Hawks' hands grip tightly against the newspaper, glancing up to the building in front of him he nods.
"This is the right place. Doesn't look like much though." Hawks trails off, worrying his bottom lip. Has this just been some sort of ploy for human trafficking or something? No, criminals wouldn't be that stupid to pose as some sort of government facility... right? The building before him is only two stories tall and has clearly seen better days. Its alabaster plaster is peeling in some places, revealing maroon brick. Hawks eyes the front door carefully before rereading the job posting again.
Security Officer Needed.
The Federal H.E.R.O. Public Safety Commission Inc. is searching for motivated individuals to fill the role of an Armed Security Officer. In this role, you'll work as a galvanized member of an elite team of security operators protecting some of Japan's most critical- Hawks eyes flicker up from the newspaper and takes in a deep breath. He's already read through the job posting enough to be able to recite it from memory. Without a second's hesitation, he pulls open the door.
A small and plump woman with a shock of dark green hair pulled into a loose bun, sits behind a large desk and greets him with a warm smile.
"Hello, how may I help you?" Hawks rolls up the newspaper and offers her his most charming smile. This part is easy, he has enough charisma to out bullshit even the most seasoned con artist in Japan. Talking to this receptionist will be easier than breathing for Hawks.
"Yes, hello," He looks down to her name tag, "Miss Midoriya, I'm here for the security officer position that was posted in the newspaper." Her eyes brighten and nods.
"Of course, let me gather up some of the required paperwork . Feel free to take a seat anywhere." He shoots her another smile and sits down on a small sofa near a water cooler. The receptionist comes by after a few moments and hands him a large stack of papers and a pen.
"I know it looks like a lot," She smiles sympathetically, "But it's not too bad. Most of it is just security clearance forms." Hawks nods and begins to fill out the forms.
She was lying, he reflects some time later. His left hand is aching from so much writing. Inwardly groaning, he reaches for another form.
It's been an agonizing two weeks and not a peep from the corporation that Hawks applied for. Quickly losing hope, he heads for the door for another day at the temp agency when his phone rings. Hawks scrambles over to it.
"Good morning, is this Mr. Hawks?" A soft and sweet voice asks over the phone and Hawks smiles.
"Hello and yes it is."
"Wonderful, this is Midoriya Inko calling in regards of the application you filled out for our agency." There's a short pause, he can hear the shuffle of papers before she continues, "We would like to schedule an interview with you. What would be a time that works best for you? We have several openings tomorrow in the morning."
"Let me check my calendar." His calendar is void of anything, "I am free all morning tomorrow."
"Perfect. I'll put you down for nine in the morning then. Do you have any questions at this time?" He tells her that he does not and they wish each other a good day, hanging up the phone, Hawks' smile is so wide it hurts his cheeks.
"Good morning, Miss Midoriya!" Hawks waves cheerfully at her and she returns it with a soft giggle, "It's a beautiful day outside. The sun is shining, the birds are singing, flowers are blooming. On days like this, it's almost impossible to be in a bad mood." He chirps. They continue with pleasant small talk until she gets a phone call, instantly snapping into professional mode- she jots down some notes on a piece of paper, nodding occasionally into the phone receiver. Hawks takes that as his cue to sit down, he chooses the chair he sat in when he filled out his application and waits for his interview.
Before Hawks knows it, he's led into an elevator with another office worker and Hawks tries to chat with this overly tired man with an unkempt bun. There's a few soft hums from this one but that's fine, Hawks tells himself. He doubts that this tall and lanky office worker will have any say in his interview, the poor man looks like he wants to just crawl into a sleeping bag and sleep the day away. Hawks hopes that he'll never have eye bags as prominent as this guy's.
Nonetheless, he stops talking and brushes off unseen dust from his jacket- humming softly to himself. He can feel the gaze from this man and he brushes that off too. The elevator ride is short and when the elevator doors open with a ding, the man steps out and slowly motions for Hawks.
"Follow me." His guide mumbles. Just listening to his quiet murmur makes Hawks want to fall asleep, his complete lack of interest is beginning to bore Hawks. He can only hope that he won't have to see too much of this guy. What a bore, he thinks, life of the party right here.
