Disclaimer: I don't own Tiger & Bunny in any way, shape, or form. I just like to play with the characters, settings, and plots.

Author's Warning: This is a dark fic involving torture, blood, and injury; if you don't like, don't read.

Kotetsu groaned, his head rolling forward to hit something hard. Cold.

Cold? Weird...

"Wha-?" Each beat at his temples set off a pounding headache behind his eyes, colors exploding like rapid fireworks.

"You okay?" rumbled Antonio. He wasn't sounded well rested either. More like Friday and Saturday nights that had gotten out of control.

Did we drink too much again?

"'Tonio?" He opened his eyes. Bright white gleamed back.

Like hell we're at home.

Not the apartments then. Not his brother's shop, nor any of the bars they frequented. The fuzzy vertical stripes slipped into focus; he was in a cage. Kotetsu looked around, ignoring the pain that ratcheted up in his head - all of them were in three different cages. "Where are we?"

"No idea." His old friend hesitated, bringing a hand to his own head. "How much do you remember?"

"The tiger exhibit, metal sliding down-hey!"

Kotetsu broke off, looking around the place with fresh eyes. The room was spacious, sounded as if it was well ventilated, and with a few exceptions, most notably a brown section of metal flooring, was a shiny, new-white color all around. Something was in the middle of the brown area, covered in white, and there was a table near it, not too far away from a control panel.

"This doesn't look like any of the buildings we saw when we came in."

"It's not." Antonio paused. " think we're underground."

Do our communicators work?

Kotetsu went to touch his, but found only an untanned area on his arm.

"Hey, old cow. Got your communicator?"

It only took a few seconds for Antonio to shake his head.

"Taken. Yours too?"

He nodded, opening his mouth to say something, but then the two of them went quiet as a sound grew louder. Squeaking wheels. Kotetsu watched the door he could see from his cage. Squeaking became shriller, more frequent, then it stopped. The door burst open, bringing with it light and a silhouette.

"Wonderful!" exclaimed a bright and cheery female voice. "So glad to see that two of you are awake!"

Kotetsu craned his head to see where Pao-Lin was, but in his line of sight there was only a hand laid out on the floor of the third cage.

"Rock Bison?"

I hope she's okay...

"She's breathing. I've got an eye on her," his friend muttered. Clearing his throat, he raised his voice. "What do you want with us?" Antonio asked the shadowy person.

If a person didn't know him, they wouldn't realize that's his pissed off tone.

"You three of course!" She laughed, stepping away from the too-bright light and allowing them to see her. Short, wearing wire glasses, and looking a little underweight, she had frizzy, kinky blonde hair in pigtails, streaked with red. The theme continued to her long white lab coat.

Kotetsu swallowed hard; the red trend continued to the clothes in splatters and smears.

Tell me that's not blood.

"I was a little worried that the others would come too, but it turned out perfectly."

"...who exactly do you think we are?" asked Kotetsu standing up. The cage allowed him his height with a few inches to spare, and he could almost stretch his arms completely out to the sides, but that was it.

Heh. Can't be any worse than that healing capsule Saito-san built.

"Heroes." She clicked her tongue, maneuvering the cart to something that was covered with a white sheet. Removing it with a flourish revealed something that looked like the bastard child of a dentist's chair and an electric chair.

That's freaky... I don't want to know what she needs that for.

"I mean, I wasn't planning on getting Heroes right off the bat, I thought that would take some time, but it's nice when life hands you something sweet every once in a while.

"What makes you think we're Heroes?" came a rumbling question.

"Your bracelets went off." She stepped closer to Rock Bison's cage. "And when I watched Hero TV, there were three people missing. She's Dragon Kid, he's Wild Tiger, and you're Rock Bison. Easy peasy lemon squeezy."

Kotetsu exchanged glances with Antonio.

"Oowwwww," groaned a small voice. "My head... what happened?"

"And now all three of you are awake!" She smiled again. "Perfect! Let me introduce myself, my name's Trixie, and you're all going to help me make myself stronger."

