Chapter 1- Failed Attempt
The endless ringing of alarm drills snapped Shoto awake and he climbed out of his metal bed, feeling a burst of adrenaline rush through him. As if by clockwork, all subjects opened the door of their cell and step out onto the corridor, feeling manacles snap round their ankles and wrists. The teenagers wore matching, long-sleeved, light grey jumpsuits, black plimsoles and a collar around the neck. Shoto joined the array of teenagers and followed them patiently to a big, metal door with several windows. An electronic voice called through a speaker:
"Can test subject #42 enter"
A blond boy with a large, black zigzag dyed into his hair stepped forward, holding a metal card with his number imprinted onto it. As if by magic, the door immediately opened, and the blond stepped inside.
Shoto watched through a small window as #42 stepped into a metal box and grin bravely. Assistants crowed round him and placed sensors all over his limbs and place a headset on his temples.
"Let's begin the 63rd weekly test. Please state your assigned name and number" spoke a familiar, young voice.
"Denki Kaminari, 42"
"Begin"
He shuffled his feet, so they were shoulder-width apart and held his palms out. Shoto intently watched as Kaminari took a deep breath and shut his eyes. After a couple of seconds, miniscule sparks of electricity crackled out of his fingertips.
"Hey, I did it!" he yelled.
Suddenly, the sparks ceased to come out his fingertips and Kaminari groaned.
"Failed attempt. Please exit back to your cell"
The blond boy patiently waited for the scientists to remove the equipment and he left the well-lit room through a back door.
"Can test subject #43 enter"
Shoto stepped forward and silently lifted his metal card, that he'd pulled out of his right leg pocket. He stepped into the room and saw a multitude of cameras perching on tripods pointing directly at him, like predators watching their prey. A small crowd of scientists bustled around, holding clipboards and scribbling illegible notes down. Then, he scowled as the men and women placed strange equipment all over him and put the heavy headset on his forehead.
"Okay guys let's begin the 63rd weekly test" spoke a young man with curly, green hair and thick rimmed glasses into the camera's microphone "Please say your assigned name and number"
"Shoto Todoroki, 43" he spoke clearly.
"Begin"
Trying to clear his mind, Shoto held his palms flat and willed for a surge of power. He felt his right hand go slightly cold, but nothing else occurred.
"Failed attempt. Please exit back to your cell" spoke the green-haired man sympathetically.
Shoto cursed under his breath and flung open the back door; jamming his hand into a machine and feeling a sting in his index finger. He pulled his hand out and continued walking along the corridor and opened the door of his cell. Later, he shut his eyes and allowed slumber to envelop him.
Shoto Todoroki had no idea why he was here, and what power was injected into his body every week by the curly, green-haired scientist plus his team. All he knew was his name and number, which were imprinted on a card the first day he arrived at the institution. Only he didn't know how he got here and can't remember anything before Day One.
At exactly 7am, the alarm bells awoke Shoto again and he stretched before exiting the warm comfort of his bed. On a blank wall was a routine projected:
7am – Alarm wakeup call
7.15 am – Report promptly at the Main Hall for breakfast
7.30 am – Begin lessons
12.30 pm – Exit the classroom for lunch break
3.30 pm – Go to numbered cell and await further instructions. Your number should be called within the next three hours for a Daily Health Check.
7 pm – Report to the Main Hall for dinner
10 pm – Lights would immediately shut off
*On Sundays there would be a weekly test. Failure to arrive to the tests will result in severe punishment*
He dressed in the ordinary jumpsuit, combed his hair in a mirror with his fingers and brushed his teeth at a washstand in his room. Shoto stared at his reflection for a minute, hoping he'd recognise something from his past but discovering nothing. His eyes were abnormal along with his hair, one eye bright blue and the other murky grey, and one half of his hair white and the other scarlet. His eyes trailed from his face to his neck, where he stared at the collar that kept him captive day and night. On Day One, he found out that the collar had a GPS and a bomb hidden in it, so if he attempted to break it off, he'd be blown apart.
Leaving his room, he joined a crowd of people and met with a boy he always talked to along the way, named Katsuki Bakugo, #201.
"Hey man" spoke Shoto as he tapped Katsuki on the shoulder.
"Fuck off" Katsuki snapped back. His hair was very spiky and an ash blond colour, he also had glistening, red eyes that grew darker and more intimidating when he was in a foul mood.
"Ow, another fail?" Shoto said in a sarcastically sad tone "Fun fact: we're all failing these weirdo tests"
"Not everyone" and he pointed at a billboard above their heads.
The electronic board had a small picture of every subject accompanying their name and number. As well as this was the word Pass or Fail.
"Son of a…" Shoto whispered when he saw the name Momo Yaoyorozu, number 103 and a green Pass next to her face.
"See? Rumour has it she was able to create a doll out of thin air. Or her skin… there multiple comments but I don't know which are right"
"What even is this? Making stuff out of nothing, who does that? Why are we here?" complained Shoto.
"Shut up, you ask this all the time. I know as much as you do, which is nothing"
"Whatever, I just want to know. I hope there's something nice for breakfast. Maybe croissants…"
"You're crazy about food. Anyway, go away, nerd"
Shoto laughed and sauntered to his usual seat which was plastic and had a large '43' etched onto it. He slumped onto the chair and felt Kaminari's eyes on him.
"What?" he finally asked, turning to face him.
"Look next to you" the boy had a pale face and dark shadows under his eyes, rare for the normally optimistic boy.
