Midori the Phoenix
Chapter 16: Isolation
"What the hell do you mean we can't see her!" Bakugo slammed his palms on the receptionist's desk. The woman behind the desk jumped and scooted back in her chair looking frightened and turned to Shoto who was the calmer of the two.
"I'm sorry, sirs, but that's just what I was told. Midori Todoroki has been put in isolation and her visiting right have been revoked until further notice."
"That's fucking-" Bakugo started to rage again but Shoto put a hand on his shoulder and took point on the conversation.
"Can we speak with your supervisor about it? We'd like to know the details. Midori is my niece and I have a right to know why I can't visit her."
"Uh… of course… give me just a minute" She quickly picked up the phone, hoping someone else could handle this tense situation. "Captain Akira? Yes this is Jane at the front desk. Yes, Ground Zero and Endurance are here to see Midori… I understand that sir, but they insist on speaking with a supervisor… yes, thank you sir." She hung up and managed a polite smile. "Captain Akira who is our head of security shall be with you in just a moment. Please make yourselves comfortable."
Annoyed and irritated, Bakugo slumped into one of the waiting chairs against the wall and crossed his arms. He muttered incoherently, his foot bouncing impatiently. Shoto took a seat beside him holding the gift he and Bakugo had picked out together.
"She's only been here a few days. What do you think could have happened?"
"Whatever it is, these ass hats have a shit ton of explaining to do."
The doors open and Captain Akira strut in looking strict and militant. He eyed both of them sternly and motioned with a jerk of his head.
"Ground Zero, Endurance, follow me." He turned about face, and led the two of them through doors to the main facility. "I'm sorry for the inconvenience, but I'm afraid Midori Todoroki has been a problem since she arrived here."
"What do you mean by a problem?" Bakugo sneered. "She's always been a well mannered kid."
"The doctors made the mistake of allowing Midori to partake in social activities with the other children here. Many of these children are delinquents and trouble makers, and a kid like her is quite impressionable, especially since we all know who she really is."
Bakugo growled between his teeth and he snagged the back of Akira's uniform and shoved him to a wall.
"Excuse me?"
"Bakugo! Calm down!" Shoto grabbed his arm. "Fighting with him won't get us any closer to seeing Midori." He soothed and Bakugo slowly released his grip and backed off. "We're aware of Midori's background, Captain… but we agreed to send her here because Hawks and the other professionals assured us that she'd be well monitored and taken care of. Midori is only four years old, and she's no criminal."
"Oh she's not is she?" Akira straightened himself out, then opened a panel to let them into the security room. "Come here… you both should see this."
Hawks glanced up from his spot by the control panel and he sent a cocky grin and a wave to the two young heroes.
"Hey, look who decided to drop by. Gotta say you've real bad timing."
"Stuff it, pigeon boy, what the hell is going on around here? What happened to Midori?"
"Ah she got into some pushy shovey with a couple of the delinquents and things got outta hand." Hawks turned to the video and he rewind the tapes and played it back for them. They'd see Slim attempting to burn the journal, and Midori screaming her head off before swinging a chair at him and kicking the crap out of him."
"Holy Shit…" Shoto couldn't hold back his curses.
"Grrr that fucking kid was asking for it. Why the hell didn't you all stop him from picking on Midori in the first place?"
"Security alerted the guards what was going on, but before they could get there to stop it, Midori had gone ballistic. They had to taser her in order to-"
"Taser her!?" Bakugo grabbed the chair and pulled Hawks back to glare down at him. "THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU ASSHOLES? SHE'S FOUR YEARS OLD!"
"Ground Zero, I realize you raised the child but you have to understand that Midori is not a child like we're led to believe. She's Karma, a villain, and this outlash just proves how dangerous she is."
"Dangerous? Dangerous! I'll show you dangerous-"
"Bakugo!" Shoto grabbed his shoulder, his own temper boiling hot as he glared at Akira. "Captain Akira… we want to see Midori. I'm sure there's more to this story then you think."
"Permission denied, Endurance. Midori has been put into isolation to protect her and the other students from further altercations. Until we can figure a way to properly restrain her and prevent her from harming others we can't allow any visitors."
"This is fucking bull shit. I knew this was a mistake! I knew you ass holes would just treat her like you would any of the other delinquents. She's not a bad kid! She's a sweet and innocent girl with a traumatic past and instead of helping her you're punishing her and letting her get pushed around by the real trouble makers!"