Up on the second floor, it's bustling with office workers that type away on keyboards and speaking quietly into their phones. Hawks is glad that he never had the misfortune of getting an office job, he's definitely not the type to sit his life away behind a desk.
They walk past all of the cubicles and his guide stops at a pair of giant double doors. He knocks on it and opens them. Hawks takes a look around the large room. Bookshelves line one wall of the office and in the center sits a large desk and two chairs facing it. Behind the desk, stands a mountain of a man with his back to them- simply looking out the window.
The man turns around and pulls down at the cuff of his suit. Hawks' first impression of this man is how imposing he is. Dressed in a sharp black suit that probably has to be custom fitted for him- Hawks guesses that this man is easily over six feet and probably pushing close to seven feet. With flaming red hair, there's a large and rather unsightly scar that runs from his hairline all the way down past his lips and cold blue eyes that fixate on Hawks, he instantly knows that this is who he's going to have his interview with.
"Thank you, Aizawa, you may leave now." His guide curtly nods and both of them and turns, shutting the doors behind him. Hawks can't help but to stare at the large and angry scar that mars the man but quickly looks away when the man's eyebrows knit together and his eyes narrow. Hawks clears his throat and squares back his shoulders, offering him his most charming smile.
"Good morning, my name is Director Todoroki Enji." Enji sticks out his huge hand and Hawks firmly grasps it in a handshake.
"It's nice to meet you, Director Todoroki. I'm Hawks." Enji rubs his chin and peers down at him with a professional muted curiosity.
"Hawks? That's a rather unusual name." Hawks lets out a soft laugh and rubs the back of his neck.
"Yes, well, my parents were rather unusual."
"I see. Let's get started with your interview."
Of course Hawks aces the interview with flying colors and by the end of it, he's offered the job. Director Todoroki picks up the phone and asks for Aizawa again, much to Hawks' chagrin.
"Aizawa will be leading your tour around the facility. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask him." Director Todoroki dismisses them as soon as Aizawa enters the office and once again, he's led into the elevator. He's not sure what to expect, it's only a two level building- so the tour can't take quite long. Until he spies Aizawa hitting a button to the basement.
"Your job will be rather simple." Hiding a yawn, Aizawa dryly states as the elevator doors open- revealing a pristine white hallway that seems to stretch on forever.
"All you need to do is parole along these corridors twice an hour and immediately notify your superior if there is anything off." Hawks follows Aizawa down a maze of turns and shows him the employee break room, locker room, designated smoking area and the time clock. Past the time clock is a pair of solid metal double doors and Aizawa swipes his name badge over the reader and they hiss open.
"Here is where you will be paroling," the man waves his hand- Hawks suddenly feels tiny before the long stretching maw of the corridor. "You will be working by yourself for most of the time. You will be safe as long as you follow the rules." They don't venture down the corridor and Aizawa looks rather apprehensive about even being down here, that doesn't bode will with Hawks and he wonders what exactly had he found himself in. Nonetheless, the pay is good and he's not going to complain. Aizawa stares down the corridor for a moment longer before turning around and leading him back to the break room.
"You'll be shown exactly what your patrol route entails on your first shift. For now, I want you to study these files and memorize everything that's printed. It may just keep you from making a mortal mistake. I'll be here to take you back up to the lobby once you're done reading over the files." Aizawa pulls out a chair in the corner and stretches before letting his head rest against the table top.
It's a thin stack of papers but they feel leaden in Hawks' hands. This was definitely not how he thought today would go. Nonetheless, a job is a job and he's never been the sort to ask questions and might as well not start now. Sitting down at the table next to Aizawa, he begins to leaf through the files.
20-5-14-11-15
Subject 20-5-14-11-15 is highly hostile and lethal. Under no circumstances it is to be allowed outside of containment cell. Refrain from all eye contact as any acknowledgment towards it will result in only enraging it. Captured at a young age, all sort of rehabilitation has proven futile. If 20-5-14-11-15 escapes, follow emergency lock down procedure and quickly subdue subject at a distance. It is very agile and can disintegrate with just a touch. Bursts of stress and anger amplifies its powers, keep medicated at all costs.
