Within the facility, deep under ground, Zone stood amongst the wreckage of enemy robots before he continued forward. Staying any longer would be foolish.
"Hey, Alice, where's the exit?" Zone asked, withholding a groan as a steel door opened to reveal even more battle bots. This was getting old.
"The exit to the facility is approximately half a mile ahead, though the path is not direct." The sentient Quirk informed, and he grimaced. That was much too far away for his liking, since he'd be overrun by then. What Quirk could he use to cut through?
Endure wouldn't help. Air Bullet wouldn't pierce all the way through so much metal, plus his fingers were starting to sting from overuse. Enhancement could make him faster, but not to the extent it would let him blitz past everything in his way. Toxic could damage these robots, and humans, but wasn't corrosive enough to melt through metal. Alice couldn't take over these bots, since he'd need to make contact with their internal components which were hidden behind their thick metal hide. Then, there was that energy storing Quirk he just took which was out of the question. It could help him absorb electricity based attacks and redistribute it later, but it was just too new to his stockpile to use reliably.
'Damn it!' He knew that working with what you had was important, but the possibilities of his powers were limitless and the fact his options were so limited frustrated him to no end!
Zone took his anger out on a robot with a stun gun, grabbing the end of it's stun gun with his bare hands. The Quirk of that guard let him battle with more freedom, but he'd drop from exhaustion if this went on long enough!
Regardless of his worries, he rammed a fist through the machine's head and pointed a hand at another pair whilst he was still free. "Toxic. Enhancement." He muttered as a potent acidic sludge built up on his palm, a moment later it shot forward like a wave which washed over and eroded away at the pair of battle bots. However, that didn't matter, since two more just took their place.
'Oh, this is just getting ridiculous!' Zone found himself raising two fists again, prepared to fight his way through. This was getting nowhere!
"So, you've finally decided to break out?"
The ground below the second wave suddenly caved in. It was instant, dropping like a sink hole and swallowing them up in just a few seconds, leaving a closed hole behind. He was stunned still, not just at what that power was though, but at who's Quirk that was. He was too familiar with it not to recognise Ground Manipulation.
Zone turned around slowly, a familiar mop of dark hair came into view and he couldn't but whisper in disbelief. "Why did you do it?"
His teacher shrugged tiredly, putting two hands in his uniform's pockets. "Who can tell. I personally don't even know anymore." Yet, despite his cool attitude, he still looked troubled by something. His eyes were distant, as though he were in deep thought.
"But, aren't you one of them?" He couldn't help but point out. In response he earned silence, which quickly replaced his confusion with irritation. "Go on, why did you help me? Why bother to help one of the HPSC's failed experiments?"
The way he sneered that out almost made Kono flinch, though he did meet Zone's eyes. And when he did, the man looked... tired. As though he'd resigned himself to something, but what did-
"I was raised by the Commission, Z." Kono began, grabbing his attention and surprisingly no robots were coming from behind. "For my entire childhood, as far back as I can remember, my job was to train my Quirk and become a Hero. At first I liked it, because they were teaching me how to use my Quirk and I thought I'd get to save people. But..."
Zone reeled in his hostility slightly, looking upon him with sympathy. "Let me take a guess. When you were finally ready, your job didn't turn out a thing like you wanted, did it?"
Kono simply nodded, though continued with melancholy. "No, it didn't. For years, there was no escape for me; I carried out their dirty deeds to keep things stable. Even if it meant hurting others, I obeyed. Even if it killed me a inside, I obeyed. Even if it meant killing... I obeyed." He finished, his hair downcast as he stared at the ground.
Zone absorbed that chunk of knowledge for a moment, then asked barely above a whisper. "Did you ever try to disobey them?"
Kono gave a sigh. "I, on my own, wouldn't be enough to even scratch them." He stated as a matter of fact. "The HPSC has hundreds of Heroes at their beck and call around the clock, one phone call and I'd be thrown away like trash... or at least that's what I tell myself."
Kono clenched his fists, his eyes telling a life full of regret. "Truth be told, it was probably because I lacked the courage. Just like how I wasn't brave enough to help you when you needed it. I'm sorry for that, Z. You hold every right to resent me."
When he was finished, Kono had his head bowed with signs of guilt on his features. He looked relatively young overall, but the lines of age on his face were telling. He was meant to be in the prime of his life, yet he was a prisoner to the Commission. He was trapped in a life he hated.
