It's been almost a year since I started posting this story, and I appreciate all of you who are still reading. We should be back to a slightly more regular posting schedule now!
Chapter 17: Escape
Hawks, Tokoyami, and Spinner follow the familiar path from their room to the nearby bathroom. This time they continue past it into hallways that Hawks has only been able to catch glimpses of. The walls are lined with graffiti-covered lockers. Most of them are barely standing, and in one section they're missing entirely. The pile of rust and ash in their place leads Hawks to suspect they were sacrificed in a fit of supervillain angst. It's probably not a great sign for the building's stability.
When they reach the first branch of the hall, he pokes at the stab wound in Spinner's shoulder. "Which way?"
"Stop it, you asshole! I'm cooperating," Spinner hisses. "We turn right. The stairs at the end take you to the first floor."
That matches with Hawks' general guess of the building's layout, but Tokoyami sends Dark Shadow to check the way ahead anyway. The lighting in the hallway is dim, giving Dark Shadow the freedom to roam and grow. He does a couple of corkscrews loops on the way for the sheer fun of it, but returns quickly and gives the group a thumbs up. "Just a lot of doors. I didn't hear anything behind them."
"What happened here, anyway?" Hawks asks as they start walking again. "Looks like this place was abandoned long before you squatters moved in."
"How should I know? Kurogiri found it," says Spinner.
"Huh. I always pictured him as the type of villain who'd want an organized, clean lair, not a rat-infested shit hole," says Hawks.
"Hey, it's not that bad! We've got a generator up on the roof, running water, and no stupid hero patrols. There's plenty of space, too. Dr. Ujiko has a nice setup in the science lab, and there's a gymnasium for training," Spinner replies.
"And prison cells in the basement," Tokoyami adds dryly. "What more could a villain want?"
"Ugh. Trapped in a school. That really is torture," says Hawks.
They come to a door that, as promised, leads to a tight, spiraling stairwell. There's even a window at the second landing. It's boarded up, but it's a promising sign. If things go south, Hawks could probably break through the boards and toss Tokoyami outside.
Dark Shadow floats up the stairs first, twisting his way around the bend before snaking back down and giving them the all-clear. With every step up, Hawks feels lighter. He's always hated being underground with no open sky to leap into. He suffered from claustrophobia as a child, until the Public Safety Commission 'trained it' out of him.
The more Hawks thinks about it, the surer he is that the Commission is the last place he wants to go. He'll take Endeavor's flames over them. On the other hand, he has to consider what's best for Tokoyami. The Commission was willing to sacrifice him for the greater good, but if Endeavor burns first and asks questions later then Hawks doesn't want Tokoyami to get caught in the crossfire. U.A. is in the middle of a villain attack from the very people they're trying to escape. That doesn't leave him with many options. Hawks has plenty of contacts, but few friends – fewer still now that he's been branded a traitor.
Well, he'll figure it out on the fly. Step one is getting outside.
"This way," Spinner says when they reach the landing for the first floor. "The main doors aren't far."
Hawks peers at the door and tries to get a glimpse of the corridor beyond through its cracked windows. He sees flickering lights, but little else. He considers sending a few feathers out to look for traps, but the first feather he releases picks up on something else – Spinner's rapid pulse and heavy breathing. It could be from the blood loss, or the villain could be anticipating a trap. Hawks frowns and turns to Spinner, then spots a faded arrow painted on the wall with the words Roof Access.
"Change of plans. We keep climbing."
Tokoyami cocks his head in confusion. "Why?"
Hawks nods toward the sign. "Because doors are for nerds, and I've got a better idea than navigating whatever traps they set up on the main entrance. Think you can handle a few more stairs?"
"My training may have suffered a setback, but I am far from weak," Tokoyami replies. "Dark Shadow, clear the way."
"You got it!" Dark Shadow replies, darting up the stairwell with the rest of the group rushing after him.
By the third level, Hawks regrets sprinting. It's been weeks since he had a good cardio workout or a proper meal. The amount of blood he lost to Ujiko and Toga probably isn't helping either. At least he's not the only one slowing down as they start up the next (and hopefully last) set of steps.
Tokoyami digs through his makeshift sling for a water bottle. He has a hard time getting the cap off with his stiff, scarred fingers, and once he does the bottle slips out of his hand and bounces back down the steps, spilling its contents.
"Shit, I'm sorry!" Tokoyami exclaims.
Hawks catches his elbow before he can chase after it. "We'll get more later, we need-"
Spinner jerks sideways, shoving Hawks violently against the railing and nearly throwing him over the edge. Dark Shadow slams Spinner into the opposite wall and Hawks sags, smacking his knee painfully against the edge of a stair.
Tokoyami reaches out with his good hand to help Hawks back on his feet. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah." He inhales one slow breath and lets it out, letting his pain flow with it. They can't waste time on a busted knee and a few bruises.
Dark Shadow has grown to the size of horse in the darkness of the stairwell. He holds Spinner against the wall with one large claw, and there are cracks in the stone from the impact. He squeezes the villain tighter. "He hurt you. I'll crush him."
"No," Tokoyami commands.
"But you want me to do it!" Dark Shadow whines.
"No," Tokoyami repeats. "There is a difference between wanting something and actually doing it. We are not villains. We do not kill."
