As they disappeared into the smoke-filled hallway, Nana leaned against the double doors, her heart pounding so hard she could hear blood rushing in her ears. A gunshot rang out from somewhere down the hall. Grabbing the handles, she shoved open the doors and began running. Throwing open the stairwell door she raced up the stairs, slowing as she neared the ground floor, trying to catch her breath. What happened? Did she dare go back down? Staring back down at the bottom floor, she debated what to do, behind her the door swung open and the main desk guard collided into her.
"Assistant Defense Minister?"
"Oh!" She gasped as she grabbed the railing.
"What are you doing?"
"Nothing, I was just debating going up the stairs." She glanced up at the next flight of stairs. "Are the elevators working?"
"They are, I was just checking the lights in here. We're doing a building check to make sure everything is back online."
"Good, thank you." Smoothing her skirt, she slid past the guard and entered the lobby. "I'll be heading back up now."
"Get back to your desk and call for an escort if you need to go somewhere." She laughed as she headed up the stairs, "it's been one of those days."
"It has," Nana murmured as she half-ran for the bank of elevators. Crossing her arms, she tapped her fingers waiting impatiently for the doors to open. A few people came off as she darted into the car and pushed the button for the fourth floor. Watching the floors light up, she flew off as soon as the doors began to slide open, slamming into someone waiting on the other side. "Sorry!" Nana recoiled back. The person jumped back, dropping their bag. She recognized the Minister's head administrator. "Hinata?" He straightened immediately and bowed.
"I'm so sorry Assistant Minister, I was in your way."
"Don't be ridiculous," she sniffed, "I ran into you." She glanced down the hall to the Minister's offices, the doors were shut and the usual busy juniors were nowhere to be seen. "Where is everyone?"
"The Minister gave us the rest of the day off because of the issue with the electricity." Hinata watched as the elevator closed behind the Assistant Minister. "Uh, do you mind if I hit the button again?"
Backing out of his way, Nana kept her eyes on the doors at the end of the hall. "He gave you and everyone else the day off?"
"Well, all the meetings were already canceled, so everyone decided to go out for a late lunch. I'm taking the rest of the day off. Although," he whispered conspiratorially, "I doubt they'll be back from lunch as they're going drinking."
She gave him a small smile before looking back down the corridor. "Are his doors locked? I'd been hoping to catch him up on my meeting with the Minister of Education but his calendar was booked this afternoon. Is he free now?"
"Would you like me to ask him?"
"No," Nana laid her hand on his arm. "Don't trouble yourself, you can go home. Is the door code the same?"
"It's been changed," reaching into his briefcase he tore a sheet of paper off his notebook, he wrote out six numbers. "If you go now, you'll catch him before he leaves."
"Did he say when he was going to leave?"
"I'm guessing within the hour, he requested his helicopter."
"He did?" Nana paused, "does that mean he's going to see the Prime Minister?" Shrugging, Hinato pushed the elevator button and the doors opened again.
"I didn't request a flight path, I'm assuming he will. See you tomorrow," he waved as he entered the car.
Waiting for the doors to close, Nana bolted to her office. "Matsuno!"
"Yes?" Emerging from her office, she let out a sigh of relief. "You're back, I was so worried."
"I am, but," Nana stared at the new code. What could she do?
Matsuno looked at the door as it closed behind her. "What about the others?"
"Something happened, I heard a gunshot."
"A gunshot!"
"Don't be dramatic, remember they're police, I mean Pro Heroes, well, both." She waved her hand. "What's worrying me more is that Kezu could be heading to the Prime Minister soon." Nana made her decision and beelined for her office. "We don't have much time. Get me the emergency line to the Prime Minister, right now."
"Ma'am?"
"Now!"
"Y-Yes!" Running back into her desk Matsuno chewed her tongue nervously. She'd never deployed the emergency line before, her stomach knotted painfully. Logging into the system, she initiated the protocol and pushed the intercom on her phone. "I've started the process, Assistant Minister."
"Good," Nana slipped off her suit jacket and hung it on the rack. Sitting down she stared out the rain-soaked window for a moment. This was crazy, it would probably end her own career but if Kezu really was a part of whatever caused the death of her son, she couldn't let him get away. Sawa deserved justice.
Listening as the line buzzed, Matsuno swallowed hard. If Uchiyama was using the emergency line, what was really happening downstairs?
"Hello? This is the Prime Minister's National Priority line. Is this the Assistant Defense Minister? Do you have the code?"
"Hello, this is Matsuno Fumiko, her administrator." She clicked on the password link and a code flashed on her screen. "The code is R5HU879." There was a pause while her connection was verified.
"That is correct."
"I'm patching you through to Uchiyama Nana right now." Matsuno hit the connect button on the computer to ring through to her phone. Waiting until she heard Uchiyama talking to the operator, she disconnected her end. Standing up, she crept out and leaned her ear up against the office door. Her crisp voice was clear.
"Yes, thank you, I will hold." Nana waited as the line rang through to the Prime Minister's office.
"Uchiyama?" A man picked up the line. "I have the Prime Minister here, what is the emergency? I understand there was a power outage but that's been restored."
Organizing her thoughts quickly, Nana closed her eyes. "I need to report a possible suspicion of treason against our country by Kezu Kioku."
"Nana?" The Prime Minister grabbed the phone from her secretary. "What's going on?"
"Prime Minister, based on the investigation of Commissioner Nakama Arisu and her team, I am of the belief that the Defense Minister may be wielding an incredibly powerful quirk to commit treason against our country." There was silence on the other end of the line. Opening her eyes, Nana clamped her lips together tightly and waited.
"That's an extremely powerful accusation."
"I'm aware Ma'am." Nana heard the sharpness in her tone, she mentally calmed herself. "It's not one that I'm saying lightly. I believe that this moment is crucial. Nakama and her team are down below in our main building in an area that appears to be where the Minister had his operations set up. He is in his office and unaware of the current investigation. I've also been informed that he's requesting his helicopter and could be on his way to you within the hour. I'm asking permission to detain him."
"Nana, this is unprecedented."
"I realize that Prime Minister and I can only ask that you trust me. The trouble is with his quirk, he can quickly erase someone's memory. I need to find a way to shut down the ministry campus so we can detain his transport without him realizing it's us."
"Erase thoughts?" Her voice piqued with disbelief.
"According to Nakama's research, although she isn't completely sure. Right now, all evidence points to Kezu, Ma'am." The Prime Minister went silent, Nana sat stiff in her chair.
"I understand that you're the one in the situation," she sighed audibly. "I have to trust that you know what you're doing."
The door opened as Matsuno stuck her head into the office. "Electricity," she whispered hoarsely.
"Excuse me, Prime Minister." Placing her hand over the phone Nana glared at her. "What are you doing in my office?"
"The electricity," Matsuno edged into the office further. "If we can shut it off again, the guards will close down the compound like last time, no one in or out, including his helicopter."
"Oh!" Nana thought for a moment. "Prime Minister, we have an idea but I think we're going to need help. As I mentioned Nakama and the PHIC team are here, but if the Minister escapes or comes to you and uses his quirk, well, it will become impossible to find him and potentially he could destroy any evidence against him."
"What do you want me to do?" The Prime Minister asked hesitantly.
"Would you consider reinstating all Pro Hero licenses again? Quietly though. The group that headed down into the basement had to engage their quirks, which is illegal. I don't want them to get reprimanded for doing their job."
"I can do that."
