks down almost immediately."
"Can you explain?" Momo asked.
"Here's the first barrier and key issue: Nuclear and molecular understanding. Momo, your quirk is described in terms of molecular understanding, not nuclear understanding," Eleanor explained.
"What's the difference? Don't they both study the atom?" Momo asked.
"The difference is that your quirk, as described, is more in the field of chemistry, rather than nuclear physics. Chemistry studies the valence electrons of an atom and how they bond with other atoms to form molecules. The atoms form new compounds, but the nucleus remains unchanged. Nuclear physics studies the nuclei of atoms, the protons and neutrons, and how to change their composition. In other words, they transmute, or change, the element into another. It sounds like a small difference, but the implications it has on Momo's power are huge," Eleanor explained.
"But can't she just make the elements needed for a nuclear weapon?" Midoriya asked.
"No, she can't. Look, without getting into how unscientific Momo's quirk is, and just taking her quirk as it is, she would need to transmute one element into another. That's nuclear physics on top of chemistry, and we haven't seen anything that shows she has nuclear-level control over atoms. What I'm saying is, if her quirk is only at the molecular level, then she can't transmute an element or an atom into another, which means she can't create the fissile material for a nuclear weapon," Eleanor explained.
"But what if I could?" Momo asked.
"Well, if you could, it would open the door, but then come even bigger problems and the real limitation. You see, a nuclear weapon requires very specific isotopes, like uranium-235 or plutonium-239. However, even if she could make this, which is kind of easy, since the structure isn't that hard to visualize for her, she would need to make kilograms of these isotopes for a nuclear weapon. This exposes her to lethal amounts of radiation that would result in an unimaginably horrific and painful death. Her skin would completely peel off, her chromosomes and cells would be destroyed, which means her cells can't regenerate, her fluid loss would be intense, requiring massive transfusion, which wouldn't even do anything at all, she wouldn't be able to eat on her own, and a bunch of other horrific stuff. She would basically kill herself in the process of trying to make a nuclear weapon," Eleanor explained.
The food that everyone was eating suddenly seemed less appetizing. The mental image Eleanor described, and the nature of it, made them feel uncomfortable.
But Eleanor continued. "And even if we ignored the physics issues and assumed she could safely produce it, you need a lot more than just the fissile material." Eleanor looked at Momo. "Momo, do you know the knowledge behind engineering nuclear weapons? Do you know the critical-mass configuration? Explosive lensing? Timing systems at the microsecond precision? Neutron initiators? You're smart, Momo, but the engineering behind making a nuclear weapon requires a team of some of the smartest people in the world, with the backing of a country that has the money and resources to support the infrastructure needed to make even one nuclear weapon."
"No, I don't have that knowledge, and I feel like that's illegal," Momo said.
"Why would it be illegal? Having knowledge isn't illegal; it's what you do with the knowledge that's illegal. If a nuclear physicist explained to you the technical knowledge for the parts of a nuclear weapon, they'd go to federal prison for violating oaths and revealing secrets. And even if we provided very generous assumptions, your quirk limits still apply. Making dense material like uranium requires a lot of mass, which means you also need to have an equivalent amount of mass. You need time for complex objects, and a nuclear weapon is a very complex object. So, in conclusion, if we gave you generous assumptions, like your quirk including nuclear-level control, you having perfect knowledge, and enough mass and stamina, then yes, you could theoretically make a nuclear weapon. But in reality? Not possible at all," Eleanor finished. She returned to eating the pasta she had made.
Everyone looked around, and there was a bit of silence around them. "So…she's being restricted in making items she can't even make in the first place?" Midoriya asked.
"Yeah, pretty much. The people in charge are very stupid to even think of that. I mean, if they talked to literally anybody who teaches chemistry or nuclear physics, they would say basically what I said," Eleanor said.
"So…um…what would be the most dangerous thing she could make?" Midoriya asked.
"What kind of question is that?" Momo asked.
"I'm…curious," Midoriya said.
"A bit of morbid curiosity, is it?" Eleanor asked before she continued. "Well, taking into account what we know and what she is capable of, the most dangerous thing she could make is chemical weapons. She could create nerve agents, choking agents, blood agents, persistent toxic compounds, and more of this stuff. And these are very effective because they are hard to detect, are fast-acting, don't require a lot of mass output, and you only need a very small amount to kill a lot of people, like just a few grams."
"What kind of agents?" Now it was Momo who asked.
"Well, you have things like sarin, soman, tabun, VX, and novichok, but Momo can create whatever kind she wants. But what makes it even more dangerous is that, since she can create mechanical systems, Momo can combine these chemical weapons with delivery systems, like fine aerosol sprays or gas dispersal devices, and this would be very effective since inhalation is very efficient, can spread through enclosed spaces, and is hard to contain. So, Momo, if you play your cards right, you could pour a chemical agent into major sources of water for Tokyo, and by the time anyone realized what was going on, tens to maybe hundreds of thousands of people would die or be affected. Actually, this would be very easy and feasible. You can make a chemical agent, and I could make a drone, and we could easily contaminate major sources of water all over Tokyo, and get away with it," Eleanor explained. She shrugged before she continued eating.
The others had their eyes widened in shock at how easily she seemed to be able to come up with that, and how casually she was able to come up with a plan.
"Eleanor…are you okay?" Midoriya asked.
"Hmm? Yeah. Why?"
"How do you know all of this?" Midoriya asked.
"It's all public information. Just a few searches on the internet and you can find this stuff. Look, I know it looks very sketchy and suspicious, but as I said before, knowledge isn't illegal; it's what you do with it," Eleanor said.
"I guess? I mean, why do you know so much about nuclear weapons?" Midoriya asked.
"Me? I thought you guys would know more than me."
"Huh? Why would we know more about nuclear weapons than you?" Momo asked.
"You know, 'cause the Japanese know a thing or two about atomic bombs," Eleanor said as she ate some more pasta, looking them directly in the eyes. There was an awkward silence around the camp after Eleanor said that.
"Uh…right, yeah," Midoriya said.
"So, anyway, I'm going back inside. I have to get ready for teaching a class." Eleanor got up after she finished eating and returned inside.
After Eleanor left, they finally spoke.
"Eleanor looked so scary there," Mina said.
"It feels good having someone with her knowledge on our side. Imagine if she were a villain, or something," Midoriya said.
"I wonder why she thought of the most lethal way to use my quirk," Momo said.
The evening became a little bit less fun, but they recovered. Except for the remedial group, they would "suffer" as they've described, in Eleanor's class.