Hello crazy beautiful world! It's time for Spooktober! It's gonna be a month filled with scary in game events and candy and I can't wait! What are you all looking forward to this month?

Reviews: hornig3, glad you enjoyed our boy Zer0's escapades, but trust me, it's not over yet. And yes, Freddie's taste in "fashion" might be considered a crime against nature, but that's the 80's for ya.

Engineer4Ever, I am so glad my twist worked, it's such a great feeling to have it pay off! Is this why Shyamalan keeps sticking them in his dumb movies?

Vedahzii, thank you for your enthusiastically kind words! The SS Baddaboom is very fun to steer and as I've said before, more characters will make their appearances, just in ways that make the most sense(and the most awesome!). Let's see if I can turn that 9 to a 10, shall we?

Oh yeah, there might be something in this chapter that will make the M-rating make sense, but if you're familiar with Borderlands you would've seen this coming.

Time to go insane!

Borderlands is owned by Gearbox and 2KGames and My Hero Academia is owned by Kohei Horikoshi and Funimation. Please support the official release.

Please rate and review!

"This means someone is talking."

'This means someone is thinking to themselves.'

This means it's a flashback.

*This means it's a sound effect!*

{This means I'm speaking in a different language!}

Angel in a Gilded Cage

Though it wasn't actually possible, Angel could definitely hear Axton's eyes narrowing on the other side of the radio.

"Come again?" He asked, voice low and brimming with anger.

She swallowed nervously. She knew that the pro hero's fury wasn't directed at her, but it was intimidating nonetheless.

"J-Just what I said. Pretty Boy has been kidnapping people and selling them off due to their quirks! There's a whole list in the database here."

"Sonofa-!" Axton growled, a loud bang on the other end making Angel jump. Sounded like he had slammed his fist on something. Then he took a deep breath. "Did the files say where the missing fourteen have been shipped to at least?"

"I-I think so. I didn't have time to look that deep, but I'm copying it all right now."

"Good, we can look through it later. You mentioned you knew where some of the people were?"

"Yes. Pretty Boy currently has three more locked up somewhere, but the order forms said that a truck is coming to pick them up today!"

"Then we have no time to lose! Bravo team, change of plans! You two find persons fifteen through seventeen and get them out to safety! Alpha team, keep up the distraction! I'll call the police and we'll start making arrests as soon as they arrive! Get to it!"

"Y-Yes sir!" She nodded and looked over her shoulder.

"You get all that Zer0?"

Said ninja had just finished lifting Freddie's unconscious form into a locker and closing the door with a bang. Dusting off his gloves he nodded.

"Okay, just give me a second to finish copying the files." She turned back to the computer screens, just as the progress bar filled and there was a bell tone.

"Done!" She unplugged the drive and stuffed it back in her pocket.

"I'm disappointed… I hoped to catch Pretty Boy… but lives are at stake." Zer0 groused, shaking his head. "Where would I be found… if I were to be shipped out? Ah, the loading dock?" He suggested.

"Exactly what I was thinking, but, well, not as eloquently." Angel shrugged, pulling herself off the office chair. "I think I can lead us downstairs but we need to hurry! The truck could be here anytime!" She said as she pressed the button for the door and urgently, yet still cautiously, led him back into the hall and shut the door behind them. She moved without fear of the cameras this time around, with Freddie safely stowed away. The weight of the situation helped carry her all the way back to the stairwell and kept her distracted. It was only when her feet were lightly echoing off the concrete stairs that her worry began to creep back up on her.

Human trafficking. She had heard of it of course, but it's another thing to be so directly involved in such a horrible thing. The mere thought of treating someone, a living being, like one would a product or possession…

It resonated too deeply for Angel's comfort.

But at the bottom of it all, there was a burning question. Why? Why purchase someone for their quirk?

With no way of getting an answer, at least for now, Angel swallowed and focused on her path ahead, the one she had to map out.

"If I remember the floorplans correctly," She said as they passed the ground floor and continued their descent. "...the loading dock will be on the basement floor, but we'll need to go past the counting room and storage to get there."

"I have a concern… if our target is down here… it might be guarded." Zer0 pointed out.