10-9-14
Subject 10-9-14 is inflicted with a double personality ailment. Its hidden form is dangerous and there is no telling when it will shift. Working on rehabilitation, permitted to leave containment cell only for experimental research. While mostly amicable and cooperative, keep a close eye on it. Has been known to talk out of being let out only to unleash its fury. Immediate termination is resulted in letting 10-9-14 out of its cell without prior permission. Only specialists are permitted in its cell and to chaperone it. Under no circumstance, listen to it as its known for lying. If 10-9-14 escapes, follow usual lock down protocol and notify its specialist. Keeping a calm aura is imperative if it escapes.
8-9-13-9-11-15
Subject 8-9-13-9-11-15 is only permitted to have female handlers, as it's known to lash out against males. Appears to have a mutant string of vampirism where consuming the blood of its victims results in it shape shifting. Acquired after investigating a string of murders, where male victims were completely void of all presence of blood. Receptive to rehabilitation and further studies are needed for researching a potential cure. If 8-9-13-9-11-15 escapes, follow proper protocol and males are heavily advised to leave the immediate area.
"I guess this is why I had to fill out those confidentiality forms." Hawks mutters, he figured he'd only be an entry point guard or something. But this? He's going to have to make sure to bring his A-Game. The files still don't really make sense to him, he's just going to a security officer for a bunch of... monsters? That can't be right though, monsters only exist in horror movies and urban legends.
19-8-21-9-3-8-9
Subject 19-8-21-9-3-8-9 possess a reptile appearance and has been recently captured, still undergoing research. Do not interact, proved to be volatile.
11-21-18-15-7-9-18-9
Subject 11-21-18-15-7-9-18-9 is allowed outside containment cell only for rehabilitation and research. Must be accompanied at all times outside of the cell, has been known to make escape attempts and has breached facility 0413 two previous times. Further research is required, seems to be only made up of mist and can teleport. Has not been known to be either volatile nor lethal, very well spoken and amicable.
20-15-21-25-1
Subject 20-15-21-25-1 is to be never permitted outside of containment cell. All sorts of communication and rehabilitation is proven to be futile. Is thought to not understand human language. Was captured after a demon summoning from local cultists, much is not known about it besides it can manipulate hellfire. Like with Subject 20-5-14-11-15, if it escapes- immediately follow emergency lock down protocol and use the issued silver bullets, all other forms to subdue has been proven as a failure.
Hawks is done reading through the files and loudly clears his throat- waking Aizawa up. A dry eye cracks open and studies him silently.
"Is this-" Hawks waves a hand towards the files resting on the table, "Real?" Aizawa snorts and stands up, taking the files and straightens them out. They leave the break room and enter the elevator.
"As real as you and me."
Hawks is standing back in the lobby and takes in a deep breath, still not quite believing everything he's read.
"Your first shift will be starting Wednesday night at eleven sharp." Aizawa informs him and heads back to the elevator to presumably go back to his office cubicle.
"Congratulations on getting the job, Mr. Hawks." Inko speaks once Aizawa leaves and he gives her a small smile.
"Alright fresh meat. Stick close to me and lemme show you the ropes of this place." A jovial and muscular man meets him at the time clock, he pleasantly introduces himself as Higawara Sajin. Hawks finishes clasping the last of his uniform and brushes it down.
"Come on, we don't got all night." Sajin tuns about face and strolls down the corridor with a cheery whistle and hands casually thrust into his pockets. Hawks runs to catch up to his trainer. They continue down the quiet corridor, the silence is only broken when Sajin begins to chatter away about nothing and everything. Soon, they arrive at another door and Sajin has Hawks swipe his new badge over the reader and it slides open. Going down this corridor, Sajin quiets down and rests a hand over his utility belt- close to the Minebea 9mm pistol holstered at his side.
Peering into some of the windows that dot along the corridor, Hawks finds them empty. He finds it odd, but presses forward with Sajin leading the way. They begin to pass a large metal door comprised of various metals mixed together with a series of locking mechanisms and a small window, with different patches of glass melded together, it seems to appear about a foot thick.
