"So you need to get access to the hero wing?" Hatsume asked.
They all sat in her cramped shed Inasa taking up a good half of the space with his oversized frame. Kacchan had decided to stay standing his back reclined against the wall behind Izuku, a constant presence he could feel over his shoulder.
Hatsume was at her work table tinkering away on random scraps of material she had picked up from outside, building who knows what. Izuku itched to ask her what she was making. If her inventions worked, then could she make something to help Izuku with his quirk?
"The adults aren't telling us jack squat about where she is and Tag Along hasn't shown her shitty face to let us know she's alive so now we gotta hunt her ass down." Kacchan said.
Izuku chuckled; Kacchan wasn't wrong, but his crude way of explaining made it seem like he was more annoyed than worried.
"As juicy as the idea of creating a cloaking device that can get you past all those heroes would be, I don't have what I need to build it, so I'll let you use the next best thing." Hatsume said.
Hatsume moved towards a pile of junk, searching for whatever was the next best thing that would help them find Chieko. She let out a victory cry as she pulled out a small box, and all three boys leaned forward to get a better look as she set it down on the table.
"This here is my precious baby number 35!" Hatsume said.
The pink-haired teen opened it, and inside was what looked like a tiny bug.
"The time isn't right for this, but if no one is paying attention it should get past everyone. Unnotice." Hatsume advised.
Izuku tilted his head, trying to get a better look at the thing as Hatsume pulled the small critter from its box. She pulled out a laptop pressing away at something when the item moved to lift itself off the table and flying in front of everyone.
"WHAAaa that's amazing Hatsume! You must be a genius!" Inasa cried out.
She seemed to maneuver the thing around the room before letting it rest on Inasa's outstretched finger. The giant seemed entranced by the little thing as he lifted it close to his face to get a better look. It looked like a housefly or maybe a tiny bee. Izuku could hardly see the details; it was such a small thing, but he could make out the little wings as they fluttered.
"And how is that thing supposed to help us?" Kacchan said.
Izuku could already guess what Hatsume made, but Kacchan didn't seem to be catching on to the alternative that the girl was offering. Hatsume turned the laptop around for the other boys to see. On there, Izuku noticed the remote controls that had allowed her to move the critter, but in an open window, they had an up-close view of Inasa's nostrils as he smiled down at his new little friend. Izuku leaned even closer; his chin pinched between his pointer finger and thumb as he ran through ideas.
"So with this we can maneuver through the hero wing without being noticed by anyone and that should help us find where Chieko is and make sure she is okay. This might be a much safer option than trying to sneak into the wing and risk getting into trouble Kacchan." Izuku said.
"We shouldn't have to do all this in the first place!" Kacchan yelled.
He had a point, but Izuku wasn't ready to voice that side.
"So will you be controlling this thing from here?" Izuku asked
"Well that's the only problem, I was limited in what I could do with these parts so the radius is a lot shorter than it would have been otherwise. So we need to be close enough to still have control." Hatsume said.
That may be a problem since the hospital had a constant flow of people walking around. Most rooms were overflowing, and there was no way they could get away with doing this without someone noticing.
"What's the radius on it?" Izuku asked.
"Only about 700 ft but with a router of sorts we could try to extend the signal." Hatsume said.
Izuku leaned back in his chair, running through their options. The issues were location and the signal.
"What about the training room?" Kacchan asked.
Izuku agreed it would provide the privacy they needed since no one was allowed, but he wasn't sure it was close enough to the hero's wing without the router.
"But we still need that router…." Izuku muttered.
"I have to head back to my shift, but can I keep it when you all are done?" Inasa asked.
Izuku watched his friend mess with the little bug. Inasa's eyes sparkled, making him look like a kid with his new shiny toy. An idea began to form in Izuku as he watched his friend that could work.
"Hatsume, do you think you could attach a router to Inasa without it being noticeable?" Izuku asked.
Hatsume thought it over as her eyes sized Inasa. He stood confused by what they were talking about. A grin began to spread across her face making the taller boy take a step back in concern.
"Oh I think I can whip something up, give me five minutes." She said.
It took a total of three minutes, much to Izuku's surprise. Inasa was strapped with a wristband that looked like a simple watch. Inasa shook the contraption, unsure what to do with it. Hatsume grabbed his wrist, pushing down the watch's face, and with a click, it opened, showing a small storage space.
"So we'll put our little spy in here and when you get in you can push down the watch to open it up and release it." Hatsume said.
She placed the minor bug inside and closed the lid back over it. There was no indication that it looked like anything other than the watch, the hands moving for effect. Hatsume pointed to the red knob on the side, making sure that Inasa was paying close attention.
"Now before you let it out you need to push this red button to turn on the router that way I can control our spy you got it?" She asked.
"Yeah, push the red button and then open the watch to let out B-Chan." Inasa said,
Izuku chuckled, hearing the nickname Inasa had given the little machine. Kacchan sighed in irritation, and Izuku knew he was rolling his eyes at the giant oaf.
"You named it?" Kacchan said.
"Of course! Little B-Chan is going to find your friend, he deserves a name." Inasa said.