"Are there any Pro Heroes that we can contact that are local that can help without raising any suspicion on the Minister's part?"
"Who is with you now?"
Glancing up at Matsuno, she motioned to her as she hit the speaker button. "Tell her what heroes are below," she whispered.
"Me?" She pointed to herself, Uchiyama nodded, pointing to the phone. "Prime Minister, this is Matsuno Fumiko, the Assistant's administrator. Currently we believe Turbo, Dynamite, Red Riot, Zero Gravity, Shouto Todo-"
"Wait!" The Prime Minister interrupted her. "Endeavor's son is there?"
"Yes, he is."
"Enji works with the Minister regularly, he wouldn't raise any red flags if he were to arrive at the compound unannounced. I'll have him come and ask for you directly."
"Thank you, Prime Minister. I appreciate your support," Nana felt a rush of relief.
"I will expect continued updates and if you're wrong Uchiyama, this is going to be very grave for your career."
Grimacing, Nana looked up at Matsuno. "Based on what may have transpired, Prime Minister, I may have already committed one or more crimes."
"What?!"
"Sorry Ma'am, there is still a lot we're trying to understand ourselves. I'll have to explain later. I need to hurry up and get this campus locked down." Dropping the receiver into the cradle, she let out a gasp. "I just hung up on her."
Matsuno let out a strangled laugh, "you did."
"Fuck, what a day." Nana shook her head, "sorry for the language."
"It's okay, I feel the same way."
"Can you really get the electricity turned off again?"
"I think so?" A blush crept into her cheeks. "The breakers are here in our building. The main engineering staff is always around and there's one person that-" she blushed a deeper red.
"He likes you?"
"Sort of," she bit her lip, "I'll go see if I can convince him to shut everything down again."
"That's a long shot."
"But I think it's the best one that we have."
Tapping her nails on the desk, she nodded. "I think you're right. If you can't, I'll have to take more drastic actions. For now, I'll notify the front gate that Endeavor should be arriving and to let him in under any circumstances."
Opening the door, Matsuno paused, "I feel better thinking that we're helping them." She put on a brave face. "But I'm really scared."
"I know," Nana pursed her lips. "I am too."
"Open the fucking door," Katsuki yelled again, thumping his heavy boot against the wood. He was ready to blast the Minister but he was worried. The way his new bracelets fired from his wrists, there was a chance he could burn Izuku, who was still passed out in his arms. Suddenly the door in the wall sprang open and Shouto walked through. Spinning quickly, Katsuki started to leap for the door but the ice came too fast. Wrapping himself around Izuku at the last second, he blocked their faces from the chilling spray. Ice hardened over his back and encrusted around his legs. "Shouto!" He screamed burying Izuku against his chest protectively.
"Shouto! Stop!" Kioku yelled, leaping from his chair. "Don't kill him!" The icy whirlwind died down as blue and red eyes regarded him with a blank look.
"Don't kill him?" Shouto glanced back at the two men now encased in his ice. "Which one? I was told to kill them both." He lifted his hand.
"No! Listen to me! One For All is valuable to us." Kioku raced to him and jerked his arm down.
"Shouto," Katsuki rasped, shaking the ice off his back, his muscles so cold he could barely move.
Ignoring him, Shouto studied the Minister closely. The doctor had told him this man was an ally but something wasn't right. "Where's Garaki? He was with us when we were fighting but then he escaped. Did he come here?"
"I just talked to him, he told me to come down to the lab but when I tried, I heard these two in the stairwell, so I came back up." Kioku cast a nervous glance as Dynamite shook his upper body, a shower of icy snow covered the floor. "Why is One For All here? What happened?"
"The lab?" Shouto cocked a brow, "it was destroyed. Somehow these two were released." The Minister's jaw gaped open.
"D-destroyed!"
"I saw that doctor," Katsuki tried to move his feet but the ice was too thick. Shifting the nerd closer to his body he fired his quirk. Another blast of ice sprayed him in the face. Choking, he twisted around again trying to maintain his balance. "FUCK! What the hell is wrong with you?!"
Flicking his fingers, Shouto glared at him, "don't try to get free of the ice." His eyes narrowed Katsuki dropped his head back into Midoriya, hugging their bodies together. Sparks of anger burned through him.
"Shouto!" Kioku snapped, shaking his arm, "what happened downstairs?!"
Staring at them for a moment longer, Shouto finally ripped his gaze away and focused on the Minister. Why was he so angry about him holding Midoriya? "The lab was destroyed when the electrical went off, that ball of energy. You were storing it in some type of vault?"
"Yes," Kioku looked at the man in Dynamite's arms. "That means that they're both free." He clenched his jaw and stalked back to his desk. "Dammit!" All their months of hard work were completely ruined. "That energy was All For One and him," he pointed to Midoriya. "Those two forces are what created that magnificent power, it had so much potential."
"So, it was you? Not Uchiyama?" Katsuki's body trembled as the cold seeped through his clothes. "Shouto! What the fuck are you doing, don't you remember anything? Why are you helping this idiot?" The muscles in his arms were starting to scream as the weight of Deku tore at his biceps. Juggling him gently, he leaned him on his shoulder to adjust his hold.
Glaring at him as he pulled Izuku closer, Shouto could feel his mind spinning, a whirlwind of opposing thoughts struggling at once. "Why would the doctor tell me to kill them if they were so valuable? That makes no sense."
"The doctor works for me, Todoroki," Kioku barked. "I give the orders! Whatever he told you, it was in response to the situation." Pulling himself up to his fullest height, his dark eyes narrowed. "Listen to me, for Garaki's research to continue we need One for All," Kioku glanced at the large man encased in ice. "I'd like Dynamite alive, if possible, too. Controlling him like, uh," he closed his mouth, he wasn't sure how much Shouto understood about the power that was inside of him.
"You're not getting Izuku," Katsuki snarled, he wished he had his gauntlets, "and All For One hit me on the back and then took off with the doctor."
"With the doctor?" Kioku whirled around, he began to pace behind his desk. "No, no, they can't go anywhere without an escort." He glanced at his phone, "I would've heard from the guards otherwise." Licking his lips, he nodded. "This could be good. They'll be in contact soon then."
"Most likely they holed up in the infirmary," Shouto eyed Bakugou again, he'd cradled Midoriya against his shoulder, one hand now free. He watched as he shook his bracelet slowly, sighing he realized he didn't really care if he did try firing quirk. He was more agitated over how close they were.
"I need to get into contact with Garaki." Kioku perched on his chair. "Once they can get here, we can escape and potentially put the two back together again." Picking up the phone, he punched the direct line to the guard station, "I just need to be sure that the doctor doesn't manage to escape the compound." A chunk of ice smashed into the phone, plastic pieces clattered off the desk to the floor as the handset ripped out of his hands. Jerking back, he spun around. "What do you think you're doing?!"
"Why are you worried about him getting out?" Shouto bristled. "If he did, wouldn't he still contact you?" Taking a step closer to the desk, he leaned forward, "or is he a prisoner here too, like Izuku?" Anger swept through him at the thought of his precious doctor being used by this man.
"Of course not!" Kioku clenched his fists and jumped from his seat. "He and I are partners. Do you hear me? You work for me, Todoroki! Did you not understand the doctor? My commands are his commands!"
"There you go, Sho!" Katsuki chuckled, "smash some more shit! Don't listen to him, you're just a fucking pawn."
"I heard the doctor, but," he flicked another annoyed glance at Bakugou at the sound of his nickname, the light deep in the whirlwind of his mind flickered brighter, closer. "Garaki sounded like he was the one in charge, not you."
