Sorry this is a few days late. Enjoy!
Beros placed the files back in their place, closed the cabinet and took several deep breaths to center herself. She had work to do and needed to be fast. Beros first disabled the alarms to several different garages and entrances. That way, even if they found her out they wouldn't know where she was going. She was tempted to disable all security but decided against it. She still felt a certain kinship with the people she was betraying. However, she did sabotage the screens so they couldn't track her that way either.
Beros then left the room and went toward a robe closet. She nearly started to creep, try to keep her head down, look unnoticeable. However, Beros quickly calmed herself and remembered her training. Beros was never much good at infiltration, but she'd still been given rudimentary instruction. Among the lessons they taught her was that infiltration was ultimately a game of pretend. You weren't trying to keep them from noticing you, you were trying to keep them from seeing that you didn't belong.
Some roles had you staying beneath notice because that was what was expected (serving staff), others you had you walk with confidence, because you were one of the people who had every right to be there.
Beros was the latter. She was playing a part she had been mere minutes earlier. Beros, the devoted member and assassin for Humarise. One who frequently guarded the Messiah himself.
Beros opened robe closet and picked up a few spare robes, both normal and for mutant members, rolled them up and placed them in a bag she hid beneath her own robes.
She'd have to rescue Rody Soul first. He would not be missed like the Me-like Midoriya would.
Beros walked down to the storage room where they were keeping his quirk. Pina? She nodded to the guard and entered. Inside were multiple artifacts relating to people's quirks. Tentacles, powered up weapons, a blue paint brush, and many others. Some were in test tubes, others in boxes, a few in cages. Finally, her eyes fell on the pink bird wearing a bandana (which now that she thought of it looked somewhat cute).
"Hello? Birdie?" she said.
The bird angrily unleashed a string of chirps that Beros assumed was profanity. Beros wondered if it was angry because she kidnapped it and its human, or because she called it "birdie".
"Shhh! Quiet down!"
The bird chirped even louder.
"Do you want to see your human again or not?!"
The bird quieted. However, it was still glaring at Beros.
"Listen," she said. "I'm going to take you to Rody Soul, but if you make noise, we'll both be caught. And then they'll probably see if you can be roasted and fed to one of our members for dinner."
That last part was a lie, living quirks were deemed too impure to consume, but they'd still kill (Him? Her?) it. Regardless, the lie did the trick, since the bird immediately quieted down.
"Alright," Beros said. She opened the cage a crack and grabbed the bird with a blanket, then put it in the bag with the rest of the robes. "Let's go save your human.
Beros quickly walked toward the science room where Rody Soul was held, keeping careful not to act conspicuous. She entered the lab, to find Rody Soul lying on a medical table, with Eddie Soul standing nearby.
Curses.
In her haste to rescue the-to rescue Midoriya and Rody Soul she'd forgotten all about the father.
The moment he noticed her, Rody Soul cried out, "The pain! The unimaginable pain!" He clutched his chest and reached his arm for the heavens. "If I'm not reunited with Pino I might-
"Here take this," she said, pulling out the bird and throwing it at him. "I'll be right back."
The boy happily exclaimed, "Pino!" as she left (so that was its name). Beros then went back and grabbed an adult sized robe for mutants. She entered the room again, causing father and son to jump in place again, watching her with the fear someone shows their executioner.
"So…" Rody Soul said. "Is there a reason you're here and how bad is it?"
She glanced up at him. "You're leaving. Permanently."
Rody Soul gasped. "Wha-I'm too young and handsome to die! My siblings need me! And so do my model jets! And I haven't robbed my backstabbing boss yet!"
He threw himself at her feet. "Can't you at least take some time, preferably as long as possible, explaining Humarise ideolog-"
"I mean you're leaving the compound, not life!" Beros said, with a prick of irritation. "We're escaping."
Rody Soul blinked. "Oh. Can we pretend me begging for my life didn't happen then? I want to write about this and would like to keep my dignity."
Beros cocked her head. He had dignity? Still, she nodded, which made him look very relieved.
"Good…and for the record I wanted to get you talking so I could buy time to escape."
Beros nodded. Then she noticed the black eye, the bruises around his arms, and the fact that he'd slipped from his handcuffs.
"Where did you get those injuries and how did you escape those handcuffs?"
"Your buddies did the injuries, as for the cuffs uhhhh…they were totally unlocked! Weird huh?"
