Somehow the compound looked more miserable on the inside than it did on the outside. When Midoriya and Snake entered the complex, the two found themselves in a small maintenance hallway connected to the roof. After a bit of sneaking around, the two found stairs lower into the compound. There they walked down a floor, took a right on the third floor, and finally out of the maintenance hall.
There, Midoriya quietly walked out into the mall proper. It was a massively open space, with the only cover being some glass railings. Dozens of abandoned stores lined the area, many in disrepair. Trash, broken glass, and dust clung to nearly everything around them. Midoriya felt dirty just standing in the compound. Yet he ignored his disgust, as he calmly looked around. Across from him, on a different walkway, walked a squad of four cultists.
None had noticed him or Snake, but they both quickly ducked behind the nearest cover they could find. For Midoriya it was a large tipped-over planter no one had bothered to clean. Its once small bush was now overgrown and sprawled over the floor. Snake meanwhile hid behind a pair of leftover massage chairs. Both pieces of furniture had their leather torn apart, and one's headrest was torn off.
Looking back, the complex only seemed to get worse. Ignoring the first squad Midoriya found, he quickly saw another two squads walking around. One was on the same walkway as him, the other wasn't. On the floors below there were even more guards, with Midoriya spotting another three squads of four on just the second floor. On the first floor, he could spot twice the number of squads, with some having heavy weapons.
It caused him some small amount of worry, as this was only one portion of the mall. With that thought, Midoriya quickly turned toward Snake.
"What's the plan?" he asked with a whisper. Hearing his son, Snake gave him a quick glance, before looking around them quietly. There was urgency in his movements, but also unsureness. After a second Snake seemed to have heard something.
"Split up?" Snake muttered quietly, the words almost going unnoticed by Midoriya. Almost being the keyword. Midoriya looked at his father surprised. The way he muttered it, was as if the plan wasn't his. As if someone had told him what they'd be doing. It only gave Midoriya more questions, while Snake turned toward him.
"We'll split up," Snake decided, before pointing down the walkway, "You'll take the right, I'll take the left."
Midoriya looked back at the man hesitantly. He wanted to argue, and his mouth opened ready to voice his concerns. Yet the words never came to fruition.
"Ok… any idea what it is we're looking for?" Midoriya eventually asked, with Snake taking a minute to reply, his silence doing nothing to help Midoriya's mood.
"...You'll know it when you see it," Snake replied, while Midoriya gave him an unsure look. The teen instinctively gulped, his mind yelling out at him in panic. His first mission, and he was being forced to wing everything. This was never how he envisioned things going, and the thought ate away at him. What was he getting himself into? Why was he even here!? What were they doing!?
Seeing his son's concern, Snake sighed to himself. Quickly the man got up and snuck toward Midoriya unseen. Once he was close enough, he crouched down and placed his hand on Midoriya's shoulder. It gained Midoriya's attention instantly. Here he could see Snake looked just as hesitant as he did, if not more so. The man truly had no clue what was going on, and it scared Midoriya.
But before the fear could fester, Snake pulled Midoriya in close and hugged him tightly. The man took a few deep breaths, while still keeping his eye on their surroundings.
"If anything, anything, goes wrong, you call me," Snake told him calmly, "Everything will be fine."
He pulled away from Midoriya slowly and looked down at him quietly. Still hesitant, Midoriya said nothing for a moment. Instead, he breathed deeply, trying his best to steel his nerves. This… this would be fine. Snake operated with little intel before, so could he, Midoriya reasoned. Looking up at his father, Midoriya gave him a quiet nod.
"Alright," Midoriya replied while taking a final deep breath. With it decided, Snake nodded back at his son, and quickly began moving away. Midoriya simply watched him go before the man disappeared from view. Once he was gone, Midoriya turned toward the right side of the mall. Looking out, he couldn't help but cringe. A compound this big, and he had to figure out what he was looking for.
Though as Midoriya thought this, he began to remember the guards' conversation.
"[Dead or alive it doesn't matter. Boss wants us searching until we find a body,]" is what one of them had muttered. They were looking for someone. A hostage maybe, but then who? It confused Midoriya to no end, but it was the best lead he had. Quietly Midoriya began to pet DD, the dog lying next to him silently.
"Think you can help, boy?" Midoriya inquired while scratching the dog's back, "Smell anything new?"
DD, seeing he was now needed, stood up and licked Midoriya's hand. After a second the dog stopped and seemed to sniff the air. DD didn't bark, he'd been trained to stay quiet when needed, and instead began leading Midoriya forward. With his pistol in hand, Midoriya followed DD swiftly, staying as close to the dog as possible. They'd stop every so often, as guards would pass by, or DD paused to regain some scent. Once the guards had passed, or DD found what he was looking for, the two moved on.