"...I see." The younger man muttered, feeling sympathy for the other man. Part of him resented Kono for never stepping in to help, allowing his body and mind to be toyed with and altered. For letting him get tortured and wilfully closing his ears to it.
But, Zone understood that ultimately... they were the same. Kono had probably been put through hell too, even if not quite to the same extent as him. They were both victims of the HPSC. He was also a coward, not willing to raise a fist and defy them for so long. They were in the same boat.
Strangely, the idea of him not being the only one was... a comfort.
"I forgive you." Zone spoke, allowing a small smile to slip through. Kono raised his eyes, looking up to meet his eyes with mild surprise. "You were a coward, that's true. You were spineless, submissive, and let them control you like a puppet... and I was the same."
Zone walked forward, stopping in front of his teacher. He was very short, the lack of sunlight was to blame, and he even had to crane his neck to meet Kono's eyes. Still though, he gave a sad smile. "The two of us... we're the same, Kono. I'd be a hypocrite if I were to blame you for bowing your head when I'm guilty of that too."
Kono's eyes were wide, a few drops of life returning to his irises as he stared on in disbelief.
Zone sniffed, his eyes feeling uncomfortably moist, but he maintained his gaze. "I don't... I don't hate you. I could never because you were the only one who never treated me like a monster. I didn't hate you, not like the rest."
Those words seemed to strike a cord in his teacher, with his eyes starting to water even if no tears broke through. He didn't speak further, just reaching forward and... wrapping him in a hug.
The action caught Zone off-guard. It had been so long since anyone had let him touch them, let alone hug them, that he wasn't sure what to do at first. Slowly, he eased into and reciprocated the other man's embrace.
His heart had been so heavy since he'd been burdened with his powers, but... just that physical contact, knowing not everyone considered him a freak that needed to be kept out of reach... it made his chest feel so much lighter.
Good things never lasted though.
"Get them! Get the Subject and kill the traitor!" The vicious shout of an uninvited guest cut him off, and Kono was the first to act when he saw a coil of snake-like limbs were heading their way. He raised the ground upwards, forming a barrier that denied the attempt of assault.
Zone was quick to pull away, taking cover behind the walls as he turned to Kono... who simply nodded in understanding as the two of them started to run forwards.
"It seems that your moment with Mr Kono was interrupted."
Zone honestly forgot about Alice, so he jumped a bit on his step before regaining his balance. "Yeah, I suppose it was. But, that just means we need to get the hell out of here. Kono, I'll-"
He was beaten to the punch, with the older man simply twitching a finger and the ground literally swallowed the group of men tailing them in an instant. They didn't even get a chance to respond, one second they were there and in the other they weren't.
It was both impressive and terrifying.
"How are you doing that?" He couldn't help but ask, noticing that their path was strangely unobstructed. There weren't any robots, any people, or even security. The narrow halls were barren.
"My Quirk give me control over the very floor below, remember." Kono spoke, as though it were obvious. "I've been here for years, so I have a good memorisation of it's layout and so I blocked any routes those robots can be deployed from."
Well, that was...insane. At least to Zone it was, since there's no way it didn't take a baffling amount of control over your Quirk to accomplish such feats, yet Kono could apparently do them with ease. Not that he was complaining, actually that made his escape many times easier.
As they sprinted through the hall, no more enemies coming their way, Zone intentionally kept a constant pace to make sure he didn't stray too far ahead of Kono. Eventually, they reached a huge amount of marble stairs that lead up to a door. It was cold and metallic, no windows in sight.
That was definitely the way out, he could feel it. Freedom was within arms reach!
'Time to get the hell out of hell.' He thought with a smirk of victory as he reached forward and gripped the handle... only for it not to budge. Oh right, it was locked. That was disappointing. He was hoping for a more dramatic exit than having to break through a steel door.
"Don't worry about that." Kono assured from behind, kneeling down as he pointed a finger over the door's hinges. "I can break through." After that assurance, the area under his finger literally started to bend as he slowly traced his finger along the ultrahard material. Much to his fascination, the area under his finger looked like it was being carved by a knife.
"My Quirk lets me control a variety of natural earthen materials to whatever degree I wish. However, I can also carved openings through the any material I have a hand on. It doesn't matter how hard, if I can touch it my Quirk will activate." Right after that explanation, he finished his work on carving a path. With one harsh push, the steel door toppled over and revealed a path. One with light at the end.