"No," said Kotetsu immediately, "we're not."

Over my dead body.

"Well, I guess it's okay to say 'no,'" Trixie said, turning to study him with curiosity, her eyes flicking over his entire body. "But, just to let you know, you'll still be able to help me, so there's no worry about that."

"Why did you capture us?" asked Antonio, settling himself on the floor of his cage, and leaning against the bars. Kotetsu could see him stretching his legs, pushing against the steel at the front of the cage.

Heh, good ole Rock. He's testing to see if he can break out.

"And you okay Dragon Kid?"

"Feeling pretty bad," she answered honestly, holding her head. "What hit me?"

"Drugs," answered Kotetsu, glaring at Trixie.

Who knows what concoction she used.

"Oh, come now," chided the woman, turning around to rearrange some of the items on the table behind her. Kotetsu couldn't see what they were exactly, but they glinted in the light every time she lifted one up. "It was a design of my own making, and it worked perfectly. Don't complain about not being dead."

I don't have a good feeling about this.

"What exactly are you going to do with us?" Kotetsu narrowed his eyes. "And how do you think we're going to help you when we refuse?"

"Not how, but why. And it's all due to my power," Trixie said, pushing her glasses up her further up her nose. "So, like I said earlier, you don't need to worry."

"You're NEXT," commented Antonio, his voice flat as he made the connection a second earlier than Kotetsu. "Lovely."

"I do think my gift is lovely, thank you," she answered, concentrating more on the objects in front of her.

Did I just see a bone saw?

"What is your gift?" asked Kotetsu. "Trickery? Gassing innocent strangers just enjoying the day? Ooh, I know. Looking crazy."

"Nope!" She turned around and giggled. "It's the best power for someone who works at a zoo. Zoopery!"

The three Heroes exchanged puzzled glances.

"Um... no idea. Sorry"

"Never heard of it."

I don't think I want to know, but it looks like I'm the one to bite the bullet...

"What's Zoopery?" asked Kotetsu.

She took a few steps toward the cages, her eyes lightning up and her smile growing wider.

"Zoopery is a noun, and it means experimentation on zoo animals." Trixie stopped in front of Kotetsu's cage. "Hello, Tiger."

Dragon Kid sucked in a sharp breath, and Antonio exploded, huge hands wrapping around the steal bars and yanking on them.

I knew I had a bad feeling about this. Kotetsu looked to his friends.

"And of course, I have a Dragon and a Bison as well. It's such a wonderful day for me!" She was gone again, going back to the instruments and laying them out.

No! Come on Kotetsu think! How can you stop her?!

"And what makes you think that you have a power with this, instead of just being a normal sociopath? Or is it psychopath?"

Trixie stopped.

"Well, everything I've learnt is from after performing experiments on animals. I have an owl's night eyes, when I want them of course, they would hurt too much to have now, ha, with the lights on!" she was the only one who laughed at the joke. "I have a dog's sense of smell."

I guess that explains the heavy-duty ventilation?

"A cat's dexterity, a gorilla's strength, and even a hippo's unique body fluid to protect against sunburns. I've amassed a huge amount of animal instincts and protections."

Animals... she needs animals... come on think!

"So, are there any volunteers?" The scientist turned to flash a grin. "Who wants to go first?"

There was silence from the three unwilling captives.

"If no one volunteers, then I'll have to pick someone myself. A mandateer as it were!" she chirped.

A chuckle. Then a laugh.

"What the hell are you laughin' 'bout?!" hissed Antonio.

"We don't need to volunteer," said Kotetsu, his voice strong with confidence. "Is there any animal actually called a 'Rock Bison'? No. Then, if her power only works on animals, she can't use you. And Dragon Kid, ha! She's. A. Dragon. A fucking dragon. Those are legends, myths, non-existent. You're not going to get anything from her."

He leaned back against the bars of his cage, grinning like a cat that'd gotten into the cream.

