"It's a code name." Then, at my blank stare, he sighed in resignation. "Fog likes single syllable names, okay?! It wasn't my choice!"
"Whatever you say… Zap," I snorted.
I knew better than to take anything I was about to ask at face value just in case we were being recorded. But I also knew better than to avoid the questions altogether because that would be suspicious and they would catch on that I knew I was being recorded, if of course, I was.
"What are you doing here? What do they want with me?" I asked, putting my full attention on Kaminari instead of examining the room. I could do that later.
"They're vigilantes," he answered, but I had already suspected of what they thought to call themselves. Vigilantes are worse than villains in a lot of ways, but now was not the time to go off on a rant.
"You already met Fog. I suppose you already met Freece, too, but she didn't go by Freece when she was working under Bakugou…"
I could hear it in his voice. It was slightly strained when he mentioned that, and I'm sure if they were listening in, they could hear it, too. They most likely didn't tell him, not trusting him with that important piece of information when he could easily turn on him and get a valuable member caught. They would think he sounds strained because they didn't let him in on a valuable secret and he's not feeling quite part of the group, yet. However, the pained look in his eyes told me something a little different.
I wondered, then, if he was nervous about Bakugou finding out about his involvement and maybe misunderstanding the part he actually played in all of it. Bakugou is scary when he's mad, and I would not want that anger directed at me, so I can imagine Kaminari feeling the same way.
Why would he care if Bakugou was angry with him? I couldn't tell for sure, but I just knew that he was still at least on Bakugou's side, even if he was forsaking the Hero Commission and the League of Villains.
"What do they want with me?" I repeated, undeterred.
"I'm going to give it to you straight, Kei. The League wasn't allowing you to reach your full potential. These guys… they're going to get you maxed out! They're really good at that kind of shit. I mean, look at Port! Uh…" he hesitated. "You know. The one with blue hair!"
"Her quirk is teleportation… and you call her Port? Oh, my fuck."
Kaminari snorted, "hey, you catch on quick! Anyway, she's the newest member of Masayoshi—"
"Masayoshi?!" I snorted. "What's so righteous about—"
"Hey!" Kaminari cut off, a happy glint in his eyes at the teasing banter. "Give them a chance before you go dragging their name, okay?"
I shrugged noncommittally. It didn't go unnoticed that he was saying 'they' instead of 'we.' At best, he was an outsider, an outlier of the group. At worst, he was disposable and just being used as a tool. I'd have to keep my eye on him while I was here and make sure he wasn't crossing any lines or getting himself in trouble.
"Anyway, what I was saying before I was so rudely cut off," Kaminari started, rolling his eyes dramatically but couldn't stop the smile spreading across his face, "Port is the newest member, and she barely passed the test. It's not going to be easy, but you passed the one the League gave you with flying colors, so I'm sure you'll be fine! But she's not super secure here yet, so if you must give sass, please spare at least her, yeah?"
"I'll consider it," I shrugged noncommittally, turning toward the bed against the wall, ready to start my inspection. I figured I wasn't going to get anything else out of Kaminari, so I was eager to start decoding what little hints he might have dropped to me as I searched my room for possible escape routes.
"Think fast!" Kaminari warned before tossing the tattered hoodie in my direction.
"Thanks," I whispered, genuinely relieved to have one of the few pieces of Shigaraki back in my possession.
"I'll go to your home and get you some more things before I come back around tomorrow. Try not to get yourself into too much trouble," Kaminari warned lightheartedly before turning to leave.
"Me? Trouble? Never."
Kaminari snorted as he shut the door behind him. I heard the turn of a lock, and my heart sank. I rushed over, turned the handle, and pulled. Nothing happened. I was locked in this damn room. If they were trying to win me over from the League, they were not going about it the right way. To be fair though, how could they compete? The League was leaps and bounds above this bunch, and I was sure that I wouldn't be stuck here for long if they had anything to say about it.
My thoughts surprised me for a second. I had never been so confident in someone wanting me back. When I was training to go undercover, it was kind of a relief that if I messed up, I would be left to my own defenses. There would be no expectation of others to help, and so there would be no disappointment when no one came to my aid. Working at Bakugou's agency was a risk because they should want to get me back if I ever found myself in a sticky situation, but I was never sure about it. I knew Bakugou would do everything he could to get me back, but maybe the agency would think that they would be better off without such a dangerous timebomb constantly at Bakugou's side.
I was sure that Bakugou used every recourse he could think of. I'm sure, if the League somehow lets him know what happened, he will throw every resource he has at getting me back. I could imagine that… the League and Bakugou teaming up. It was easy to picture, and it brought a smile to my face to think about what Masayoshi was going to eventually face.