"Can you free someone from a straightjacket?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Good. Then let's-"
"Wait." Eddie Soul said, a cautious glint in his eye. "What are you doing?"
Good. He's smart. "Breaking you out," she said.
"Why?"
"…I've had a bad day and Humarise has given me reason not to trust them-"
"You're noticing that now?" Rody Soul said. He shrank beneath her withering glare.
Beros then said, "Just take this." She threw a robe on top of him (would that make him fall asleep?), "And this." She threw another robe at Eddie Soul.
Eddie Soul hesitated. He didn't trust her.
"You can leave with me or stay here," Beros said, starting to lose patience. "I suggest you pick the former.
"Fine," Eddie Soul said, taking the cloak.
Beros looked around. "Are there stretchers here? I need one."
Eddie nodded to one on the other side of the lab. "But there's one problem, how are you going to deal with the tracking quirks on us?"
Beros shoved the tied-up tracker into her room, joining the other she'd already thrown in there.
"Oh, so that's how," Eddie Soul said. He was dressed in the garb of one with a mutant quirk, to hide his face. Rody Soul's face was uncovered, though he insisted on pulling his hood up. He also had a strange tendency to sweep his cloak back like a cape.
The two trackers had never been the brightest, or the most skilled. Taking them down was easy. Now came the important part, her mother. Then she'd rescue Midoriya.
"Um, is this the way to the exit?" Rody Soul said as they walked.
"No. We have two more people we need to rescue first."
Soon they'd arrived at the door to the Room of Enlightenment. Beros quickly dispatched the guard and dragged him inside. She stopped in front of the only occupied Float Tank. Beros' hand hovered over the hatch. She wanted to free her mother. But she also dreaded the sight of her, her wound, or worse of all, confirmation of her deepest fear.
Her mother deserved a better daughter. She'd had a better daughter, and traded her for the inferior one. The one who joined the very people who now wanted Beros' mother dead.
Beros clenched her fist and grabbed the handle to the lid. Saving her mother came first, even over her hesitation. She slowly lifted the lid, and lifted her mother out. Her mother didn't move. Panic flooded Beros. She placed her fingers on her mother's neck. There was still a pulse. She barely registered the sound of the stretcher wheeling in behind her.
Beros lifted her mother into the stretcher, and placed a blanket over her so none could see her face. She never seemed smaller or frailer than in this moment.
Rody and Eddie Soul were both watching. She couldn't see Rody from behind his father, and Eddie's face was indecipherable.
Feeling self-conscious, Beros lifted the guard into the tank, secured the face mask, dropped him inside, and closed the lid. He would not be telling on them.
She turned back to the others. "We have one more subject to help. Let's go."
She led them down the hall, toward where Midoriya would be held. At this hour, he'd be in the room where they kept him to be hugged. As they approached the hall, Beros motioned them to stop. She glanced at Eddie Soul. "How do you think he'll react to our attempt to take him?"
Eddie Soul looked confused. "He might be concerned about whether we have a way to escape, but once he knows we do, he'll be jumping for the chance to get out."
Beros nodded. Good. He wasn't wanting to stay here. Granted she'd kidnapped him, on the other hand Humarise always seemed so convincing to her, so she wasn't sure if he'd want to stay or not. Frankly, she wasn't sure of anything anymore.
Beros glanced down the hall, seeing Sidero guarding the door. Beros considered her options. If she fired from around the corner and missed he'd sound the alarm. She needed to get close, without him raising his guard. She looked around to make sure no one was approaching while she thought.
"What are we waiting for?"
Beros' gaze snapped to Rody Soul. That's it!
Rody suddenly looked very nervous. "Why are you looking at me like-"
Beros grabbed him and dragged him out by the shoulder. "Get help! This boy is dying!" she said.
"What are you-wait a minute!" Sidero said, "Isn't that the boy that we-"
At this point Beros threw Rody at Sidero's face. The boy screamed like a four-year-old girl as he flew. Sidero caught him, just as Beros kicked Sidero in the groin (solely for tactical reasons), then spun around and swung her heel into his head.
Sidero slumped to the ground, while Beros smiled. Because beating him brought them closer to their goal.
Beros pulled off her robes, drew an arrow, then opened the door and looked in. Midoriya was on a table that had been raised until he was almost in standing position. Upon seeing her, he said, "Beros You're here! I need help, I think Rody is-" He trailed off, noticing her having removed her robes in favor of her combat uniform. His eyes bugged out as she dragged in Sidero's body, followed by an irritated-looking Rody Soul.