There. That should work.

Now it was Trixie who was silent, her mouth open in disbelief.

And hopefully I'm right about this.

"You were happy to have us," continued Kotetsu, getting up to hang onto the bars, "because you can't actually operate on humans. Hell! I don't even think you can do anything to us; Dragon, Bison, and Tiger are only titles, it's not like we change into those creatures."

He stopped talking, and the only sound louder than the vents was of ragged breathing. Trixie's eyes were wider behind her circular glasses, and her knuckles were white.

Bingo. She can't use humans.

"So, you did all this for nothing," he continued, driving the point home. "And when we get out of these cages, we're going to arrest you."

Trixie glared. She stalked over to the control panel and flipped a switch, smiling as Kotetsu cried out, cursing.

Damn it I hate electricity!

"Hey!" protested Antonio, moving closer, but not touching his own bars. "You okay?"

"Fine." Kotetsu winced a little, bringing a hand up to his head. "A little worse than when Dragon hits me during training."

There was a snort of laughter from behind Antonio.

"I said I was sorry!"

"You might be right," Trixie said.

Kotetsu turned his head, and she was close enough that he saw her eyes twinkling.

...they shouldn't look like that...

"I might not be able to use Dragon Kid or Rock Bison. But you... you still fit the bill." The smile, if it was possible, got wider. "And seeing your passion, your willpower in action. That's exactly what I want."

"I'm not volunteering for anything," he said in a low, angry voice.

And you can't make me.

"Okay." Trixie left his area, then walked over between Antonio and Pao-Lin's cages, giving them both a once over. "Let's see... if I remember, your powers are electricity, and your powers are hardening your skin."

"I can give you a demonstration if you want," said Pao-Lin flatly, watching the woman. She's been quiet, but by the tone of her voice, it was east to tell that she was just as pissed off as the the rest of them.

"Ooooh, yes!" said Trixie, almost bouncing up and down with excitement. "I'd love a demonstration! Please!"

Pao-Lin blinked. Antonio laughed. Kotetsu grinned.

"Heh. You heard our captor, might as well give her a demo she won't forget."

"Yeah," added Kotetsu. "She asked for it, right?"

Then we'll just need to get out of these cages.

The young Hero hesitated.

"Um... you realize that I'm going to hit you with an electric attack, right?"

"Aww, Dragon, why are you warning her?"

Trixie nodded.

"Yep!"

Pao-Lin gave the woman a weird look, but stood up, readying her hands for the attack... and failed to grow a ball of electricity.

"What's wrong?" asked Antonio.

"I can't... I can't make it," she answered, trying again and again, each time more frantic than the last one. "What happened to my power?!"

"Calm down," said Kotetsu, taking in Trixie's widening grin.

Ugh. If it got any bigger, she'd look like a clown.

"Rock, what about-"

"-checking it," he said, pinching himself on the arm. Grimacing. "Mine's not working either."

Damn!

Kotetsu did what he always did to power up, then grabbed the bars, screaming from the shock. Trixie ran over to the control panel and flipped a switch, turning it off and allowing the man to sink to his knees.

"You guys know there's a black market for dealing in animal parts, right? No matter how rare the animal, there's a price. Working at the zoo lets me tap into that network." She twirled around, throwing her hands up. "It's how I could afford to make this on my salary."

"So?" gasped Kotetsu, peeling his charred hands off of the bars with a sickening ripping sound.

Don't look, don't look, don't look.

"Sooo..." she continued, "and this is the part where you might care. There's a black market for almost anything. I found these really, really expensive components, and I had to pay a guy for his services since I'm not that good with technology, but those cages you're in?"

All the Heroes began to eyes their bars and ceiling suspiciously.

"They suppress NEXT abilities, so as long as you're in them, you can't use your powers."

Shit.

Kotetsu darted a nervous look at his friends.

"Still unsure about volunteering, Tiger?" Trixie walked back to between Pao-Lin and Antonio's cages. "Rock Bison, give me your hand."