"Who is the head of the defense for our nation?" Kioku jutted out his chin haughtily. He saw a flicker of uncertainty cross Shouto's face. "I'm the one that released him from jail! I'm the one that got that damn ball of energy! I knew it would be the source of my greatness at last! I WILL BE THE ONE!" He raged as spittle flew from his mouth, his face mottled from the vehemence of his proclamation. "They never understood their power." He jabbed at the air, scrunching up his face distastefully at Izuku. "You were all fools," he waved his hands in the air. "The league of villains, the Pro Heros! BAH! You are all fools! All muscles and no brains, no finesse to understand how power really works in our world!" He slammed his fists down on his desk. Straightening, he took a moment to calm down. "I may need to change the plan but the outcome will be the same. "Either you will work for me or be destroyed."
"What the fuck?" Katsuki tipped his head to see the Minister better. "You're as psycho as All For One! Don't think because you managed to weasel your way to power through the government that you're any different. Whether it's Pro Heroes or cops, you'll be stopped."
"Todoroki," Kioku walked slowly towards Dynamite. "Keep your eyes on him, if he tries anything at all, kill the man in his arms." He reached out his hand grabbing Bakugou's arm.
"What are you doing?" Katsuki recoiled as far back as he could, the ice holding him firm. He stared at the Minister's hand.
"It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you, I just want to remind you of a few things," Kioku smirked as his eyes filled with an inky blackness.
Following the signs for the cafeteria, Matsuno trotted around the tables to the building staff offices. There was a group of people huddled by the main doors. Her eyes lit up as she recognized Saeki standing to one side listening. He looked up as she approached and smiled. "Hey Matsuno," he waved and walked over to her.
"Hi Saeki," butterflies exploded in her stomach, he always looked so handsome in his work jumper. "Thanks for getting the electric back on so fast.
"No problem," although he'd not been responsible, he was happy to take the credit.
"What was it?"
""A breaker overload most likely. There was a strange surge that killed the grid." He rubbed his neck, "just haven't been able to figure out where it came from yet."
"Oh wow, um," she glanced at the closed doors. "I actually came here to ask a favor, could we talk somewhere private?" A heavy blush covered her cheeks.
"Oh sure," he grinned wide and opened the doors, leading her to an empty office. "Is this okay?"
"Yes," Matsuno took a deep breath, trying to steady her crazy nerves.
Putting his hands in his pockets he rocked back on his heels, she was fidgeting with her hands, peeking up at him with her sweet freckled face. "You said you need a favor?"
"Yes, I do, I mean, we do, both of us." His brow wrinkled in confusion. "The Assistant Defense Minister needs your help."
His eyes went wide, "she does?"
"She does, Saeki," stepping closer to him she laid her hand on his arm. His muscles flexed under her touch but he remained still. "This is going to make no sense but we need the electricity to go off again."
"What?" He leaned forward, his brow furrowing deeper, "you want what?"
"There's something happening of major national importance!" Matsuno voice trembled audibly, "I can't tell you the details because it's top secret, even the Prime Minister is involved."
"Are you serious?" He pulled back, "then we need to go tell my manager-"
"NO!" She whispered urgently, grabbing his hand. "Please, no one can know! There are Pro Heroes down in the basement with the police and they need our help!"
"In our basement?" He gave her a long look. "Hey, are you okay?"
"I know, I know! It sounds crazy but there are people getting hurt and we have to shut down the compound without raising any suspicion. I told Uchiyama about you and that you could possibly help us shut off the electricity again."
"You told her about me?"
"I did, Hido," Matsuno smiled. "I told her you were the only one that would believe us."
A shiver raced through him, she'd never used his name so informally before. Chewing on his lip thoughtfully, he inhaled sharply. "Off?" He let out a long breath and ran his hand through his hair. "For how long?"
"As long as possible." She tensed excitedly. Was he really going to help them?
"It won't be easy, there's people all over the place in there."
"Please? If you can't, that's fine, she'll understand, but can you try?"
Thinking for a moment, he looked into her huge pleading eyes. Damn, she was too cute. Laughing at himself, he smiled mischievously and winked. "Leave it up to me, but get back up to your office fast so you're not caught in the dark." Opening the door, he looked out into the empty hallway. "Don't take the elevator just in case."
"Thank you!" Matsuno gushed, running from the office. Whirling around she smiled and bowed, "thank you, Hido." She blushed a cherry red and raced out the exit.
"Hido?" He whispered, "I like that." Looking around, the area was fairly empty. Walking to the engineering department, he made his way through the rows of electrical circuits. There was a soft murmur of voices in the back. Peeking down one row of equipment he could see a few people watching the display that monitored the wattage to the compound. Darting off to the side, he opened the door to the main breaker room and slipped inside. The room was quiet, he was alone.
When he'd first done his training, he'd been paired with one of the oldest electricians that worked for the ministry. Within the first week he'd jokingly showed him the weaknesses in the system. Teasing how easy it would be to take the system down without anyone knowing, not that he'd ever tried. A thin sheen of sweat broke out on his forehead even in the unnatural coolness of the room. Sliding back the metal panel, he laid down on the floor and clicked on his flashlight, he saw the metal bracer. "There you are," reaching in with his pliers he grasped it firmly. The entire upgraded system had simply been connected to the old breakers. The electrical had been so complex that no one could figure out how to dismantle the older circuits within the budget they'd been given for the upgrade. Turning the bracer a quarter turn was all that was needed, the wire underneath gleamed in his light. Tugging gently, he pulled it from the clip. The room went dark. Pushing the panel back in place he ran back to the door.
"Dammit, it went out again!"
Sticking his head out the door Hido shined his flashlight towards the group. "Hey, I was checking everything again and the lights went out!"
"Seiko?" A man across the room sounded startled at his voice.
"Yeah, it's me, what the hell happened?!"
"We don't know, crap, this is not good. Can you radio the guard station? Let them know we'll figure this out again."
"Sure," heading out of the breaker room and back to the main desk, Hido moved the radio to the emergency frequency. "Hello this is Seiko Hido in engineering. The electrical has gone down again, we're working on getting it fixed."
"Did you eat your lunch?"
Enji looked up as his assistant came in with a few stacks of paper. "Sort of," he pushed at the half-eaten plate of sushi. He'd been trying to check the trades from the day but the numbers were swimming in his head.
"Are you feeling okay, President?"
"Yeah, fine, just a lot on my mind." Grabbing the paperwork, he smiled weakly. "I'll be fine, do I have any meetings today?"
"No, you're surprisingly open."
"Good, keep it that way. I need to finish this."
"Of course."
Letting out a long sigh, Enji rubbed his temples staring at the screen. "Damn," he muttered. The head trader was out this week and he'd had to step in to review everything. He picked up his cell phone for the millionth time. He was excited to share what he'd dug up on Base One with Shouto but he still hadn't returned his message from earlier. Clicking on his personal drive, he entered his password and opened the file. Scrolling through the scanned documents, he stopped at the last page. It had been hard tracing the layers of ownership in the company, in fact the set up was not unlike a terrorist organization or yakuza group. As he'd peeled back the multitude of corporations and partnerships, all which were dead ends, he was only really able to identify one person, Yusa Minami. She wasn't an owner, but at some point, she'd filed paperwork for the company at the courthouse. From his research he found her as an employee, managing one of their properties, some rundown bar. Nothing he found had tied them back to the museum. It wasn't much but sometimes even the smallest leads broke a case. His cell phone rang, picking it up expectantly. The screen flashed an unknown number, frowning he forced himself to answer, for all he knew it could be a possible client. "Todoroki here."