"Sure," Angel conceded. "But I'm betting that there will be less than you think. Pretty Boy wouldn't want to draw attention to a seemingly normal section of the building if he's holding a bunch of people against their will. There will probably be less guards and more cameras instead. Good thing we don't have to worry about those anymore, do we?"

He gave her an LOL on his visor in response, making her smile despite the circumstances. She had been a bit nervous around the enigmatic figure for the last week, but she was definitely warming up to him over the course of this mission.

"This is our stop." She informed him as they finally reached the bottom of the stairwell. She stood by the wall as Zer0 did his thing, checking the window and the hallway for anyone nearby before signalling her in.

'It's cooler in here.' She briefly noted as soon as she opened the door. The walls, floor and ceiling were all cold cement with hissing pipes and dusty wires hanging overhead. Apparently the luxurious carpets and heaters were a thing reserved for the rest of the building and it's clientele.

"Remember, it's the left corner, past the counting room, around the second corner and through the doors on the left side." She whispered to Zer0, getting a nod. Together they paced down the hall, keeping low to the ground. Angel herself stepped especially gingerly so her boots didn't hit off the solid floor too loudly. It made her constantly feel like she was walking on eggshells, loud, glass eggshells.

They approached the first corner and the buzzing of machines floated into Angel's head on the other side of the wall to her right. They were coming up to the counting room, the place where all of the casino's earnings were gathered, counted, sorted and prepared for safe storage. Zer0 peered(invisibly) around the corner and subsequently beckoned her forward.

They rounded the turn and kept moving. On the right side was another reinforced door like the one back at the security office. The counting room. Thankfully, it wasn't their destination and they passed it by, the hum and whirs of the automatic bill counters audible through the door.

Continuing to the end of the hall, they reached the second corner underneath another camera, which was unmanned of course.

Zer0 looked around the corner. Angel was then caught off guard when he held up a hand in warning and brought his head back around.

"Two." He stated.

"Let me see." She requested softly and he moved back, letting her shuffle over and peek around the corner.

Just as Zer0 said, there were two, as in two men standing in the hallway. They seemed to be a pair of money counters or at least not security judging by their work aprons, sanitation masks and latex gloves. They were standing next to a cart heavily laden with stacks of bills and more vexingly, in front of the swinging doors leading to the loading dock.

"Damn it! I-I mean, darnit!" She hissed. "What are we going to do now?"

"Be ready."

"Huh? What do you..." She turned back just to be met with empty space. "Of course." She sighed, shaking her head and looking back down the hall at her latest obstacle. She continued watching the two men have their conversation.

When Angel heard a high pitched squeak, she flinched, glancing around in a panic to find the sound.

But then she saw the money cart's ungreased wheels begin to turn. Slowly, it started to roll down the hall, picking up speed.

"And so I said to her, wait, what? Hey!" One of the counter's pointed at the escaping piles of money.

"Catch it! Quick!" His companion yelped, spurring them to chase the wayward cart who sped down the hall and turned the corner by itself.

Leaving the doors unguarded.

"Huh. That works." Angel said, catching onto her partner's strategy.

Not letting the opportunity go to waste, she leapt out from her hiding place and reached the doors. Standing on the ends of her toes, she peeked inside through the round windows.

Inside was the loading dock, just as she had read. Tall, metal shelves stacked with various boxes, cans and containers were lined in neat rows. Past them down a ramp was the parking area where the trucks would bring supplies in to stock the casino, carried in by the pair of forklifts resting against the wall. At the end were two large metal shutters where said trucks would enter from.

Other than that though, the room was vacant. There were no guards or other employees around (at least from where she was looking) and no truck.

'Either it isn't here yet, or we're too late. Hope it's the former.' She thought and with a little effort, she pushed the heavy doors open and entered. No shouts of surprise rang out, she truly was alone. Letting out a held breath, she started looking around.

She began inspecting the shelves, specifically the large containers and boxes, anyplace one might hide a human body. Using an energized finger, she burned through sealing tape or the sides of cardboard boxes and looked inside. Unfortunately, she was only greeted with the sight of jugs of cleaning chemicals, plastic wrapped stacks of new gambling chips and extra playing cards, just casino supplies.

"Come on…" Angel grumbled, putting the lid back down on the latest opened crate of tinned caviar. "You've got to be here somewhere!"

"Right here."

"Bwah!" Angel nearly jumped out of her skin as she whirled around, just to see Zer0 there. "Will you-will you please stop doing that?!"

