Author's Note: Thank you all for reading, please leave your thoughts in a comment. Until next time, happy reading friends!
Song Inspiration: Army by Zayde Wolfe
TWENTY-SEVEN | ARMY
Shinso sat on the stool beside Seri's bed. Her food untouched on the tray before her. He hated to have to ask her for permission to enter her mind, but Kirishima was right; they had to at least ask, and he hoped that she would help. He let out a breath and put his sketchbook onto the bedside table. The doctor and nurses told him that she hadn't eaten anything since she woke up and that she'd hardly said a word to anyone.
She didn't look at him once since he came into the room five minutes ago. He hoped that she would have done something, anything to acknowledge his presence. The grief in her eyes, the slump in her shoulders, the paleness of her skin all pointed to a broken and defeated girl. Her innocence had been taken from her, she watched her friends die, and she had nowhere to go. He couldn't possibly begin to understand what that felt like. All he knew was that he wanted to ease her suffering even if it was only a little bit.
Shinso needed to choose his words carefully. He licked his lips and straightened in the stool. "Seri," he said in a soft voice, but she didn't look at him. "I promised you that I would catch the man who hurt you. In order to do that, I need your help. I know it's difficult, and I can't imagine the pain you must feel," Shinso paused when she glanced at him, "I can't, but if you're up to it, I know how I can find him."
Seri turned to look at him, eyes bleary and red. She didn't say anything, only stared at him. He wanted to hug her and tell her everything would be okay, but he couldn't do that. Not yet. She opened her mouth, but then quickly shut it and looked down at her lap. Her hands clenched the thin sheets and she sniffled.
"You asked me, if I was a hero," Shinso said and she looked back at him. "My quirk allows me to enter someone's mind, I can see their memories." He wasn't telling the whole truth, but saying he could brainwash people sounded scarier. And the girl had been through enough fear and grief.
Seri bit her lip. "Does it hurt?"
Shinso shook his head. "No, you won't feel a thing."
She inhaled deeply then slowly let it out. "I'm scared."
"It's okay to be scared."
"What if he comes back?"
Shinso gave her a warm smile. "I won't let that happen."
Seri played with a piece of string poking off of the sheet. She avoided Shinso's eyes, but seemed to be having an internal war within herself.
"We went back to the warehouse where we found you."
She stiffened, eyes wide as she stared at him.
"We found Shinji."
Seri's lip quivered. "He's dead, right?"
Shinso nodded. "Yes, but we didn't find Erika."
"What?"
"She may still be alive," Shinso said softly. "We can still save her."
Seri brushed her hair behind her ear. "What do I have to do?"
"You just have to relax," Shinso explained and smiled at her. "Trust me, okay?"
"Okay."
He activated his quirk. Her eyes glazed over as he entered her mind. The hospital room faded away until it was only the two of them in an empty black space. Murmured voices echoed around them, sobbing, then screams. Shinso looked around, fragments of light shone through the darkness. Seri covered her ears and sank down to the ground, eyes squeezed shut.
He didn't want to waste any time, he approached one of the fractures and touched it. The darkness of the room faded away to the warehouse. Five figures stood ahead of him, he approached eyes focused on the two men.
The closer he got, the clearer their faces became. He glanced to his left to find Shinji looking to the emergency exit, to his right Seri and Erika stood beside one another, holding hands and shaking. Shinji bolted for the door, but a red ribbon like thing sliced his throat and threw him under the stairs.
Seri screamed and ran for the other door. She stopped upon realizing Erika still hadn't moved. Calling for her friend, Seri ran back to Erika, but before she could reach her, red ribbons wrapped around Erika's arms and yanked her away.
"What about this one?"
Shinso turned to the speaker. The man who raped Seri. Tall, a light stubble along his jawline, middle aged, and dressed in a charcoal colored blazer. He stepped into a stream of moonlight coming through the window. Light brown hair, close cut, and he had a gauge piercing in his left ear. His dark eyes gazed at Seri, who stepped back, body trembling.
