Broken Heroes
by Starlit Purple

Notes: Hi! *blows dust off of author page* *chokes to death* I still exist!

This is a story I've been sitting on for a little while now, that I've finally gotten the inspiration to edit into something (hopefully!) postable. It picks up toward the end of the series, right after Tiger and Barnaby take out the H-01 and assumes that something went sideways afterward. The heroes don't win the battle, and instead find themselves held captive by their former boss.

This fic is majorly KotetsuPOV. It is (currently) no more shippy than the show, but will lean more toward it as the story progresses.

This fic is on the darker side, with darker themes and torture. Please read with discretion.

Chapter 1

Pain. All there was was pain. His chest felt like someone had lit a fire on it and left it there to burn him away. That someone was also cradling him in his arms while he asked him why. Given the chance, he wouldn't have changed his mind. At least they'd gotten rid of the H-01. At least the others would be saved. At least…

"I'm so sorry. You were in bad shape this whole time, and I didn't see it."

It was getting harder to breathe, the pain overtaking his senses. This was it. He had to say his goodbyes before it was too late.

Bunny's eyelashes, glistening with tears, were the last thing he registered before his world went black.

"-this time. I thought you said he was coming around, why isn't he awake yet?" a deep baritone voice was saying.

"He should be anytime now, Mr. Maverick. His vitals show that he's waking up."

The incessant beep of a heart monitor rang loud in his ears, getting steadily quicker as his foggy brain tried piecing things together. He felt very high. Especially so, once he tried opening his eyes. The world spun and for a moment he couldn't get his bearings.

"Ah, welcome back to the waking world, Kotetsu."

Mr. Maverick's creepy smiling face swam in his vision. He turned his head to the side and was infinitely grateful there was something under him, or he'd have toppled over. He closed his eyes as Maverick chuckled and set a hand on his arm. He shrugged, intending to shake him off, but his arm didn't move like he wanted it to. He tried the other arm, and sighed. It was no use. He was shackled to the gurney, or hospital bed, or chair, whatever the thing was. He was pretty sure he was not in a hospital of any kind. That...was about the only thing he was certain of, actually.

So he hadn't died. And the others, thinking he was gone, left him behind to continue on fighting. And he'd ended up in Maverick's hands.

Oh Bunny… I am so sorry.

"Kotetsu!"

That voice cut through where the den of words the man next to him had been spouting off hadn't. His eyes flew open, scanning up ahead of him. "Bunny?" he nearly choked out. Wow his throat was really dry.

It was hard to concentrate enough to focus on-well anything, really, right now, but after a moment, he could see his partner on the floor above them, looking down at him through what looked like really thick glass.

He wasn't in his suit. In fact, he wasn't even in his own clothes. Kotetsu's stomach twisted. This was bad.

Maverick was still talking. Gloating, actually, from the sound of his voice. Or mocking, he couldn't be sure. Where all the other circumstances were looking bad, this not being able to focus was more like a blessing in disguise.

There were other voices too, in the background. Some familiar, some not. But he couldn't find it in himself to care right now.

His eyes slid closed again.

When he awoke once more, it was night time. Or he assumed it was, from the low lighting. Maverick was gone, along with whoever else was with him. His mind was clearer now. There was a dull throb in his chest and he was achy all over, but he ignored it as he scanned the room he was in.

The facility was huge. On the bottom floor, there were several computers and machines, a few holding cells and restraint chairs and beds. It looked-well, it looked like some kind of horrifying experimental prison, if he was completely honest.

The floor above him was a circle of glass cells. His bed was situated, most likely on purpose, right in the center so he could see the occupants of the cells.

"Kotetsu! You're awake!" came a familiar voice through a tinny speaker at his right. Blue Rose was smiling sadly at him from her place where she was kneeling next to her cell wall. She was in the same off white jumpsuit Bunny was wearing.

"Oh thank heavens! We were so worried about you, handsome," Fire Emblem's voice came from the cell next to hers.

Kotetsu looked around at all the cells. They were all filled, except for one next to Bunny. His own, he guessed, by the look of it.

"Hey guys." He coughed from the roughness in his throat. Man he needed a drink. Possibly a stiff one, by the grim expressions on everyone's faces. "I guess we didn't do so well, huh?"

"We're just glad you're okay, Tiger," Dragon Kid said. "Kaede will be relieved."

His eyes widened and he involuntarily tugged at the bonds holding him to the chair. "Kaede!" His eyes scanned the room once more, checking all the cells, but there were only his comrades and two armed guards on his floor by what appeared to be the only way in.

"Your daughter is safe for now, Kotetsu, don't you worry." The voice was behind him. He craned his head to look behind him.

"Maverick." He tried not to growl. He'd been expecting him to come around again sooner or later. Best to get it over with. "What do you mean for now?"

He walked into view, close enough to talk comfortably, but keeping his distance all the same. "Well, there's no need for that to change...so long as you comply."

"Comply with what exactly?" He was trying to keep the emotion out of his voice. If anything were to happen to Kaede... "Let me see her, I want to know she's alright."