He gave her a shrug. She sighed, rolling her eyes. "Well, good plan on getting us in. But I've looked in just about all these boxes and couldn't find anything!" She reported, throwing her arms in the air.

Zer0 remained silent, looking around the room. "Get back to searching… try to find anything odd… I'll keep a lookout."

Angel nodded and he slunk back to the door. And so she did as instructed, opening and closing every container, locker and tool chest. Alas, she still didn't find a single clue, let alone a full person. Her hopes rose with every prospective hiding place, only for them to be dashed when nothing of note was there.

Doubts began to whisper in her head. Were they too late? Had the truck already come? Or was her guess completely off the mark and she was looking in the wrong place?

She nibbled her thumbnail in agitation.

"There's something I'm not seeing here, but what?! Ugh!" She stomped her foot, frustrated at everything. She spied a small can of caviar on the ground and in her anger, she kicked it.

With a clank, the unoffending piece of metal shot across the room and smashed against a wall, it's viscous contents splattering on the concrete.

'Great. Now I've made a mess too.' She scolded herself, watching the black fish eggs slide down the wall, the air growing heavy with it's fishy scent.

She was about to turn away from the gross sight when something caught her eye and she paused.

The oil from the eggs dribbled down the wall, but it wasn't pooling on the floor.

Blinking in confusion, Angel stepped over and looked closer. At the bottom where the wall met the floor was a small horizontal opening.

She reached down and ran her hand along it.

A miniscule breeze tickled the tips of her fingers.

"Wait a minute…" She muttered, dragging her fingers along the length of the gap until it hit a perpendicular seam, just barely visible, running up the wall where it met another line and another to form a small rectangle.

She made a fist and knocked on the surface, her eyes widening when she heard a small echo and noticing how the wall felt more like plastic.

This part of the wall wasn't concrete at all!

"Hey! I think I found something!" Angel called over her shoulder, getting Zer0's attention.

"Yes?" He inquired, walking over.

"I think there's a trap door here!" She explained, her voice peaking from excitement. "But how to open it. Wait, I've got an idea!" She said, closing her eyes and reaching out with her mind.

The first thing she detected was a few presences that she assumed were lights or something on the other side of the "wall". But right in front of her connected to it was a small line, leading to her right!

Angel opened her eyes and glanced in that direction, towards a pipe going up from the floor to the ceiling. Stepping over, she reached behind it and felt something.

A switch!

She flipped it.

A series of small clicks emanated and the rectangle swung back, revealing a space within!

"Yes!" She pumped her fist. Zer0 gave her a thumbs up and leaned down to enter the small opening. Eagerly, Angel hobbled in behind him, trying to avoid stepping in the spilled caviar as she climbed down a small set of stairs. The two of them then found themselves in a small, shadow filled room.

"Huh?! H-Hello? Is someone there?!" An unfamiliar, male voice cried out from the darkness. Whoever it was sounded scared.

"H-Hang on!" Angel responded, fumbling along the wall for a light switch and eventually finding it.

A couple of incandescent light bulbs flickered to life and at the end of the room was a jail cell. Closest to the bars was a young adult male dressed in a dirty, grey hoodie and jeans who was currently shielding his eyes from the light emanating from the door. He was fairly nondescript, had a thin build and plain brunette hair. Behind him sitting on a small bench were two teenage girls, judging by the school uniforms. Both had their hair tied in a ponytail that each wore on opposite sides of each other, one of which ended in a club shaped braid while the other's was more like a drill. Judging from their facial features, they appeared to be twins. They clung to each other, for warmth in the cold room and comfort against their fear.

All their eyes widened at her and Zer0's arrival.

"W-Wait! You don't look like any of the casino security! A-Are you two heroes?!" The man stuttered in disbelief.

"Do not be afraid…" Zer0 gave them a placating wave. "...we're Double Tap MCI. We're here to save you."

"Oh thank god!" The man had to steady himself against the cell's bars as he sagged in relief. "I was starting to think that no one was coming for us!"

"Hold on!" The girl with the drill-tail stood up and approached the bars. "I think I recognize you!" She pointed at Angel. "You were in the Yūei Sports Festival weren't you?!"

"Really?!" Her sister gasped in awe.