Hatsume nodded in agreement as she began to pack up her equipment to take with her. "Alright, let's go!"
"Fucking finally." Kacchan said.
Once they were back in the hospital, Inasa went on his way back to the kitchen to get ready for his shift while Izuku led his small group to the elevators to head towards his training room.
No-one stopped them, but Izuku looked inconspicuously around him, worried that someone would just know that they were doing something they weren't supposed to.
Izuku didn't take a full breath the whole way until they were behind the closed door of their training room.
"You're guilty conscious was written all over your face." Kacchan said.
The blonde moved over, letting himself drop into one of the empty chairs as Hatsume followed him to set up her equipment on their table. They only had two chairs, so Izuku chose to stand over her shoulder watching her work.
They had to wait until Inasa had gotten through, and Izuku moved about, his body a jittery mess as he waited for Inasa to send them the reception.
What if he tried and it didn't work? What if they were too far?
"Calm down already!" Kacchan yelled.
Izuku jumped so lost in thought he had forgotten he wasn't alone. Kacchan was glaring at him, and Izuku stuttered an apology as he did his best to stand still.
"My baby worked!" Hatsume cried.
Izuku moved closer to take a look, and the clear image of Inasa's smiling face appeared on screen as he waved goodbye. Kacchan leaned forward in his chair so he had a better look, and Izuku had to move to the side to give his friend more room.
"Alright time to see what B-Chan can do." Hatsume said.
She began to move the controls, and B-Chan responded by moving through the hallways. Izuku chewed on his lower lip, worried someone would notice the uncharacteristic bug flying around, but as they passed the different heroes in the halls, no one batted an eye at their spy.
"I guess the layout should be similar to the other wings right? So maybe we should try the sleeping quarters like in the police wing." Izuku suggested.
They were guessing, they had no idea how the heroes had set up their side of the hospital, but it was the only plan they had aside from flying around at random.
"Or we can try the medic hall, she'd be there if she's helping to heal them." Kacchan said.
"Okay! Let's check both of then." Hatsume said.
An hour passed as they went through the different rooms, but after checking most of the heroes' rooms, there was no sign that Chieko was in any of them. So Hatsume moved B-Chan over to the medic room on the next floor by moving through the staircase.
Time passed as they checked each area, and when there was no sign of her, they continued up each floor after that.
At some point, Kacchan left and came back with leftovers from dinner and a few bottles of water. Izuku only noticed in passing his eyes trained on the screen, too worried he'd miss something if he looked away.
"Eat!" Kacchan yelled.
Izuku took bites of his food, some falling back into his plate more than once, much to Kacchan's irritation, but Izuk could see his friend's gaze just as focused for any sign of Chieko.
"Hello!" Inasa greeted.
Their door slammed against the far wall as Inasa came into the room without a care in the world.
"How did you even know about this place?" Kacchan asked.
"I sent him our location through the router." Hatsume said.
The pink-haired girl's face was still facing the screen, her small tongue peeking out of her lips as she moved B-chan through the next floor.
"How is that thing still moving if he's here?" Kacchan asked.
"Oh, I told him to leave it behind somewhere they couldn't see it." Hatsume said.
Izuku was glad they could keep looking, but his legs were growing tired after a while, and his eyes felt strain from staring at the screens.
"Come on nerd let's train while we wait." Kacchan suggested.
"That sounds like a wonderful idea, I want to join!" Inasa said.
"No! You help Hatsume keep an eye on the bug." Kacchan said.
The boy looked disappointed as he was sent away by Kacchan. Kacchan still found a way to look down at the taller boy, even while being shorter than the wind user.
Izuku wanted to protest. He even had the excuse ready on his lips, but one look from Kacchan, and he knew the blonde would get his way one way or another.
"You should try activating your quirk through your whole body, try not to have it at one hundred percent though." Kacchan instructed.
Izuku concentrated on activating his quirk, feeling the surge of power spread throughout his whole body. It felt like it would overflow and his teeth clenched in response as he tried to keep it under control.
"Don't let it take control, it's your quirk, if you don't want to use all of it just be soft with it." Kacchan said.
"I don't know how to make it soft, it's like trying to hold a bomb thats about to explode."
"Remember its no different than a punch." Kacchan said
"This is not the same thing!" Izuku cried.
"Yes it is! Look punch me with your quirk activated." Kacchan said.
Izuku looked at his friend, his eyes stung from staring at him unblinking, but his idea was so crazy Izuku couldn't believe he had suggested it.
"Are you crazy! I could really hurt you!" Izuku said.
"You calling me weak Deku!?" Kacchan yelled.
Izuku raised his good hand in surrender as he stuttered, trying to explain to the blonde in a way he wouldn't take as a complete insult.
"You're being unreasonable Kacchan! You know I can't control it yet. We shouldn't take such a big risk!" Izuku stuttered out.
"I said punch me!" Kacchan ordered.
The blonde charged forward, and Izuku rushed back, avoiding the swing by pure luck. The blonde huffed, yelling at him to take a swing, and Izuku heard Inasa's cheering as he encouraged Izuku to fight back.
"Okay!" Izuku said.