"You threw me!"
"Yes, yes I did. It worked wonderfully. Good job."
"Not the point!"
"Rody!" Midoriya said. "Why are you dressed in that?"
Rody looked down at his robes. "Oh this? Psycho archer-"
"My name is Beros."
"Psycho archer gave them to me."
"You convinced her to break you out?!" Midoriya said. "How?!"
"I dunno. She just came in, threw Pino at me, then told us we're escaping. And I kept my cool and dignity!"
"Yes," Beros said. "His begging was quite dignified."
Rody glared at her. "Not. What. I. Meant."
"Huh, I was hoping to just get you to bring him Pino," Midoriya said. "This is much better! His acting was too terrible to fool anyone."
"Hey!"
"He was acting?" said Beros.
Midoriya blinked. "Never mind. What about the trackers?"
"Taken care of," Beros said, walking around him to undo the straightjacket. "Now-"
The door opened. Eddie Soul shoved Beros' mother then quickly shut the door again. Beros heard voices outside. People!
Beros positioned the cart just in front of Midoriya and placed Rody Soul next to it. "Pretend she's here to be healed!" Beros said. She ducked behind Midoriya's table just as the door opened.
Beros heard footsteps enter the room. "What's going on here? This isn't our guard!" a voice said. Beros recognized it. A mid-level elder. Beros tensed up as a heavy silence fell over the whole group. She slowly reached back for her bow.
Midoriya began to speak. "The uh, the other guy…"
"He got sick!" said Rody.
"Don't interrupt the Messiah!" the elder said. His footsteps drew close. There was the sound of a slap. Beros nearly lunged right then and there.
"Don't hurt him!" Midoriya said. "He just felt I shouldn't have to speak when for such questions! And yes, he got sick."
The footsteps paused. There was another silence. Beros slowly readied her bow, entering the headspace she usually did when preparing to kill someone.
"Fine. If the Messiah says it, I will believe it." The footsteps faded until the door closed.
Beros came out, where Rody was rubbing his cheek. "What an ass…" he said. He looked at Beros, and did a double take. "Is that-were you planning on shooting him?!"
"Yes?" she said.
For some reason that made him look even more stressed out. Beros undid the Midoriya's restraints and tossed a robe at him. "This should make you look like a mutant."
"Thanks," Midoriya said, putting them on. "Now who's-" He looked under the sheets. He went pale. "Beros," he said. "Is that really Botan?"
"It is," Beros said. "She's been wounded-"
"And they put her in the Room of Enlightenment," Midoriya said, disgust growing. "That's why you're defecting."
"That and another reason," Beros said, suddenly feeling quite selfish. "I'm sorry if that's a poor reason I can-"
"No! No! That's a great reason!" Rody Soul said. "Absolutely spectacular, no reason to turn back!"
"R-really?" Beros said.
"I think so," Midoriya said. "Humarise said they were going to protect her. Then they left her to die."
Beros felt tears begin to gather. "Thank you." Then she remembered something. Turning to Midoriy and Rody, she said. "Sorry about kidnapping you by the way."
Midoriya looked shocked, then he said, "Apology accepted."
She turned to Rody Soul. He said nothing for a moment. Then he finally threw up his hands and said, "Surrrreee, because when you put it like that I am now completely fine with how I was kidnapped, drugged, shot at, and nearly killed in a deranged experiment thanks to you!"
Beros beamed, clapping her hands together while bouncing slightly on her heels. "Wonderful!"
She turned to lead them out while Rody Soul said, "I…I got nothing."
Midoriya patted his shoulder while Beros wondered what that meant. They hurried to the garage. As they arrived, the alarms went off.
The three stopped in their tracks as the whining of the alarms blared throughout the base. The two guards tilted their heads in a way that showed they were listening to orders over the earpiece.
They'd been discovered.
Beros whipped out her bow and fired two arrows through the guard's knees. "Go!" she said.
The three rushed forward, with Beros kicking the guards heads for good measure, then barring the doors. She knocked out a technician in the garage, then tapped in her password. The garage door slowly opened, while Beros initiated a minor lockdown on the door. Nobody without a high-level password could open it without force.
Eddie Soul, Midoriya and Rody got into one of the trucks, which had a motorcycle in the back. Beros heard pounding on the door. She turned around.
"Beros!" Midoriya cried out.