"I don't need her." The other man wore a suit and tie, steel gray eyes glinting in the shadows. Shinso recognized him immediately: Daichi Shinoda. He held an unconscious Erika in his arms and walked out of the warehouse through the emergency exit.
"Let's see if you would be good for my collection."
Shinso's stomach roiled. Collection. How disgusting and heartless. He didn't need to see anything more, he cancelled out his quirk. The room returned, sunlight gleamed through the window, murmurs of nurses in the hallway filled his ears. Seri sat still in the bed, a silent tear rolled down her face and she quickly wiped it away.
"I'm sorry," Shinso said, realizing his fault. He told her it wouldn't hurt, but in reality she had to relive the moment again. "I was wrong."
Seri let out a breath. "Just save Erika. Please."
Shinso nodded. "I'm going to do everything I can to save her." He stood from the stool, figuring she needed and wanted her privacy. He grabbed his sketchbook from the bedside table and walked to the door. Before exiting, he sighed and turned around. "Seri, please eat something."
She glanced at the tray of food then back to him. He bowed his head and opened the door. When he got out into the hall, he grabbed the door handle to close it. The sound of a foil wrapper being torn sounded behind him. Shinso peaked back through the door and smiled as Seri ate some fruit snacks.
-xXx-
Hawks stood in the middle of the two lane road leading to the BioSyn facility. His eyes went from the intersection, leading to the highway, then drifted down the road, counting each lamp post along the way until he reached the visitor parking lot. The mid-afternoon sun shined down on him and a dusty wind tousled his blond hair. He rubbed his chin, turning back and forth between the highway and the parking lot. It stretched about a quarter of a mile, a total of twenty-two light posts lined the roadway in pairs, approximately 120 feet apart.
The road itself was called BioSyn One, meaning they owned the entire stretch and the surrounding fields. According to Mr. Caffrey, the property itself totaled a thousand acres of land, which was sizable considering they only used about fifteen acres. That didn't really matter though, it was all dust, brittle grass shrubs, thorny bushes, and rolling hills. Nestled far away from society where no innocent civilians ran the risk of getting hurt. Even the other facilities around the world were in secluded spaces with a decent amount of land surrounding them.
Gravel crunched behind him. He turned around to find Endeavor and some scruffy guy in a security uniform rolling up in a golf cart. "Hawks!" Endeavor hollered, flagging him down. "What the hell are you doing out here?" He looked like he was in a clown car.
Hawks chuckled and took flight, heading for one of the light posts.
"Where are you going?" Endeavor got out of the golf cart, arms crossed over his chest, flaming waving in the desert breeze.
Hawks stopped at the light post, hovering around it, studying the security camera. He twisted around and glided to the one across the street, another security camera. The cameras were in a zigzag pattern down the street, totally eleven. Given the fact BioSyn was a research facility with lots of information on quirks, it made sense to have so much security. He flew back to Endeavor and the security guy.
"How many security cameras are on the outer premises?" Hawks looked at the security guy, who was still sitting in the gold cart.
The guy, Harold, according to the name tag, tapped his chin. "Around 100."
Hawks nodded. "Interiors?"
Harold sputtered. "I'm not sure on an exact number, but close to 200."
"Why does the number of security cameras matter?" Endeavor asked.
"And they're all HD cameras?" Hawks asked, ignoring Endeavor's question. He'd fill him in later, first he wanted to make sure that his theory was viable.
Ryota of the Daizen 7 was a technopath, meaning he could access any piece of technology and use it to his advantage. Security cameras were eyes in the sky, but Hawks had to assume he had a drawback of some sort, possibly proximity to the technology itself.
"Harold. Do you copy?" a staticy voice came over the walkie talkie hooked onto Harold's belt.
Harold grabbed the walkie talkie and brought it to his mouth. "Yeah, I copy. What's going on?"
"There's something you gotta see. Southeast corner of the lab. Also you might want to bring those heroes with you."
Hawks and Endeavor looked at each other, but neither said anything. Hawks lifted into the air and flew toward the lab while Endeavor rode in the golf cart with Harold. He wasn't sure what he expected to see, but his gut told him that the Daizen 7 followed them to America. That further led him to believe one of two things: first, Ryota was far stronger than they anticipated or second, there was a double agent. Having been a double agent before, Hawks knew it wouldn't be impossible.