"I know you want to protect your friend, Bakugo." Hawks stood up. "...but that's not your childhood friend anymore."
"No, she's not… she's a scared, confused, and hurt little girl who doesn't understand what's going on inside her." Bakugo yanked the book from Shoto's grasp and shoved it at Hawks. "If we can't see her… then you'd better go there personally and find out the truth. I want you to take a good long look at that kid, talk to her, have a real conversation with her… and then tell me if you think she's a villain putting on an act."
Bakugo whirled to Akira snarling at him.
"If anything else happens to her, then you better call me immediately. That kid is more than just a friend to me and Icy Hot. She's our family… and we've a right to know exactly what's going on with her care. Is that clear, Mr. Stick up your ass?"
Akira's shoulders straightened and his harsh eyes narrowed.
"Crystal."
~One hour later: Midori's Room~
Hawks let out a low whistle as he stepped through the doors and heard several hundred locks click into place behind him. The JDC really wasn't taking any chances with the kid… and he could see why.
He'd heard from Akira that she'd gone on a small temper tantrum in her room… and he was seeing the aftermath all around. Her desk was toppled to the wayside, the chair bent and broken to pieces. Her sheets and pillow cases ripped into long shreds that she fastened together with knots to make it heavier and she was currently playing jump rope with it.
"Bored?" He questioned the girl but she continued to stare straight ahead while still jumping. He took a seat on the bed, feeling it groan under his weight. "Mind if we talk, Midori?"
"If you're here to lecture me you can go bother someone else. I'm not in the mood to listen." She stopped jumping, panting and puffing from the exertion. She still wore bandages around her arms and legs, and her cheek had a nice big bruise where Max had slapped her before.
"So I see…" he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "I want to talk about what happened in the cafeteria. I was given the gist of it from Akira and the two boys… but I wanna hear your side of the story."
"Why? Not like you'll believe me. None of the adults do." She tossed the makeshift rope into the pile of wood and metal, and she crawled onto the bed with him. She sat and pulled her legs to her chest, getting ready to hear a lot of pep talk nonsense about doing what was best for her, and all that "nice cop" bull shit.
"I'm a hero, Midori, I'm here to help you."
"Heroes shouldn't lie, Mr. Hawks." she narrowed her eyes on him. "You're not here to help me. Helping me was never the plan or intention, you're just here to help yourselves."
"Now why are you angry with me? I haven't done anything to you, I'm trying to be your friend here." Hawks held out his hand in a truce.
"I told you to stop lying to me, why does every adult around here think I'm stupid!?" She slapped his hand away tempermentally."You're here to pick apart my brain, and find out what's going on inside my head. You're here because the people in charge told you to, and you're just following their orders. So screw you and your false friendship!"
Hawks raised a brow and he turned to sit cross legged and looked Midori dead in the eye. There was quite a story behind those eyes… so hurt and haunted… eyes that shouldn't belong to a four year old girl.
"Tell me what happened, Midori. I won't go away until you do." He leaned forward again giving her a bold and fearless smile. "I'm stubborn that way."
Midori's bottom lip pouted and trembled as the tough girl act started to crumble. She looked away from him, unable to meet his gaze as she fought with the tears that wanted to surface.
"I… lost it."
"You lost your temper?" Hawks interpreted but Midori shook her head. "What did you lose."
"Control… I completely lost control." The first tear slipped down her cheek. "I didn't mean to… I tried to stop her… but she was so angry."
"She?" Hawks' friendly expression shifted to serious. Midori's green eyes met his again, and he saw the fear in them.
"Karma… Karma took control and she hurt Slim. That's the second time she's hurt somebody and I've taken the blame." Midori sniffed and lowered her head again. "I guess I deserve it though… I couldn't make her stop. No matter how many times I try to, there's just no stopping her when she's that pissed off."
"You're making it sound as if Karma's a totally different person. She's you, Midori. You do understand that, don't you?" Hawks explained and earned a sharp look from the girl.
"Just because we share the same body, doesn't make us the same person. No one seems to understand that!" She curled up tighter her fingers gripping into her skin so tight Hawks wondered if she'd bruise. She rolled her head back, and shut her eyes as her head started to hurt and she buried her face in her knees. "I told you what you wanted… can you leave me alone now?"
