Apologies, I'm doing my best to get back in my groove still, it appears things aren't as okay as originally anticipated.
Disclaimer: I do not own Infinite Stratos
With everything that's happened in the last chapter, I think it's time to backtrack a little!
The past...
Needles...So many needles.
The young boy's arms were wracked and sore as the doctors injected him and took samples, with little regard to the boy's will or terror.
"Subject Zero-Zero-One has shown no signs of rejection, nanotech extract has shown to be still viable outside of the host."
"Interesting...It's possible that due to the donor having inherited nanotech from the original project, his DNA is the most viable to acquire more-or perhaps, more children from other super soldiers made from the Amazon Program."
"However, without DNA containing the God Gene, we can't make the assumption that the host was able to bypass the IS Unit's systems with nanotech."
"None of the known super soldiers have shown any signs of children, however...It appears Agent Yin's last known assignment resulted in child birth."
"Perhaps, but Thomas Scott has proven to be invaluable."
"Orders are orders, Scott is to be released soon."
Released soon? That meant...They were letting that other guy out. What if Shoto could escape with him?
Shoto hid this sudden spike in...What was this feeling?
Was this...Hope?
Some very long time later...Shoto had gone to sleep almost seven times since then, meaning it was a week since Shoto heard that other boy's name. After that long time, Shoto could tell the doctors were all busy, probably getting ready to return that other guy.
Shoto had to make his move.
He was put through the usual injections, Shoto was struggling to contain his excitement, if anyone figured out it'd be over before it started.
Just wait for a moment...A single moment...
The chance to be free, to see the outside world once more...It was so tantalizing, so teasing...
Test after test, like normal, Shoto was beginning to sweat with anticipation just a little.
Only one chance...Shoto just had to find it.
Shoto kept going throughout his daily routine, from short physical exercise, to brain scans, to sitting at a desk and being asked what he felt one picture was-usually they just looked like random splatters in a barely symmetrical design.
And that's when his moment came.
It was barely a few seconds, almost no time at all, but Shoto saw paper clips lying right in front of him on the table. His cell was locked, he saw a spy do it once in a movie, perhaps he could pick the locks?
There was only one way to find out...
"That's all the time we have for today." The doctor said, "We'll resume this tomorrow."
Shoto was escorted back to his cell, and the guards were none-the-wiser.
There was only one thing left to do.
Shoto knew they didn't have any guards, they rightfully expected Shoto to be too scared to make any attempts to escape.
At least...Until now.
Once he heard the escort walk off, Shoto sprang from his bedding to spring the lock. He pulled the paperclip in half-which took a lot more effort than he thought-and stuck both pieces into the lock.
Shoto always wondered...How did this work? The spy in that movie stuck the paperclip in and wiggle them around...Shoto began to do the same, after some time, he could hear tiny clicks, each click seemed to indicate Shoto was a step closer to picking the lock.
Shoto turned the lock, and with one final click, he'd opened the door!
What luck! It was so easy!
Almost too easy!
Shoto was...Practically unguarded. It was like the evil people were stupid! All he could feel was a stunning sense of surprised disappointment, it...Was pretty sad how he was kidnapped by these people, who completely left him unguarded.
Shoto needed a means to escape.
But where?
He snuck from corner to corner, avoiding any stray people.
It was a little strange...Every time Shoto thought he was soon to be caught, whoever was nearby just turned on their heel and went the other way.
But that wouldn't make sense, if they saw him, they'd have blown the whistle...Right?
Shoto looked around, he found his way into...A loading area?
At the far end of the room, the young boy could spy a van, its backdoors wide open, almost as if it were enticing him to come closer.
Shoto licked his lips, and slowly but surely snuck his way to the van, not caring if it was departing or not. It would be leaving eventually, and when it did, Shoto had a secure seat to finally escape his prison.
"Hey! Who's there?" A guard called from around Shoto's current cover.
Shoto's heart stopped, his breathing paused, and he froze like a statue.
