Sorry for the long wait! The next three chapters occur simultaneously, so I needed to edit them all at once to make sure they matched up. The good news is that means the next two will be posted sooner. Thank you for reading - reviews are very much appreciated.
Chapter 22: All for One
Hawks allows himself exactly one minute to fall apart after the door shuts. His arm throbs, his skin is peeling, and the only reason he's not in absolute agony is thanks to whatever drugs the doctor was using to sedate him. He hopes they last long enough for him to stop Dabi, or at least slow him down. The fact that he will probably die in the encounter barely phases him. He never expected to survive dive-bombing the League with Dark Shadow, and he made his peace with death a long time ago. It's a shame he won't get to go out in the blaze of glory he's always fantasized about, although he's pretty sure Dabi will take care of the blaze part.
The thing that frightens Hawks is the very real possibility that he will fail. He can barely stand, let alone put up a fight, and every other attempt he's made to protect Tokoyami has backfired. He sabotaged Tokoyami's rescue, couldn't stop his torture, lied, botched their escape, stabbed him, and failed to destroy the League. Meanwhile, Tokoyami held his ground against the League, successfully warned U.A. about the attack, and subdued the doctor who would have tortured them both. Hawks grits his teeth. He will not fail again.
There's another bang – closer now, much closer. Dust rains from the ceiling. The air smells of smoke and something strangely sweet. Hawks draws himself together and focuses on two simple truths: Tokoyami is still alive, and there are five villains standing between him and freedom. He's going to make sure that number goes down to four.
With half his limbs out of commission, including his wings, it's going to be difficult to maneuver. He won't be able to dodge Dabi's fire, so he's going to have to block it. His eyes land on the table he was just laying on. The metal and wood made for an uncomfortable bed, but it might provide some protection. He wedges himself against the shelves behind it, then rocks the table onto two legs until it crashes sideways, practically on top of the unconscious doctor. Hawks doesn't have the time or the sympathy to see if it hit him. The crash was loud, which should encourage Dabi to check this room instead of following Tokoyami. He can hear running now, and more than one voice shouting. Shit - Dabi's not alone.
Hawks glances around the room. He has his defense thanks to the overturned table, now he needs some offense. He has maybe two or three serviceable feathers left, and they'll burn fast. Luckily, knocking over the table also knocked over the doctor's tools: scalpels, needles, and scissors will make decent projectiles. There's a bottle of isopropyl alcohol and a few other liquids he can't immediately identify that will probably sting like hell if he aims for the eyes. He drags what he can reach behind the table and hunkers down just as the voices reach the door.
"Anyone on the other side of this door has ten seconds to open it or get the fuck out of the way!"
Hawks blinks. That is definitely not Dabi, or any other villain Hawks is familiar with. He peeks out from behind the table, only to duck 8.5 seconds later when the door explodes.
"You idiot. What if he was knocked out right behind the door?" The second voice is new as well. It sounds nearly bored with the proceedings.
"Who are you calling an idiot?! I gave fair warning," the first shouts. "Oi! Who's in here? Show yourself before I make you!"
"So loud." The second sighs.
Hawks squints through the smoke. There are two figures standing in the doorway, both poised for a fight. Hawks can't imagine Shigaraki would let League newcomers wander freely through the base blowing up doors, but that doesn't tell him whose side they're on. He keeps the scalpel in his hand and sends a feather along the shelves so he can get a better sense of what he's dealing with. "Identify yourselves."
"I asked you first!"
"I've got this," says the bored one. "We're here to help. Are you the doctor?"
Hawks glances at the body on the other side of the table. "The doc's indisposed at the-"
His jaw suddenly locks and his entire body goes stiff. The world flows oddly around him, like he stepped into a bad 3D movie. His feather freezes in mid-air and his pain becomes background noise. He tries to ask what they've done to him, but he can't even open his mouth.
"Drop your weapon."
Hawks' hand opens and the scalpel clatters to the ground.
The intruders step past the smoke and into Hawk's line of sight. They're younger than he expected. One has purple hair and a mask covering his mouth, and the other is a blonde with massive gauntlets. Hawks recognizes the blonde as Katsuki Bakugo, the winner of the Sports Festival and the first student kidnapped by the League. Hawks wishes he could pinch himself because he must be hallucinating.