Angel blushed a little. "Uh yeah, heh, I was. What are your names?"

"I'm Okuma Ieyasu!" The man answered.

"I'm Karin, this is my sister Nomi." The first girl replied, pointing at her sibling, who gave a meager wave.

"How long have you guys been down here?" Angel asked.

"The owner had me tossed in here last night after I made a huge debt at the slot machines. I really blew it." Okuma hung his head in shame.

"Same here." Nomi added. "We busted at the craps table. It was so easy at first, I don't know what went wrong."

"I knew we shouldn't have snuck in here with fake IDs!" Karin whimpered.

"Do you have any idea what he was going to do with you three?" Angel pressed further.

Okuma shook his head. "No clue. He just said something about a truck and that I wouldn't be staying long."

"We knew even less than that." Karin said from his left. "But enough about that! Can you get us the hell out of here?! I wanna go home!"

"O-Okay! Calm down! Just give me a second!" Angel assured the captives before reaching for her headset.

"Axton? Come in! We found the missing persons! Axton?!" She called, but was only met with static.

"Son of a-witch." She caught herself. "We're too far down, I can't get a good signal. What now?" She asked her companion.

"We stick to the plan… let's get these three to safety. Stand back and watch this." Zer0 instructed, making her and the three civilians back away. He reached over his shoulder and there was a brief flash of light, from which he slowly drew a long katana with a shimmering blue edge!

'Woah! Where the heck was he keeping that?!' Angel gaped as he lowered himself into a stance. Then he lunged forward, slashing the bars back and forth, the air ringing with the sound of shredding metal and the hum of the blade! Every place he struck on the barrier glowed hot red. He kept cutting until there was a pattern in the shape of a zero and gave it a kick!

*CLANG!* The steel bars clattered to the floor in a steaming pile of metal, leaving a man sized hole in the cage.

Angel's jaw dropped at the display of skill, yet she couldn't help but think;

"Was… that really necessary? I mean, couldn't you have just cut the lock on the door?" She questioned while the prisoners tentatively exited their cell and he sheathed his blade back into nothing.

"Are you kidding me?! That was totally necessary! It was so cool!" Okuma objected, running up to Zer0. "Once we're out of here, can I have your autograph?! You're just… so cool! I really wanted you to know that!" He pleaded, receiving a heart emoticon and a nod.

Behind him Karin rolled her eyes. "Men." She scoffed.

"Thank you so much!" Nomi bowed her head as she held onto her sister. "Can we get out of here now?"

"O-Of course. Follow us. We can probably leave out the garage doors and run to the street from there, the police are on their way!" Angel said, turning back to the exit and climbing back up the stairs.

"W-Watch your heads!" She advised as she crawled out of the small trap door followed by Zer0, then Okuma and the sisters.

"Ew! What is this stuff?!" Karin moaned, trying to shake off some of the caviar off her shoe.

"Just fish eggs, don't worry about it. We just need to get out of here before the truck or someone shows up!" Angel told her.

"Yeah, eheheheh…" They all froze as they heard a shady snickering. "...we wouldn't want that, would we?"

Angel and Zer0 whirled around. Assembled in front of the double doors was a small group of casino security, more than ten of them. They all brandished knives and baseball bats which they gripped in a threatening manner.

"Outta the way fellas!" The creaky voice ordered and the men seperated to let man dressed in a comparatively nicer suit stride forward. He towered over his thugs, his body bulky and wide. Despite the gut protruding over the belt of his pants, he still had muscle, judging by the bulging biceps under his sleeves. Despite that, fist sized, golden rings glittered on his ham hands, currently resting on his hips. Hanging from his neck was a heavy gold necklace that read "Pretty Boy", not that Angel didn't recognize his ugly visage from the photos.

"Well, well, well, look what we got here gentlemen?" He asked aloud. "A couple' a noses that're sniffin where they don't belong!"

"Oh God! We're gonna die!" Okuma whimpered behind Angel, not that she could blame him. It wasn't looking good. They were surrounded, the only exit blocked and no way to call for help.

Thinking fast, she pretended to put an arm behind her to shield the civilians and brushed a finger against her headset.

"Z-Zer0," She whispered. "W-What do we do?"

"Keep the civie's safe… get outside to the police… I'll handle the rest." He replied with a subtle, sideways glance before looking up to the unscrupulous casino owner.