"Endeavor? It's good to hear your voice, I hope I haven't surprised you by calling from another number."
"Prime Minister?" Enji almost dropped his phone. "I haven't spoken to you in a while, sorry I missed you when you were in town last week."
"That's okay, it was a fast trip but one that was needed considering what your prefecture has been going through."
"Yes, it's been rough these past few months," pausing, he waited, this was more than a social call.
"I'm calling to ask for your assistance."
"Me? I'm assuming it's not for financial help, Prime Minister, what else can I do for you?"
"I just signed the order to reinstate the Pro Hero licenses under an emergency act."
"You did?" Enji lurched from his chair, "That's amazing! Why? I mean-"
"Enji, listen," cutting him off, the Prime Minister continued, "I just received a call from the Assistant Defense Minister that she believes the Minister is guilty of treason."
"U - Uchiyama said that?!" He sputtered. "Prime Minister I was just in a meeting this morning with Nakama and Kezu and they suspect her of breaking into his email to release her son from jail and cover up a crime!"
"Are you serious Endeavor?" The Prime Minister's voice turned icy cold. "Then I need you even more now. Get to the ministry compound right away. Find out what the hell is going on and bring both of them to me. And this needs to be done quietly!" She seethed, "I will not allow a political power struggle between these two causing additional scandals!"
"Yes, Prime Minister," he tried to keep the bubbling excitement from his voice, he smiled in anticipation. "Can you tell me anything about the situation?"
"All I know is that Nakama and the Pro Hero Investigators are there, including your son. She's worried that Kezu will try to get away, they suspect him of possessing a powerful quirk that erases a person's memory."
"Shouto is there?" All traces of laughter died on his lips, "I'm leaving now."
"Good, call me on this line as you get updates, it's my secretary's phone. I want to know what's going on right away."
"Yes Ma'am." Hanging up he raced from his office, he wished he had his suit but he didn't have time to dig out one of his old ones. His face lit up with fire. "I won't be back anytime soon," he called, running past his assistant, who looked up and did a double take.
"Sir?"
"H-how f-f-far have we g-gone?" Arisu shivered as she held her jacket up to protect her face. The fabric was dripping wet from the shredded ice landing on it and melting instantly. Her hair clung to her skin as freezing water dripped down into her shirt.
"Let me take a turn," Shouta pulled the flashlight from her hand and pushed past her. She squeezed behind him, trembling hands clinging to his soaked clothes. He knew she had to be miserable to let him barge in front. The spray of ice was endless as Kirishima dug further down the hall, Shouta couldn't even see him through the blanket of wet slush.
"Hey I punched through!" Kiri yelled, pulling his hand back with a fierce jerk, a large section of ice fell away breaking into large chunks as it hit the floor. Ducking down he stepped out of the hole and shook the icy water from his hair. A snapping noise above echoed through the tunnel as a huge crack slid from the top edge all the way down the hall. Jumping back into the tunnel, Kiri grabbed Aizawa. "Hold Nakama!" He screamed, "It's gonna fall!" Waiting only a split second before yanking on him, he reared back with all his strength. Aizawa came flying out, his arm around Nakama. All of them sprawled out on the ground as the entire tunnel collapsed in a shower of wet snow.
"Oh fuck," Kiri sat up brushing himself off, he stood helping Nakama to her feet. Captain Aizawa crawled to his knees, planting one hand on the wall and wiping his face, finally he struggled to his feet and slicked back his wet hair.
"I'm so - so cold," Arisu shivered, her body shaking so hard her teeth were chattering.
"I'd give you my jacket but it's as soaked as yours," Shouta tried to warm his hands with his breath.
"Let's get moving, that'll warm me up faster."
"Either Todoroki or Bakugou was here." Kiri touched the shatter door frame, metal chunks of debris littered the floor. "Someone blasted into this room." Looking around he saw the damaged wall to the left. "Check it out! Looks like there's a hidden door?" Scorch marks covered the wall around a metal door with burnt paneling that had melted away under the heat.
"A hidden door?" Nakama hugged herself trying to warm up as she looked around the room. "Weird, it's an office, but clearly no one works here." She opened a cabinet that ran along the far wall, "empty." Opening more drawers, she laughed, "everything is empty."
"This door is locked and I don't see any obvious way to open it," Kiri pushed his fingertips into the seam of the hidden door, "and it looks like it's fireproof based on the burn marks." He touched the melted paneling. "I'm guessing one of them must've blown through that door and tried to do the same here, it's still warm, it couldn't have been long ago."
"Then where did they go?"
Kicking at the debris, Shouta looked back into the hallway. "If it was Bakugou who burned everything, they may not have not been able to get in and headed further down the hall. The corridor goes another 15 meters or so before it makes a sharp right." He looked over his shoulder, "should we keep going?"
"Let's try to get the door open and see what's on the other side before we decide." Arisu got down on her knees to peer under the desk. The room went dark. Jerking up startled at the sudden blackness, she scrambled to stand. "Again?" She muttered as emergency lights flickered on, barely lighting up the room. Feeling in her pocket, she pulled out her phone when a beam of light came on behind her.
"I have the flashlight," Shouta handed it to her. "They must be having some serious electrical issues."
"I guess," she wrapped her icy fingers around the warm metal. "Ohhhh," she sighed audibly, "it's warm from your hand."
"Are you that cold?"
"You're kidding, right?" She placed her freezing palm on his cheek and pressed lightly, gasping he jerked back and grabbed her hand.
"Arisu, you're going to get sick!" He began rubbing her hand. Chortling, she pulled her hand out of his grasp and went back to searching the desk. "I'm serious! You need to get warm."
"Shouta, I appreciate the concern, but right now we have something a little more important than my state of health to worry about." She turned and gave him a reassuring smile. "As soon as possible, I'll drink some tea and warm up, assuming I'm not dead."
"Geez," Kiri huffed from where he was searching for a way to unlock the door, "could we get a little more positive?"
"It's a possibility Kirishima," Nakama opened each drawer on the desk and shone the light inside. "At this rate the only person who knows we're here is Uchiyama Nana and I have no clue if she's on our side or not."
"We should've called for backup."
Arisu twisted around, raising her brows, "that is a great idea, Shouta, just a little too late."
"What about now?" Kiri looked at his phone, "oh, no signal down here."
"Everything is down if the electricity is out."
Shining the light in the upper drawer, she peered inside. "Like I said, a good idea-" she paused, seeing a small metal lever tucked in the back of the drawer. She smiled wide, "look at what I found." Reaching in, she pulled on the lever. The door clicked as the lock released. Kiri jammed his fingers into the opening and slid the door back slowly. Nakama pointed the flashlight into the dark space. "Looks like another staircase." Lifting the light upwards, Arisu pulled out her gun, nodding at both men. "Follow me."
"There's the new shift of guards," Garaki backed the car out of their spot. Turning on the defroster at full blast, he tried to see through the fog that had built up on the windshield.
"We're leaving?"
"Yes," he drove slowly trying to time the change perfectly.
The guard swiveled his chair around and peered through the heavy rain at the people running towards them. "Looks like our replacements are here."
"Hey!" One of the new guards bounded under the shelter of the booth, shaking off his slicker. "How's it been today?"
