MEMORY

The TARDIS opened with a soft elevator ding. Tokoyami stepped out into a foggy vista. The floor sounded like wood and stone and carpet and everything at once, obscured by a dense, vaporous blanket. He glimpsed shadows in his periphery, rows of school desks, a bridge over a river, an alleyway that smelled of sewage, but every time he turned to look closer, the images faded into the gray void.

"Dude… did we die?" Kaminari asked. "I knew I shouldn't have eaten that floor pizza."

"We're here," Momo said.

The words "we're here" echoed across the void. The tone morphed into an older woman's, and from the fog emerged Mitsuki's face, peering from the driver's seat, as Bakugo giddily unbuckled his belt and sprinted out the door.

"So words unlock memories?" Ochako asked. "Then which one do we need?"

Dark Shadow said, "He is a robot."

The flat, expressionless statement assumed the aspect of a child's horrified whisper. The fog swirled violently, exposing a grassy yard, birthday balloons, and a table laden with presents and cake.

"Tag, you're it!"

Izuku sprinted away on his tiny toddler legs. Bakugo ran after him and pinned him at the fenced-off corner. Every time Izuku darted one way, Bakugo cut him off.

Izuku's eyes focused in and out. "Analysis complete. Initiating ."

While Bakugo stared in confusion, Izuku leapt high into the air. He soared overhead, flying well past Bakugo's reach.

"No! That's not fair!" Bakugo's hand whipped out. His fingers just missed Izuku's back, but a lone bead of sweat flicked out. It ignited against Izuku's shirt with a tiny pop.

"Volatile chemical reaction detected," Izuku said, voice robotic. "Danger. Danger. Danger."

Izuku sprinted away, still shouting that word. He ran straight into the table, bending himself in half and cracking his face on the wood. Even as his body leaked lubricant and sparks flew from broken wiring, his legs kept churning the ground.

Inko swooped in, tall and imposing, and scooped up Izuku. "No need to worry, everyone. His Quirk will have him right as rain by the morning. He just needs some rest."

The scene faded. Tokoyami thought it over, only for the fog to part once more. A thick metal door stood ajar, and tiny hands shoved it aside. Tentative steps carried Bakugo down the stairs and into Inko's basement.

Inko held Izuku's head in her hands. "Made the frame too flexible. I'll cut back on the actuators and reinforce the frame for the next model."

Bakugo suppressed a gasp when she tossed the head into an incinerator. Another machine printed out a new head, working inside-out. She put the processors inside and screwed it onto Izuku's neck. His eyes blinked open. "Hello mother. Did I get another growth spurt?"

"You sure did, son."

"Wait!" Momo said. "So he really is a-"

A shadowy, clawed hand tore through her chest. Tokoyami stared in horror. "Dark Shadow, why?"

Robotic yellow eyes stared blankly at him. "No one must know."

499

Wait, we're getting some actual backstory? What happened to the overly convoluted slapstick humor?