Chapter 2- Dwindling Dreams and Fake Friends
Izuku Midoriya seemed taken aback "Ask me? What do want
to ask?"
"Thank God I've met you; I've been dreaming of this day forever. Okay, so what's my name? What is my age? Why am I here at this place? Do I have a family?"
"Shoto… I can't tell you this, its classified information"
"Bullshit!" Shoto yelled in a fit of rage, "This is stuff I need to know, at least tell me my age"
"Please calm down" tentatively muttered Midoriya.
He took some deep breaths to try and calm himself "How old are you?"
"Huh? Me? I'm 21"
"I think I'm not much younger than you. Maybe, like, 18 or 19? I'm definitely not older than you"
"Let's move on with the health checks" he said brusquely.
"Just nod or shake your head-"
"Shoto!" Midoriya slammed a hand on the desk and the short burst of sound make Shoto jump "Calm down, or I'm going to have to ask to switch patients"
"Please don't, you're not like the others. I don't even know their names"
"Blood test first, I need to do the physical stuff"
Shoto held out his wrist and Midoriya's hands were smooth and delicate. On a closer look, though, they were littered with scars of varying size.
"Izuku?"
"Yeah?"
"Can we be friends?" he asked cautiously.
"I don't even know you, lets get to know each other first"
"Okay"
After a few minutes, Izuku looked at a screen on his desk and frowned "Well, your normal vitals are okay, but the serum is hardly affecting you at all, which is unusual. You see, most subjects should begin to show signs of extraordinary power after the 30th or so test, but you're obviously a slow starter"
"What is this serum?" Shoto couldn't help noticing that Midoriya still held his forearm gently whilst making circular patterns with his thumb.
"I don't know much about it, to be honest" he promptly changed the subject "Let's begin the mental tests. First off, I want you to tell me how your feeling and I'll write some notes down. After that, were going to do some quick intelligence exercises, like an IQ test, and then you can go. We might have to do the IQ test tomorrow because time is running fast"
Shoto thought for a seconds "What's an IQ test? And what's mental test?"
"The amnesia is really bad, huh. Well, an IQ test is a simple test, don't worry about that. A mental test is the stuff in… there" and he tapped Shoto's forehead to indicate his brain, letting go of his arm but making Shoto crave the touch again.
"Oh, I see"
"How are you feeling, Shoto? Say the three main emotions you are suffering, if you can"
"Angry. Confused. Annoyed"
"Negative… so why anger?"
"I'm mad at this facility for not telling me answers about my past. I want to know, but no one's telling me. I mean, its my story but it's been taken from me and I want it back"
"And why confusion?"
"What do you expect? I just wake up one day in some weird, white room. I get told a name, a number and some rules about this shitty collar"
"I understand, why are you annoyed?"
"I'm annoyed with myself. I do crap at the tests, and there's even someone passed whereas I'm nowhere near passing"
"Are there any positive emotions?"
"I guess I'm happy talking to you. I also like being with Denki and Katsuki as they're good people. Even though Denki badgers me with dumb statements and Katsuki moans and snaps, I think they care. I hope you care, as well. Even though you've probably been told to say all this stuff because it's your job"
Midoriya laughed cheerfully "Nah, I do care. I liked getting to know you today. You may leave"
"Are you not going to tell me anything?" begged Shoto "You've got to understand how frustrating this is"
"Y-You're eighteen. Almost nineteen. I'm not going to say anything else, please don't force me again. I can get badly punished if I tell you stuff. Don't forget, I'm an intern and just take recordings. Nothing important"
Shoto felt so overwhelmed with emotion that tears welled up in his eyes "Thank you. This means so much, so I won't tell anyone"
"See ya tomorrow. We'll do the IQ test then"
As soon as Shoto left, Izuku Midoriya grinned a manic smile. He's secured the necessary trust with the naïve child for his elaborate scheme to work. He clicked onto his computer screen and watched #43 through a drone, still carrying the crazy smile on his face.
"Kaminari!" shouted Shoto.
"Hey, bro. You look happy"
"Oh, I am" Izuku studied as Shoto flung his arms wide open but tripped when he foolhardily tried skipping with manacles round his ankles.
"You in love or something?" giggled #42.
Shoto hesitated, and Izuku leaned forward inquisitively "Actually… I think I am! It's love at first sight"
Izuku slowly switched off the computer and sat back. Then, he wrote some more notes down on his clipboard:
Shoto Todoroki #43
-Fears the unknown and never learning his past
-Will beg for answers, his weakness?
-Failing his tests and knows he is
-Very naïve, believes everything I say (even if its false)
-No clear positive emotions
-Doesn't seem to understand love
He yawned: being sympathetic was a tough job.
That night, Shoto lied on his metal bed with his arms tucked behind his head and the number 18 imprinted behind his eyelids. Finding a piece of his past had made him dizzy and ecstatic; one step closer.
