Chapter 11: Corridor

"Go on. Do it." Professor Aizawa's voice was stern, assuring Ochaco that he was unwilling to budge.

Ochaco was close to crying. She had pushed her limits all day, using her Quirk to the point where her breathing became labored. Using it on other people and objects was already demanding but using it on herself was especially challenging. To pull it off, she had to train like an astronaut, which was a fitting truth considering the nature of her Quirk.

"Giving up already? If you give up here, I will not hesitate to dismiss you." His words were so stern.

If she gave up, she knew she would never forgive herself. Even so, she considered it anyway. That was how worn out she was by now. Upon reaching her limits, she started to change the way she thought about her entire life. That was the kind of visualization she got from this.

"Well? Make up your mind already."

First, one more deep breath… and then she launched. Ochaco levitated in the air, increasing her speed as she neared the security drones. The machines were launching nets and wires at her, in attempts to disable her. To counter this, Ochaco had several metal plates from one of the machines she already destroyed, which she kept with her as she moved. The projectiles being fired at her were deflected, and then she contacted some of them with her hands as well. Once she had a collection of items in her pull, she used the jets on her boots to launch herself like a rocket. "Release!" she declared, returning gravity to her armory, so that everything flew at the security drones. Meanwhile, she reactivated her Quirk on herself, just for a few moments, long enough to boost above the drones simultaneously. She ended up behind her targets, and then she pressed her hands on the two of them. With the enemies now weightless, she sent then up, returning their weight just as they reached the ceiling, and there they crashed loudly. Finally, she ended things by deactivating her Quirk, sending the drones collapsing to the ground in a pile of wreckage.

When the dust settled, Aizawa nodded in approval. "Next time, act quicker. You cannot hesitate."

"Yes, Professor." Even so, Ochaco was close to vomiting. It took her awhile to get her breathing back to normal. But she knew this was going to make her stronger. One day, she would remember this feeling.

The underground chamber had a metallic odor coming from within. Virtually no light shone down the passage, and Ochaco nearly lost her footing as she climbed down. Upon reaching the floor, she peered deeper into the tunnel, noticing the metallic walls.

A few seconds later, Jin climbed down as well. He quickly and carefully sealed the hatch behind them, analyzing it closely, making sure they would be able to come back out the way they came.

"Whispers only," he instructed.

An important reminder, and Ochaco tried to see her partner, even though it was pitch black. "How we doing this?"

In response, Jin slowly inched farther down the tunnel, carefully minding his steps. "Our footsteps will draw attention. Can you make us both float?"

Ochaco thought it over. Even without her full costume, she could lift them both. However, things would get tougher if they fell under peril along the way. For the time being, this was the plan. Ochaco tapped Jin's shoulder, then gripped his shirt as they both floated. She was able to use her jets to move them both through the air, and at the lowest power, they emitted only the smallest trace of combustion.

Considering how composed he normally acted, Jin was strangely uncomfortable while being in a state of levitation. Ochaco had to fight back laughter as she saw his outline in the dark struggling to figure out a way to handle the change. Despite his uneasiness, Jin didn't say a word in complaint, just like Ochaco didn't break the silence with a joke. This was still a serious mission.

Eventually, the tunnel had better illumination, and the path opened ahead. It soon became evident that there were two directions to go.

"Which way?" Ochaco asked.

Jin was studying both paths closely. This new environment was dark and forbidding, but at least there was limited activity down here… making it far easier for Jin to run his Quirk. "They took Monoma to the right."

Although that answered one question, many more still existed. Even so, she could never hold back from asking the biggest one. "And Deku?"

"Nothing yet," Jin answered. Even in the dark, a slight frown was visible on his face.

It still paled in comparison to how Ochaco felt. "Either way, we have to find Neito Monoma and get him out of here."

Suddenly, Jin held a hand up in front of her, urging her to bring them both to a halt. "Listen… I must tell you something."

That didn't sound good. "What's wrong?" Ochaco felt a sudden chill.

