Mental conversation
Flame Talking Mentally
Phone call
Calling Nezu, wasn't the worst thing in the world. There were worse things out there, but calling a hero to ask for help? It was still pretty bad, so I paced in the pool room, ignoring Spinner's eyes as he watched, gathering up his evidence and putting it away in a file.
'Have we really stooped so low as to need heroes?' Fire hissed low and this was likely going to be a full argument with myself.
'We can't fight Ryo,' I hissed right back at her.
'We haven't tried,'
'We tried you stupid bird, we failed horribly.'
'We are stronger now, we have allies.'
'We would just end up back with Master'
'Then we can kill him.'
'We are not strong enough'
'We could be, All Might's power'
'No, we are done killing'
'You are stupid foolish, Master will not care for your morals. We would leave the flock undefended'
"Zuku," Spinner spoke up from Dabi's chair. I stopped short looking confused at the main fighter of our group. "While it can be rather amusing to see you fighting with Fire, you really should make the call." Spinner gently prodded, and I groaned.
"I know, but that doesn't mean I have to like it." I huffed at him. Looking back at my phone, the screen had already turned black after a time of no interaction. With a sigh, I opened the phone again and looked at Nezu's contact information.
"But,"
"Zuku, this was your idea, and Dabi already said you are the one who gets to deal with the heroes." Spinner pointed out, and I could only sigh before pressing the call button. The phone rung for two tones before Nezu's voice filtered in.
'Ah, young Midoriya, I wasn't expecting a call so soon, is everything alright?' Nezu asked as a greeting, and really it was a good question, but it was one that really I could not answer.
"I have a… you asked for time, would you be willing to take an alternative route?" I asked him, looking over to Spinner for help, but he only watched. Damn the rule of the dreaded placement of 'Face'.
'That would depend on the alternative route, Miss Midoriya,' Nezu hummed softly.
"A chance, rather than time, I am offering a chance. Succeed and I will honestly and completely think over the offer," I answered Nezu, "I'll complete all the work I can while the task is in progress," I tacked on to the conditions, Nezu hummed, offering no answer just yet, seemingly thinking it through.
'Why don't we speak of your proposal in person, could you come to UA?'
"No, no I can not," Needing to bite back the need to stutter, where were these nerves even coming from anyway? Looking over to the file on the pool table. "I am unable to leave Hosu for the near future." I informed him.
'I see, well, I should be able to make it tomorrow afternoon.'
"I'll make sure the phone is on in the morning," I offered, thinking about the missed call notification. Already deciding not to look into them further.
'Should I bring anything with me?' The question was loaded, dragging an information hero out into the open was a danger for Nezu. Taking him away from his toys. The stout really was stretching his neck out for this.
"Backup, only fair you have the same as me." It was an invitation, "just keep it low profile." But just because it was an invitation it didn't mean bringing flashy heroes.
'I will see what I can do, good bye Miss Midoriya,' The phone clicked as the call ended.
"So," Spinner asked.
"We will know tomorrow," I answered Spinner softly. "Until then, we need to learn what we can."
Meeting Spinner and Dabi in an alley near the docks felt like old times. Spinner still dressing like Stain, with two katanas on his back, hilts over his shoulder, and a short sword over the small of his back currently tying the white fabric over his eyes. While it did little to hide his identity, it was a comfort for the mutant. Dabi though wore armor today, the sharp lines of body armor were barely hidden under the black t-shirt, a katana on his belt, the hilt decorated with leather the same blue as his fire. Me showing up in a sweatshirt and loose jeans and no sword had them both stopping as they looked me over.
"That seriously what you are wearing, where are your katanas? Your rope dart?" Dabi asked as he looked me over, reaching up and patting my back right over my wings.
"And you tied your wings?" Spinner asked, his voice barely above a whine.
"Look, this is how I patrol, I have a few knives and besides," Reaching out and batting Dabi's hands away after he rubbed over the bindings with a frown. "Ryu will recognize me if he sees me using a rope dart and having wings, and I want to avoid that." The two of them still looked uncertain about it, but in the end either sighed or shook their head. Letting it go for now thankfully.