"Holy shit – is that Hawks?" Bakugo mutters.
"Better get sensei," says the one with the mask. "I've got him for now."
The blonde glares at his partner, then shifts his attention to Hawks. He keeps an eye on him as he backs out of the room and shouts into the hallway. "We've got Hawks!"
Hawks hears a door slam as several more heroes come running. Eraserhead enters with his hair and scarf floating around him. Behind him are three more figures straight out of Dark Shadow's drawings: a boy with a bill-shaped mask, a boy with six arms, and a girl with a wide yellow belt. Hawks wonders if he's died after all, and all this is the desperate firing of his last remaining neurons.
"Get him up," Eraserhead orders.
"Stand slowly and keep your wings closed," says the purple-haired boy.
Hawks doesn't hesitate to comply. He also doesn't think about his injuries until his weight shifts and he's hit by a wave of painso strong it knocks him loose from the kid's quirk.
"Sorry, I lost him!"
"It's fine, I want to talk with him anyway," says Eraserhead. He crosses the room in two strides, wraps Hawks in his capture weapon, and shoves him against the wall with an arm across his throat. "You lied to me. Repeatedly. You lied and you put my students in mortal danger. You've got thirty seconds to tell me why I shouldn't kill you and swear I thought you were a clone."
"Tsukuyomi," Hawks gasps out. "Tsukuyomi's alive."
The young heroes react with smiles and sighs of relief – except for Bakugo, who curses. "Fuckin' knew it."
Eraserhead eases his grip on Hawks' throat. "Twenty seconds left. Keep talking."
Before Hawks can reply, Ujiko groans and shifts on the floor. All eyes turn to the doctor, ready to face a new threat. Not clearing the room is a grave oversight on the part of any hero, but Hawks can't tease Eraserhead about it when he got caught for similar reasons. It's easy to be distracted when you're too attached to a mission.
"Tentacole, Creati."
The students don't need further instructions to drop down beside the doctor. Tentacole's many limbs seek for weapons, vital signs, and injuries all at once. The last is easy enough to find; the collar of Ujiko's lab coat is covered in blood, and the line across his neck is bleeding sluggishly. Creati is quick to apply bandages and tap Ujiko's face. "Sir, can you hear me?"
"He's more dangerous than he looks," Hawks warns. "Might have needles or sharps on him."
Several more limbs manifest to search through the doctor's pockets, producing several needles and miscellaneous devices that Hawks never wants to see used. Ujiko remains unconscious through it all, limp as a ragdoll.
"I don't think he'll be giving us much trouble. It looks like someone garroted him," Creati says quietly.
"There's wire here," Tentacole adds, pointing to the guitar strings on the ground.
"Your handiwork?" Eraserhead asks.
"Self-defense," Hawks replies. Eraserhead glances at Hawks' broken arm and raises an eyebrow, quick to catch the lie. Hawks doesn't care; he won't let them judge Tokoyami before they've had a chance to hear his side of the story. "Look, I'm not asking you to trust me. I'm asking you to find Tsukuyomi before the League does. They'll kill him for real this time."
Eraserhead's expression remains stony, but the pressure of his capture weapon eases and he shifts his grip, supporting Hawks rather than pinning him. "Where is he?"
"Not sure. Smelled smoke, thought you were Dabi. I told him to run," Hawks replies. "He can't have gotten far. He's hurt."
"And the League?"
Hawks frowns and tries to fight through the fog settling over his brain. He remembers the seconds between attacking the League and Dabi's retaliation, the satisfaction of his feathers slicing through skin and muscle while Dark Shadow's talons crushed everything in their path. "We might have taken a few of them out. No guarantees. Dabi's still out there, I'm sure of that much."
Eraserhead nods and turns to the students. "Shinso, Creati, and Tentacole will stay with me to protect the injured targets. Anima and Dynamite will check the rest of the hall. Stay together, do not lose sight of this room, and do not engage anyone you find. Anima, see what you can learn from the rodents."