Maybe if he stayed still and quiet...
"I heard something over there..." Footsteps were getting louder and louder.
No! This couldn't be happening! He was so close!
The footsteps were the only thing Shoto could hear now, the guard was towering over Shoto's flimsy hiding place. All Shoto could do was curl up and squeam with adrenaline, fighting to not make a sound, he was sweating profusely.
"Coulda sworn..."
Shoto's vision was going black, his lungs tried taking in air, he was moments from being forced to gasp for air.
"Must've been my imagination." The guard turned, and stomped off.
Shoto's eyes went wide, and he quietly gasped deeply, basking in the sweet relief of oxygen.
That was way too close for comfort!
Shoto looked all around, and ran right for the open doors.
Once he was inside the sanctity of the van, his heart was beating too fast for him to handle, his stomach was rumbling, he felt quite weak. In his eagerness, Shoto ignored his supper, and worn himself out to keep in control.
He needed a nap.
Shoto curled up under a bench at the side of the back, and fell asleep.
And what he woke up to...Was not expected.
The present, Tokyo Bay shipping yard...
"It's...It's a kid." Remarked Tyrone, "What's a kid doing here?"
"I found him under my seat." Said Thomas, "Snatched him up and booked it in the ruckus we made in the van."
The young boy trembled in Thomas's hands.
"He looks terrified..." Ichika mumbled, "Hey, it's okay, we're not gonna hurt you."
"What's your name?" Elias joined, "Mine is Elias Dansforth."
"I'm Tyrone, we're all here to help." Tyrone jumped in as well.
The boy whimpered quietly, he wasn't resisting or struggling, but he was clearly frightened.
"Hey, it's okay, it's okay," Thomas tried, "We're not here to hurt yah, just calm down, we're all friends here."
The boy still whimpered and trembled, his eyes were mismatched, as he had a golden left eye and one dark-brown eye, his hair was jet-black, he looked quite well-taken care of, despite how frightened he was.
"Still scared? I don't blame you," Said Thomas, "But we can help you, just try to communicate with us."
The boys did their best to look as approachable as possible. Thomas loosened his hands to release the boy to see about if he was scared enough to run or panic if he let go. Thankfully, the boy was simply trembling and whimpering, and made no move to flee.
"Guys, guys," Ichika said, "Chill, he's scared of us, let's at least try to calm down and back off a little...For all he knows, we're Phantom Task."
The boys all paused as they realized Ichika was right.
Soon after, the boys, barring the young child, quickly piled into an emergency huddle.
"So...What're we doing?" Thomas yawned.
"I dunno," Said Tyrone, "I mean, we got a van, no license plates, no driver's license, no idea how much gas is in the van or if the van will actually explode, and a lost child that I don't think taking to the police station will be a smart move."
"Why not?"
"Think," Said Tyrone, "We found him just after Phantom Task dropped us off...There's no reason he should be here unless he was at the same location with us."
"Maybe it was 'Take your kid to work' day?" Thomas cracked.
"Not now..." Ichika told Thomas.
"Fine fine." Thomas groaned.
"I feel we should help the boy," Said Elias, "But it's clear he's not inclined to be in our presence."
"Yeah, we absolutely should try to approach a lot more gently." Ichika said.
"Question is, how? He looks ready to book it any second." Said Tyrone, "And if he gets away..."
"We can't just put our foot down." Protested Ichika, "What're we gonna do?"
"Try to keep the young boy calm, however, Miss Orimura is arriving soon, what'll we do then?" Elias pondered.
"Uh...Nuts," Thomas sighed, "M'head hurts, can't think big thonks."
"Big thonks?" Ichika was quite concerned.
"I can't big-brain right now." Thomas said plainly.
"You sure you're okay? You look so drained..."
"'Cuz I am." Thomas said plainly.
"You might wanna lie down..." Tyrone urged.
"S'fine." Thomas said, "M'feelin' like magic n' rainbows right now..."