"Are you joking?" Sliding on his raincoat, the guard pointed to the visitor log. "It's been crazy and we've had to open the gate manually in the rain," he complained. "At least the electricity is back on and you can stay inside." A car drove up catching his attention. The driver was holding their arm out the window with their badge, the rain soaking their lab coat. Looking at it quickly, he waved at the driver impatiently. "Go ahead," he pressed the button to open the gate. "We're soaked to the bone and just want to get warm and dry." He pouted as he and his partner both ducked out into the rain. A sudden shout stopped them.
"Oh shit!"
"What is it?" They turned back to see the guard toggling the switch. The monitors were dark.
"The electricity is out again."
"Oh, sorry about that," he grimaced, "there's an umbrella in the stand." They retreated quickly, moving fast through the pouring rain.
Keeping his eyes on the guard booth in his rearview mirror, Garaki held his breath as the gate opened, the massive arms swinging high. Driving through, he turned onto the main road. Not looking away from the mirror, he watched as the ministry compound disappeared. He let out a choked laugh, "that's it, we're free."
"Good, I'll give you an address, go there. I need medical attention."
Glancing at his bloody bandages Garaki frowned, "you do my friend. How far are we going?"
"Where are we?"
"The Ministry buildings."
"The Ministry?" He sounded shocked. "When did I get there?"
"About four months ago when you and the other one destroyed a large section of the city." Garaki smiled at the memory of the devastation, "it was quite impressive."
"Sounds like I have a lot to catch up on. It won't take us long, you can tell me when we get there."
His phone vibrated in the center console, glancing down at the screen, it was the Minister again. "What now?" Garaki blew out an impatient breath and tucked the phone under his ear as he answered.
"What the hell?!" The guard planted her hands on her hips and stared at the dark lights. The electrical team crackled in her ear. "No shit, Sherlock," she muttered at the announcement that the electricity was down again. Throwing her hands up in frustration, she grabbed her keys and headed to the front door. Her radio began broadcasting a new message that droned mechanically in her ear.
"Due to repeated electrical outages this facility is being shut down. Repeat, all persons may not be allowed entrance or exit without executive approval."
"Might as well get the stragglers," she sighed, opening the door. Two gate guards were dashing through the rain heading to the employee entrance. "Hey!" She called, waving at them, "they're locking up, you need to come into the main doors." Their faces brightened as they hustled in her direction.
"Thanks!" They entered the lobby taking off their dripping parkas. "You saved us!"
"Yep," she locked the door behind them.
"Emergency! Help needed, right away!" Momo shouted as they burst through the stairway door. The lights had gone off as they'd climbed to the ground floor but thankfully the emergency lights had come on quickly. "Two men down, heavy blood loss, we need an ambulance!" She steadied her side of the stretcher while Ochako held the other side. Her quirk kept it afloat but they'd discovered right away it would tip sideways from the weight of both bodies.
Spinning around, the guard saw two of the investigators that had come through earlier pushing a stretcher with two bloodied men piled on top. "What the hell is this?!" She ran through the gate.
"Call an ambulance!" Ochako yelled, they stopped at the main gate as the guard bent over Tenya and Denki.
"What the hell happened?" Taking in their blood-soaked clothes, she shoved her finger into the blonde man's neck, his pulse was barely detectable. Snapping her head up, she yelled at her team. "Call the emergency staff right now and get the backup guard over to this building!" Eyeing the bandage tied around Tenya's neck that had slipped down slightly, her eyes widened seeing the gunshot wound. "Are these bullet wounds? Who the hell shot them?"
"I shot Tenya in the leg, we aren't sure about his neck," Ochako frowned. "We think that Bakugou may have shot them before us."
"Dynamite?! The one I let in earlier?!" The guard pulled her walkie talkie from her side. "Attention all security personnel, get to the fourth floor. Possible threat to Ministry staff."
"We actually came from downstairs. Uchiyama escorted us down."
"Where is she now?"
"We're not sure, we separated to investigate the lower basement."
"Hold up," the guard spun on them. "You were in a gun fight and left the Assistant Defense Minister of our nation, alone!?"
"We aren't that stupid!" Momo barked back. "She's fine, I'm sure she's back in her office but right now my partner is dying! Where the hell is the ambulance?!" Trembling, she clenched the handle of the stretcher.
Pursing her lips, the guard stepped back. "Alright, alright, let's get these men taken care of and then you two come with me." The sound of sirens blared in the distance. "Hear that?" She pointed out the door. "We got our own medical emergency staff right on campus. They'll be here in less than a minute."
"Thank you," Momo felt her body go weak at the sound of the siren. Locking her legs, she forced herself to stand straight. Glancing back down at Denki, tears welled in her eyes seeing his skin beyond pale, his chest barely moving. Blinking them back, she helped ease the stretcher forward. The guards opened the doors as the ambulance pulled up to the curb. The EMTs jumped out and loading their equipment onto a stretcher came inside, immediately focusing on both men.
"Gunshot wound to the shoulder, massive blood loss," Momo touched Denki's cool skin as she pointed to Tenya. "This one has a gunshot wound to the leg, based on the blood flow, we think it nicked a main artery."
The EMTs transferred Denki to their stretcher. "We're taking in the shoulder wound first, he's in the most danger, we've called a second ambulance for the other gunshot victim."
"He's not the shoulder wound guy," Momo stated fiercely. Yanking an umbrella from her body, she ran with them to the ambulance keeping him dry. "This man is Kaminari. The Chargebolt hero." Tears stung her eyes again, this time she let them fall.
"Really?" One EMT looked down at the half-dead man. "I've never met a Pro Hero before," she nodded and gave Momo a tight smile as they slid the stretcher into the back of the ambulance. Leaping into the back, she began hooking Denki up to their equipment. "We'll do our best to keep your friend alive."
"T-Thanks," Momo's breath hitched as she tried to suck in air over the overwhelming grief. She watched as the ambulance sped off, sirens blazing.
"Okay, we got him to safety," the guard waved her back inside. "The other ambulance is already on its way but I need to know what the hell is going on, I've got guards going up to the Minister's floor and to the other surrounding buildings."
"We were in the basement," Ochako let the stretcher down gently, "there's something strange happening. It seems that some of us," she patted Tenya, "think that we are the bad guys."
Shaking the image of Denki from her mind, Momo focused back on the conversation. "We found one man dead, but we didn't recognize him. He didn't have any identification that we could find. Lida attacked us and we found Denki in a deeper chamber that had been destroyed."
Ochako nodded, "we aren't sure who's attacking us. It could just be Pro Heroes but we aren't sure if there are more assailants."
"Todoroki Shouto is not in his right mind," Momo added. "He's blocked the entire passage downstairs with ice. Your guards cannot engage him, you need to let us neutralize him, he is really dangerous."
"The red- and white-haired guy?" The guard's eyes went owl wide. "He's loose in my building killing people? Shit!"
"I'm not sure he killed anyone, uh, yet," Ochako thinned her lips. "I think it would be best to talk to Uchiyama, she might be able to explain since she was the one that took us down into the basement."
"We need to talk to her, let's get up there right now."
"No," Momo grabbed Ochako's hand. "We need to get back to Nakama and Captain Aizawa, they were chasing Shouto last we left them."
"No, no, no!" The guard shook her head sternly. "You're going to the fourth floor with me. You know the situation so I'm going to need you to help us."
Ochako stared down at Tenya, "what about the rest of our team?"