They passed through dozens of stores, each one more decrepit than the last. Display windows were shattered, doors were broken down, and everything was looted. Clothing stores were filled with torn fabric and empty mannequins. Electronic stores had nothing but bare shelves and ruined walls. And each decrepit store had been repurposed for something else. They were turned into makeshift barracks, armories, interrogation rooms, command centers, communication relays, or random storage centers.
Aside from the repurposed stores, was the strange decor the mall possessed. Sure it had the usual plants scattered about, some small kiosks, and a few random posters. But it also had sculptures. Lots of sculptures. Even stranger was the sheer amount of grates covering the floor and nearby walls. Now some of the grates were simply connected to the vents, mainly those on the walls. But the floors? Midoriya wasn't sure why they were there.
They were clearly new, as they lacked any rust, dust, or grime, so likely the cult installed them. He remembered the guards talking about maintenance halls, maybe these were for similar purposes? But then… Why were they everywhere? What inside the floor needed active and constant maintenance? Looking down into one of them, Midoriya could spot lines of cables running to and fro, darting all across the floor below. Do they go to a supercomputer? A generator of some kind?
Like with everything else, it had to be important. And like with everything else, Midoriya took a mental note, before finding the next odd piece of decor. Up above near the mall's skylight, were dozens of random beams or girders. Some stuck out of the walls only barely, others stretched out reaching the opposite wall. Some were covered in concrete, creating a small platform of sorts. Others remained unfinished and surrounded by scaffolding.
But what it all had in common, was that it was under construction. Likely to build some kind of bunker, or to offer up some more protection instead of glass and dreams. Yet Midoriya didn't know what to make of everything. The more stores he and DD walked by, the more worried Midoriya became. This place was clearly important for the cult. It… must have been a headquarters of some kind. A FOB for the Ninth Circle, and hidden in the middle of Tokyo no less. The realization caused Midoriya to unintentionally speed up.
Eventually, DD came to a stop again, leading them into a store to hide. The dog sniffed the air some more, while Midoriya looked out the store's shattered window. By now he'd reached the food court, and saw the true extent of the supposed fire. Much of the area was burned down or covered in char. Leftover furniture was now a smoldering mess, as old booths littered the court.
Like with the roof, there was also more construction equipment present. Scaffolding littered the floor, creating makeshift walls and partitions. It obstructed the view of everything, creating random dark spots on the normally open mall. For once, Midoriya's worry began to dissipate. The food court was structured, just like his training exercises. There were plenty of spots to hide, clutter all over the place for support, and lots of escape avenues. But with that said, there were also a dozen guards patrolling the area.
"Are we here, boy?" Midoriya soon inquired, DD licking his hand in response. Again the dog did not bark and instead faced the food court quietly… wait, no, Midoriya thought to himself. As Midoriya followed DD's gaze, he could see he wasn't looking toward the food court. He was looking next to it. Right next to the food court, settled next to a Chinese food stall, was a small medical station.
It wasn't overly large and likely held nothing more than a small clinic. A clinic that the cult had doubtlessly repurposed. With that small answer, Midoriya looked back toward the patrolling guards. The approach to the food court was out in the open, being a large empty space for a good stretch. He'd be spotted almost instantly… unless… Quietly Midoriya spotted another grate on the floor.
Carefully he looked into the grate, examining the makeshift tunnel in the floor. It… seems big enough, Midoriya thought, while lifting the grate up. There was enough space to crouch walk, but it still seemed cramped. It was the best option Midoriya had though, so he quietly hopped inside. After a second, DD hopped in after him and Midoriya placed the grate back into position.
There Midoriya pressed forward, slowly moving through the floor. It took time, but he was getting closer to the food court. Close enough he could hear the guards walk about, their feet marching about above.
"[Just… I swear, it was like the fire was… being controlled,]" he heard one of the guards mutter, a few others groaning around him.
"[Controlled?]" a second guard inquired, while Midoriya carefully peeked up a new grate. It didn't give the best visibility, as the grate was right next to a regular patch of tiles. Perfect to duck back and hide, but made it difficult to see anything.
"[Yeah,]" the first guard replied, "[It slithered about the floor, igniting random crap. But… look at the floor!]"