"Oh dear," Elias observed, "He's grown a bit delirious..."
"Wha...?" Thomas giggled, "Nuh-uh."
Ichika looked up from the huddle, and looked to find that the boy was gone.
"Wait...Where's the young kid?" Ichika realized, breaking the huddle.
Much to Ichika's realization, the young boy was nowhere in sight.
"Oh dear..." Elias mumbled, "What do we do now? The young lad must be terrified, he may have no idea where he is!"
"He's right there." Thomas slurred, pointing to a nearby set of crates, "Dun' know what yer all on."
The boys all turned to look, and sure enough, the boy's head immediately shrunk behind the crates.
"He's lost the marbles and he's still able to figure stuff out..." Tyrone remarked, "That's dope."
"Yeh, yeh." Thomas chuckled.
"What now?" Said Ichika, "We can't just waltz up and say hi, he's still pretty scared of us..."
"We can't just wait, if the young boy stays with us until Ms. Orimura picks us up...How will he react?"
"Fair..." Tyrone said, "I mean...If we approach this carefully we might be able to calm him down..."
"Hm..." Ichika said, "Elias, make sure Thomas doesn't hurt himself, Tyrone and I will see about the kid."
Ichika and Tyrone turned to the crates, and approached slowly and calmly. Elias took a rather loosened up Thomas and walked him over to a crate to try and get Thomas to sit down, with a refreshing compliance from Thomas.
Ichika was inching closer and closer, praying the child would feel at ease...How could he calm down a kid? He wasn't a parent, and the child was a complete stranger, he had no clue how to put the boy at ease.
Ichika and Tyrone rounded the corner...Thankfully, the child didn't try running, and was simply cowering in the corner. The sight was awful, an absolutely terrified child cowering in front of what he felt was someone out to get him.
Ichika knew the feeling all too well...
"Hey...It's okay," Ichika spoke softly, "Uh...My name's Ichika. Ichika Orimura. We're not gonna hurt you..."
The boy was still terrified, Ichika had to try and lull the boy into a genuine sense of security. Should he approach any closer, the young boy would either lash out or scramble to wherever Ichika wasn't, and run off into the night.
"Hey..." Tyrone stood next to Ichika, understanding not to get too close.
The boy scrambled a little, and pushed himself deeper into the corner.
This wasn't working...They had to think of something else.
"I have an idea..." Ichika turned to Tyrone, "Join the others, I'll try and see if only one person is enough to calm him down."
"Ah, yeah, good luck." Tyrone turned and went to Elias and Thomas.
"Hoo-kay..." Ichika took deep breaths, like he was about to go on stage.
However, the performance was a challenge of not spooking the audience to death...Ichika had to gain the boy's trust, but he knew nothing about the boy he could use to relate to him...Except...
"Hey..." Ichika cooed, "It's okay, we're not here to hurt you."
The boy was certainly less tense, but he still didn't trust Ichika.
"Look," Ichika stammered, "I know what it's like...I know what it's like to be taken away by people you don't know."
The boy heard that, he began to pay a little more attention. Ichika felt the gears turn in his brain, perhaps the way to get the boy to calm down and open up to them was to empathize with him...It seemed each of the boys had a way to do so.
Perhaps that was their way to calm the boy down.
"I know how it feels...To suddenly be taken away, to be shut out from the rest of the world and backed into a corner...I've been through it too, and I know you're scared...Please...We don't mean to scare you, we're here to help."
The boy's expression had changed to awe.
He...He was actually calming down.
Ichika reached out his hand, hoping he'd done this right.
The boy glanced back and forth between looking at Ichika's hand to Ichika's eyes, deep in thought. The boy was pondering quite the weighty choice...Should he really place his trust in Ichika? Or were they waiting to lull him into a false sense of security to strike?
Ichika's eyes seemed trustworthy...Understanding.
The boy reached out a timid, shy hand, slowly taking hold of Ichika's as Ichika gently pulled the boy to his feet.