Jin seemed to reconsider sharing his revelation… but he told it anyway. "In one of my visualizations, they were talking about Deku."

As badly as she wanted to find out more, Ochaco knew well enough by now to avoid overreacting. "What did they say?" she said, maintaining her whispers.

"Something about how they were nervous now that the case got dug back up. Apparently, they caught wind of our investigation."

"But how…" Ochaco thought it over. Where had they been spotted? Maybe Don Takahiro had reported his initial visit to someone after all. In actuality, she hoped that was the case, because if any of them had escaped from the house after being restrained, it could mean this entire mission would fail.

"No matter what, we can't let them escape with the prisoners," Jin explained. "We are now responsible for them."

Although she already knew he was a sensible man, Ochaco was still impressed to hear Jin express such valid concern for the lives of others. At the same time, that reminded her of the pressure from what was at stake.

They headed to the right, Ochaco continuing to maneuver them through the air. The corridor went down another thirty yards, and then the sound of voices came into range. It originated from beyond the tunnel, meaning that there was a room on the other side. Considering how effectively the sound traveled, it was a good thing Ochaco and Jin weren't walking, because their footsteps would have been noticed immediately.

By now, Jin wasn't talking at all, instead giving hand signals. He held a finger to his mouth as a reminder, and then used one finger to motion farther ahead. Sure enough, another hatch appeared, this one erected right into the wall. That was the entrance to the room with the voices.

Before proceeding, Jin held both hands up toward the wall nearby, requesting Ochaco to bring him in closer. Once he was there, he took some time to study the voices. They were faint, but with enough concentration, Jin was able to make out some of the words. Even so, he couldn't share what he heard right now, considering how quiet they needed to remain.

Finally, they reached the hatch, and Jin used his Quirk some more. There would be no turning back at this point, and although he was exhausted from Quirk overuse, he knew it was vital to scope out the potential threat lying ahead. Only when he was satisfied with his findings did he bring his attention back to Ochaco. "We can't go in."

"What?" Ochaco whispered loudly, having not expected a stop sign in this mission.

Regardless of how far they had come, Jin was attempting to call a halt. "I cannot calculate what will result from an encounter with these people. Even if we succeed in incapacitating them, we could sound off an alarm, or get ourselves trapped. There are way too many unknowns."

There was no doubt in the validity of those terms… yet Ochaco wouldn't have it. "I'm not turning back now. I'm going in, and I'm going to find Deku." She would be absolutely sure to prove her determination.

It didn't get received well. "Have you learned nothing from this case? We cannot let ourselves get overexcited just because we've made it this far. One mistake will ruin the entire mission."

"You're right," she said. "All it takes is one mistake… such as leaving now without rescuing them. They need our help right now. Even if you won't go in with me, I'll still go in alone."

By now, Jin was close to losing his patience. He had hoped that Ochaco would have picked up on some of his lessons that he taught her about managing her emotions… but that seemed to have failed. Perhaps there was no hope for her in that regard.

Then again, Jin wasn't one to abandon a case either. As he searched inside for his thoughts, he found it strangely motivating to have Ochaco Uraraka so willing to burst in the next room.

In fact, it was powerful enough to sway him. "So be it. I have a plan."

Ochaco raised an eyebrow. "What?"

An uncharacteristic and mischievous grin came upon Jin's face. "I'll go in first. You come in after to back me up. That way, I can draw them out first."

"Whoa, whoa," Ochaco said, holding a hand up in protest. "You can't face all these guys alone. What are you going to do?"

"I have to. You are the one with the Quirk fit for combat. However, if you are caught off guard, we'll both go down. Therefore, it's most logical for me to check the room first by myself. I'll interact with them, get more information, and then you come in at just the right time."

"Jin, wait…" Ochaco found no means to oppose his plan. At the same time, it sounded incredibly dangerous for him. "Okay, just… be careful."

"You've got my back," he said, patting her shoulder reassuringly. "I'll be fine."