Shoto turned to see seat #44 empty, which should be filled with a ginger-haired girl with pale, turquoise eyes and a chirpy voice.
"So what?" he asked, "She could just be late"
"No, bro. I heard stuff before I went to the test. Others heard it too" Kaminari whispered.
"Heard what?" he asked irritably.
"Apparently… she refused to leave her cell for the test"
Shoto choked on his dry cereal "Wait… what? What happened to her?"
"I don't know, but people said they heard screaming. Yesterday she kept saying she didn't want to be part of this organization anymore. Whatever that means. She didn't seem sane, to be honest"
"Do you think she found out something? Like, why were here?"
"Exactly! But…" Kaminari stopped short and looked across at a drone hovering nearby. He pressed his lips together and looked back at Shoto. "I'm gonna shut up now"
They both silently picked up their spoons and tried to forget the absence of the friendly, ginger girl.
For some unexplained reason, classes didn't follow the chronological numbering order, so Shoto wasn't plagued by the absence of #43 as she was from Class-B. He was in Class-A with a seemingly random mixture of boys and girls. Lessons were ordinary English, Math and Science lessons although they had a Moral Lesson each day, which was his first lesson today. He took a seat and felt shackles clamp round his ankles, as they usually do to every student in the class.
"What morals are shown in Shakespeare's Macbeth?" spoke a male, black-haired Teacher with dark circles under his eyes.
As a reading exercise, they had been reading a story about a man called Macbeth, however none of the students knew/remembered what Scotland, Monarchy, or Ghosts were.
A boy's hand shot up like a bullet, he had dark blue hair and rectangular glasses. He also had very large calf muscles which meant his jumpsuit trousers had to be cut short just below the knee "That craving power and fame won't bring you happiness, only downfall!"
"That's a step in the right direction. But I'm more thinking about the ending. Did Macbeth deserve to die?"
The class was silent for a second, then a girl with very pink skin (maybe she was sunburnt or had a skin condition?) and matching pink hair raised her hand slowly.
"Yes?"
"I think he did, sir. He killed his friends and would've killed more if he lived"
"Anybody think otherwise?" queried the teacher.
Next was Katsuki to speak. He answered the question with more questions: "Who decides whether to kill someone or not? Is there, like, a guide? I mean, someone killed Macbeth, but was it his place to kill someone? Shouldn't killing someone be reserved naturally for the body itself, instead of another being?"
"Well done, 201. You're a quick learner"
Shoto wondered what happened when one's life ended, but his thoughts were interrupted when another student raised their hand pointedly.
"Isn't that what resulted to my friend, Itsuka Kendo, sir? She was killed, right? Otherwise she would've been at breakfast and wouldn't have been screaming last night when she broke the rules, sir"
Shoto's mouth dropped open and his heartbeat raced franticly. The student was a female with large, brown eyes and brown hair which was cut into a bob-like style. Out of the corner of his eye, Shoto noticed one of the drones that had been stalking them exit quickly. He clamped his hand over his mouth and squeezed his eyes shut, mentally pleading for the girl. Silence entered the room and the tension was almost tangible.
"What's your name and number" quietly asked the teacher, breaking the unwanted silence.
"Ochako Uraraka, 78"
"Well, I'd like to express my concern for number 44, as she has been infected with the flu. Which is why she isn't here today, because she's been held in the infirmary for decontamination purposes. So, Miss Uraraka, I advise that you wish your friend good health and continue learning instead of interrupting my lessons"
"Okay, sir. Thank you" she answered meekly, all confidence from earlier non-existent.
"Now, let's continue"
For the rest of the Moral Lesson, Shoto repeatedly glanced at the door, waiting for someone to take Uraraka away. Except, nothing happened. Which only worried Shoto more; he wondered what mysterious end his classmate would receive. The rest of the daily lessons were mundane and uneventful, and 3.30 rolled around slowly.
"Okay, times up. Return to your rooms now and wait for your number to be called" finally said the Teacher.
"Thank God" grumbled Katsuki as they left the classroom.
"Katsuki!" hissed Shoto and he jogged to keep up with the moody boy.
"What is it, nerd?"
"What do you think is going to happen to that girl? You know, the one that asked about Kendo?"
"Gonna be punished, maybe? I don't know, it's her own fault. Best advice is to just keep your head down and stay alive"
"I can't imagine you doing that! You're not that type of guy to follow orders and not fight back"
"Yeah, but I'm not stupid enough to die from saying the wrong shit. Now buzz off, nerd"
Shoto stomped to his cell and slammed the door, stress making his head feel painful. He threw himself onto his white bed and growled. A voice called through the speaker in his room:
"Number 43, please go to the nurse's office to take your daily medical test"
He stood up and left the room, feeling the leg shackles automatically return to his ankles. In the room was a small figure sitting on the chair with their back turned to him.
"Hey, it's me number 43" he declared and held up his card.
The person jumped and turned around, smiling warmly "Hey, Shoto"
"Hey! It's you" exclaimed Shoto, pointing at the green-haired scientist in front of him.
"Please don't point, and, yes, its me. My name is Izuku Midoriya and I'm covering some of the nursing duty for the next two weeks. Sit down"
Shoto rapidly shut the door and sat down opposite the scientist on a plastic chair. The room was tiny and there was a few machines and a desk. Shoto leaned forward excitedly,
"I have so much to ask you" he breathed.