He approached the southeast corner of the lab building, spotting a security guard and Mr. Caffrey. When he landed, he walked over and scrunched his nose. A puddle of black and purple ooze and contorted bones lay on the ground. The scene before him shared similarities with the creature that attacked them forty-eight hours ago and the pictures of Marionette that Eraserhead and Shinso had gotten from the coroner at Anubis.
Three cases of the same mangled corpses. Hawks looked to Mr. Caffrey. The man slipped his hands into his lab coat and turned away from the body. He snuck a sidelong glance at Hawks, then stood rigid while lifting his chin as if he were trying to appear confident.
Endeavor and Harold arrived on the scene seconds later, parking behind Hawks. They both dismounted the golf cart and came to the scene. Right off the sidewalk, lying half way in and halfway out of the hedge bushes was the corpse. Despite looking horrific and disgusting, the corpse didn't have much of a smell, if anything it was somewhat metallic and earthy like.
"This looks like the creature, but smaller and human," Endeavor said as he crouched at the feet of the body. His eyes darted to Mr. Caffrey. "Want to explain this to us?"
Mr. Caffrey avoided eye contact and cleared his throat. He stuttered a bit then stopped and huffed, raking his hands through his hair. "Harold, please get this cleaned up, all remains should be brought inside," Mr. Caffrey said, then looked to Hawks and Endeavor. "If you two would please come to my office."
"No." Endeavor shook his head. "Talk here and now. We watched the security footage, we dug through the archives, we saw the creature, and now this. Be straight with us, Mr. Caffrey. This is one of Fujimori's dolls, isn't it?"
Hawks sided with Endeavor. He was tired of all the private talks and run around. They were leaving tomorrow afternoon, and while they had accomplished their main objective of getting copies of the stolen files, Mr. Caffrey seemed to know much more than he was letting on.
Mr. Caffrey stared at both of them, face tense and shoulders tight. "Yes."
"Tell us everything you know about his dolls."
"It's complicated."
Endeavor huffed then stormed toward the man, flames raging wildly as he grabbed Mr. Caffrey by the collar of his shirt and lifted in from the ground. "Then make it simple."
Hawks blinked. He knew Endeavor wasn't always the most patient man and his intimidation factor was nothing to scoff at either. He turned around and glanced up at a security camera about fifteen feet from the ground. Whether or not Ryota was watching or not couldn't be determined, but if they were, showing unease and rage would work in their favor. Confused and unstable heroes would evoke confidence in the enemy, which would make them cocky.
"These cameras, can they capture sound?" Hawks asked, looking to Harold.
Harold shook his head. "No, only a few within the buildings can. All the exterior systems are strictly motion capture only."
Mr. Caffrey held his hands up, sweat beaded on his forehead. "I can't."
Endeavor snorted, flames growing hotter and wilder. "You know what I think?" Endeavor dropped Mr. Caffrey, who stumbled back and fell on his ass. "You're working with the Daizen 7."
Hawks pursed his lips. That was a reasonable assessment, but there were some inconsistencies with those theories such as Mr. Caffrey sharing information before. Endeavor wasn't wrong, they knew a lot. Things that Hawks would figure the Daizen 7 wouldn't want them to know. Namely that which involved Mr. Fujimori specifically.
"I'm not," Mr. Caffrey said in a low voice, his body trembling. He looked to Hawks, as if to ask for help. He shook his head when Hawks did nothing and carefully rose back to his feet, holding his hands up to keep Endeavor at bay. "I'm not. I don't want anything to do with them."
Something about the way he looked so uneasy and filled with dread made Hawks believe him. The shake in his voice, the sadness in his eyes, the cowering stance. Inditimating or not, Endeavor would never actually harm the man. Hawks stepped forward and patted Endeavor's shoulder.
"Please, believe me," Mr. Caffrey said, his elbows squeezed to his side, making him appear smaller. "I don't want…"
"Who do they have?" Hawks asked, eyes locking on Mr. Caffrey. The man took in a deep breath and stood straighter, regaining his composure. He glanced at Endeavor, who had relaxed after hearing Hawks question.