"Just keep up kid," Dabi then moved and with a fire enhanced jump up to the rooftop, Spinner moved up to a wall and started to scale the wall with his claws much like the lizard he was. I had to take the fire escape, clambering up the side of it rather than taking the stairs, no where near as fast in scaling the wall as the other two, but I refused to be left behind. I caught up to them on the rooftops. Well used to jumping and covering the gaps clambering up and down the different hights as we moved closer to the docks where the traffickers where operating. Careful to keep some sort of barrier between us and them to avoid being seen and all to soon we were moving to climb over the barrier, finding a place to start scouting out the criminals set up.
Spinner pulled out a small set of binoculars holding them out to Dabi as we laid out next to the edge of the building we were using as a perch.
"A shipping yard," I grumbled looking over the cargo containers, cranes, offices, and more. To make matters worse the criminals could change the layout as they wanted with most of the interior made of cargo containers. The property was a rectangle. The biggest side to the east, exposed to the ocean, a cargo ship in the process of unloading even this late at night.
"Definitely going to be complicated," Dabi agreed, as he took the binoculars and looked down them at the sight before us. "mapping the layout will be useless when they can just change it in a day."
"Any idea, Death," Spinner asked looking over to me.
"We'll need a way of marking and tracking the cargo containers. Something they won't notice but we will see, and can easily track." Hating that we needed a way to get close to be able to tell if a container had a person at all.
"I got some contacts in the docks," Spinner hummed as he looked back out to the shipping yard.
"Death, reach out to that data contact of yours, see if she can make a bug system or somethin," Dabi instructed me. "Hell see if she can find how they are keeping track of them. They won't want normies getting into their product." Dabi lowered his binoculars pulling a piece of paper from one of his pockets. Taking the offered paper to read an address to a street not far from here.
"Paid up for the month, go check it out, you got an early meeting with the heroes tomorrow." Dabi ordered me before looking back out to the shipping yard.
"But,"
"Go get some sleep," Spinner echoed Dabi's order. "Dealing with heroes won't be easy on any of us," He reached out and patted my back. "Though I suppose you would be the best to deal with them." Spinner hummed, reaching up to scratch his chin.
"What is that supposed to mean?" I questioned him confused.
A coffee shop, Nezu wanted to meet at a coffee shop. It was different, most the time people wanted to meet at a bar or some random ally or rooftop. So a cat cafe with great smelling coffee was not really anticipated when I showed up at the address Nezu sent me. Stepping inside with Dabi next to me he grunted as we looked over the relaxed atmosphere.
"Well, it doesn't feel like an ambush," Dabi huffed as he reached into his inner left chest pocket, freezing as he found it empty and started to search his other pockets. I snickered before pulling the pack of cigarettes he was looking for.
"You know they say that stuff will give you lung cancer?" I asked rhetorically with a chuckle before he snatched his cigarettes from me. I snickered before stuffing my hands back into my pockets. Amused as he grumbled about me being a little shit.
"You going to be okay?" Dabi finally asked, and I looked back up to him. "This is going to be pretty big for you." He at least wasn't pulling out a cigarette now.
I'll be fine, if shit goes down, I'll bail, just be ready for it," I knew he was going to stay nearby I only hope that it would be enough.
"I'll be ready, got a new ride I've been dying to use," Dabi grinned rather ferally. I reached up and patted his shoulder.
"Let's hope you don't have to use it, I'd rather not have to start hiding from heroes too." I finally went the rest of the way inside and Dabi left. I pulled walked up to the counter and pulled out my old beaten up wallet and paid the lady for an hour and for some coco. Moving to a booth in a corner that still had a glass window. The window would make for an easy escape if I could not find another easy way out. Pulling out the laptop Nezu had given me I loaded up some of the work I needed to finish. Listening to my surroundings, ignoring the cats, until one batted at one of my wings. Turning my head to look at a ginger cat as it batted at one of my primary flight feathers. Lifting my wing up to watch as the ginger cat froze watching my wing with the intensity of a dumb cat. Crouching low looking ready to pounce. Snorting I reached up running my fingers through the feathers, some of the smaller loose ones slipping free and before the cat who immediately pounced on one of the fallen feathers sending the rest away.