They looked into each other's eyes for several moments, psyching each other up, and then Ochaco released the gravity, returning Jin to the floor. He got his hands around the hatch handle, and then he turned it as quietly as possible. Even so, it made plenty of noise, and the voices from the other room grew silent. With that, Jin passed through the hatch and into the next chamber.

For now, Ochaco was just around the corner. She couldn't see, but she could hear, thus she would wait for just the right moment. The problem was she was unsure of just what would entail the right moment in the first place. Either way, she wasn't going to let her partner down. No matter what, she needed to time her move.

Suddenly, Jin's voice came from the other room. "Only two of you? Where's the rest?"

"What the?"

"Who the hell are you?"

"No need to be alarmed. I'm just here for a surprise inspection."

In that brief interaction, Ochaco found out there were only two of them, so it shouldn't be too difficult for her to handle. In fact, she was ready to go in now. Still, she waited just a moment, wondering if perhaps Jin could extract more information first.

"Where is everyone else? I was told you had more staff on site."

"They're running trials right now. Austo brings most of them in the lab for trials."

"Wait, wait, wait, since when do we have surprise inspections?"

"I've been warned that some the staff have been slacking. I suppose I came at the right time, considering the only ones I caught are you two."

Enough was enough. Ochaco came jetting through the hatch and onto the scene. Just like she'd heard, two men were standing across the room from Jin. Immediately, she recognized their outfits. They were agents from the vision that Jin shared with her when Deku was taken.

"Who the hell is that?" the man on the left asked, looking dumbfounded.

On the other hand, Jin quietly walked right by Ochaco, to the hatch. He sealed it, acting like nothing unusual was occurring.

That left Ochaco to deal with the two agents. Even though she was a hero, she was feeling rage within her. Although they didn't do it alone, these two men had taken Deku. They weren't leaving this room without telling her where he was.

In a swift motion, Ochaco sent some metallic panels flying at the agents. They shouted in surprise, covering up their faces as the debris crashed into them. In truth, it was more of a distraction, because Ochaco flew in to attack directly. She got grips on the first man's wrist and under his armpit, then used a hip toss she learned from Gunhead Martial Arts. The man went down with a thud. As Ochaco turned to deal with the second man, he reacted more aggressively. The agent managed to lash out with a heavy punch, but Ochaco leaned her head back and got her hands on his arm, quickly rendering him weightless. They both floated in the air, and Ochaco held the agent's arm and used it to sling both her feet into a double kick to his face. Just as she landed the blow, she returned the gravity, so they both went to the floor, her landing on top and leaving him with the entire impact.

It only took those several moments for Ochaco to dispatch the agents. Once things were secure, she turned her attention to the first agent, who was slightly more coherent after being slammed down. "Where did you take the kids that you abducted?" she asked in a vengeful voice.

"What? How do you know about… I mean, I don't know what you're talking about!"

Ochaco wrenched the agent's arm behind his back, twisting it so that he winced in pain. "Tell me right now." As much as she wanted to raise her voice, she still had to keep it down, considering more villains were still close at hand.

Meanwhile, Jin found some wires in a basket by the office area, and he was tying up the other agent. At the very least, he would make sure neither of them could cause any immediate problems going forward.

As for the agent being interrogated by Ochaco, he shook his head, suddenly looking quite guilty. "I didn't want to be a part of this. This isn't what I signed up for."

"What's been going on in this place?" Ochaco was so fired up, but part of her was afraid to find out what the answer to that question was.

Even though he resisted giving his knowledge away, the agent looked like he was thinking more about granting himself some sort of pardon for his crimes. "Quirk Transfer Application."

The exact words Ochaco had seen on Jin's computer screen in the past. "That's what I thought," she said, barely able to suppress her anger, despite the satisfaction of having solved the motive for the case.

"You're just a kid," the agent went on. "Get out of here. Just leave. Austo's way too dangerous."

Whoever this person was, Ochaco was surprised to not have heard of him sooner. When she glanced over at Jin, he had finished restraining the agent, and the Wolf shrugged his shoulders. "I suppose they're all in the lab right about now."