"My daughter."
Hawks sighed, rubbed the back of his neck, and nodded toward the two security guards. "And these two are in on it?"
Mr. Caffrey nodded. "Yes, only them."
"Is he still watching?" Hawks nodded in the direction of the security camera.
"No," Mr. Caffrey replied, then looked at the corpse to their left. "But it won't be long before another one of these takes his place."
"This was how he was able to connect to the security system," Hawks half stated and half asked, pointing to the body.
"That's right."
"How is that possible?" Endeavor jumped in, obviously putting the pieces together.
"Like I said, he's mixing quirks."
"Why did they take your daughter? What do they want from you?" Hawks wanted to know what Mr. Caffrey could offer to them. If they still had his daughter, which it appeared that they did, they were still using him for something.
"At first, for access to the files that went missing. Now, they want DNA samples of various people with specific quirks." Mr. Caffrey looked to Hawks then to Endeavor. "I need your help to save my daughter."
Hawks nodded. "Do you know where they are?"
Mr. Caffrey frowned. "No."
Endeavor turned his back to Mr. Caffrey. "We'll find them. Hawks, let's go."
"Mr. Caffrey continue doing as they ask. We'll be in touch." Hawks bowed his head then followed Endeavor down the sidewalk, leading to the courtyard. When they were out of earshot, Hawks glanced back over his shoulder. Mr. Caffrey talked to Harold and the other guard then walked back inside the laboratory building.
"We'll have Midoriya keep tabs on this place," Endeavor said, head held high. "In the meantime, we need to figure out where these bastards are operating."
"Agreed," Hawks replied, stuffing his hands in his coat pockets.
-xXx-
Bakugo had the night patrol. He'd walked around the lake, hung around the obstacle course for half an hour, then wandered around the lodge. Everything appeared normal. Maybe he had been wrong about the Daizen 7 coming to attack. They only had another two days before the camp was over. He hoped the others had managed to gather some useful information. More importantly, he hoped Kamui Woods would allow him onto a more important mission than glorified babysitting. Sure, he'd been worried before and he had every reason to be, but now he was wondering what the Daizen 7 cared about.
When the case first came around, Bakugo was the only one digging for information. And he found out a lot of things, but it still left them with more questions than answers. Then, he was attacked. Twice! And both attackers, who should be very much dead, had claimed the Daizen 7 wanted him, that he was on a list. If that were the case, why hadn't they gotten him in the two months that had come and gone. They had to know he was still alive.
Did they want his quirk? Were they stealing quirks? If they had stolen them, what was their plan for those stolen quirks. Bakugo groaned, all the questions and few answers made his brain hurt. He plopped down on a picnic table on the backside of the lodge. The crickets chirped away and the moonlight poured its silver light onto the pines and knee-high grass. A soft breeze blew by, cooling his skin.
His mind wandered away from work and rather to Uraraka. He liked that woman a lot more than he should have. Her laugh was infectious, her smile was dazzling, her smell soothed him, the way she tilted her head when she was confused was adorable. Bakugo pinched the bridge of his nose, scolding himself for letting his emotions get the better of him. They were pro heroes, worked at the same agency, working on the same case. It was a terrible idea to get involved. The enemy could exploit that, or worse if she got hurt because of him or something like that he'd never forgive himself.
At the same time though, Bakugo had never felt so deeply for someone before. Uraraka. Pink Cheeks. The girl who messed with gravity. He ran his fingers through his hair, his lips curling into a smile. He propped his elbows on the table and stretched out his legs, gazing up at the stars. It was a night very similar to the time they laid on the dock. That was when he realized something was going on between them. It was a slight tug, but now it had become a full on yank.
An owl hooted from a nearby tree. Bakugo sat there for a while longer, enjoying the stars. He couldn't stop smiling, which made him angry. "Get your shit together. The fuck are you thinking?"
"You talking to yourself?" Icyhot's voice filled his ears.
Bakugo stiffened and slowly looked toward him. "No."
"You and Uraraka have gotten close."