"Get out of here," Beros said. "I'll hold them."
"But Beros-"
"NOW!" she said as the door exploded. Beros immediately fired her bow into the door, sending two streaking arrows into it. The resulting grunt indicated she'd successfully taken down one enemy. There was a familiar roar on the other side, Rogone.
The red demon-looking warrior smashed through, baring his fangs. He slammed his fist down at Beros. Beros somersaulted away and fired a cluster of arrows, some at him, some at his helpers. Three of his followers fell, but Rogone swept them out of the way and tried to kill her again.
Several others fired quirks at Beros, but she avoided them. She ducked behind cover and fired some arrows behind her, hearing them hit without looking. Beat that Lady Nagant!
Rogone lunged at her. He attacked, swinging his massive fists and throwing anything heavy enough, all in an attempt to crush her. However, he was so slow that Beros kept ducking away, firing more arrows at him and his comrades. One particularly powerful shot hit Rogone in the knee, sending him to the ground, even as more reinforcements flooded through.
Some Humarise agents took aim at the truck, which had inexplicably stopped driving at the entrance. Beros leaped out, taking them down one by one with a constant stream of arrows. However, this exposed her. Humarise's agents took aim. Beros braced herself.
A massive gust of wind tore through the Humarise warriors, slamming them all into the wall. Beros turned around in shock to see Midoriya glaring at them, his arm covered in bruises. No, it was more like his arm had become a bruise.
"Midoriya!" Beros ran to him, then threw him in the truck while Eddie Soul hit the accelerator. Beros dragged Midoriya in, then used the discarded robes to fashion a sling.
"What are you doing?!" she said. "I told you to go!"
"I'm not leaving you!" he said, giving her a glare more severe than any from when she was kidnapping him.
Beros's eyes widened. As their car left the garage, she looked at his injured arm. "I thought you were quirkless…"
"Yeah…" Midoriya said, wincing. "They thought All Might was too…"
"It's a good thing I found out after defecting," she said. "Otherwise…"
"I don't need to know what they do with supposed quirkless people who develop quirks."
She nodded. "Very well."
Soon however, they were joined by several other cars and motorcycles. Pursuers. Beros got onto one of the motorcycles in the truck bed, and drove off the back of the truck. She fired several arrows, knocking down several cycles. Beros then skidded in a sharp turn, kicking up a cloud of dust that blinded the cars just in time for them to crash into a nearby boulder.
More came. Carefully balancing, Beros used her mirrors to aim behind her, taking out two more. She ducked a shot from one quirk, then swerved as another created an explosion. Dust clouded Beros's vision, but she emerged from it no worse for wear.
Beros kicked another cyclist, sending him tumbling with his bike. She then saw another hunting the main jeep. One of the Humarise warriors fired a machine gun, nearly killing Rody Soul. Fury burned in Beros, as she sped up, aiming her bow. Another motorcycle pulled up next to her. Its driver grabbed Beros from behind.
Beros fought to keep her balance on her bike while also trying to shove him off. Beros kicked against the other bike to stay balanced. She headbutted her opponent to make him lose his grip, then pulled his brakes. Dust exploded from his tires as his bike skidded, then tipped over and slid behind her.
Beros quickly aimed her bow and shot the wheels of another bike threatening the jeep. However, the driver managed to leap onto the jeep at the last moment. Beros was tempted to simply but an arrow through her head and be done with it, but she felt doing so might upset Midoriya.
Instead she sped up until she was right behind the jeep, then then grabbed the woman by the scruff and yanked her off. Beros dropped her feet first onto the ground. She might survive that, right?
"Do you have a phone?" Midoriya yelled, "I heard that All Might was in the country. Maybe I can call him?"
Beros tossed him hers. "Hurry!"
He made the call. His eyes brightened. "All Might's coming!" he said. "He's tracking the phone and will be here as soon as he can!"
Beros wished she could feel relieved, but being near All Might still made her skin crawl. Leaving Humarise or not, she was the one who kidnapped Midoriya. She doubted he'd be welcoming to her.
The car began to slow down.
"What now?" Beros said, pulling up next to the driver's seat.
"We're almost out of gas," said Eddie Soul. Beros looked out for a place to hide. The dirt road ended ahead giving way to a paved road. An idea came to mind. "Go to the paved road."
A few hundred yards ahead, they made it. Beros pulled her bike to a stop and hid it while Eddie Soul stopped the jeep.