Ichika sighed in relief...It worked.
"C'mon, I'll introduce you to the others. My name's Ichika, what's yours?"
The boy flinched...Nobody asked him his name before...
"Sh...Sh..." Mumbled the boy.
"What's that?"
"...Shoto." Answered the boy.
"Well Shoto, you don't have to be afraid anymore."
"...I don't?" Shoto was talking quietly.
"That's right, we'll keep you safe, you don't have to be scared of us."
Shoto seemed hesitant, he still didn't trust the boys. Then again, Rome wasn't built in a day...
"Alright!" Thomas stretched his back, "Who's calling the Uber?"
Tyrone chuckled.
"You haven't changed, eh?" Tyrone teased.
"Hey, I have zero clue what I'm doing right now, but I think this right here is nice." Thomas shrugged.
"That...Made little sense, but yeah." Concurred Ichika.
"But seriously though, who's picking us up?" Said Thomas.
"Oh, Chifuyu-Nee should be along in a few minutes." Ichika waved dismissively.
"Ah, yeah...Dibs on the shower."
"All yours!"
The next day...
Thomas yawned deeply...It'd been too long since he slept in the dorm room.
The last few days...Or however long he'd been in captivity...It almost felt like a dream with how quickly he was able to return to normal. How long had he'd been kidnapped for? Days? Weeks? He'd lost track of time...All that really meant to him was that he'd have a lot of extra homework to do.
"Oh, you're up!" Ichika called from the kitchenet, "Sleep well? Looks like you've readjusted pretty easily..."
"M'fine..." Thomas yawned again.
"You sure...? I mean...You're a tough guy to crack, but...Are you really sure that whole shebang didn't rock you? I've been through it myself, coincidentally similar situation as well...You can talk to me about it."
"Egh...Too early in the morning for this..." Thomas climbed out of bed, "Seriously, dude...I'm fine, so stop going all mother hen on me."
"Fine, fine," Ichika placed several bacon strips on a plate, "Just making sure, it never hurts to ask."
"Mhm." David went to his drawers to get dressed.
"Thankfully, it's the weekend, so there's no classes today." Said Ichika, "You passed out right when we got home...I think you're staying put today."
"Wha-? Who died and made you my boss?!"
"Think about it-you collapsed the moment you walked right next to your bed, you're looking a little thinner than usual, pale, and you just came home from being abducted...Going out isn't really a good idea, the girls were in an uproar when they heard about it, they'll probably have their undivided attention on you if you try walking around..."
"...You have a point..." Thomas sighed.
"Chifuyu-Nee obviously wants to make sure you're okay...St-"
"I know you're about to ask again, seriously, I feel like normal, it was just some crazy experience that's probably never gonna happen again...I know you care, but I can roll with the punches pretty well."
"Yeah yeah...Now eat up, I made bacon and eggs for yah." Ichika set a plate.
"Okay then, wife." Thomas barbed.
"Don't be rude." Ichika said as he retracted the plate of delicious food.
"Aw c'mon..." Thomas whined.
"Ask nicely, and I just might forgive you." Ichika huffed.
"Fiiine...I'm sorry..."
"Better." Ichika said as he returned the food to the table.
"Hey..." Thomas realized, "What happened to that kid we found?"
"You mean Shoto? Chifuyu-Nee had him stay with Maya-Sensei for the night, I guess her bubbly personality sorta soothed his worries..."
"Oh yes because it clearly has nothing to do with her-"
"-Finish the sentence and you won't finish breakfast." Ichika deadpanned.
"...Dick." Thomas pouted as he devoured his meal.
Knock knock knock!
"Whos'at?" Thomas said between bites.
"Must be the other guys." Ichika said, walking to the door.
"Hey! How's our blockbuster boy doin?!" Tyrone threw his hands up as soon as the door opened.
"We decided to check up on how you were recovering," Elias chimed in soon after, "I trust things have been more comfortable than whatever Phantom Task left you in?"