Zone couldn't but smile, the view holding symbolic value to him. Even if he was reborn fifteen years ago, it would be a stretch to call what he'd been doing so far living. Only when his eyes met the light of day would he truly be alive again.
He walked forward, his heart beating faster as any exhaustion he felt was forgotten. It was just a bit further, and he'd be free.
"I'm almost there. Is this real?"
"As real as it gets, Z." Kono touched his shoulder, a ghost of a smile present on his face which turned sad very fast. "We're going to get you out of here, kid... well, actually you are getting out of here. I'm just here to guide you."
Zone turned his head in surprise, feeling a spike of dread. "What do you mean?"
Kono's expression went flat as he turned and walked back to the door, not answering in a way that only added to his worry. "Kono, what do you mean?!"
Kono stopped for a moment, this time deciding to turn around and answer. "You know, today you've taught me something, Z. Your entire life you've had those bastards looming over you, trying to groom and toy with your mind, yet you managed to resist them and stay true to yourself. You're something special, and not just because of your power."
"Where are you going with this?" Zone questioned. "What are you planning to do?"
Kono ignored him, continuing with his speech. "I don't know what you'll do with your future, Z. You might be a hero, you might be a villain, but right now? I strive to follow your example."
Without hesitation, Kono held out his hand. "I can't give you back all that time you could have been free, if I'd done this sooner, but I can do this much. I can give you something to remember me by."
Zone stared at the offered hand for a moment, before realising what he meant to do. "No. You- you don't need to do this!"
Not disturbed, Kono smiled sadly. "I do though. This is the only way for me to pay you back."
"You can pay me back by living and helping me destroy the HP-motherfucking-SC!" Zone yelled. "You can't just tell me to go, give me a Quirk, then go off and die."
"Who said I'd be dying?" Kono argued, though he clearly didn't believe himself. "I want to defy them-"
"You'd be Quirkless." Zone stated, not as an insult but simply as a fact. "They'd slaughter you."
"...I know." Kono whispered, yells coming from the distant background behind him. "But, I want to die, Z. My entire life, I've done nothing but lie to myself. I've ignored what my moral compass said, I've been a horrible Hero, I've been a horrible man."
Then, Kono's tone turned almost pleading as he grabbed Zone's hand and stared him in the eyes. "Please, let me save someone for once. Let me die a real Hero's death."
Zone lost his breath for a moment. It was so strange, he'd killed four people earlier, so why did the idea of letting Kono die get to him so much? He was arguably as guilty as the rest, it would probably benefit him to gain a Quirk with such potential... but was it worth losing a life over?
"You don't need to do do this." Zone stated, clenching his free fist.
Kono gave a small smile. "Yes, I do. Z, I've watched you grow for a long time and I know that you can stop them. This is not the end for me, every time my Quirk helps you I'll be right there. I couldn't do this but you can. I believe in you."
Zone breathed out, gritting his teeth in frustration. That was the curse of his power, with great power comes great responsibility. Comparing him to a regular Quirked person was like comparing a Quirkless person to a Pro-Hero. Because he had such potential, because he had the power to make a change, he also had the burden of ending people like the HSPC. It was his goal.
'Damn it all to hell!' Zone took Kono's hand with his own, which shone brightly with a crimson aura, and within seconds he felt the man's Quirk become a part of him. But, unlike the rest, this power didn't give any resistance... it might as well have been handed to him. Proof that Kono meant his words.
Once the transfer was over, Kono turned his back to face whoever was coming their way totally Quirkless. But, before he did, he turned back with a smile on his face. "Z, I'm counting on you."
Zone couldn't take it anymore, so he started running like the wind in the opposite direction as fast as his Quirk enhanced speed would allow. He saw people in his way on the other side, but he didn't care. They wouldn't get in his way.
"Alice, we have a new goal now." He began, raising his hand to shoot down whoever got in his way, whether they lived or died didn't matter. The day had been hard, both physically and mentally, so there was no way he was going back after everything. Not now.
"I agree." Alice's usually monotone voice had a vengeful edge, signalling she already agreed with him, but he needed to say it anyway.
"We won't stop until the HPSC is destroyed!"
This is a shorter chapter, because I didn't really need to write a lot to get the message across, but the next one will be longer. I've started to post less, but chapters tend to be longer.