"Can you reverse into the trees?" Beros said.
He shook his head. "The gear got hit in the fighting. I can go neutral but that's it."
"Very well," she said, moving her hand up her arm like she were rolling up sleeves. "Put it in neutral, then get out."
As they did so, Beros grabbed the fender and pushed. Seeing what she was doing, Midoriya joined her, placing his uninjured shoulder against the car.
"Midoriya! You're injured!" she said.
"And if they catch us I'm dead!"
Fair enough.
Rody and Eddie Soul joined her too. They pushed the car off the road, and hid it in the bushes. Beros then heard the approaching engines. She was about to hide when she saw them. Tracks into their hiding place. She quickly took off her green hood and began wiping away the tracks, making her way closer to their hiding place.
The pursuers drew closer.
"Beros, hurry!" Midoriya said.
Closer.
Her pulse pounded, as she made it toward the safety of the trees. Then, just as they were around the bend, Beros made it to the trees and ducked. Their pursuers slowly drove by.
Beros held an arrow, ready to strike if needed. She was sorely tempted to shoot them anyway then steal their cars, but that would lead to a chase they might lose. Besides, Midoriya probably wouldn't approve if she killed them in cold blood.
Finally, they passed by. Judging by their body language, they weren't faking.
Beros's shoulders slumped. She finally walked back to the truck as the weight of all of it was crashing down. No. She couldn't crack now. She had one thing left to do.
"You ok?" Midoriya said.
Carefully hiding her features, she nodded.
Beros then loaded her mother onto the motorcycle and put helmets on them both. "You stay, make sure that phone stays on." She placed a hand on her mother. "I'm getting her to a hospital."
Midoriya nodded. "Good luck."
She smiled at him. "You too." She waited until she saw All Might's shape landing. She then drove off, tearing down the road toward the nearest city. Within hours her mother was safely hospitalized in Otheon's capital. The same place with the flowers she'd loved. Beros was left in the streets, alone.
Midoriya was freed. Rody Soul was freed. Her mother was saved.
Now, Beros had nothing. No cause. No purpose. Just her thoughts, her loss of the cause she'd followed so long, her betrayal of the thing's they'd done, and her guilt.
She'd followed them. She'd kidnapped for them. She'd killed for them. Now, it was all for nothing. The blood on her hands was not justified like she'd thought. She was a murderer, and she had no idea what to do with that.
For the first time in years, she felt like a lost child. But people helped lost children. Who would want to help someone like Beros?
As Kaina felt the wind flying past her face, she regretted all of her life's choices. Again. Minutes before, All Might had suddenly received a phone call from an unknown number. He identified it as Izuku Midoriya, the boy Aizawa was looking for, then grabbed Aizawa and took off.
Kaina had only barely managed to grab his leg in time to be dragged like a ragdoll through the air.
"You idiot! You nearly left me!" Kaina said.
"Oh," he said noticing her. "I uh must have forgot!"
Kaina got the distinct impression he was lying.
Finally, they landed safely on the ground. Kaina barely avoided vomiting. The only plus side was that Aizawa was as sick as she felt. She grabbed his shoulder to steady herself. And accidentally shoved him down.
"Sorry," she said, while All Might lifted him up.
"I hate you…" he muttered.
"Me, or him?" Kaina said.
"Yes."
All Might was looking around. "Young Midoriya? Young Midoriya!"
"All Might!" a very high pitched voice said from the bushes. Out came Izuku Midoriya, and a few others who Kaina didn't recognize.
"All Might!"
"Young Midoriya!"
The two embraced, acting almost like father and son. Which, considering who his actual father was, was kinda hilarious.
"All Might! Thank goodness you're here!" said one of the other individuals, a boy with brown hair and gray eyes, with a bird perched on his shoulder like a pirate's parrot. "Can you sign my stuff? I think your signature makes things worth lots of money!"
All Might gave him a look, while Kaina went straight up to Midoriya. "Midoriya, are you alright? You're injured," she said.
"I-I'm fine! It's just a broken arm!"
Wow. Who was his mother, the HPSC president? "Let me see," she said, taking a look. Whoever bound this wasn't half bad. "I've been looking for you for a while. Your fa-"
Toshinori saw Lady Nagant interacting with his successor, panic piercing through him. He remembered her call with All for One. She was going to kill his successor! All Might raised his fist.
"Lady Nagant! What are you doing?!" All Might said, sounding like he was about to panic.