The sudden exclamation caused Midoriya to rush backward, accidentally slamming into DD. The dog whimpered for a second, with Midoriya quickly comforting him. Silently he hoped no one heard anything. He was wrong. A guard walked over the grate he was previously under, and looked down at the metal for a second. Midoriya slowly turned pale, as he watched the guard inspect the area.
"[Tch, damn rats,]" the guard eventually muttered, before continuing his patrol. At the same time, the other guards continued to talk.
"[It's like there was an invisible wall blocking the flames from going any further!]" the first guard exclaimed, with the second one staying quiet for a second.
"[That's… odd,]" the second guard agreed, as Midoriya sighed knowing he was in the clear. Wordlessly he began to move again, crouch walking forward.
"[Could have been a fire quirk,]" a third guard suggested, as Midoriya took a right in the tunnel.
"[Most fire quirks don't give people pyrokinesis,]" a fourth guard countered, "[I'm not saying it's impossible, but the odds of someone with a quirk like that being here, are slim to none. And if they were here… well, odds are they'd be one of us.]"
"[You saying we got a blasphemer amongst us?]" the second guard inquired, with the fourth guard saying nothing. It caused some of the guards to start murmuring amongst themselves before a fifth guard spoke up.
"[I'm pretty sure all of this is just a coincidence,]" the fifth guard commented, earning a scoff from the third.
"[With all the freaky stuff going on? I doubt it,]" the third guard countered, "[I swear, I don't know what it is, but this section of the mall just gives me goosebumps.]"
The conversation stuck out to Midoriya as odd, but he didn't linger on it long. All it did was add more evidence to what he already did. Something was weird about this place, and he didn't want to spend any more time here than he had to. So he pressed forward, finding another grate above him. Next to him was a tunnel going left, but that led away from the clinic. Carefully Midoriya pushed the grate up and looked around the area.
The grate thankfully opened into a secluded area, it being covered by a small partition. Quickly Midoriya hopped out, with DD behind him. Quietly the dog sniffed the air, keeping his nose on guard. With what felt like little time, Midoriya rushed toward the clinic. Reaching the door he slowly pushed it open. Peeking inside he found two people sitting about. A guard sitting on what looked like a makeshift hospital bed, and a possible doctor in a nearby chair.
"[Yep… its… uh… definitely damaged…]" the doctor muttered, looking over what appeared to be an x-ray, "[How do you even… did you drop a bowling ball on yourself?]"
"[No I… doesn't matter. How long will it take to heal?]" the guard inquired nervously, as Midoriya watched the doctor turn toward the guard. The man looked beyond flabbergasted, his eyes as wide as dinner plates.
"[Heal? Heal? Heal!? Your… little buddy is a pancake. Your snake has been flattened. Your meat has been tenderized! There is nothing to heal!]" the doctor explained, causing Midoriya to choke on his spit in surprise.
"[Aw man,]" the guard muttered, while Midoriya did everything possible to block out the mental image. Not something I wanted to hear, Midoriya thought to himself, that said poor guy. Not wanting to hear any more disturbing medical news, Midoriya held his pistol ready. He had tranquilizer rounds loaded, but would they be enough? The thought of using his M4 crossed Midoriya's mind, the rifle being loaded with regular ammunition.
But the idea still felt wrong. He'd kill when he had to, not when there were other more difficult options. Quietly he scratched DD's right ear, before pushing the door open more. He pointed his pistol through the gap in the door and fired at the guard on the bed. The tranquilizer struck dead on, slamming into the man's face. Wasting little time Midoriya pushed the door open more and shot the doctor as well.
The doctor didn't even have time to react before he and the guard fell unconscious. With both enemies taken out, Midoriya stepped into the room and carefully shut the door closed. There he looked around the clinic, inspecting the area for anything off. At the same time, DD began sniffing the floor, picking up the same scent as before. Noticing this, Midoriya watched the dog move about, until DD stopped, and looked up above them.
Midoriya's eyes followed DD's and spotted a vent above them. The sight caused Midoriya to mentally groan for a moment, as he reached up to the vent. His hands didn't even come close to touching it. Why did he have to be short, Midoriya questioned, before pointing his exo's grappling hook toward the roof. Quickly the hook shot out and embedded itself in the ceiling. The machine's motor soon pulled Midoriya up, and the teen holstered his pistol.
Reaching the vent, Midoriya unsheathed his knife and got to work unscrewing the vent. One by one the screws fell to the floor. Soon the vent cover joined the screws, and Midoriya narrowly caught it before it hit the ground. For a second he lowered himself to the ground and set the vent cover down. Once it was dealt with, he pulled himself back up toward the vent. With a deep breath, Midoriya poked his head through the vent, and… Red eyes met his. A little girl sat inside the vents, looking no older than six.