"Is that really what you want, Midori?" Hawks asked, noticing the pained expression on her face before she hid it.
"I can't have what I want." She admitted, her voice croaking and full of hurt. "I'm tired, and upset so will you please go away? I don't want her to hurt you, too."
"You can't hurt me, Midori." Hawks said assuredly.
"You're weak against fire aren't you?" She pointed out. "Karma can hurt you if I lose control again."
"You don't have to worry about that. That's what your quirk restraints are for." Hawks reassured.
"You mean these?" Midori lifted the pillow up and the pieces of her cuffs sprinkle out onto the bed. Hawks stared in shock and he was up like a shot and looking ready for an attack. Midori just stayed where she was, laying her head on her knees. "You're afraid of her. I don't blame you. I am too."
"How did… when did you…"
"Karma's trained herself how to break out of all kinds of restraints." Midori's eyes took on a whole new dimension. The sadness was still there, but now Hawks could feel a sort of threatening intimidation oozing out that had his skin crawling and going icy. "You guys think you can stop her like a normal criminal, but you're wrong. This place isn't a prison to Karma… it's a waiting room, and she's getting really impatient."
"What?" Hawks' breathing went heavy and he started to sweat. "Just what kind of game are you playing, kid?"
"It's not a game, Mr. Hawks, it's a warning." Midori straightened herself out and looked at him pleadingly. "The only thing keeping Karma from burning this place to the ground is me. When the doctors tried to do that test on us… Karma took over. She said I wasn't ready to see any of that… that it would break me. I'm the only thing holding her back, stopping her from hurting people..." the anger returned and she stood up, Hawks going on full alert. "...but everyone here wants to treat me like I'm the bad guy."
"Midori..." Hawks started to speak but was cut off by a piece of shrapnel flying straight at him. He dodged it and swallowed hard looking around the room. Midori's body was covered in that familiar thick black aura he'd seen in reports and video clippings. Sentient Aura was activating, and Midori's emotions were setting it loose. "You need to calm down."
"This is as calm as I can muster at the moment, Mr. Hawks." Midori warned him again. "Why… Why has everyone been treating me like I'm some kind of monster? I thought I was sent here so you guys could help me control my powers. I thought everyone here would help me keep Karma under control, but all you've people done is try to break me!"
Hawks glanced back at the door, he couldn't let her escape, he couldn't let this girl get free of this room. He had to try and calm her down somehow.
"I'm sorry, Midori."
"You're SORRY!?" She screamed at him, more shrapnel zipping by and barely knicking him across the face. "Save your sorry for someone who cares! I'm tired of being bullied, poked at, and pried into! If you all really believe that I'm just playing pretend, that Karma and I are the same person, then why the hell did you bring me here instead of sending me to Tartarus where criminals like her belong!" Tears slipped down her cheeks and her aura just got more chaotic. "Why give me hope that I could change? Why bring me here where I'll just be a danger to those other kids?! You're all so fucking stupid!"
Suddenly the quirk halted, everything fell to the ground including Izumi who crumpled on the floor to sob helplessly. She held her temples and rocked back and forth there. Hawks felt his breath escape out in a shudder. He was tempted to press his back to the wall and fall down, but he managed to keep his legs from buckling.
This child… this sobbing crying child… was this the girl that Bakugo and Todoroki wanted to protect? What the hell was this guilt that was suddenly churning in his gut?
"M-Midori…" He swallowed hard and took a deliberate step towards her. When she didn't move from her place on the floor he crouched down and lay a hand on her head. "Let's say that I believe you, and that Karma really is another person. How can I help you keep her under control?"
"How the hell should I know? You're the adult!" She wailed and covered her face with her hands. "Just forget it… it's too late anyway. You guys won't let me go after what she's done. You all have given up on me… everyone's given up on me."
"You're wrong, Midori." Hawks reached into his coat and he laid down the book Bakugo had given him. "Bakugo hasn't given up on you and Shoto hasn't given up on you. They're both waiting for you to recover, waiting for you to show us that you're somebody worth saving."
Midori sniffed and sat up so she could look at the book Hawks set down. She picked it up and flipped through the pages sniffling.
"The Count of Monte Cristo…" she murmured and gave a ghost of a smile.
"A classic," feeling the mood relax some he sat on the floor with her, his smile returning. "He said it was your favorite."
"It's Izumi's favorite…" Midori corrected, her smile fading. "Not mine."