"Uhhh, checking his broken arm?" Kaina said, giving him her practiced deadpan glare. "What did you think I was doing? And why is your fist raised like that?!"
All Might lowered his arm, looking embarrassed. "Oh. I was uhhhh stretching! Yes, stretching after that long trip! Also, I thought you were hired to- Never mind. I see your kid isn't here! Will you be leaving?"
Right. I lied to him. "I think I'll help you get your kid get to safety first."
The kid in question then noticed Eraserhead. "Eraserhead! You got away!"
"Yeah, thanks for the help kid," Eraserhead said, looking embarrassed. He glanced at Kaina. "Were we all looking for the same kid?" he muttered.
She shrugged and nodded.
"Yes, I'm glad you're prioritizing helping victims over the true mission Lady Nagant!" All Might said.
Kaina and Eraser gave him a look.
"Um, All Might," Aizawa said, "I think she was actually-"
"-Willing to do what is best even when it's not what her boss wants! I think that's great!"
"No, I meant that her boss' kid was-"
"Safe for the moment, while we very much are not since Young Midoriya likely used his quirk? Also agree!"
For some reason, Toshinori felt rather exhausted, like his mind was doing the equivalent of a pommel horse routine (he did gymnastics in college). Whatever it was, he was sure it had nothing to do with Lady Nagant's decision not to kill his successor like she'd doubtlessly been ordered!
After all, All for One's child was a little girl, so if she was here for his hypothetical child she wouldn't bother with Young Midoriya!
"Umm, All Might, I think-" Aizawa began, but Kaina put her hand on his shoulder. "Let him remain in denial. It's better this way." She turned to her quarry. "Anyway, Midoriya, how did you get here?"
"Well…"
He told his story. Of his imprisonment. Of Humarise. Of Beros. Kaina hoped she made it to a hospital on time.
Once they were done, Aizawa said, "I don't know if I'll like him as a student, or if he'll be a Problem Child. Or both."
"Probably both," said Kaina.
"I have a question Lady Nagant?" Midoriya said. "Why are you here? And out of prison?"
Kaina paused. "…Before I answer that, can you tell me about your parents? Especially your father?"
"Yeah, he abandoned Mom," Midoriya said, a simmering anger in his tone. "I hope I never see his face again!"
"I doubt you will."
"Good, All Might's more my dad than him anyway!" He then slapped his hand over his mouth. "Please don't tell him I said that…"
Kaina wasn't even thinking of All Might. Not directly. Instead a different, delightful idea came to mind.
All for One's phone rang. He was about to dismiss the call when he saw the ID. He quickly terminated his call to Tomura (whatever it was probably wasn't important), then picked it up. "Lady Nagant. If you're calling I assume you have good news?"
"I do. I found the kid. He's safe and sound."
"Excellent!" All for One said. He knew hiring her was a good idea! Looks like he didn't need to give her that bomb quirk (that he absolutely didn't forget in his rush to save his son) after all!
"I've even taken the trouble of arranging his return to his dad."
"Really?" All for One said. "You do work fast!"
"It wasn't hard. All Might was already right there when I gave Midoriya to him."
"You what?!" All for One said.
"Yeah, he said All Might was his real dad and I figured who knew better than him?"
"You can't…you couldn't…this is a betrayal!"
"Like when you didn't tell me Beros was my sister? This is like that. But funnier."
All for One nearly crushed the phone in rage. "Where is my son right now?"
"Standing right next to me. Where he's going to be for the entire rest of the trip. Why?"
Meaning even if he did install that bomb quirk he couldn't blow her up! All for One knew he should've done rescued Izuku himself! That filthy backstabbing traitor! Things couldn't get much worse.
"Also visit your wife asshole." She hung up.
Why did All for One suspect it actually was much worse?
Two minutes earlier
"Your son is safe. Yes, I'm one of the ones who rescued him. No please, you don't need to thank me. Please…you really don't," Kaina said, the last part in a more subdued tone.
"Anyway, your husband hired me-Wait really? He didn't even come home to comfort you? Wow, he sucks. Then again, what do you expect when you marry a villain? Oh you didn't know that? Well, I have All Might's number if you need it. Yes, there it is. I can ask him to-What? Are you sure you can handle it yourself?
Kaina shivered. "Ok got it. Your welcome." She hung up. For some reason, she suspected Inko Midoriya would be just fine.