He woke up, head pounding and sweat pouring off his skin. His mind was an abyss of confusion; he couldn't think; he couldn't act. The boy sat up to see a mirror positioned in front of him, but he didn't know the person opposite him. He raised a right hand to a strange device on his neck, and the boy opposite him copied him. Stuck to the mirror was a rectangular, silver card with the words 'Shoto Todoroki, number 43' written on it. A slip of paper was alongside it is bearing the words: 'If you attempt to break the collar on your neck, the GPS will send immediate signals to us and the bomb will explode'. He turned to see a projection on the wall.
Welcome. This is Day One of your unique therapy.
Shoto held his hands up to his mouth and screamed shrilly, alerting flying, metal birds into his room.
"Hah!" Shoto sat bolt upright and rubbed his forehead, feeling tears roll down his cheeks and a headache form. He settled back down and whispered "You're eighteen, almost nineteen" repeatedly until he drifted back to sleep.
"Okay, students. We have a written test today. It's very easy… well for some of you" Shoto warily stared at the teacher in front of him who was clutching a heap of small slips of paper in his hands.
"What's the test on?" asked a student, who Shoto didn't know and didn't bother learning his name.
"You're about to find out" snapped the teacher as he started distributing the tests.
When he received one of the paper, Shoto read off a question printed in bold, black ink.
WHY DO YOU THINK PEOPLE KILL OTHERS?
He stared at the first question on the sheet and picked up a black pen. Re-reading the question repeatedly, he started writing languidly:
'I think it's to cure boredom. For example, some one could be experiencing a type of desire that only strong violence could cure. I'm not sure though, I've never killed someone.'
Moral Lesson #64 (confidential teacher's notes)
1st Question: Why do you think people kill others?
Predicted: -
80% will answer 'hatred'
15% will answer 'I don't know'
5% will answer something different
Next question:
WHAT ARE YOU AFRAID OF?
Again, Shoto was stumped for what to write. He understood what fear was and know they would make a person uncomfortable and scared. He pondered on the connotations of fear: increase of heart rate, dizziness, sweating etc. Although, he never recollects experiencing fear since arriving at the institution.
'I don't really suffer from a fear. I want to know my past and I worry about never finding out, but I don't know what my fears would be when I discover my past'
(confidential teacher's notes)
2nd Question: What are you afraid of?
Predicted: -
90% will answer a fear such as heights or water etc.
10% will answer 'I don't know' or 'I don't feel fear'
Last question (good as he was starting to get bored)
WHAT TYPE OF PERSON DO YOU THINK YOUR PAST SELF WAS?
'I think my past self was a nice person. Calm and friendly. Gets along with others, has a good job and does well in school.'
(confidential teacher's notes)
3rd Question: What type of person do you think your past self was?
Predicted: -
95% will answer 'I don't know'
5% will guess something false.
"Hey, Shoto!" exclaimed Kaminari at lunch time.
"Oh, hey Denki"
"That test was different, what did you write for the last one?"
"Uh, I just put some stuff down. Like, I think I was a nice person who got along with others and stuff like that"
"Oh," laughed Kaminari "I just scribbled down 'I don't know'. I mean, that's a dumb question to ask a bunch of kids with no memories of their histories"
"Right" replied Shoto but fell into a deep, sombre mood afterwards. "But what did you put for the second one?" he mumbled.
"I put sharks, they're freaky and have sharp teeth, which is why I stay clear from that Kirishima kid" chirped Kaminari.
Kaminari stared humming a tune as Shoto watched the soup in his bowl swirl around as he stirred it with a metal spoon. He paused; something was wrong. He hadn't heard of this song, or any songs because he hadn't listened to any or can't remember any. Shoto gasped and banged his spoon on the plastic table, rapidly turning to Kaminari.
"You're humming!" he shrieked.
"What the hell? What's wrong with humming? This song has been in my head for days…"
He stopped short and stared back at Shoto, realising why Shoto was overreacting so dramatically. He remembered a song. From the past.
"What song was that?" swiftly asked Shoto.
"I don't know… I just know it. We don't listen to music here, right?"
"No, come on, Denki! Try and connect a memory with that song. Something you were doing when you were listening to it"
"For some reason… a car sounds right. Yeah, a car"
"You were in a car. Listening to this song. Now, where were you going and who was you with?"
Kaminari scrunched up his face and thought for a couple of seconds "Bro, its all foggy. I have no clue, but I'll keep trying to think and remember"
"Maybe that's what Kendo did. What if she used simple objects to connect herself to memories? For example, she could have seen a spoon, then thought deeply of eating something, then remembered that she was eating with someone and recognised their conversation. That's how she knew her past, and why she refused to co-operate. I just know it and we've got to try it" Shoto spoke quickly and confidently.
"Seems like a really wild accusation. That's gotta take some crazy memory skills and intelligence" doubted Kaminari.
"If you try really hard and keep practising, it's got to be a right step-" Kaminari quickly slapped a hand over Shoto's mouth and Shoto cringed at the touch.
"Shut up!" hushed Kaminari and he nodded towards a drone which was behind them. The drone continued moving and Shoto removed Kaminari's hand from his mouth.
"Thanks… how long do you think it was there?"
"And what do you think it heard?" the two boys paled and continued eating.
Izuku pushed back on his chair and whooped gleefully. Finally, Shoto was following the girl's lead; this is all that he'd hoped for.