He snorted. Trixie pulled a small gun out of her lab coat pocket.

"Give me your hand, or I shoot her." There was an appraising look. "She's so small, I'm not sure if I can make it an injury instead of a death."

...she's right... Antonio or I would have an easier time brushing aside a bullet, even without our powers.

"That's playing dirty," said Tiger in disgust.

"True. But since, as you pointed out, I only have one chance at this, so then I have to do everything I can to make sure it goes smoothly, right?" She turned back to Antonio. "Give me your hand."

A low rumble in his throat, he did so, slotting it through the bar next to Trixie.

At least he didn't get electrocuted.

"Perfect." She took it, then with a sharp jab, stabbed him with a nail. Antonio clenched his jaw, then took his hand back, inspecting it before wiping it on his pants.

What the hell?

"Rock?" There was a worry starting to grip his stomach. "What was that?"

"She drew blood." He stared at his hand. "Not much though. It's already stopped."

There's got to be something more to it than drawing blood.

"What did you do to him?" asked Kotetsu, looking over at his friend. Antonio waved the hand, then let out a small grunt. He curled his fingers into a fist, then shook it out. Shook it again.

"Rock?"

"Kinda cramping."

"Have any of you heard of the deathstalker scorpion? No?" Trixie giggled. "It's only found in the desert, but luckily my zoo has a colony."

Kotetsu heard a hiss from his side, then a slight a gasp.

"They carry a lot of neurotoxins, and after being stung by one, symptoms start with intense and unbearable pain." She blew a kiss towards Antonio. "Lucky you! After that you'll suffer from a fever, followed by a coma, and then death. Oooh, and there will be some convulsions and paralysis before you die."

No!

"No!" Kotetsu was at the bars again, close, but not touching them. "Give him an antidote, you must have one around here!"

I can't lose him too, not if I have a chance to save him!

Trixie cracked her neck.

"What's he worth to you?"

fuck... she's got me over a barrel.

"Don't Tiger." Antonio sucked in a breath and went to flex his arm again. "We'll find a way out of here, and I'll get an antidote that way."

"You could try that," said Trixie, nodding in agreement. "It's a plan, and not a bad one. Though... I'm not sure how long he'll last before the fever engulfs him, but hey, that's okay. Just see him as another rival you're removing from your way."

She stopped smiling.

Kotetsu looked at Antonio. His friend refused to meet his gaze, instead looking down at his hand and glaring at that.

I can't ... I can't just let him die.

Fine," he said, his voice low. "I'll do whatever you want me to do."

And I'll have to put my trust in my friends.

"You can't do that Tiger!"

Antonio shook his head.

"Yeah, don't let this bitch call the shots. I'll be fine, you know me."

Yeah... I know you...

"I could always shoot the girl," Trixie offered, taking the gun out again. "Or... I have other means. We can go to those."

"Let me make sure I understand this," Kotetsu said slowly, his brain spinning. "No matter what I say or do, you're going to threaten one, or both, of them so that I do what you want."

"Exactly. You're quick on the uptake." Trixie said.

"Lovely," muttered Kotetsu, pacing in his small cage. "Do you actually have an antidote?"

She nodded.

"Yep! I have several."

"Tiger. Don't."

Kotetsu winced.

His voice already sounds as if he's trying to hide the pain.

"What do you want me to do?" he asked, ignoring friendly voices telling him to stop being a moron and to not give himself over to her.

"Two things. All I want is for you to take off your clothes, and sit down on my chair." She pointed to the dental nightmare one.

Of course. That one.

"What do I get in return?" asked Kotetsu. "I'm not volunteering, I want to make that very damn clear."

"How about... me not shooting her?"

He leveled a glare at the woman; she shrugged her shoulders.

"It's an offer."

"Tit for tat," said Kotetsu. "I give you something, you give me something. Of equal value."

Now it was time for her to pace around the room, poking and prodding at things she had on display as she thought.

"... I guess that could be arranged."