"Izumi?" Hawks tilted his head. "Is she also in there with you?"
"Yeah… she talks to me off and on...but her voice is real quiet and muffled. I think she's behind that door Karma doesn't want me to open." Midori explained.
"Door?" Confused and intrigued Hawks pressed on. "What door?"
"It's a door inside my head. I see it in my dreams, and I can tell there's something important behind it… but everytime I try to open it, Karma stops me. She says I'm not ready to see what's behind it, that I'm not strong enough." Midori stroked her fingers over the cover of the book. "...but sometimes I hear voices coming from it. They tell me stories, information, and they give me advice. It's because of them people think I'm a prodigy."
"Voices as in plural? Just how many are there?" He raised a brow and laughed a bit nervously.
"I last counted three not including my own. There's Karma who speaks up the most. She's the only one who's shoved her way past that door and can control me when she wants to. Her voice is so loud sometimes that I have to vocally respond to her… and it almost always hurts." She complained and rubbed her temples.
"Yeah, that sounds like the Karma that everyone's familiar with." Hawks nodded his head urging her to go on.
"Izumi is another voice, and she's a bigger cry baby than I am." She said it with a laugh and rubbed at her tired and red eyes. "I usually hear her when Karma's sleeping or is too tired to talk. She's always apologizing, and crying. It's a little annoying actually."
Hawks couldn't help it, he let out a small snorting laugh.
"I see...and what about the third one?"
Midori went quiet a minute, her eyes staring into space a bit. Then they flicked up to meet him again.
"I don't hear from her too often, but when I do she's the loudest one of all. Karma calls her Phoenix."
"Phoenix huh? What's she like?"
"She's strong… She's the only one Karma is afraid of and can tell her what to do... but something is keeping her quiet. I'm not sure what."
"When she does talk to you, what does she say?"
"I've only heard her voice a couple of times… and it's always in my dreams." She stared off into space again. "She gives me advice, cheers me on when I struggle to learn something or do something. She keeps saying I should protect what's important to me, and to not give up. She kinda reminds me of Papa Might back when he was a hero. I watched video clips and movies with him and he's always standing so tall and proud, and speaking with confidence. Phoenix is like that… proud, and confident."
Hawks stayed quiet for a minute, his eyes staring long into Midori's as he listened to the information she was giving him. He'd interrogated his fair share of criminals and he'd gotten good at spotting a fibber.
Everything Midori was telling him, was real.
"Thank you for being so open with me, Midori. I'm sorry we've treated you so poorly since you got here. I can assure you that's going to change if I have any say in it."
He reached out and stroked her head. He watched her eyes close, accepting the comfort. Standing up he used his feathers to lift the child and he pulled her into his arms and hugged her. She was surprised by the contact, but her arms immediately wrapped around him, accepting the hug. Guilt churned in his stomach again
"Mr. Hawks?"
"I'm gonna take you to the testing room, and I want you to wait there while I have a talk with the doctors. I think I know how we can help you, Midori. Will you trust me?"
"Do I have a choice?" She said with some humor and just clung onto him. "Yes… I trust you."
~Sometime Later~
Hawks called Bakugo and Todoroki back to the facility. He gathered them, Professor Tarkin, Doctor Tsubasa, and Captain Akira for a special meeting. He told them about his talk with Midori, and what he believed was really happening to her.
"Yes, a more commonly known name is Multi-personality disorder." Hawks explained.
"Ah yes, that would indeed explain her erratic change in behavior." Tarkin nodded his head. "D.I.D is often psychosomatic, most cases are caused by acute childhood trauma, or PTSD. Izumi Midoriya has had both, so it's only natural that she would create these… characters as a sort of coping mechanism."
"...and you're saying Midori is one of these characters?" Bakugo questioned.
"Yes," Hawks paced the room a bit. "From what I gathered, Izumi is using Midori as a sort of refresh button. She wants a second chance, wants to correct the mistakes she made in the past and create a better life for herself… but Karma isn't having it. She's using Midori like one of her pawn pieces, using her to move around freely knowing that others would sympathize with an innocent and frightened child."
"All the while she's mentally training her, making her stronger by teaching her things, and pushing her to get stronger so when Midori finally does grow up, Karma can gain control and be back at full power." Shoto deduced earning an affirming nod from Hawks.