Her hair was long and greasy, all of it coming together as a tangled mess. Her clothes were just torn up hospital garb and bandages. The girl's skin was deathly pale, likely to burn at even the smallest amount of sunlight. And while the girl didn't look malnourished she certainly didn't seem healthy. The biggest thing that stuck out to Midoriya though, was the small horn on her head and the small box in her hands.
She looked back at Midoriya warily, and Midoriya looked at her confused. His breathing stopped for a moment, as he simply watched the girl. This was who the cult was looking for, a small defenseless child. Midoriya didn't know what to think. He couldn't think. Memories flashed through his mind, of searing pain that never seemed to end. Of that damn dark room he'd been housed in for months.
Of all the tests, and that madman's constant grin. It was the same as all those years ago! Midoriya's free hand clenched tightly, his nails digging into his palms. This… it was happening all over again. And he'd been unaware.
"You'll know it when you see it," Snake had told him. This was why they were here. She was why they were here! Something had told Snake to come here, and this girl was the reason why! And, and, and… How long had she been here, Midoriya wondered angrily. Days? Weeks? Months? Years!? He couldn't help but be angry, both at the Ninth Circle and at himself. All he did was hesitate and worry, while she was hiding out in the vents. If only they'd learned of her sooner.
Quietly Midoriya tried to hide his anger, as he looked the girl over. He brought a friendly smile to his lips, while still feeling his nails dig into his palm.
"Kept you waiting, huh," Midoriya muttered, more to himself than to the girl. I should have gotten here sooner, Midoriya thought tiredly. But he couldn't linger on those thoughts. Slowly Midoriya lifted up and held out his hand for the girl. The girl shrank back into the vents though, as she looked over his hand warily.
"It's ok, I'm here to help," Midoriya told her, pulling his hand back slightly, "Can you tell me your name?"
The girl continued to stare at Midoriya for a second before she seemed to remember something.
"...Eri," the girl hesitantly replied, while Midoriya slowly nodded his head.
"Eri… that's a nice name," Midoriya replied, "Mine is…"
He stopped speaking for just a moment, as a thought arose. Which name did he use? If they brought Eri to UA, and she used his real name, then that would cause some issues. But… lying to a traumatized six-year-old wouldn't help either.
"You can call me… Izuku," Midoriya told her, hoping to gain some small increment of trust.
"Izuku…" Eri muttered, hesitantly crawling closer to him while Midoriya nodded. She didn't reach out to him. That was until Midoriya spoke up again.
"How about we get you out of here?" he asked her. The notion of leaving the vents caused Eri's eyes to widen, and the girl quickly moved toward him. Carefully Midoriya grabbed her with his free arm. Holding Eri tight, he lowered himself to the ground. Soon his feet hit the floor, and Midoriya set Eri down. There Midoriya crouched down to her level, a smile still present on his face. At the same time, Eri looked around the clinic warily, the girl flinching every time she spotted the blood on the walls or the equipment strewn about. Yet her eyes continued to search the room.
"Do… do you know where Joy is?" Eri asked, earning some confusion from Midoriya.
"Is she your friend?" Midoriya replied, only to regret the question instantly as Eri looked back at him confused.
"A… friend?" Eri replied, causing Midoriya's anger to slowly flare back up. It stayed hidden behind his smile, but he now had the sudden urge to shoot something.
"Never mind," Midoriya soon told her, "Is she here in the building?"
If there was another hostage present, then he couldn't afford to leave her here. Again though he noticed Eri searching the room as if expecting someone to be there.
"I… don't know," Eri replied, the girl slowly ending her search. Midoriya could have sworn tears were building up in her eyes, the girl clutching the box in her hands tightly. The teen wasn't sure what to do, but DD did. He hobbled toward Eri rather quickly, and the girl quickly spotted the dog. The second she saw the animal Eri's eyes again widened, and she shuffled back. Terror and confusion lined her face, and the girl's breathing sped up.
Seeing Eri's fear Midoriya stepped forward toward DD.
"Hey, it's ok. DD's not going to hurt you," he told her quickly while bringing to a halt. Eri didn't fully seem to believe him, her eyes tracing over DD's teeth as the dog panted.
"Here, watch," Midoriya said, before turning toward the dog, "DD, sit."
Quickly DD followed the order, his hind legs sitting down. Looking back toward Eri, he could see the girl had stepped forward a little and hid behind him. Midoriya then held out his hand.