"What do I have to do for you to give him the antidote?"

She shook her head.

"That's too high a price to start with. How about I allow her to enter his cage so she can take care of him?"

"Dragon Kid?" Kotetsu pitched his voice to her cage. "You willing?"

"... depends on what she's going to ask you to do. I don't want you to get hurt, again, and neither does Rock Bison."

"All I want him to do it sit in the chair." Trixie sighed. "Is it that hard of a concept?"

"That chair looks like it's from a nightmare," Dragon Kid pointed out.

Agreed.

"That's it?" Kotetsu clarified. "Sit in the chair?"

She just have something up her sleeve... but if I get out of this cage I can use my power.

"You have the first move in this trade. You put yourself over there, and I'll put her in with him."

"Don't," said Antonio, shaking his head. "This is gonna go bad."

"Think of it as payback for Jake*," muttered Kotetsu, looking over at his friend. Then he turned to Trixie. "Fine. I agree."

"Wonderful! I knew you would!" She made her way over to the control unit. "Now, here's what's going to happen. I'll open your door, and you'll go straight to that chair and sit. If I even think you're going to power up, or attack me, I'll hit this black button."

"What does it do?" asked Dragon Kid.

"Just sets off massive electrics pulses until no one in a cage shows vital signs. Nothing really cool."

Of course.

"Fine." Tiger agreed, not looking over to his friends.

It'll easier to save them when they're both in the same place anyhow. And not dead.

There was a buzzing sound, then the bars on one side slid up. He took a step, glancing at Trixie, who cleared her throat and pushed her finger closer to the button.

"I'm going, I'm going," Kotetsu said, holding his hands up. "Look, not a fight."

He stepped quickly to the chair, pausing as he got closer.

I think those brown stains are blood...

"Remember, clothes off," said Trixie, chiding him. "I'll be nice though, you can keep your underwear on."

Thanks," muttered Tiger, unbuttoning his vest. Much too quickly, he was done, feeling rather naked and chilled in the room. He looked around, then just put his clothes on the ground, away from the stains, with his shoes beside the pile. Not looking at either Pao-Lin or Antonio, Kotetsu sat in the chair, gingerly laying back.

Come on, get away from that panel.

"Thank you." She pressed a button quick enough that Tiger only had time for his eyes to flare before metal constraints popped out over his wrists, upper arms, legs, ankles, and his neck. Then he felt the strength drain from his body.

And probably the blue from my eyes damnit!

"Tiger!" yelled Dragon Kid, shock on her face; Antonio just shook his head.

""But it's time for me to keep up my end of the bargain, right?" Trixie moved over to where Tiger was strapped down, holding a small remote control. Sliding one finger up, then repeating the gesture, removed one bar from each cage wall.

Hopefully the two of them will be able to get out.

Antonio hurled himself at the opening, but it was much too narrow for him to go through.

"She's the one who's moving," said Trixie. "Chill. And step away from the opening."

"... what's to stop me from coming over there and kicking your ass?" asked Pao-Lin, adjusting her stance. Cracking her neck. "Or sending a bolt of lighting your way?"

Go Dragon!

Trixie took a step over to the tray she'd set up earlier.

"This." A knife flashed in the electric light, big enough that everyone could see the serrated edge.

...no. Nonononono!

"Don't you fucking-" Antonio's voice halted as Trixie turned to trail it over Kotetsu's bare chest. The Hero bit his lips.

Breath Kotetsu. Breathe.

"In the time it would take you to power and charge, I would already be plunging this into his heart." Trixie giggled. "Ha, power and charge. Get it?"

"...yeah. I've got it," replied Pao-Lin grimly, narrowing her eyes. She left her cage, watching Trixie the entire time that she was free, and with reluctance all through her body, stepping in to Antonio's cage, the bars slamming down behind her.

* Kotetsu is referring to the manga, when Antonio was grievously injured and on the point of death after helping Barnaby and Kotetsu escape from Jake.

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