"Now that we can explain it, how do we help her?" Bakugo stood straight up and walked towards the group. "We can't just let Karma do as she likes to Midori… but at the same time I don't want her to take the punishment for something that's out of her control."
"Is there a way we can erase the other personalities for good?" Shoto questioned. "I've heard of some techniques that uses mental blocks to keep out traumatic memories. Maybe if we erase Midori's memories of Karma, she can live like a normal kid."
"It is possible," Doctor Tsubasa finally piped in. "...but the process is far more complicated than you all realize. On top of that it may not work at all. The technique only suppresses the memories, it doesn't erase them completely. In order to do that you'd have to completely wipe the memory and start from scratch."
"I'd rather not do that," Shoto looked to Bakugo. "Memories are precious Bakugo, even the traumatic ones. We'd lose every trace of the old Izumi, and of Midori's early years."
"We may not have a choice… but I agree, we should save that for a last resort. Midori is our only hope of finding the league of villains, and if we erase all her memories, then all of this will have been for nothing." Bakugo nodded and looked to Tsubasa. "Do you know of an alternative solution?"
"As a matter of fact, there may be a way for Midori to gain full control, and get access to the memories you need. However, it won't be easy… and will require a small sacrifice on the girl's part."
"What kind of sacrifice are we talking?" Shoto questioned, not liking where this was going.
"Midori's main problem is that her brain is still young and not fully developed." Tsubasa tapped his head. "As Hawks pointed out this is all a waiting game for Karma, she's waiting for Midori to grow up, and get stronger before she makes her move. Once Midori's brain is fully developed Karma will have complete access to all her quirks at maximum capacity, on top of gaining all the new knowledge Midori will have piled in. During that time Karma will have broken the girl down, learned her weaknesses and be able to beat down and control Midori the same way she did with the weak willed Izumi."
"I'm not following you, what is it that you're suggesting, doc?" Hawks crossed his arms, frowning.
"I'm suggesting we not give Karma the time she needs to break Midori. I suggest we accelerate Midori's growth, and give the girl a fighting chance."
"So you're suggesting that we make Midori older? How?" Bakugo raised a brow.
"I can answer that." Tarkin spoke up and pat Tsubasa on the shoulder. "We've actually been using a similar technique with another child here. His quirk is called Wolf Man, and it causes him to transform into a wolf beast. However the animal instincts and power his quirk gives him is too advanced for his young mind and body to control… so we've been aging him every few months to allow his mind and body to adjust to the transformation."
"Why every few months?" Shoto questioned.
"The body isn't meant to grow years in a short period, Endurance." Tarkin explained. "Imagine the pain of growing a full foot within the span of minutes rather than over the course of a year. If you try to age someone too fast, the pain alone could kill them."
"I don't know how I feel about that…" Todoroki paced the room rubbing his left arm. "I think Midori's been in enough pain."
"It's risky, Todoroki, but it's the best plan we've got." Bakugo lay a hand on his shoulder. Shoto turned to him, a bit surprised by the intimate contact. "I don't want to hurt Midori either… but if she can gain control and get the memories we need, then we can finally end this. Midori could be pardoned for all of it, and finally be brought back home. It's our best option to give her the normal life she wants."
"Or she could turn on us all completely." Captain Akira sneered. "I'm against it. We should stick to the plan and use the kid as bait. Let the child be a child and lock her up in Tartarus. It's too dangerous to give that kid free reign."
"Keeping her here as bait hasn't been working, and if we transfer her to Tartarus then we'll be leaving ourselves open for attack." Hawks pointed out. "The league knows she's here, I've confirmed it with my contacts. They know we're setting up a trap and they're not taking the chance to pull her from here."
"Hawks is right," Bakugo pressed on. "The league knows Karma's just a kid now, and not at full strength. They're not gonna risk setting their plans back for someone they can't use. They're gonna wait this out and trust that Karma can handle herself until the time comes."
"So… are we all in agreement then?" Tsubasa rubbed his hands together excitedly. When he got confirmation from all the heroes he had to hide the smile that wanted to spread from ear to ear. Finally! Finally he'd be able to put the necessary modifications to Karma personally.
Karma will return stronger than ever… only this time she'd be under HIS control.
~Ask Briry~
Briry: Woot things are stirring up, and I've got itchy fingers. I'm gonna keep up this momentum and get going on my other updates!
Next Chapter: Transcendence