"Ah, Milton Redman… I was afraid we wouldn't… get the chance to meet."

"Be careful what you wish for pal, you might just get it." The large man laughed, his head bobbing on his neck a bit oddly. "Because now you're just going to wind up in an early grave!"

"W-What are we going to do?" Angel heard Nomi whimper behind her. Angel swallowed nervously, from their current predicament but mostly from the fact that she was now responsible for these people's safety.

'Can I really do this?' She fretted.

"S-Stay with me and do what I say. I-I'll get you all out, I promise!" She quietly shot back. The three victims gave each other looks of uncertainty.

"Y'know, at first I was sure this whole thing was going to be a real headache." Pretty Boy continued, unaware of their conversation. "But then we pulled Freddie outta that locker and he told us something really interesting!"

He turned and looked directly at Angel, a glint of greed in his eyes. "He mentioned that outta the two hero chumps that got him, one of them was a girl with a tech quirk!"

"M-Me?" She questioned, stepping back a little in fear.

"Keep him talking." Zer0 spoke over the radio.

"U-Um… w-why is that?" She probed.

"As you've probably found out, I run a little… side business, of acquiring schmucks with certain powers that some very wealthy people out there want." He explained, pacing leisurely with his arms crossed behind him. "They send me a list, I get what they want and ship 'em out! Simple as that! But then cut back to almost a year ago, some big spender somewhere is asking for ten million bucks for someone with a tech quirk. And lo and behold!"

He grinned maliciously as he gestured to her. "Lady Luck dealt me a royal flush!"

Angel's eyes widened. Someone out there had put ten million dollars on her head?

She paled as she made a sudden realization.

'It was him, wasn't it?'

She swallowed again. "What happens to the people you sell?"

Pretty Boy sneered. "Don't know, don't care! It's not my problem what people do with my products!"

Angel's eyes narrowed as her fear was quickly swept away by a tide of anger. Was this man really so callous as to kidnap innocent people and doom them to a horrible fate without a care?!

"We're not going to let you do this!" She spat, making him laugh again.

"Don't you get it Shrimp? I already have! I'm the house and the house always wins! Boys! Kill the hero and bring me the girl and the goods alive! Whoever does either gets fifty G's!" He ordered, pointing one of his fat sausage fingers.

The group of thugs roared as they charged! Angel tensed, ready to protect her charges.

Zer0 stepped forth and glanced back at her.

"Good work. My turn." He said as the oncoming attackers raised their weapons.

"Mulch him!"

"That money is mine!"

"Die!"

But just when they were about to strike, a zero flickered over the hero's head and the world was engulfed in a white flash! Angel shielded her eyes, the room filled with cries of pain and surprise.

Then it dimmed. Blinking away the spots in her vision, Angel gaped.

Where there was one, there was now a small horde of Zer0s! Standing arm to arm, they were a line of faceless statues squaring off against the thugs!

"What the-?!"

"He can clone himself?!"

"Who cares?! Kill them all!"

As one, the Zer0's crossed their arms. There was another small flash and each of them were now gripping a pair of tonfas. They each did a flourish and sprinted forward to meet their foes.

Bloodthirsty roars turned to gasps of confusion as the men's weapons harmlessly passed through their respective opponents.

"Huh?! They're all fakes!" One pointed out.

"Then where's the real on-!"

*WHOK!*

"Ugh!"

Another crumpled as a Zer0 hit him on the back of the head with one of his clubs.

"I got him!" A third swung his bat, only for it to pass through and smack his friend in the back.

"OW! Watch where you're swinging, asshole!"

"Heh." They heard a soft chuckle. "The true world revealed… weaknesses now known to me…" The men paced around fearfully as Zer0's voice echoed through the room. "Time to go to work."

It quickly devolved into pandemonium as the doppelgangers continued to dance around their opponents. The men kept trying to find and strike the hero just to wind up missing or hit each other. All the while the real Zer0 kept weaving in and out of the tangle of bodies, bashing with his dual clubs and disappearing just as fast.

Off to the side seemingly forgotten, Angel and the three prisoners watched in awe.

'Wow, he's just like sensei back at USJ.' She thought. Then again, they were pretty similar to begin with. 'I mean… underground hero, great at fighting in a crowd, dressed in all black. Wonder if they're friends?'