Bakugo huffed and rose to his feet. "You're relieving me, right?"
Icyhot stifled a laugh. "Yes."
"Alright then." Bakugo turned on his heels, heading toward the lodge. He wasn't going to give Icyhot the satisfaction of knowing anything. Yes, he and Uraraka had gotten close, and sure they had kissed, and he did kiss her cheek the other day, but it was all innocent. Friends did that stuff, right?
"Hey, Bakugo," Icyhot called to him, still standing by the picnic table.
"What?"
"It's a lot easier when you accept what you're feeling."
"Shut up, Icyhot bastard!"
"I saw the way you were looking at her during the obstacle course yesterday," Icyhot said with a shrug. "You clearly have feelings for her."
Bakugo's blood boiled. "No, I don't."
"You're a terrible liar, and you're blushing."
Bakugo did feel a bit warm, but Icyhot was dead wrong. And as long as Bakugo didn't say it outloud then it wasn't true. He'd keep it all inside and mash it down. Way, way down. Why the hell was he so flustered? All he had to do was keep his composure and deny his feelings. That was the problem though, wasn't it? He was flustered and angry because it was true.
"I'm not telling you what to do, but being that we're heroes and face danger all the time being honest about how you feel makes it a little easier."
Bakugo stood still, eying Icyhot with both annoyance and intrigue. He didn't want to ask him how that was true, but at the same time he really wanted to.
A scream came from within the cafeteria portion of the lodge. Bakugo and Icyhot both turned toward the two story building, then rushed toward the sound. The lights on the second floor flickered on loud bangs and roars echoed from within. Glass shattered along the cafeteria windows and through the opening, a massive beast thrashed around.
Chairs and tables smashed around the room, piling along the edges of the space. Bakugo and Icyhot stood at the entryway. On the far side of the cafeteria, near the kitchen doors Plum was pressed against the wall, blood streaking down her face. The monster looked like a cross between a reptile and human, standing a good ten feet tall, a long skinny tail whipped behind it's back.
Plum's eyes were closed. Bakugo didn't understand why she was even in the cafeteria in the first place. His eyes darted to each entryway into the cafeteria, the one behind them, the one leading to the main hall, all the windows that were now broken, and the kitchen. Those damn kids would come running in at any second, hopefully the Uraraka and the others were trying to keep them in their rooms.
"Seal off all the entryways into the room."
Icyhot gave him a confused stare. "What?"
Bakugo held up a hand, sparks and pops forming in his palm. "We need to keep those kids out and we need to make sure that fucking thing doesn't escape."
Icyhot nodded and let out a frosty breath. He slammed his foot on the floor and ice shot straight across the room, sealing the kitchen entrance. The creature roared and tossed Plum aside, turning to face them. Icyhot held his hands out, closing off all the windows and the remaining two entrances. Thick ice walls surrounded them. No one would be able to come in or out. At least not anytime soon. Bakugo and Icyhot had to work fast to kill that ugly ass creature and save Plum.
"Get Plum, I'll keep that thing occupied," Bakugo said, narrowing his eyes at the reptilian humanoid snarling at them, tongue flicking in the air. Drool fell from its mouth and it snarled, bony spikes portruded from its elbows and knees.
Icyhot nodded, flames engulfing his left side. "Let's make this quick."
"Who the hell do you think you're talking to?" Bakugo launched forward at full speed. He pulled his hand back, heat building in his palm. Upon contact, he unleashed a powerful explosion, slamming the monster into the floor. The ground cracked and fractured, pale linoleum tile fragments flew across the room.
The reptilian beast hissed, craning its head toward Bakugo. Its tail wrapped around his ankle and flung him across the room. He crashed into the ice wall and hit the floor. Groaning, Bakugo rose to a crouch and rubbed the back of his head. The lizard thing rolled onto its clawed feet, standing at its full height. Even though Bakugo struck with a powerful blow, only a slight charring appeared on the monster's chest.