The boy with the bill, presumably Anima, speaks softly to a rat on his shoulder. The rat skitters down his body and then out to the hall. Two more rodents join it from darkened corners of the room, followed by the two heroes. It's kind of comforting in its benign oddity.
Eraserhead taps the communicator in his ear. "This is Eraserhead. We've secured Hawks and Garaki. Both were incapacitated and severely injured upon arrival. Half the floor is clear, the rest is unknown. Hawks says Tokoyami is nearby and injured. I've sent Anima and Dynamite to confirm."
Hawks can just make out the crackle of a response. After a moment Eraserhead nods and says, "Understood. We'll wait for the med team."
Tentacole jerks up, although his many spare hands remain on Ujiko. "Sir! We might be the closest team to Tokoyami, and the building isn't cleared for medics yet. What if we can't wait that long?"
"We've got two injured parties who are also considered lethally dangerous and a high flight risk. Our job is to defend this room from inside and out."
"But-"
Eraserhead turns the full strength of his glare on Tentacole. "If you can't do the job you're assigned, than the rest of the team can't trust you."
Tentacole bows his head. "I apologize. I'm just…I can't leave him behind again."
Eraserhead's expression softens. "Have faith in your fellow heroes. There are five other teams in this building. We're going to find him."
Hawks blinks. He couldn't have heard that right. "Teams?"
Eraserhead raises an eyebrow. "You think I walked in here with five teenagers?"
"No, but…five teams?"
"No one wanted to be left behind for this," Creati says.
There's a stiffness to her jaw that reminds Hawks just how personal this mission is to them. Tokoyami is not the only friend they've lost. He bows his head. "Yeah, that's fair. I know how the League's been using my face. I know they attacked U.A."
"This isn't a revenge mission. This is a rescue," Eraserhead says. He drags Hawks' good arm over his shoulder and uses his scarf to keep him from keeling over. Hawks still groans when the older hero begins to move him away from the wall. Every shift is accompanied by the grind of his bones and the sting of his burns. Eraserhead guides him toward the table Tokoyami was strapped to. The restraints hang over the edges like serpents waiting for prey, and Hawks panics. He shoves himself backwards with any limb that will cooperate, away from the acrid smell of blood and the hands that hold him too tight, restraining his limbs and–
The pressure of Eraserhead's scarf disappears. The hero keeps one arm hooked beneath his shoulders and the other against his back, steady and calm. "Breathe slow, Hawks. I won't hold you down."
Creati rights a chair and pushes it closer to them, and Eraserhead gently guides Hawks to sit backwards, leaving space for the worst of the burns on his back. He's dizzy and nauseous, and for a moment the only thing he can do is lean against Eraserhead and attempt to remain conscious.
"Is it a good idea to leave him free like that?" asks Shinso, who Hawks has privately dubbed mini-Eraserhead. "He could be faking it."
"You'll learn to recognize the difference between what's real and what's not with experience. And if I'm wrong, I have you three," Eraserhead replies. His voice is soft but firm, even when he switches his attention to Hawks. "I don't know who's side you're on, Hawks, and right now I don't care. We aren't leaving you with the League."
Hawks tries to laugh, but it comes out as a whimper. "And here I thought you didn't like me, Eraser."
"I wasn't sure if you could be trusted – I'm still not. However, I should not have let anger drive my actions, and for that I am sorry," Eraserhead replies.
"Don't be," Hawks mutters. I deserve it, and you'll agree once you realize what I've done.
Eraserhead frowns, but before he can respond the communicator in his ear crackles. Hawks is too out of it to eavesdrop, so he focuses on Eraserhead's grim expression and waits with the students.
"Did they find him?" Tentacole asks.
Eraserhead shakes his head. "No. It's an update. Present Mic's team was successful in shutting down their communication system. They're clearing the rest of the basement now. Midnight's team captured Spinner on the upper floor, and all but the high-end nomu we encountered outside have been contained. Endeavor's team is engaging the high-end while Miruko moves inside."
Hawks forces himself as upright as he can, his heart beating wildly. "Endeavor and Miruko – they're here?"
The thin line of Eraserhead's mouth quirks up just a little. "Yes."