"Hey!" She jumped as someone tugged on her arm. It was Karin, looking very anxious. "Can we go now?!"

Angel blinked, then cursed herself under her breath. She was right! This was their chance to escape!

"O-Oh right! Sorry! Follow me!" She told the scared hostages, quickly leading them behind some of the tall shelves. Okuma kept making mystified glances at the huge melee in the centre of the room while Karin and Nomi just focused on keeping pace with their guide, trying to keep each other's shaky legs from giving out.

"Come on you idiots! He's just one man!" Angel heard Pretty Boy howl, taking a second to spot him watching the fighting, flanked by two bodyguards.

"We're trying boss, but he's too fast!" One of his men protested, then immediately got a tonfa to the throat.

His face reddened in anger. "{Fine! I didn't want it to come to this! Bubba, get in there you fat bastard!}" He snapped in English, looking down at his body.

"{Oh boy!}" A deep, dopey voice cheered as Pretty Boy reached up to his head. "{Time for squishing!}"

Angel did a double take when he proceeded to pull off his head to reveal a small torso, arms and legs.

"What… the… hell..?" Okuma voiced the group's exact reaction as the headless body set the diminutive form on the floor.

'That wasn't in the dossier.' Angel thought, head tilting from complete dumbfoundment. It was a truly bizarre sight. He looked like a middle aged man planted onto a baby's body, dressed in an expensive business suit. He was even smaller than Mineta!

"He… he looks like a human bobblehead." Karin mumbled, her eye twitching as if she was trying to decide if she should laugh or not.

"But then… who's that?" Nomi pointed at the large, headless form.

"{Hold on!}" The rotund voice echoed from within the jacket. There was a rummaging of fabric and from within came a bucket being used like a helmet, it's dented surface decorated with a skull.

This was Bubba, if Angel had to guess.

"{Okay! Me good!}" The giant dusted off the top of his bucket and moved to take a step forward, only to pause and look back. "{Wait, what I do?}"

Pretty Boy facepalmed and groaned. "{Kill that plastic ninja freak!}" He bellowed, pointing at the moshpit of Zer0's and thugs, the latter of which were starting to look a little thin on numbers.

"{Oh! Okay bossman! Bubba da One Arm Bandit's got dis!}" The big lummox nodded.

"But you have both your arms…" Angel muttered quietly.

"{Ninja man eat fist!}" Bubba yelled as he barreled down at the Zer0's, the floor thundering under his weight and signalling his comrades to jump out of the way. The single Zer0 he was bearing down on merely turned his gaze.

"Greetings fatass." As a giant fist came down on him and passed through. The real Zer0 flickered into view from his opponents left and slammed a tonfa into the giant's jiggling stomach.

"{Ow! You hurt tum-tum!}" Bubba whined, but otherwise seemed no worse for wear as he immediately took another futile swing at his attacker. The cycle repeated, Zer0 moving too fast for the comparatively ungraceful man to get a hand on him, but at the same time his body was too large and padded for the hero to make any lasting damage. It wasn't made any easier with the remainder of Pretty Boy's thugs trying again re-engaging as well.

Angel shifted nervously from her hiding place, conflicted. Should she help Zer0 out? She knew him to be very capable, but the odds weren't in his favour.

'No.' She told herself, taking a second to glance back at her entourage of shaking, terrified civilians. 'Zer0 told me to get them out of here. I'll just have to trust that he's got this.'

"Hey!" She whispered, getting their attention. "Keep low and quiet! We are going to sneak over to the door and run for the stairs. Follow me every step, got it?"

They nodded their hesitant understanding.

"Good." She sighed and turned back the other way, just in time to see a grey blur arc towards her head.

*CLANG!* A pry bar banged against the shelf that her head once was if she hadn't ducked!

"{Oh you ain't going nowhere!}" Standing in their way was a tall, thug with dark skin, a bright red bushy beard and a mohawk. Angel stumbled back, putting herself in between her assailant and the unarmed civilians. With a start, she realized she had heard that voice before, very recently actually.

"{Tony Bordell I assume?}" She muttered.

"{You know it! While those chumps get their shit kicked in by that ninja guy, I'm going to net myself fifty G's! Then I'll have enough money to get my company off the ground! Tony Bordell LLC, BOOYAH!}" The red head boasted and raised his pry bar to strike!