"If they're in the basement, there's only a few accessible exits. The two main staircases and those elevators," she pointed to the bank of elevators. There's an emergency exit that is currently locked due to the outage and an employee exit, which can only be accessed with a badge. You said that the hallway was clogged with ice?"
"Kiri was breaking through the ice, so they would've been going north?" Ochako spun around trying to get her bearings.
"That leads to the back staircase," turning to the guards starting to fill the lobby, she waved at them. "We're all going to the fourth floor, it's possible we run into them."
"What about Tenya?" The sounds of sirens blared again in the distance.
"That's his ride, my staff will take care of him, trust us."
"Okay," Ochako sighed reluctantly.
"Follow me." They started for the stairs, running up several flights in the dim light.
"How many times has the electricity gone out around here?"
"Honey, I've been working here over fifteen years and I have only seen it go down once, today is definitely not normal." Stepping out of the stairwell to the fourth floor, several armed guards were stationed in the main corridor. One man approached them.
"The Minister's door is locked, we contacted him over the emergency line and he said he was safe in his office."
"How about the Assistant Defense Minister?"
"I'm right here," Nana rounded the corner with Matsuno trailing behind. "What's the status of the Minister?"
"He's in his office, he said he's safe and at this point he felt it was the best place for him."
"Is he crazy?" The main guard snapped. "We need to evacuate immediately, did you hear that two men are down from bullet wounds?"
"No!" Nana stopped them. "He's right," glancing down at his double doors she wondered if he had an area of effect with his quirk, could he make a group of people forget? "Keep watch, make sure no one gets into his office. I'll contact him on the emergency line myself." Turning, she paused, "if he decides to evacuate, be sure to let me know. I may decide to leave with him."
"You cannot stay here and put yourselves at risk! We need to evacuate this building now!"
"We have several Pro Heroes and the head NPL here in the building, along with all of our own guards," Nana gave her a curt nod, "I think we're safe."
Clamping her lips together tightly, the guard looked back at Ochako, "how many threats are there?"
"Definitely one, possibly two. We aren't sure if there is anyone with Todoroki. The others went after him."
"I don't like this one bit."
"The Prime Minister has already been alerted and she's called in Endeavor."
"Endeavor?" Momo and Ochako shouted in unison.
Nana smiled wistfully, "you're the first to know. There's been a lift on the Pro Hero ban as of ten minutes ago, your licenses have been reinstated."
"Todoroki was mistaken, Bakugou, he thought you had come to attack me. It seems some of the other Pro Heroes have been possessed. He encased you in his ice thinking you were like the others." Kioku squeezed his hand, concentrating on reworking his memories. "Do you remember now?"
"I'm not sure," Katsuki blinked rapidly, everything was going dark, where he'd had thoughts a moment ago now there was a void. A blank slate that was being rewritten. He struggled against the wave of new images flooding his mind.
"Let's get you out of this ice." Kioku motioned Shouto. "I'm going to call a doctor to come help Midoriya, he'll recover quickly under our care. Then you have to capture All For One, we need justice for what he's done."
"Yeah, I went to go after him but," he stared at Shouto, who was warming the ice around his legs. A vision of being blasted off the stairs by him lanced painfully into his mind. "What the fuck?" Katsuki recoiled back, "did… did you attack me?" Another sharp pain throbbed at his temples. Clenching Deku tighter, he gasped.
"No, that was the other one, remember? Lida Tenya," Kioku worked on the scene in his head, slowly replacing the memory.
"It was Four Eyes?" Katsuki focused as the image of Shouto merged into Lida's face.
"Yes, can you see him as he attacked you?"
"I - I guess, yeah, it was Lida. After that, I shot him but -" Katsuki tried to remember, "he was still chasing us. We found the room and Deku knew the code." He tried to capture the fleeting thoughts, "then we came in here."
"That's right, Todoroki fought with Lida as well, so when he burst through the door and saw you, he thought you were possessed too."
"Okay," sagging against the weight of the new information, he was suddenly too tired to sort it out.
"Put Midoriya on the sofa and sit down. I'll get the best medical help possible for him, don't worry. You're going to need your strength to find All For One."
"My guess is that they were both injured coming out of the energy field." Shouto stepped back letting Bakugou shake his feet free of the melting ice. Laying Izuku down on the couch, Katsuki sat by his feet, head in his hands. Shouto studied the Minister closely. "That's an interesting quirk you have, do you erase memories?"
"Something like that," Kioku muttered as he grabbed his cell phone, "it looks like the emergency network is up, damn this electricity. I need to call the doctor."
"Can you do more? Completely change his way of thinking? I mean-" suddenly his vision blurred. Rubbing his eyes he blinked, the whirlwind in his mind was blinding now, so many thoughts and memories colliding. Shaking his head, he glanced up. The Minister was staring at him expectantly. Remembering his train of thought, he plastered a calm expression on his face. "Can you make someone forget who they are?"
"No," he answered abruptly as he dialed the doctor. "I can replace specific memories. Add in details and change pieces of what he remembers. Usually, it has to be similar. Removing you and putting Lida into the same place is easy, nothing has to change except the person." Holding up his hand, he pointed to his phone, "I need to talk in private."
Walking to the picture windows on the far side of the office, Shouto palmed the cool glass watching the rain fall. He was glad the doctor was coming, he was still unsure about Kezu. He watched the Minister as he nodded vigorously while speaking on his phone.
"Sho."
Snapping his eyes back to the couch, his heart lurched to see Katsuki staring at him tenderly, one hand extended. He loved him. The realization jolted him for a moment, he looked back out the window. It didn't matter. Even if he did, only the doctor mattered, like a blanket of white snow, it covered everything else.
"Sho."
"What?" He didn't look back at him.
"I feel like shit, can you warm me up?"
"Just fire your own quirk," Shouto replied coldly. He needed to keep his distance, like the light in his mind, as enticing as it was to reach out, something kept telling him to stay away.
"Brat," Katsuki rubbed his legs, warming himself. "You do it better." Looking up at Kezu chatting on his phone, he frowned, of course, all this on-the-clock nonsense would include the defense minister. After his fuck up earlier in the office, Shouto seemed to be more guarded now. He sighed heavily trying to unravel what had happened. "Why do you think Lida and Kaminari attacked me?"
"I'm not sure," Shouto thinned his lips. He wasn't really sure why they'd done anything, he only understood the desperate need to please the doctor and those around him. Still, based on both Garaki and Kezu's reactions to what happened in the basement he could guess the source of their desire. "I have a feeling it has to do with that strange energy from the day we thought we lost Izuku." Katsuki clicked his tongue behind him.
"Get up here fast!" Kioku slammed his phone down on the desk.
"Is the doctor coming?"
"Yes, yes," Kioku waved dismissively at Shouto. "He'll knock on the door when he gets up the stairs."
"Where was he?"
"Hiding, somewhere on the far side of the building. He said found some closet after sprinting down the hall. He thinks he's just past the office with the hidden door." Kioku fidgeted with his phone, he wasn't certain but Garaki hadn't sounded like he was in a closet, it had almost sounded like a car in the background. That was impossible though, he had no access to anything outside. "We'll wait for him and then I'll instruct the guards to send over the helicopter to evacuate Midoriya to the medical ward. The doctor and I will escort him while you both search for All For One." Pacing by the door, Kioku muttered to himself. At this rate, he was going to be erasing memories all afternoon, while he'd never had any trouble using his quirk repeatedly, he'd never used it to such excess.