Hawks can't decide if that's the best news he's heard so far or the worst. It makes sense to have the top heroes face off against the League of Villains, but he has a feeling that's not the only reason they're here. He allows himself the brief, happy delusion that they came because they care about him as a person, not as a potential threat.
Eraserhead taps his cheek. "Stay with us, Hawks."
Hawks blinks; he doesn't remember closing his eyes. He's reaching the limit of what his body can handle, and now that the burst of adrenaline is gone he's fading fast. Eraserhead quietly mutters something about shock to Creati. She produces a blanket with her quirk and drapes it over him. Shinso takes her place next to the doctor on the floor, keeping an eye on his health and threat level while Tentacole guards the door, half his limbs stretched into the hall.
"You've got 'em well trained, Eraser," Hawks says.
"They're good heroes. Someday they'll be the best," Eraserhead agrees. Creati blushes faintly at the praise. "There are EMTs and quirk healers outside the perimeter. We'll get you to them as soon as it's safe and treat what we can for now. Your arm's already splinted and we'll bandage the burns where we can. Are you hurt anywhere else?"
"Hard to say. My regular doc's out cold on the floor. Someone really ought to revoke his medical license." No one laughs, and Hawks sighs. "He drugged us: sedative, pain relief, something else. It might've been a quirk suppressant, but with my injuries it's hard to tell."
"We'll make sure the medics know," Eraserhead promises. "You said Tokoyami was hurt, too. What happened?"
Hawks wants to confess that it was his fault, but he also knows it would only serve as a distraction. They don't need any extra information that could slow things down. And you're a coward, a little voice in his head adds. It sounds suspiciously like Tokoyami. He doesn't bother to argue with it.
"Stab wound to the chest. Doc must've patched it or he'd be dead. He was burned, too, but Dark Shadow took the brunt of it. If Dark Shadow's still conscious, you need to be careful. They won't trust anyone."
Tentacole's grip on the door frame tightens enough to put a dent in it. "We should have come sooner."
"We couldn't have. To wish otherwise is illogical," says Shinso.
"Be quiet," Tentacole hisses.
"No need to be so-" Shinso starts, but Tentacole shushes him again with a second mouth.
"Quiet. Someone's coming."
Eraserhead is at his side in an instant, peering down the hall, while Creati and Shinso move to defend their charges. Tension shoots along Hawks' spine. He instinctually attempts to send out a feather, but only succeeds in aggravating the burns along his back. Even the puny, crispy little bits of feather he's left with won't respond now.
As it turns out, he doesn't need them. Bakugo – or Dynamite, as he's apparently going by – shouts loud enough for his voice to reach the room before he does. "This hall's clear, but we have to get upstairs now!"
"What happened? Where's Anima?" Eraserhead asks.
"Second floor. He's following the rats," Dynamite replies.
"I explicitly told you to stay together and go no further than this hall. We are responsible for our targets, and our orders are to defend this room. The other teams-"
"The other teams don't have you!" Dynamite bellows. "Tokoyami's headed straight for Shigaraki, and you're the only one who can stop his quirk."
"Are you certain?" Eraserhead asks, although he's already re-adjusting his goggles and scarf.
Dynamite nods. "Anima's creepy little army is all over this building, and apparently they're not too fond of the guy who disintegrates them for fun."
"I'm coming with you. I can use my quirk to pinpoint their location and help you catch up," says Tentacole. There's an edge of desperation to his voice, and it finally hits Hawks why Tentacole and Anima are so familiar. He talked to them before, back when he was in the process of sabotaging the investigation into Tokoyami's disappearance. They were the last people to see him alive.
Eraserhead hesitates, and Dynamite speaks up again. "I'll take his place. There's no way I'm letting these assholes out of my sight."
Creati stands a little taller. "We can do this, sensei. We won't let anything get through that door."
"Or out of it," Shinso adds.
Eraserhead looks them over, then nods. "Don't do anything stupid. And Hawks – don't die on my students."
"On my honor as a hero," Hawks replies. It's a dirty trick, given how little his honor is worth. The moment Eraserhead and Tentacole are gone he promptly passes out.
So. How many of you called it?