The boom of laughter in his ears set his teeth on edge. "I don't think you're in any position to be making demands, Kotetsu. But I'll let you see her, briefly, after I speak with you all."

"Are you finally going to tell us what it is you're doing?" Antonio's voice came from the speaker behind Kotetsu.

"Yes, Rock Bison-oh forgive me, old habits," he chuckled under his breath, "Antonio, I mean." He let that sit for a moment before going on. "But yes, now that Kotetsu here has finally decided to join us I can tell you all what's going to happen now.

"First, I suppose I should tell you about your new home." He held his arms out, turning to look at them all, before dropping his hands and letting his gaze settle on Kotetsu. "You are in a special holding facility made specifically for NEXT criminals."

There wasn't a facility just for NEXT though, there never had been. Prisons had special holding cells made for NEXT depending on their abilities, but there had never been enough need to build a facility solely to hold NEXT. Many would argue that putting that many power inclined people in one place was more dangerous than safe. It was on his lips to protest Maverick's statement, when Barnaby unknowingly put voice to Kotetsu's thoughts.

"There isn't a holding facility specifically for NEXT criminals, it'd be more dangerous than practical, anyway."

"No, none of you would have known about this anyway, it's a private project my company has been working on for a couple years. No one needed to know of it's existence. Surely you didn't think we've been throwing the extreme NEXTs you've fought into normal prisons."

"No." Barnaby was frowning furiously. He stood and started pacing his cell. "That can't be right. Jake. He was a high-security prisoner, if this facility was around, he'd have been here."

Maverick was smiling now. "How do you know that he wasn't?"

Barnaby huffed loudly. It wouldn't be long before he lost his temper. "Because I searched and searched until I found him! And he was in a regular high security prison."

"Ah," Maverick pushed up his glasses. "And did you actually visit him there?"

"I…" Kotetsu already knew the answer. He hadn't been able to go because he ended up having to come help him and the others. Barnaby had stopped pacing and was staring straight down at Maverick, rage burning in his eyes. "Are you saying that you've been using this place while changing memories to keep them here for your own warped purpose?"

Maverick smirked. "Now you're catching on. You know, you could have learned a lot from him, had you taken advantage of your chances when you had them."

"What is your plan then? Surely you don't think you can keep us here forever," Keith put in.

The silence that followed was deafening to Kotetsu's ears. It was broken only by a faint, amused chuckle.

"Surely?" Maverick finally responded. "Oh but I do. You see the public thinks you all turned on Sternbild." He threw a hand in Kotetsu's direction. "You sided with a murderer, and helped him avoid the law. They no longer trust their heroes anymore."

Kotetsu clenched his fists, he'd heard enough of this. "You can't do this! Do you know what's going to happen if you go through with this? What will happen to NEXTs like us-like you!?"

"Don't worry, I won't let this turn out badly for all NEXTs, just a select few. In fact, Kotetsu, I should thank your daughter for the idea. I'd never tried altering memories on such a grand scale before. She made this plan much easier to execute."

Kaede. He glared at him through slitted eyes. "What have you done with her?"

Maverick was the perfect personification of calm. "I told you, Kotetsu, she is safe and unharmed."

He couldn't stand it anymore. He wasn't in a cell like the others, and he wouldn't even need three minutes to break these restraints. Getting through Maverick and his two security guards wouldn't be much of a challenge either. He had to try. He mentally let himself sink into the comfort of his ability, like he had hundreds of times before, awaiting the moment his senses went hyperactive. Only...it never came…

"Oh," Maverick was positively beaming at him, like he were just about to impart some grand secret to him. "Were you just trying to use your Hundred Power?"

"Wait, how did you-?"

"Did you really think that I wouldn't have found a way to block your abilities? Actually you can thank my wonderful team of scientists for the new collars you're all wearing. Though I assume the rest of you have already figured them out."

Kotetsu hadn't paid much mind to the bond holding his neck in place. He couldn't sit up, so he had assumed whatever it was was connected to his neck. But as he looked at the floor above at the others, he could see the metallic looking ring with occasional flashing lights sitting securely around all of their necks.

Maverick waved to a guard to get his attention. "Please go retrieve Miss Kaburagi. I'm sure she wants to see that her father is indeed alive and well."

The guard nodded and turned, going through the doors he'd been patrolling. A moment later, he came in, Kaede's arm in his grasp as he led her in. She pulled herself free the moment she was through the door. "Dad!"

"Kaede!" He smiled, despite the situation. She was in one piece. She was whole. She was ok.

Tears were streaming down her cheeks before she made it across the room. She paused a moment at his bedside to glare at Maverick, who was still nearby, and then threw herself across Kotetsu's chest. She was clinging to his shoulders, crying softly into his jumpsuit. He wished he could hold her, but that was out of the question right now.

So he did the only thing he could do.

"Kaede," he said softly.

"I thought you were dead," she sobbed. "I thought you had left me all alone. Dad-"

He squeezed his eyes closed, feeling tears springing to the corners of his eyes, sighing softly into her hair. "For a moment there, I thought I was a goner," he said softly. His eyes opened and he found himself looking over her shoulder at Barnaby above. He met his eyes as he spoke. "I'm so sorry."