"They're gonna be gettin' a negative one star on Yelp." Said Thomas, "One of 'em tried to get all buddy-buddy with me...It got weird, and it got weird fast."
"What happened?"
"She offered me a candy bar, and she said some weird things...I ain't gonna say what, trust me, it's friggin' weird."
"What? She try to get into your pants?"
"I...I guess? If we're talking brocon Onee-San-style."
"Dayum...Dunno if that's hot or creepy."
"Let's not think about which it is!" Elias stepped in, "After all, it's probably just better to put that in the past, it was probably solely because they wanted our DNA, right?"
"To that end..." Thomas pondered out loud, "While I'd say it's up to the imagination what they're planning, but...Phantom Task's intent is as bright as day, they want the magic secret before anyone else...What makes us so special."
"But to what end?" Inquired Ichika, "Even if they figure out how we're able to pilot IS units, that doesn't mean they have the ability to find others...Can they? I mean...Look, we're from Japan, England, America..."
"Brazil." Tyrone added.
"Come again?" Ichika cocked an eyebrow, "Wait...You're not American?"
"Wai-wai-wait...You mean you didn't know I'm from Brazil, seriously?!" Tyrone looked hurt.
"I mean...We were told you were a new transfer, but not that you were from Brazil..." Elias piped up.
"...To be fair, they didn't give us any info other than you were coming." Said Thomas, "We probably could've asked for info, but...We were just glad to have another guy to break the ice with at all to care about background."
"Bet, sounds like I came in a nick of time." Tyrone shut the door, taking a seat at the table.
"Indeed," Elias nodded, "Having more peers to relate to is a breath of fresh air."
"So, ah...You all eat already?" Thomas stopped eating.
"...I'll go get the burner cooking..." Ichika sighed, turning back to the kitchenet.
"Thank you very much." Elias bowed graciously.
"So, when's Chifuyu gonna come for me?" Thomas said.
"Any old time now, though I'd guess she's giving you just a little bit of leeway."
"Didn't expect her to show mercy."
"She can, just that she usually doesn't."
Sometime later, in Chifuyu's office...
"It's good to see you're safe and sound, Scott-San," Said Chifuyu, "Given what's happened to you, you'll be exempt from classes until you're deemed fit to resume studies with the rest of the students."
"Yes ma'am." Thomas nodded.
"Rest assured, there's a full battery of medical examinations waiting for you. We need to ensure Phantom Task hasn't run any sort of...'Experiments" on you without your knowledge...You're...Certain you don't need any sort of consultation? Abduction isn't something that happens on a regular basis...At least, to majority of civilians."
"I know..." Thomas grumbled.
"I'd recommend you'd try spending some time with Orimura-San, you and he both now have a similar experience to talk about-"
"How's the kid we found doing?" Thomas dodged the suggestion.
"I can assure you, he's adjusting as well as he can." Chifuyu cocked an eyebrow, "We're keeping this part of the matter classified, only those who've been in prior contact can see him and know anything about him."
"I understand."
"Currently, we're trying to locate the boy's parents, we took a DNA sample while he was fast asleep, and we're going to look into any missing persons cases from all over Japan. We need to keep this under wraps at all costs, if the student body learns of Shoto, there'd be no telling how much of a headache we'll have on our hands."
"Oh definitely." Thomas added, "Wait...Can't we just turn the kid over to the authorities?"
"Given how Phantom Task made an attempt on you while you were on the mainland, and succeeded...It's simply safer for Shoto to remain close to us, we can't trust anyone else until he can be returned home...If he has one."
"Come again?"
"We know nothing about this young boy you brought to us," Explained Chifuyu, "We're not even sure he has a place to go or even if he has any family. We need to be ready for whatever answers we find."
"That makes sense..."
"Now, off you go, biding for time won't work forever to save you from medical."
"Fiiiine..." Thomas huffed and pouted, walking out of the office.