Izuku gave in, taking a swing before he could second guess his decision; his eyes closed shut. He felt the impact of his punch against the other boy's chest, the sound a loud thud. Kacchan grunted, his body pushed back, but then Izuku heard nothing else.
"Told you I wasn't weak nerd." Kacchan wheezed.
Izuku opened an eye to take a peek at the damage. Kacchan was still standing, although he leaned forward and looked a bit winded as he tried to take a breath. But he looked unhurt.
Izuku glanced at his palm, almost sure he hadn't used his quirk, but the glowing stripes across his arms were still bright against his skin
"I did it?" Izuku asked.
"What were you thinking to lower the power output?" Kacchan asked.
"I…nothing really, I just.. I didn't want to hurt you." Izuku said.
"Like you could hurt me." Kacchan huffed.
"I told you. Its no different than a regular punch." Kacchan said. His smirk was back on his face, pride oozing out of his words.
Kacchan didn't make him do it again, which Izuku was relieved, too afraid to see if it had been some kind of fluke. Instead, Kacchan had him do stretches and warm-ups to get his blood flow moving. All of it had been approved by the medic to prevent them from irritating his injury.
"Baby?" Hatsume said.
Izuku stopped; his face felt hot from his workout, sweat already building at the back of his neck while Kacchan, who had been doing the same warm-up, didn't even break a sweat.
"What's going on did you find her?" Izuku said.
"Well she matches the description you gave me, but this doesn't look right," Hatsume said.
The pink-haired teen moved B-Chan closer, and the two boys moved towards them to get a closer look.
Hatsume had to move the camera around a bit as she chased after whoever she had seen. After another turn at a corner, they saw a wheelchair being pushed down the hall.
Izuku waited, his fist clenched tight, anxious to see who they were following. As B-Chan drew even closer, they finally got the first view of their missing friend since she had left with Mr. Inazuma.
"What the fuck!" Kacchan cursed.
Izuku felt cold as his blood chilled in his veins. On the screen was their friend in a wheelchair with bandages covering every inch of skin on her body. Izuku could see a stained eye patch across one of her eyes. The other had an already fading bruise that looked old. She wasn't moving her head resting forward, and Izuku guessed she was unconscious.
"Is this your friend?" Inasa asked.
"Did they take her to the front lines or something? She looks like she faced a villain and lost." Kacchan said.
Kacchan was pacing back and forth, his irritation palpable in the room, he was seconds away from exploding and going to get her. At this point, Izuku wasn't sure if he would stop him or be right there with him.
"But why do they have baby on her?" Hatsume said.
Hatsume didn't seem concerned with Chieko's injuries as she was something else. She pointed to the small collar they hadn't noticed until now. It looked like a simple black band, but she hadn't had it on when they last saw her.
"That's one of your inventions?" Izuku asked.
It was the most calm he had seen the girl since he had met her. Even while watching out for Chieko, the girl had multitasked with other projects without any difficulty, but now she was stock still as she looked at the image.
"What is it for?" Inasa asked.
"Mr. Inazuma asked me to make it. This wasn't what I thought it would be used for." Hatsume said.
Izuku saw the color drain from the tanned girl making her face a pasting grey. Her reaction set Izuku on edge, the implications weighing on him. He had let her leave that room. Chieko had looked to him, asking what to do, and he had told her to go with them. And now she was hurt.
"What does it fucking do!?" Kacchan demanded.
"It forces someone's quirk to activate."
Izuku and the others turned to the door where they heard someone answer them. Detective Tsukauchi stared back at them, his palm still on the doorknob. His eyes looked dull with deep bags like he hadn't slept in days.
"Your friend refused to help the heroes." The Detective said.
"Why?" Inasa asked.
Izuku heard a buzzing in his ears as his heart began to race; the why didn't matter. Detective Tsukauchi just admitted that the heroes, the people here to protect them, were now forcing his friend to use her quirk to heal them? The Detective closed the door behind him, flipping the clock they had forgotten to use.
"Because of her quirk. She can heal any injury on her body within a matter of hours, but when she heals someone else she's taking their injuries onto herself." Detective Tsukauchi said.
Everything began to clear as Izuku realized why Chieko had avoided talking about her quirk, why she hadn't healed his arm or helped Mr. Uraraka. The drawback to her quirk. Who would willingly take on so much pain?
"You have to understand we needed her quirk. If it wasn't for her we would have lost half of the heroes by now. They're our last line of defense, without them we'll lose this hospital to Villains." The Detective said.
The desperation laced in his every word as he stared back at Izuku, his eyes wide and searching. It was as if he needed them to understand why this was okay. Izuku didn't think Tsukauchi believed it, but the Detective needed someone to reassure him. Izuku looked back to the screen; B-Chan had rested against the palm of Chieko, the bandages soaked a dark red as they saw her taken and left in a spare bedroom.
"You were right Kacchan." Izuku said.
His voice sounded far away to his ears as he felt everything slipping away from him, but he looked up at Kacchan, who stared back at him. The blonde's eyes were a dark maroon, his face expressionless.
"Heroes no longer exist in this world," Izuku said.