"Tough son of a bitch," Bakugo grumbled, standing and popping off small explosions in his palms. It charged him. Bakugo lifted both palms, shooting several times. The beast dodged his blows, rolling across the floor. It screeched and bellowed, bolting at Bakugo's right flank. Bakugo jumped forward at the last possible moment. He barreled across the floor and spun around. "AP Shot!"
The reptile took the hit. It's body smashed into the ice wall. Cracks and fissures echoed in the room, small shards clattered to the floor. Bakugo flexed his fingers. In his costume gear, he could go much harder if he needed too. Blood smeared on the icewall, falling into tiny puddles on the floor. The creature didn't move. Bakugo turned his attention to Icyhot, who'd made a small iceshield wall in the back corner of the room. He'd come around it and walked toward Bakugo, but halted about halfway.
Bakugo's brow furrowed. Ice crunched and heavy growls rang in his ear. He turned to the sound, teeth gritted and fists clenched. The monster staggered away from the ice. Blood dripped to the floor. Smoke rose in billowing, wispy ribbons from its body. The blue-green scales covered the wounds, but soon turned an inky black.
It's once yellow eyes glowed a vibrant red. It threw its head back unleashing a howling scream. Bakugo jumped back. The creature flew toward him at near impossible speeds. He dove under the beast, rolled onto his feet, spun around and dropped down to one knee. He directed his right palm at the lizard. It heated and glowed a pale orange. He braced himself and sent off a massive explosion.
Icyhot created a wall of ice around himself to dodge the blow. Heat swelled in the room and smoke swirled around. Bakugo panted and dropped his palm, resting it on his bent knee. Icyhot came from around the icewall, eyes locked on the plume of smoke.
A large shadow moved from within the smoke. Bakugo narrowed his eyes. "Are you fucking kidding?"
The monster's tail pierced through the flames and smoke. Needle like and glinting, it broke through his chest plate, sliced through flesh and bone, then came through the otherside. Bakugo's eyes widened, mouth falling open as a strangle cry of pain escaped him. His vision went blurry, the taste of blood filled his mouth.
The monster lifted Bakugo higher then flung him at the wall. Bakugo crumbled into the floor, blood soaking his costume and dripping onto the floor. The lizard darted across the room and grabbed Bakugo by the throat. It snarled, skin falling from its face in chunks. Bakugo grimaced as the creature licked the blood off his chin.
"Fucking die," Bakugo choked out, grabbing hold of the monsters exposed sternum. "Bang."
Summing up every last drop of strength and power, Bakugo's hand scorched the lizard's body. He smirked, despite the immense pain that overtook him. Multiple explosions fired from his hand, shattering the monster's bones. It released Bakugo, dropping him with a thud on the floor.
"Bakugo!" Icyhot unleashed a flurry of flames.
The beast screamed, clutching to its chest. Flames engulfed the reptilian monster, spiraling and twisting like a tornado. Bakugo forced himself into an upright position, putting pressure onto his wounds. Things were fading away, sounds, smells, sight. He fought to keep his eyes open, wanting to watch Icyhot incinerate that fucking thing.
The shadowy figure within the flames collapsed to the ground. Regardless, Icyhot didn't relent. The temperature in the room grew hotter with each passing second. Bakugo rested his head against the wall, the slick ice melted away. After another ten seconds, Icyhot dropped his hand and panted.
Bakugo could feel himself fading. The pain had nearly left him. His shirt was soaked with his blood, the damn thing had done some serious damage. He swayed, trying to keep himself up right. Black dots appeared in his sight line. He swallowed, then coughed as globs of blood overflowed in his throat.
In the middle of the room, the scorched lizard thing was nothing more than a pile of black bile and splintered bone. Icyhot ran over to Bakugo, grabbing hold of his shoulders to sit him upright. "Bakugo, stay with me. Don't close your eyes."
"It doesn't hurt."
Icyhot shook his head. "No, we want you to feel pain."
"Well," Bakugo choked out. "I don't."
"Bakugo, keep talking to me," Icyhot said as he rose to his feet and held his hand out, flames shooting toward the frozen doorway. "Hey, open your eyes!"
"Don't tell me," Bakugo groaned and coughed, blood dripped off his chin, "what to do, Icyhot bastard."