There's a thud against the the locked door and the window fogs over instantly. From behind the foggy window, a nearly skeletal hand slaps against it and slides down.
"Ah, yes. I suppose I should've warned ya about that. I don't really call 'em by their assigned numbers, takes too long. This is 20-5-14-11-15 but I just call him Shigaraki. He likes to scare the newbies. Ain't that right?" The only answer comes out as a low growl as the door shudders from another hit.
"Don't worry about him. He's got a nasty temper but he's all bark and no bite," Sajin pauses, "As long as you don't go poking your nose into his business- he'll stay outta yours. For the most part." He finishes with a shrug noncommittally.
"He does have some bad days but, who can blame him? I'd always be having a bad day if I looked like him. Yeesh. He's only got a face that a mother could love. Too bad he disintegrated her." His guide laughs and Hawks swallows down his own nervous laughter and reminds himself to stay far away from that door.
They pass another door, this one completely see through with a rather average looking man sitting on a thin cot. His left side is to the door and Hawks can see a small grin.
"Huh. Don't know how that guy got in there. Wanna go check up on him?" Hawks side glances up at Sajin who nods on encouragingly towards apparently misplaced man in the cell. With a shrug, Hawks takes a couple of steps towards the door- his footsteps echoing down the silent corridor.
Suddenly, the man snaps his attention at Hawks and merely waves.
"Damn." Hawks hears his trainer mutter, "He must be in a good mood today." Hawks pauses and looks back over at Sajin who's frowning at the still waving man.
"Well, anyway. You should probably reread over the files given to you. Boss wasn't lying to you about this being a dangerous job. Ol' 10-9-14, Jin, here is one of the main causes for casualties." Hawks takes a stumbling step backwards, not taking his gaze away from the imprisoned man who is now standing and smiling.
"Him?" He can't help but to ask.
"Oh yes. He must be having a good day today. You never know who you're gonna get with that one, he's pretty tolerable like this but hoo boy. Think of this one as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." Hawks finally breaks his focus and looks over at his trainer.
"Who?" The man frowns and rubs his chin.
"Damn kids these days, okay. Look, he's like the Hulk alright?"
"Oh."
They pass several more doors, Sajin off handily spouting some facts that weren't listed in his files. They've seen three other containment cells, but they were empty. Sajin explains that those subjects are off to research and that Hawks will get to meet them the next night. He's not quite sure if he's excited to meet the other... subjects of the Federal H.E.R.O Public Safety Commission. As they pass more empty containment cells, Hawks can't help but to feel a sinking feeling of dread.
"Are there other subjects here?" Sajin looks down and smiles.
"There sure are. We got another night security officer working on the other side of the floor. You'll meet her soon enough, Usagiyama Rumi is in charge of other subjects as well and will also serve as your direct superior during your overnight shifts."
At the end of the corridor is a thick silver door adorned with inscribed runes and dozens of paper talismans. There are vents that are hooked up to silver cylinders leading up and out of the ceiling. With a closer look, Hawks realizes that it's not silver cylinders but glass with swirling grey smoke that's lazily lofting upwards. His trainer sighs and rubs his sweaty forehead with the back of his hand.
"This one is why we typically don't give this route to the newbies. But- desperate times call for desperate measures." The man turns to face Hawks with a sudden air of seriousness.
"I want you to listen real close to what I'm about to say. What is in there," He waves towards the smoking vents and silver door, "Is completely feral. It never has good days and has been known to kill guards. The others have as well in the past, but they've mostly learned from their mistakes. This thing though, it's deranged. No amount of teaching it will get it through its thick skull. This creature must never be let out. Ever. If it gets out, you can kiss your ass good bye because you'll be nothing but a burnt crisp. It's dangerous."
There's a low hiss that slithers out from the door and Hawks nervously glances over at it before back at Sajin. His frown is grim and his eyes are steely.
"We've tried talking to it, but all it does is hiss. There's just no communicating with the thing, shoulda seen what happened to the people who summoned it. Poor souls never stood a chance. Damn kids." He looks like he's about to say more but a couple of scientists push past them and approach the door slowly and cautiously. Sajin looks down at Hawks with a wry smile.