"Ah, Miss Midoriya, how wonderful to see you again," Nezu greeted me as he approached. I had to resist the urge to flinch at the name looking up from the ginger cat to the voice, seeing the Principal had brought Eraserhead and someone with a badge on his belt, tucking my wings back and closing the laptop. There was no guarantee that anyone would know or even someone who matters would hear the name, and even with makeup to hide the identifying scar that started just under my right eye and went over my nose and ended over the left corner of my mouth, and my freckles. Dabi had even helped me dye my hair brown just for a little extra, Spinner helping me stain my wings brown too.
"Nezu, Glad you could make it, though for the duration of your stay in Hosu, I ask you not to use the family name. Even in reference " Looking back at Nezu. Saying nothing as Eraserhead sat down next to me. Trapping me in the corner, now I was especially glad for the glass wall on my other side. The detective pulled a notepad from his pocket.
"Of course, would Vi be preferred?" Nezu asked kindly. I did not miss the widening of the Detective's eyes before he could mask his reaction as I nodded my head. "so you said there was an opportunity here?" Once more I nodded my head. reaching into the messenger bag Spinner gave me to pull the file and give it to Nezu.
"We can't take them down on our own, but they need to be taken down quickly." The rodent took the file and quickly opened it and looked at what he had. Handing the pictures over to Eraserhead and keeping the few papers to himself. Passing them to the detective as he read through them.
"You said we," The Detective spoke up.
"This stays off the record, especially yours," Looking at the cop with suspicion which Eraserhead huffed at.
"Off the record," the detective nodded his head, pulling his hand away from his notepad as he repeated what I had said.
"I am not permitted to tell you much, but what I am allowed to tell you, is this. There is a group of Vigilantes called the Horsemen. 2 years ago we stuck close together and worked with each other more often than not. In recent years we split apart. Here in Hosu one of our numbers has called a meeting. While we have experience taking on rings like this, we do not have the ability to take this one." Turning the attention away from the others back to the case I was offering to them.
"And why would a group of vigilantes want the help of heroes?" Eraserhead asked, setting the pictures down, I reached out pushing some aside, flicking out the ones of Ryo and his group.
"Technically, we don't," I answered him, reaching out for my coco and taking a sip.
"but you do," Nezu hummed, looking at me like I was something fascinating, which really… I wasn't exactly comfortable with the look.
"This is not something they have faced before, these are experienced Slavers," Making sure to stress the word, these were not the average traffickers. "they…" I tried to find the right words, something detached. "We would need to get close to take them down, but we would run a high risk of them taking the three of us no matter how hard we fight. And we know where we would be shipped off to. We have no desire to return to such conditions." I didn't want to see anyone in that position let alone return to that position myself.
"Lie," The detective said and I bristled, glaring at the man. "Sorry, I never introduced myself. I am Detective Tsukauchi, though I am known as True Man."
"The human lie detector," I huffed annoyed, his reputation was that of a fair man, so long as you didn't lie to him. "Fine, I know where I would be shipped off to, better?" I snapped at him, and he nodded his head. "The rest of the statement was also true," which also got another nod from the cop.
"Do you know how long they have been in Hosu," Eraserhead asked.
"The Ring, a few weeks for sure, the slavers, Conquest caught sight of them three days ago, their presence here means they are starting the final processing, likely most of the victims are already sold or at the least evaluated and marked. Once the last of the victims are gathered and processed they will be shipped out." I answered Eraserhead, "it could be as short as 4 days, or as long as 2 weeks."
"Why the inconsistencies?" The detective asked starting to write again.
"It depends on the amount of people and how long they want to drag out the victims suffering. Also the demand of their own masters." I answer the detective.
"And do you know who these masters are?" My mind blanked for a moment, phantom pain arched up my back and down my wings. It took everything to not bolt from my seat as I clenched my jaw to keep from whimpering.
"Catch them, and if you can keep them alive, they will tell you." I answered instead.
"Midor-"
"I told you not to call me that here," I snap back at Eraserhead with a hiss, focusing the fading pain to anger. Wings flaring a bit under the restraints, fangs coming down making the hiss stronger and he backed away a bit, giving me a little more room on the bench. "I need to leave." Shifting in the bench and as soon as Eraserhead was out of the way, I quickly left.