I had no doubts that the League would be coming to get me. They would find me and bring me home.
I moved away from the door and firmly knocked on the walls around the room with my knuckles, wondering if I would be able to break out right onto the street if I had had a sledgehammer with me.
I started the search, then. I checked every nook and cranny for anything that would indicate a weakness in the room or something that I could use to escape or defend myself, but I found nothing. There was nothing useful in the bedroom, or even the small, attached bathroom, unless of course, I opted to throw the shampoo bottle at one of the vigilantes. My aim would be spot-on with a little practice, but I wasn't sure how much damage a shampoo bottle would do, and I think following up with throwing the soap would be more likely to kill them through laughter at my pitiful attempt than to actually injure anyone.
Something was wrong, though. These people kept me paralyzed and gave me a quirk-cancelling drug, even with Kaminari to vouch for my character. The lock was a measly defense of what they thought me capable of based on how they had treated me thus far. I didn't see any cameras or bugs, but that didn't mean that there weren't any in there. I went through the room again, paying attention to the energy in the atmosphere around me. When I picked up a faint buzzing that was the telltale sign of electricity, I found my first target.
They must not have been taking me too seriously because no one came rushing in to stop me when I started tearing into the wall where I knew the camera was hidden. It was a small pin-hole type, very expensive and very easy to hide. They were also pretty easy for me to find because you can't exactly hide the electricity they give off from an energy-type quirk like my own. The room was covered in them.
To my dismay, the bathroom was also covered in them. Gross. At least I knew the type of people I was dealing with, here.
I went about the bedroom and bathroom, pulling all of the cameras out of the walls and hinges and anywhere else they tried to hide them. Once I had a nice collection of tiny technology, I almost wished I had kept at least one camera in the bathroom so I could smile into it as I flushed the expensive equipment down the fucking toilet. Not before absolutely smashing each one, for good measure.
An hour later, as I lied sprawled out on the bed, without even a few novels to entertain myself, I almost couldn't hide the smile spreading across my face when I heard the locking mechanism a second before the door opened. It opened hesitantly, so I knew right away that they had checked the cameras to no avail.
I'm sure they could see some of the holes I've picked away at the drywall in order to get to the pesky cameras. Finally, the door opened the rest of the way to reveal none other than Fog standing there, almost dumbfounded but obviously trying to hide it.
"What is this, Kei?" he asked after taking a deep breath, gesturing around the room.
I didn't answer him.
He waited a few beats before sighing.
"What is all this, Seijin?" he repeated.
"I don't know, Fog. You tell me! Why the fuck were there cameras in the bathroom? You fucking creep…"
He snorted, then. "Like the League of Villains never had any cameras?" He rolled his eyes, and I internally celebrated at this golden opportunity to knock the sense of superiority out of him.
"Nope," I informed him, but didn't offer anything else.
His eyes narrowed as he burrowed his eyebrows in disbelief. He called for Yin and Yang without moving from my doorway, and soon they both stood at the doorway with him.
"You found these cameras so quickly, so I'm sure you found them quickly after you were taken by the League as well," Fog stated.
We literally had just gone over this, right?
"No," I repeated. "They didn't have any cameras on me. If you are trying to outdo them and get on my good side, you are falling short very quickly," I sneered, rolling my eyes.
I saw him tense before looking over to the twins. It was nice to know that he didn't like being compared to the League of Villains, especially when he was bound to always fall short. The boy with white hair, Yang, nodded. The girl with black hair, Yin, shook her head. If possible, Fog seemed even more agitated at whatever they were indicating as he stormed off, leaving the twins in the doorway, observing me, and making no move to step into the room with me. Were they scared of me? Even after they had given me a quirk-canceling injection? Did they think it didn't work? If so, why didn't they say anything earlier and make everyone alert? Or were they just respecting the space I've been given?
"So, uh… what did you do with the cameras?" Yang asked, black eyes flitting around the holes in the walls.
"I flushed them," I responded simply with a shrug.
They both paused in their assessment of the room to bring their eyes back to me. They were surprised.
"That was expensive technology!" Yang exclaimed.
I hummed in acknowledgement.
To my delight, Yin snorted before walking away. I think we'd get along pretty well if it weren't for the circumstances. Actually, Toga and I connected pretty quickly despite the circumstances, so maybe it will be a similar situation here.
When Yang left quickly after her, he didn't forget to shut and lock my door.
Yeah… they had a long way to go if they ever thought they could treat me better than the League did.