Dark Shadow hisses but releases his grip. Spinner crumples to the ground with a groan and remains there. "What now?" Tokoyami asks. "He's a burden we do not need, yet if we leave him here and he is only pretending to be hurt, he might come up behind us or call for aid."
"What do you think?" Hawks asks. "You're not my intern now. You're my partner in Operation Liberation."
Tokoyami's eyes widen, and Dark Shadow tears up. "He called us partners," the quirk whispers.
"Then we will do our best not to let you down," Tokoyami says. He glances down at Spinner and nudges him with his foot. Spinner groans. "It's clear that he's a liability either way, so-"
Tokoyami doesn't get a chance to finish. The door to the second floor opens below them, and Dr. Ujiko steps out with a flashlight. "Shigaraki? I told you it was too soon to go to U.A. If you had an ounce of patience you would…"
The light lands on them and Dark Shadow hisses. Hawks curses their luck, picks up Spinner, and hurls him down the stairs at the doctor. "Run!"
He, Tokoyami, and Dark Shadow race up the stairs. Hawks' knee throbs with every step. He doesn't dare slow down or look back, however. It's a race now, and Hawks is good at races. The moment they're in the sky there's no way the doctor will be able to catch them.
They reach the fourth and final floor, only to find a chain lock wrapped around the handles of the door leading out onto the roof. Tokoyami starts going through the keys they stole from Spinner while Hawks guards the stairs. He can hear the doctor's heavy steps and see the light flashing below them. The doctor is old and slow, but far too clever. If he reaches the top of the stairs, Hawks will kill him. Let Tokoyami keep his hands clean and teach Dark Shadow mercy. Hawks will play the villain if he must.
"You're taking too long. It's my turn!"
"Dark Shadow, wait!"
There's a loud crash as Dark Shadow tears the chain apart with his claws. Tokoyami flings the doors open and the stairwell is flooded with a gust of cool night air that sends goosebumps over Hawks' skin. He turns his face towards it and runs, following Tokoyami out the door and onto the roof of the old school. They stumble blindly for a moment, so used to the constant lights of their prison that their eyes can't quite adjust.
Only Dark Shadow keeps going. He laughs with glee and spreads out above them to loop through the air. "Free!" he crows. "We're FREE!"
"Not yet, partner," Hawks says. The concrete gives way to scratchy fake grass under his feet. It must be an old practice field. That should give him plenty of space for a smooth takeoff. He runs along the roof, gathering momentum before he unfurls his wings and pushes off the ground. It's as natural as breathing. His feathers catch on the air and lift him into the wind. Now it's his turn to laugh. Exhilaration flows through his body and finally untangles the knot in his stomach. They've done it. They've escaped the League at last, and now he's going to take Tokoyami home.
Hawks flips in the air to see Tokoyami still on the roof, grinning up at him. "You need a lift, Tsukuyomi, or have you and Dark Shadow got this?"
"Just watch us," Tokoyami replies. "Dark Shadow, Black Fallen Angel!"
Dark Shadow swoops down and wraps his arms around his waist. Then, just as Tokoyami's feet leave the ground, two massive floodlights at either end of the roof hum to life. Dark Shadow shrieks and shrinks, and Tokoyami falls back onto the roof. Dr. Ujiko is standing in the doorway, and there's a gun in his hand. He's aiming at Tokoyami.
Hawks dives without hesitation. The gun goes off and sharp pain bursts in his shoulder. It spreads through his nerves, but when it reaches his wings they go numb. He can still feel their weight against his back, but it's like the connection between his brain and his quirk has been severed. He hits the ground hard and collides with Tokoyami.
"That was almost impressive," says Dr. Ujiko. He makes his way over to them slowly, gun still raised. "In fact, I'd rate your escape attempt about equal to Shigaraki's infiltration. Both miserable failures, but not without their benefits."
"Hawks!" Tokoyami shakes him desperately and tries to get him on his feet. "Hawks, please get up."
Hawks tries, he really does, but none of his limbs are responding the way they should. The best he can do is push Tokoyami away. "Go."
"No."
"Dark Shadow – take him and go."
"I'm afraid I can't allow that," says Ujiko.
Dark Shadow covers Tokoyami in that paper-thin armor he used against Shigaraki, but just as Tokoyami predicted, it isn't enough to protect him from the impact of a dart. With his muscles failing, Hawks can only watch as the projectile bursts through Dark Shadow and into Tokoyami. As Tokoyami collapses, Dark Shadow rears up like a cobra to strike at the doctor, but it's too late. The quirk evaporates with a shriek of rage that echoes over the rooftop even after he's gone.
"What – what is this?" Tokoyami slurs.
"A replication of that quirk-erasing drug of Overhaul's. Don't worry, I haven't been able to get the recipe quite correct yet. The affects are temporary. However, I have made a few improvements," the doctor explains.
"Improve'nts?" Hawks murmurs.
"A sedative, so particularly determined specimens such as yourself can be retrieved safely."
The world is sideways and blurry around the edges. Hawks can just make out Tokoyami beside him and the dark edge of the roof in the distance. Beyond that are the twinkling lights of a town. They were so close.
Don't hate me too much for this one. I swear there's a purpose!