Chifuyu nodded as Thomas left the room, turning to the window and brooding.
This...Was bound to be quite the challenge.
Some time later, at the Infirmary...
"Well, Scott-San," Said Maya, "You're reading all green across the board, lucky you!"
"Wonderful! Where's my lollipop?" Thomas joked.
"Excuse me...? Well...I guess we could get one..." Maya was flustered, not expecting the joke.
"I-I mean I guess I'd like one, was just makin' a joke..." Thomas mumbled.
"I-I see...Well, you're free to go get one..." Maya said awkwardly.
"Y-Yeah...Thanks." Thomas shuffled out of the Infirmary.
Upon leaving, Thomas was bombarded by a human missile launching right into him from the side. He barely had any time to react as he saw a pitch-black blur ram right into him, with two arms snapping around him tightly.
Nana had seized the moment to pull him into a tight hug.
"You dummy...You absolute dummy!" Nana whimpered.
"H-Hey Nana...Sorry about...All this."
"You could've called when you got back!" Nana scolded, "You have any clue how stressful it was?!"
"I can imagine..."
"Just...Promise you're gonna stick close, at least for a while...Please?"
"I...Yeah, sure..." Thomas wriggled an arm out to pat Nana's head.
"W-Wanna...Wanna grab a bite to eat? You're a lot skinnier than before...Holy crap, how do you keep your pants up?"
"...With a belt." Thomas shrugged.
Nana snorted.
"You really shouldn't be making too many jokes, it'll make people worry."
"In my defense," Protested Thomas, "You set me up for it, I couldn't not do it."
"Oh did I now?" Nana tried not to giggle, leading Thomas off to a vending machine.
"I really shouldn't be in public...Y'know how it is."
"I do, I'll clean out the machine and we'll have a feast in your room, I'm worried my roommate would walk in on us."
Nana spent several minutes putting money into the vending machine, and pulled out a small plastic bag to carry bags of cookies, chips, and crackers of various sorts. She then retrieved a few drinks from an adjacent drinks machine. Once secured, Nana quickly took Thomas's hand and pulled him to his dorm room.
"Remember when we were kids?" Reminisced Nana, "We'd stay over at each other's houses and ate snacks until our dads found out and got upset...And every vacation break during the school year, you'd always come back with stories about visits to Japan...I wanted to ask if I could join you, but I was too nervous."
"Yeah...I had my head up my ass at the time," Thomas thought back himself, "I was such a doofus not to notice you back then..."
"You totally were! I guess we both had some shortcomings way back when..."
"I...I can't even remember how long its been since we've had some time alone..." Thomas realized, "I kinda miss those days...A lot."
"I do too...But we're not little anymore. Times have changed, we gotta hang out in new ways."
"Huh...I...Didn't realize you got so mopey since I was gone."
"Oh shaddup, Princess Peach, you really think this is easy on anyone?"
"...Yeah, sorry..."
"Ichika had to lock the door last night so I didn't barge in...He told me you were out cold the moment you touched the bed."
"Cripes...I can't even remember what happened after we were released, it was all a blur..."
"I bet, sounds like the worst roller coaster ever."
"More like a shitty hotel that I couldn't walk out of 'cuz I couldn't pay the bill...Or maybe I did, I dunno."
"Yeesh, a one-star joint?"
"Negative five."
"Brutal..." Nana said as she marched over and began to snuggle Thomas a little, "Hehehe~ I feel fuzzy when we snuggle~"
"This feels nice..." Thomas yawned a little, "Y'know, last Halloween, I was so tempted to cuddle with you..."
"The one where I had a massive hangover?"
"Yup, that one."
"I'd say it speaks volumes how you chose not to." Nana giggled, "It's the guy I crushed on that chose not to do that sort of thing."
"It's nice to hear you admit it~"
"Pff-fff-shaddup." Nana blushed.