"What about Lida and Kaminari?" Katsuki looked down at Deku, his breathing was shallow, a constant wheeze escaping his lungs. Laying a hand on his leg, he frowned at the chill he felt from his clothes. "Do you have a blanket?"
"There, behind you," Shouto snapped, glaring at the gentle gesture, his irritation mounting. He needed the doctor to come soon. Everything would be better then. "The last time I saw Tenya and Denki was in the lab. Later, when I was coming up, I heard a gunshot, most likely the guards were fighting with them. I blocked the entire area with my ice to keep anyone from following me." He peered back at Kezu, "I'm glad the doctor wasn't trapped behind that ice and is coming."
"Interesting," Kioku stared at him. This man was more powerful than he'd realized. "We'll deal with anyone taken into custody later." His phone rang, reaching into his pocket he saw Akio's name. He didn't have time now for him, he stuffed his phone back in his pocket.
"I hope everyone is okay," Katsuki pulled the thin blanket off the back of the couch. "I shot them both." He carefully wrapped up Izuku, the coolness of his skin worried him. Warming his hands, he began to rub his body.
"What are you doing?" Watching him, Shouto pushed off the window as he began to run his hands over Midoriya's body. Katsuki glanced up and furrowed his brow questioningly.
"He's fucking cold Sho, I'm warming him up." The venomous glare that reflected in his blue and red eyes made him laugh as a cocky smile crossed his face. "Nothing to get jealous about, I'm just trying to keep our friend alive."
"I'm not jealous," Shouto spat back, glancing at the Minister who was in his own world talking to himself as he paced in front of the hidden panel. "I wanted to make sure you weren't," his mind raced to come up with an answer, "trying to hurt him."
"Yeah, okay," Katsuki smirked. "You go with that but," he winked, "we both know. You got the hots for me."
Rolling his eyes, Shouto grumbled and looked back out at the rain-soaked parking lot. A car drove up to the main gate. Leaning forward he squinted through the spattered rain on the window. "Minister," he called loudly, "are you expecting my father?"
"What?" Kioku looked up distractedly, he could hear the doctor coming up the stairs and it sounded like he was with someone, probably All For One. He almost laughed out loud, finally things were falling back into place.
"My father," Shouto turned from the window, "that's his car pulling into the ministry compound."
"Endeavor? He's here?" Kioku looked at his phone, he didn't think he had a meeting with him today. "I'm pretty sure everything was canceled, I wonder if something happened at UA?" Damn that was all he needed right now. A knock on the hidden door pulled him from his thoughts. "It doesn't matter, they're here." He punched the code in on the keypad. "I think it'd be best if you met with him and explained that I had an urgent meeting with the Prime Minister and left the compound." Sliding the door open, he smiled excitedly, "All For-" He froze staring down the barrel of a gun. Stumbling backwards he lifted his hands in the air, Nakama stepped into the office. "A-Arisu?!"
Leaning his head against the window, Akio watched as the rain slapped against the glass. They'd passed a few small towns which meant they were finally getting closer to the larger cities. A knock on the door snapped him out of his reverie. Jumping up, he slid the curtain back, the conductor waved at him. Opening the door, Akio sat down and dug through his bag pulling out the ticket. Nodding the man looked at the ticket and handed it back, he had a wistful smile on his face. "Thanks," Akio tucked it back in his bag.
"Don't you love that sound?"
"What sound?" He wasn't in the mood for small talk.
"Rain on the window, especially on the train." He tipped his hat, "sorry, I always love the private cars because you can hear it best in here." Blushing slightly, he backed out the door and closed it behind him. Leaping up, Akio turned the lock and grumbled as he sat down. "Rain on the fucking window." Silence descended as he begrudgingly listened. The rain sloshed against the window in a rhythmic pattern. He cocked his brow, it did sound nice. Leaning back to listen, another sound connected in his brain. Jerking upright, he grabbed his phone and dialed Sensei, the phone rang with no answer. "Fuck!" Dialing the doctor he got the same thing, no answer. "Dammit!" He dialed Yusa.
"Hey, what's up?" Wiping down the liquor bottles, Yusa hit the speaker. The bar was quiet and she was alone.
"Something's wrong."
"With you?" She stopped and tossed the rag in the sink. "Is your side infected?"
"No, not that, with Garaki. He called me earlier and the asshole was lying to me. He said he was in the lab but I heard rain over the phone."
"Rain? Are you sure?" Yusa grabbed the phone and pressed it to her ear. "That would mean-"
"Yeah, I'm fucking sure and now no one is answering their damn phones."
"Fuck," she breathed out. "You think the doctor got out? But how and where's Sensei?"
"I don't know." Akio fidgeted with the handle of Kaneko's suitcase.
"You want me to do something?"
"Yeah, you need to get over to my apartment. Check out the labs and try the direct line to the doctor." He covered his eyes. "If he's out, then where the hell are all the hero shits? Did he double cross us?"
"Maybe he got them to help him escape?"
"It's possible, that fucking bastard."
"What about Sensei?"
"I'll keep trying his phone but get to my place as fast as possible, call me when you get there."
His phone. She let the slip go by, she knew enough. "On my way right now." Hanging up, Yusa dashed up the stairs and grabbed her purse. Jetting back down, she locked the door. It was still early afternoon but she doubted the bar was going to open on time today. Texting her new bartender, she begged her to come open as she sped across town.
"Minister?" Arisu blinked, he was not who she expected to see on the other side of the door. Stepping into the office carefully, she kept her gun pointed directly at Kezu, who was stumbling backwards. Shouta and Kirishima flanked her. Sweeping her gaze around the office she saw Todoroki standing by the window stiffening, his eyes darting between the Minister and herself. "Hold your quirk, Todoroki," she could see his body shifting ever so slightly.
"Nakama, why would he do anything to you?" Kioku backed up into the wall by the office doors. His heart pounded heavy in his chest, things were getting extremely complicated. "I - In fact he and Dynamite reported that a few Pro Heroes have gone rogue, did you run into trouble?"
"Bakugou?" Glancing back, she saw him hunched on the couch, a body lying next to him.
"Katsuki!" Kirishima shouted and started towards his friend. "Fuck! Are you okay? We were so worried."
Grabbing the color of his coat, Shouta jerked him backwards, "you idiot!"
"Captain!" Kiri yelped, staggering into him. "What?"
"Kirishima, dammit, stay back with us until we can assess everything," he pushed him to the side. Turning back to the Minister, he nodded curtly. "Yes, we did run into some trouble downstairs. We weren't sure what had happened to Todoroki or Bakugou."
"But Captain," Kiri protested, "Bakugou shot the others, there's no way he's-"
"Kirishima," Arisu barked icily, "are you disobeying a direct order from your commanding officer?"
Clenching his jaw, Kiri stood still. "No."
Waving her gun towards his desk, Arisu stepped closer to Kezu. "Minister, I need to ask you to sit down at your desk and remain there." She noticed the phone shattered on the floor. "What happened to the phone?"
"A simple misunderstanding, as I mentioned Todoroki was under the impression I was being attacked. Besides," he looked up at the dim emergency lights, "the electricity is out, it's not working. Only the emergency line is operational."
"Sit down," she motioned with her gun again.
"Commissioner, I'm happy to sit but what seems to be the problem?" Kioku moved to his desk, catching Todoroki's gaze he arched a brow and subtly tipped his head towards the three.
"Is the door locked?" Arisu tried the handle of the double doors, she stepped sideways seeing the keypad, "what's the code to get out?"