To Ochaco's surprise, Jin pressed a hand on the agent's shoulder. "What's your name?"

"Hoka," he replied nervously.

Jin nodded and motioned toward the hatch. "Very well, Hoka. You will escort me to the lab to see Austo."

That didn't just surprise Hoka, as Ochaco raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure about this?" she spoke up quickly. "Maybe that's too much of a risk."

"It would be nice to get some answers," Jin explained calmly. "Besides, it won't be much longer now."

Apparently, Jin had gotten more information through his visualizations because he winked at Ochaco with his left eye: the signal they agreed on ahead of time. After all, part of their advantage was keeping the nature of Jin's Quirk a secret.

No matter what advantages they possessed, confronting this villain would be no easy task. Ochaco was fired up, eager to put an end to all of this, and to rescue Deku… but she still knew there was the chance of blowing all of it with just one reckless move. "How do we know he'll cooperate?" she asked.

It was a good point, but Jin calmly patted Hoka on the back. "Because the pro heroes and the police will be here any minute. They're going to arrest everyone in this place."

That seemed to get quite a reaction out of Hoka. "Wait, what? This is crazy. I'll cooperate! Come on, I just work here."

Once again, Ochaco was impressed at Jin's ability to play his pieces just right. By using his visualizations, he could have studied Hoka enough to determine if he was more likely to stay loyal to his criminal boss, or to comply with the law once he was caught. While it was still a risk letting Hoka know about the incoming heroes and police, now Jin could get the agent to make his decision.

However, one issue remained. "Jin," she got his attention, moving out of hearing range from Hoka.

The Wolf walked over and joined her. "Yes?" he whispered.

"Are you sure about this? Maybe… we should just wait for the heroes and police to arrive. We'll be stronger if we all go in at once."

Even while nodding, Jin sighed at the suggestion. "Unfortunately, they won't be able to access this place without making a lot of commotion. With the way this underground facility is designed, I suspect they have a method of escaping in case they are raided."

She hadn't even thought of that. "Okay, fine. Then what about this Austo guy? Ever hear of him?"

"Negative. But I'll confront him. Same plan as before. I will get some answers."

"And then I'll come in at the right moment again?" Ochaco had been concerned about that plan before. This time, it was only riskier.

"We need two things right now. First, we need to make sure that these guys can't escape, or else we could lose our chance to find Midoriya. Second, we need to have legitimate evidence of their crimes. I can find out all of that, but I need some time in that lab."

It all sounded too familiar. "Four hours again?" she asked, unable to resist a slight grin.

"This time, I'll be lucky to get four minutes," he replied, looking down.

"When you do, I'll have your back," Ochaco vowed, making sure he knew how focused and determined she was by looking into her eyes. "Let's finish this."

Before they concluded, Jin made a motion toward Hoka while keeping his eyes locked with Ochaco. "His mouth. Do it by surprise."

The meeting came to an end. Ochaco and Jin walked over to Hoka, while he peered up at them nervously. "Time to go," Jin announced, motioning for the hatch. "If you ever want to see the outside of a jail cell again, you will do exactly what we demand."

The frantic reaction in Hoka's expression were blatantly obvious. "Okay, okay. I'll do it. I just want to get out of here."

"I see." With a nod, Jin motioned to Ochaco.

In a flash, Ochaco posted duct tape over Hoka's mouth, while he moaned in confusion. After that, the two of them tied him up, leaving him next to his still unconscious partner.

Regardless of whatever any of these henchmen said, they were still there the day Deku was taken. In fact, they were part of the team that abducted him. Therefore, there was no chance either of them could be trusted.

Now, thanks to the quick move to tape his mouth shut, Hoka had been unable to call out and alert the others.

With that settled, it was time to move on. Just in the other room was the lab, along with the man responsible for Deku's abduction. Not to mention Neito Monoma, and perhaps others involved in this crime scheme as well.