The two sat in awkward silence for a minute or so. They kept close, but dare not get any further intimate. They were still very young, and fully giving themselves to each other was far too soon in their relationship. Thomas had yet to fully reciprocate Nana's feelings, and Nana had yet to formally confess her feelings.
They both knew it, but skipping those steps had made things a little awkward.
It was something that must be done, were they to pursue their dream of a future together.
"Hey...Thomas?"
"Yeah?"
"D'you...D'you honestly think things will ever be the same?"
"...If I can be totally honest for a second? I'm not sure...I mean, so much has happened in just a week or two..."
"I see..."
The pair continued to sit in awkward silence.
Elsewhere...
"I understand any and all hesitations." Chifuyu said.
Once Thomas had been dismissed, she'd called Ichika and Maya to bring Shoto to have a private conversation. She wanted to find out what Shoto knew, if he knew anything at all. More importantly, they could evaluate Shoto's mental stability to see the extent of Phantom Task's work on him.
The best way would be to put on a nice smile and give Shoto something to ease his mind, like maybe sweets or something.
Though putting on a nice face was nowhere within Chifuyu's forte.
However...Maya was able to put on a nice face, it would be logical for her to be the one to relay between Chifuyu and Shoto.
There was still one problem, that being Maya was easily distracted in these situations. She'd still have to stay in the same room to keep the topic forward. Perhaps it was best to have both here and Maya converse with Shoto together.
He probably wouldn't be too overwhelmed, right?
Actually...
"I'll talk to him myself." Chifuyu concluded.
This was a prepubescent boy she was concerned with, two older women would probably be more than enough to overwhelm him. Besides, Chifuyu was confident in her image that she alone could coax Shoto without much trouble. All she had to do was keep things to the point and be supportive for Shoto.
Two of the people she held close had gone through the same experience, after all.
"Understood, ma'am." Maya nodded, standing in the next room.
Chifuyu took a place of treats, and entered the room.
There was a table separating Chifuyu and Shoto, who sat in a chair at the other end of the table. Shoto had his hands folded on the table, looking down as though he was guilty and embarrassed of something.
"Shoto-San." Chifuyu closed the door behind her, and set the plate at the center of the table.
Shoto immediately flinched and jolted in his chair, looking up at Chifuyu.
"I am Orimura-San, I'd like to ask you a few questions, if that's okay."
"M-Mhm..." Shoto nodded hesitantly.
"Understand you can speak as much as you'd like, they can't get to you now." Chifuyu assured, "You're safe, you can tell us what happened."
Shoto's expression changed to wonder, almost as if he didn't expect that.
Chifuyu pushed the plate towards Shoto, beckoning him to grab a snack.
"I suppose I'll start with the first question," Chifuyu sat down, "What do you remember?"
Shoto paused, he looked like he was about to say something, but held his tongue.
"As I just said, they can't hurt you anymore, you can tell all about what they did to you."
Shoto took a deep breath.
"Th-Th...They...K-Kept poking me w-with needles..." Shoto's voice was light and trembling, "I...C-Can't remember e-everything..."
"That's perfectly fine, just talk about what you do remember."
"Th-They put s-sticky things on my head...Kept asking me 'C-Can you move this? Try moving it now.' I didn't know why they kept making me do things...I was always afraid they'd hurt me..."
"I see...Do you remember how you came to be with those people?"
"M-Me and my mom a-and dad...I-I got lost i-in the mall, a-and this strange lady o-offered t-to take me to them...I-I fell a-asleep, and then I-I woke up s-surrounded by scary doctors..."
Chifuyu continued to listen to Shoto's stuttering.
Just what was Phantom Task doing to him exactly?
Could it be...That Phantom Task knew something the IS Academy didn't?
A/N: Phew! Finally finished! I'm super super sorry for taking so long with every chapter, life hasn't been too kind.
Still, I'm confident I can keep the wheel turning!
Next time: The Boy with Mismatched Eyes.
Leave a review, they're much appreciated and show that you care!