Present
Kaina let herself relax. It was over, right? They had all they needed to arrest Humarise. Now they just needed to bring back a bunch more Heroes and raid the place. There was no way Humarise could evacuate their entire personnel without being seen.
"What about their bombs?" Midoriya said. "They have Trigger bombs which they plan to detonate in major cities across the world to kill most of the human population! They were planning to ship them in a few weeks!"
"Not to worry Young Midoriya, if it took that long then they won't be ready by the time we come back. Still, I'll arrange for Heroes near all of their other compounds to-"
Kaina wasn't listening to All Might. Instead she stared out into space, thinking of the green haired woman she'd saved all those days ago.
She needed to go after her- No. Them. She was going to find Botan and Beros. She needed to see them again.
"-agant?"
Kaina started. Someone was speaking to her.
"Lady Nagant?" All Might said.
"Sorry, I was thinking of something else. What is it?"
"Me and Aizawa were going to take Young Midoriya back to safety along with the evidence against Humarise. Moving swiftly, we should be able to gather a task force in a few days at most."
Kaina nodded. "Alright. Here." She held out a USB drive. "This is a record I wrote after joining you, detailing the HPSC's use of me for multiple illegal assassinations. Several against people who hadn't committed crimes yet. I also leave directions to possible corroborating evidence. From what I hear, that rat at UA should be able to track more down."
All Might looked queasy. "I knew they were corrupt, but…" He looked at the USB. "What did you actually get arrested for?"
"I got sick of my job. The assassinations, the rationalizations. Took it up with my boss. He made it clear resignations weren't accepted. So, I shot him."
"The Commission president," Toshinori said. "I assumed he was driven out the others caught him conspiring against them."
"Close enough."
"Anyway, I should be able to pull a few strings and get your sentence drastically reduced with this."
"Thanks. It's more than I deserve."
"I disagree," All Might said. "You're better than you think. Thank you, for helping me find Young Midoriya. That was a genuinely heroic of you."
Kaina glanced at Midoriya, who was telling Eraser all of Humarise's quirks, how to counter them, and the plans he'd made to counter the bombs before Beros rescued him. All Might's words struck deep, but years of mental walls held firm.
"Thanks."
"Stay here in Otheon, or in Kleyd until I can set things up properly. I can help you settle in if you need it. Then I'll bring you home."
Kaina nodded. She wasn't interested in running anyway. "Just, figure out which hospital Botan was sent to and tell me. I'm going after her."
"Of course. It's the least I can do."
She turned away, moving toward the car. There was another motorcycle in the back. As she was pulling it out, she heard a high-pitched voice squeak, "Lady Nagant?"
She turned and saw Izuku Midoriya standing right next to her. "What is it?"
"I uh just wanted to thank you. For helping me. Beros mentioned that you saved Botan. Well she said you kidnapped her but I get the feeling you actually-" He stopped his muttering at her deadpan look. "Right. Just, thanks for rescuing her. And me. I'm really grateful!" he said, flashing a bright smile. Seriously. How did a kid this cute come from All for One?!
"Your welcome," Kaina said, looking away to hide her embarrassment at being thanked. The other teen (Cody Cole?) came and said, "You're leaving?"
She nodded. "I'm going after Beros."
"You could just let her go you know? She did save us and I'm sure you don't need to-"
"I can't. She's my sister."
Cody Cole's eyes widened. He nodded. "In that case, go. I have siblings too. If we were separated, I'd do anything to find them."
"Thanks. Though I did try to kill her a couple times."
"I mean, what siblings haven't right?" he said with a laugh. "I mean you are exaggerating right?" He suddenly looked nervous. "Right?"
"…Right."
She revved her engine and sped onto the road. Soon All Might sent her a message with a hospital in the capital city. Soon, all Kaina's thoughts were directed to her destination.
Omake
AM: Well, since we're safe I can relax. Deflates Don't worry, this is just my real form. Just please don't spread stories about it.
Rody: Ok. Does this mean you'll give us hush money?
Eddie: Rody!
Rody: What? I'm just asking a question!
Beros and Rody's interactions were an absolute blast. I'd forgotten how funny those two played off each other. They'd be great siblings because both can bully each other.
I had two different rescues, one where they just escaped in the jeep, the other where Beros took a motorcycle to guard them from pursuers. In the end, I combined them and think it worked well.
AFO's sins are coming home. Literally.
Hope you enjoyed! Reviews make me smile!