"If you would tell me what you need, I can assure you that I can assist," sitting down at his desk, he laid his hands flat on the top. "Have you arrested Uchiyama yet or are you here just harassing me this afternoon Commissioner?"
Pointing to the keypad, Arisu narrowed her eyes. "Are you going to be cooperative?"
"I don't understand what you mean. Explain your intentions and I'll give you the code. You do work for me, right?"
Straightening to her full height, she raised her gun pointing it again in his direction, "I work for my government and I'm taking both you and Uchiyama into custody to be turned over to the Prime Minister. She can determine the next steps to take in this case."
Slamming his hands on the desk, Kioku lurched to his feet. "Why would I be taken into custody?" His black eyes glinted darkly. "Put that gun down this instant."
"We have reason to believe that you wield a powerful quirk, you or Uchiyama, but all evidence indicates that it is you."
"Me? That's absurd! I'm quirkless, I always have been. It's even registered publicly, if you bothered doing an investigation. This is insanity," he snarled, stepping back just as a blast of ice flew across the room.
"SHIT!" Diving away, Arisu fired her gun, the bullet smashed a lamp behind the desk. The cold spray slammed her backwards and pinned her to the wall. Gasping as her body slowly froze against the wood, she tried to move but her body was encased in the ice. Her arm was bent up over her head at an awkward angle, a tingling numbness spread from her fingertips to her shoulder. Her grip weakened as the cold sapped her strength and the gun slipped from her grip. Bouncing harmlessly down the ice and sliding across the floor, it spun to a stop by Kezu's desk. Unable to move her head, she tried to see the others. "Kirishima? Shouta?" She could tell from the sounds that they were also buried in ice.
"What the fuck?" Katsuki leapt to his feet just as another stream of ice was hurling towards him. Igniting his quirk, he spun away as an explosion of fire and ice collided in a hiss of steam that filled the room. Falling, his body hit the icy floor and slid sideways straight into Aizawa, who was completely frozen. Jerking around, Katsuki could hear his muffled screams. "Captain!" He scrambled around him, warming his hands and melting the ice that clogged his mouth and nose. Aizawa coughed, sucking in a lungful of air, tears streamed from his eyes as he panted heavily. More ice shot at them, lifting his arms he fired again, the flames were weaker. Shaking his arms, he knew his body was still cold from the ice earlier, his fire wouldn't be doing much damage soon. Darting quickly to the back wall, he crouched down and crawled towards the desk. He needed to draw Shouto's quirk away from the others
Slamming on her brakes, Yusa leapt out of her car and raced for the staircase. The rain was still coming down hard and she had to grab the railing to keep from slipping on the smooth metal. Pulling out the key ring Akio had given her, she unlocked the deadbolt and went inside. The apartment was cold and dark. Flipping on the lights, she made her way down the long hall to the back room. Unlocking the additional deadbolts, she flung it open. The monitors sat on his desk, all reflecting an ominous gray and white screen. Sitting down she dialed him.
"Yusa," he answered on the first ring.
"Nothing, everything is blank."
"What do you mean blank?"
"What I fucking mean Akio." She checked the cables.
"Mess with the controls."
"I am, there's nothing. You got the feed right?"
"Yes," he snarled, "I've got the fucking feed right. Did Sensei pick up your calls?"
"No." They both sat in silence.
"He got away, that son of a bitch."
"You think he killed Sensei?" Yusa's stomach clenched.
"I will tear him limb from limb if he laid one fucking finger on him."
"What now?"
"We get out,"
"What?" Her breath caught as she inhaled sharply.
"You know what I mean. We stay alive. Unlock the safe and grab our stuff."
"Seriously?"
"Yeah seriously. Yusa, listen to me. In all the time we've worked for Sensei, there has never been a time I couldn't get through to him for this long. Now, go get our stuff and that damn fucking cat. Meet me at the station. I'll be there in the next two hours. Get tickets to any place you wanna go. We hole up until we know more."
"Wait, but what about Sensei?"
"He's got two hours to call us, doesn't he? Otherwise, we leave." He listened to the rain hitting the window.
"Okay," Yusa whispered softly. "I'll get our stuff and meet you at the station. Let's both keep trying to call him."
"See you soon." Akio threw his phone on the seat across from him, kicking at the wall. "Fucking doctor, fucking energy and fucking damn heroes!" He seethed through gritted teeth. Everything had been going so smoothly until that day. Eyeing the bag at his feet, he pursed his lips. At least Kaneko's parting gift would help them, if Sensei didn't contact them, they'd start over. Just him and Yusa again, the way they'd always been.
"Endeavor?" Nana spun around as the big man came out of the staircase, flanked by guards with terrified looks on their faces. "I'm glad you're here."
"What's happening?"
"Uraraka and Yaoyorozu have gone back down with more guards to block any exits from the basement. We believe Bakugou and your son are possibly still down below with Nakama, Kirishima and Aizawa."
"Have you spoken to them? I understand that you suspect the Minister of treason?" He regarded Uchiyama with a stony expression. He had really hoped to speak with Arisu or Aizawa, they were the only ones that he trusted in this situation.
"We do Endeavor," she could see the disbelief in his eyes. "From what we were able to piece together it's possible that all of us, including yourself even, may have been used by him."
Red eyes flashed as he scowled at her. "What do you mean? Used?"
"He potentially wields a quirk that can erase memories. I'm not sure what has happened but he was working on something in a downstairs lab. Based on reports it's possible your son is helping the Minister. Uraraka and Yaoyouozu weren't sure but Kaminari and Lida were definitely not in their right minds." She paused, "they actually attacked everyone. We think Shouto and Bakugou could also be affected."
Keeping his face blank, Enji tamped down his emotions. He needed to neutralize this situation and now possibly fight his own son. "And you're certain about your assumptions. Understand the last time I spoke with Nakama or Kezu, you were the one suspected of committing crimes."
Clenching her fists by her side, she stiffened her spine. "I know what was done and I can assure you that the email was not generated by me. I will answer for my actions after that, but right now I'm taking responsibility to save our government from this vile man. We need to keep him here at all costs. If he gets away, the situation could change dramatically in his favor."
"Conveniently the Minister or Nakama are not here-"
"Assistant Defense Minister!" An aide raced down from the communications office. "He's ordered his helicopter!" He held out a sheet of paper, "his requested flight path."
Snatching the route from his hand, she turned to Endeavor, shoving it at him. "Believe what you want but a flight path to the Prime Minister has been requested by Kezu." She waited as he read the request. The flames that burned on his face flared red-hot.
Making his decision, Enji handed her the dispatch. "Are there cameras anywhere? I'd like to be able to see in his office."
His question took her by surprise. He was going to help. Her body relaxed, muscles aching where she'd tensed waiting for his reply. "Not anywhere that would be helpful."
"Windows?"
"All of our windows are bullet proof, shatter proof and one way. This is a secure campus."
"Why am I up here then? Shouldn't I be downstairs?"
"The hallway below is blocked with ice."
"I can melt it quickly."
"And flood the facility?" Nana raised her brows. "I believe the Minister is the key. Take him into custody and find out what he's done to the others. Then we can diffuse the situation without further casualties, including your son."
Nodding, Enji glanced down the hall towards Kezu's office. "He's in there?"
"Yes, and he's alone, no one has gone inside since his staff left. Whatever you do," she leaned close as they headed towards the office, "do not let him touch you. We think the quirk is activated through his hands."
"Good to know." Stopping at the door, he pointed to the keypad. "What's the code to get in?"