"Look at that, we're just in time for its feeding time." Hawks turns back to the door and can only watch as the scientists scan their fingers on the small pad and the door slowly opens. Immediately the pungent smell of sulfur assaults Hawks' nose and he covers his nose with a disgruntled noise.
Hawks squints against the flaming sea of bright blue and in the middle stands a hazy figure. Another hiss fills in the silent corridor and this one sinks into Hawks' very being, it burrows into his skin and spreads throughout his veins- chilling him to his very core. He's filled with an animalistic wave of pure fear as the fire dies down and through the hazy smoke he sees a pair of glowing turquoise eyes that seem to bore into him and study his very soul.
Ever so slowly, the smoke clears and Hawks thickly swallows.
In the middle of the small cell stands a tall creature, his arms are held out on either side and bound in thick silver chains. It's slack enough to let him move around slightly but taunt to the point where he probably won't be able to stretch comfortably. Hawks' eyes travel down his thin mottled purple arms, he notes that they end in long black claws. One of the creature's hand flexes and more glinting of silver catches Hawks' eyes, there seems to be silver embedded into its very being. Hawks isn't sure what to make of that. All he knows is that doesn't seem to be very humane.
Breaking away from its hands, Hawks looks at the rest of the creature. For the most part, it seems to look fairly human besides the unnatural bend of its legs and how its feet end in claws as well. Everywhere he looks, it's pieced together with silver. Hawks also notices that with every small movement, smoke filters up from between the silver in its skin- earning soft hisses from its skin and the thin stream of smoke that filters through the sutures.
He tells himself that he might as well see what its face looks like too. Hesitantly, he inches his focus up towards its lithe neck and sharp jawline. Its mouth is open and letting out another low hiss, from between its dual colored lips and more silver fastings, lie a row of sharp pointed teeth. Its ears are nearly elfin in shape and Hawks only frowns when the creature moves slightly and he spies more silver that's looped through in its ears.
Finally, he finds the creature's eyes again. Shrouded behind a thick curtain of black hair is a pair of the bluest eyes Hawks has ever seen in his life. They stay emotionless as they roll from the pair of scientists to Hawks. Narrowing slightly, the creature regards him with a bored disinterest. It moves as far forward as it can- claws slowly clicking against the steaming concrete. Stepping into the light, a glint of midnight black catches his attention and his eyes travel upwards to see a pair of sweeping and spiraling horns that sprout from the creature's head. It cocks its head to the side before letting out a shriek. Its cell instantly ignites into a fury of blue hell fire.
"That, my friend," Sajin claps a firm hand on Hawks' shoulder, "Is, 20-15-21-25-1, Dabi." Its fire dies down again when one of the scientists presses a button and a shock of electrical current runs through the silver chains and weaves through the silver fastings around his body. There's another shriek and Dabi slumps down, breathing heavily. With the demon quelled, the scientists move in and issue him with his food. Dabi disregards the food and looks back up at Hawks and Sajin with a cold blinding fury in his eyes. They linger on Hawks for a long moment before they snap back down to the food in front of him. Sajin lets out a soft grunt.
"Huh, look at that. It seems to take a shining to you, usually it tries to incinerate people it doesn't recognize." Hawks doesn't know if that's a good or bad thing.
From the hatred boiling behind its eyes, he takes it as a very bad thing.
Author's Note
I was listening to some SCP entries on Spotify and was like... "Y'know what? I want to try my hand at this." Hence, here it is! Also, of course, in my own fashion- it's going to be DabiHawks. So... SCP/The Shape of Water inspired. What could go wrong? I skipped the interview part because interviews are boring and so forth, I just want to skip to the LOV monsters but, I will take my time. I have no idea how long this will be and won't even give an estimate because my estimates are usually wildly off. Lol.
Anyway! I'm pleased to announce that I am finally able to go back to having just one job again (yay) so I'll be able to put more work and love into this and all future fics! I am very excited to continue writing DabiHawks and more of the LOV. Now I could probably focus back on the Even the Worst of Us Are Human series!
Reviews are always welcome!