In the past, Angel would have panicked at this moment and likely tried to find a way to escape instead of fighting someone with a size advantage let alone a weapon.

Instinctively, her markings flared up.

Thankfully, she had come a long way since USJ.

Angel sucked in a deep breath and raised her hand, laden with power.

She was a rock on a windswept peak.

The pry bar came down.

"Reflect!" She slapped it away from her body with her shielded hand.

"Jab!" Her right elbow rammed into Tony's rib cage, making him choke as the air vacated his lungs. He buckled and Angel shifted her stance.

"Palm strike!" She thrusted her palm upwards under his jaw, smashing his teeth together and throwing his head back. In a flash of light, the energy enveloping her hand burst.

"EEEEEE!" The man let out a pained, high pitched cry as he was sent flying through the air, beard aflame!

*CRASH!* He smashed into a loading palette filled with canned caviar, where he lay groaning.

Angel remained in her striking pose, breathing heavily to slow her racing heart.

She did it! She had performed a non-lethal takedown, just as she and Maya had practiced. She couldn't wait to tell everyone!

'Later though. It's time to move!' She told herself and looked back to her tag-alongs, taking a second to smile at their looks of awe and astonishment.

"Let's go!"

They nodded numbly and followed her, creeping behind the shelves and past Tony lying in a puddle of ruptured cans and brine.

Another couple shelves and Angel waved at them to stop and crouch. She peered around the end of the aisle.

Standing in front of the door was Pretty Boy, tapping his foot impatiently as he watched the ensuing fight. He and his bodyguard's backs were turned.

'How do we get past them?' She pondered.

Maybe she could try holding them at gunpoint like she had with Shigaraki? Then again that hadn't worked so well that time.

While Angel was trying to come up with a plan, Pretty Boy's foot tapping quickened incessantly.

"{What am I paying you for, you bucket of lard?! Kill the freakin hero already!}" Pretty Boy bellowed, though with his high pitch voice it sounded more like whining.

"{I try!}" Bubba protested, swiping at another Zer0 clone just for his fist to phase through it.

The real Zer0 reappeared behind him and swung at the back of his knee.

"{Ow!}" Bubba moaned, stumbling down to one foot, which evidently was Zer0's plan the whole time. He leapt around to the giant's front, dashed forward and performed a backflip, the tip of his boot striking the lip of the bucket on his head.

*DONK!* The painted pail shot off and clattered onto the floor. The room went dead silent.

Angel almost vomited at the grisly sight of Bubba's head if you could call it that. The majority of it was sunken into his meaty shoulder and twisted at a sideways angle. His face was lifeless and resembled a fleshy hood and his eye sockets dark voids empty of anything. His mouth was worst of all, a huge gaping hole lined with jagged teeth.

"Oh crap." Angel glanced back at Pretty Boy, whose eyes were wide open in fear and his face paling. For some reason, it didn't look like he was scared of Bubba losing.

No. It was more like he was scared OF his enforcer. In fact, taking a glance around the room, it looked like that was the same for all of Pretty Boy's hired goons. The ones closest to the quasi-decapitated man appeared absolutely terrified, taking slow, shaky steps back.

"{Gotta...kill…}" Bubba gurgled and his body started to change. His gut sucked into his body, the room filled with the sounds of bones popping and skin stretching as he grew. His biceps bulged with muscle, his arms tearing through his shirt sleeves.

"Crap! Crap! Crap! Crap! Crap!" Pretty Boy stammered, pushing through the double doors in a panic, his two body guards following his example.

"{Gotta… kill!}" Bubba repeated, his voice becoming louder and taking an angrier tone. The veins along his neck and arms bulged, colored purple against his skin that was quickly taking on a crimson hue.

"{GOTTA… KILLLLLLLLL!}" The now gargantuan hulk roared!

*SPLORCH!* A geyser of blood erupted from his gaping maw and long tendrils of muscle, sinew and his spinal column exploded from within! Atop the cords of flesh his bloody skull, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets!

"{HURAAAAAAAAAAGH!}" The monstrosity that was Bubba loosed a bloodthirsty howl, leaping up and hitting his knuckles on the concrete floor!

The world quaked and devolved into chaos.

To be continued…