He wasn't sure who he was apologizing to more.

"Are you okay? Did they do anything to you? Did Maverick do anything?" he amended, throwing a glare in his direction.

She started to shake her head, and then aborted the motion, sitting up and putting her hand to the metal surrounding her own neck as her gaze settled on the contraption around his own neck.

"He said it keeps us from using our powers," she told him, then shifted her gaze to glare up at Maverick. "What are you going to do to him?"

Kotetsu didn't imagine the slight turn of Maverick's lips at the question, he was sure. Great. This was really going to suck. He inclined his head to the same guard, still standing where Kaede broke free of his grasp and said, "I think that's enough visiting for today. Lance, if you would escort this young lady back to her room, please."

"Yes, Mr. Maverick."

Kaede latched on to Kotetsu's arm so tight that he nearly grunted from it. "No! What are you going to do to my father?" she repeated louder.

This was getting out of hand fast. They had to cooperate if he had any chance of keeping her safe. "Kaede-"

"No Dad! I'm not going to let them take you away from me!" She was crying again, holding him so tight that he was starting to wonder if they'd be able to pull her off.

"Oh, we're not going to take him away from you," Maverick said matter-of-factly, stepping forward and holding his hand out to halt the guard. "In fact, bringing him here to this facility saved his life." He tilted his head at her. "You seem to be a smart girl-"

Kotetsu chomped down on the words that wanted to fly out of his mouth.

"-so I'm going to tell you a little something. You asked what I plan to do to your father." She nodded and he continued. "Why, I'm merely going to help to make him better."

Kaede tensed up as she glared at him. "'Better'? How?"

She was no idiot. She'd picked up on the same thing as he had. Though he had a sinking feeling that he knew exactly what that meant and what kind of scheme Maverick was planning. But...to what end?

Maverick grinned wide, and stepped back, nodding to his hired hand. "Lance."

He moved forward in an instant, grasping Kaede's wrist and attempting to pry her fingers from Kotetsu.

"No, please! I wanna stay here!" she begged.

"You can come see him again later. I assure you he will be fine in the meantime," Maverick's voice carried over her struggles.

"Kaede," Kotetsu waited for her to look at him before he continued. The guard had wrestled one hand off of him, it wouldn't be long before he got the other and hauled her from the room. "Just do what he says. Please, Kaede."

Her eyes widened. "But Dad!"

"No buts, Kaede. They're in control. Do what they want and you will see me again soon, alright honey?" He tried to convey the real meaning of his words. Comply with them, and we might be able to find a way out of here safely.

She stared at him a moment longer, and then the grasp she had on him was broken, and she was being torn away. He hadn't missed the tiny nod she gave him right before she released her grip. He covered his smile with his words, hoping it wasn't seen through.

"I love you, Kaede."

His words had comforted her. She was complying, but she was still making a show of sobbing and dragging her feet. Well, most of it was real, but he could tell she was playing it up so Maverick wouldn't get suspicious.

Just before they exited the door, she stopped and turned, looking him in the eye. "I love you too, Dad."

He smiled. "I'll see you soon."

As soon as the door closed once more, his eyes fell on Maverick. Before he could organize his thoughts into words, though, Barnaby was talking.

"I'm with Kaede here," he said, standing. "Just how are you going to make Kotetsu better?"

Maverick laughed. "You'll see soon enough, Barnaby," he said, stepping toward the door himself. "All of you will..." he called over his shoulder with a little wave.

And then he was gone. Along with his stupid other guard dude.

Well this was the perfect opportunity… He started struggling in earnest with the restraints binding him to the chair. He tried twisting a wrist experimentally, but the cuff moved with it. Then he tried pulling his feet up, but could only move them about an inch before he pulled up the little slack they offered. Then he just tried using sheer outright muscle strength; maybe they'd break if he jerked hard enough. But it was all to no avail. His bonds held fast, doing their job well, and he just ended up out of breath and sore from reawakened wounds.

He slammed his head back into the cushion and ground his teeth together.

The coms must have been turned off when Maverick left. He couldn't hear any of the others now. Bunny was pacing his cell once more. In the cell to the left of the empty one, Ivan had his head in his hands, seated on his bed. On the other side, to Bunny's right, Karina was still sitting on the floor, knees curled under her as she concentrated on something. He couldn't see much past her cell without craning his neck, and it was already twinging a bit from the first time he tried it.

He heaved a sigh and stared at the high ceiling directly above him. Where were they keeping Kaede? Was she in a cell like theirs? Did they give her a normal room and just have the hired help outside her door? ...He hoped it was the latter, honestly. At least they had each other here, Kaede would be all alone. And what were they planning to do to him?

With the new H-01s around now, he wasn't sure what to expect. Were they going to try to turn him into the next half-cyborg Wild Tiger? He shuddered at just the thought of it. Actually, maybe he shouldn't be thinking about this. His mind was doing a great job of playing the "worst case scenario" game at the moment.

He really wished those speakers were on. If nothing else, hearing the others would be a distraction, at least. A welcome one, even.

Notes: Let me know what you think! Is there some interest in this? Should I post more? There's much more to come, including my own fix-it for the show. :)