"DD, shake," Midoriya ordered, and the dog held out his paw. Which Midoriya grabbed and playfully shook. Letting go, Midoriya pointed his finger at DD, before creating a circle in the air.
"Roll over," Midoriya told him, and DD rolled over on the ground. Eri watched curiously as the dog stuck his legs up into the air. Midoriya couldn't help but laugh at the sight before he gave DD a quick belly rub.
"Good boy DD," Midoriya commented, scratching the dog's stomach up and down. Hesitantly Eri watched the scene unfold. She looked over Midoriya's face, seeing his small smile. She looked over DD and the animal's seeming happiness. Warily Eri walked around Midoriya, taking small steps toward DD. Once she was close enough she put the box down next to her and stuck out her hand. Carefully she petted the dog's stomach, slowly and cautiously.
"...Good boy," Eri quietly said. And to her surprise, DD stuck his head up slightly. It caught her off guard, the girl ready for him to bite. Only for DD's tongue to lick her face. She flinched for a second but didn't oppose the dog as he kept at it.
"See, he likes you," Midoriya told her, laughing a little as DD continued to lick her. Eri didn't say a word in response. She didn't smile or laugh, and the only clue telling Midoriya she liked DD licking her, was the fact she hadn't backed away. The moment DD stopped licking her, Eri began petting DD again. Midoriya couldn't help but smile at the sight.
"Say Eri, do you want to get out of here?" he asked, watching the girl's head turn toward him. Yet again, her eyes had widened. And rather rapidly the girl nodded her head. It caused Midoriya to chuckle again, and the teen stood up. All he needed to do was get back to the exit. Now Eri was rather small, so they could likely take the grates again. The guards along the walkway shouldn't be that much of an issue either, assuming he could-
An alarm cut off Midoriya's train of thought, the teen's eyes quickly going wide. The sound of metal slamming into the ground echoed from outside, along with the shouts of guards. Confusion took hold of Midoriya before Victoria's voice came through the codec.
"Izuku get back to the exit!"
Snake knew the Boss was leading him toward something, but couldn't tell what exactly. After he'd split up from Midoriya, Snake had done nothing but press forward, to the other end of the mall. He passed by dozens of stores, and not once had the Boss called out to him. Now as he reached the end of the mall, the man could only guess that his objective was inside. Moving inside, Snake quickly ducked behind a checkout counter.
For whatever reason, the hardware store seemed to have more guards than the rest of the mall. There had to be at least thirty people all in this one area. They were all separated into different aisles and shelves, and even on different floors. As the store took up not just the first and second floor, but also the third. It caused Snake to grumble for a moment, before looking around the rest of the store.
Quietly the man tried thinking up a plan and brought a hand to his codec.
"Victoria, are there any guards I can't see up here?" Snake inquired, looking around the store again.
"A few. Got some squads moving in from behind, a few more near the back of the store, and… some more guys who just arrived outside the compound," Victoria replied, with Snake quietly swearing in response. Of course, reinforcements had to arrive. Better make this quick then, Snake remarked, a plan formed in his head.
"Cut off the radios for the closest guards here. Then take out the lights, and activate the sprinklers," Snake ordered before he pulled his M7 off his shoulder.
"Ok, just one second," Victoria replied, the AI getting everything ready to strike. Yet just as she was about to act, Snake heard one of the guards groan. He hesitantly peeked over the checkout counter and spotted the guard in question. To Snake's confusion, the man had begun to rub his head. After a second the man groaned again, this time louder and in anguish. The guard dropped his rifle and clutched his head fully.
Another guard soon joined him, crying out in anguish quickly. Then a third guard, and a fourth. The sounds of pain rang out across the store and even the halls behind Snake. For thirty seconds they all cried out before each guard collapsed to the ground one by one. It left the store in silence.
"...What was that?" Victoria eventually asked, fear present in the AI's tone. Snake didn't answer and instead stood up from his hiding place. Looking around he could see not one of the guards remained standing. His lack of an answer didn't ease Victoria's worries though, as the AI quietly went back to examining the cameras. And were she to have eyes, they would have widened rapidly.
"Wait, wait! There's someone new on cams!" she exclaimed, causing Snake to whip his head around. Rifle in hand, he took great care to examine every corner of the store. Yet he saw nothing.
"Where?" Snake asked, confusingly searching the area.
"Aisle five!" Victoria answered, with Snake carefully turning toward the aisle. It was a bit far away, so Snake quietly rushed toward it. Ever so often he'd duck behind shelves or random display items.
"Are they hostile?" Snake inquired, peering around another shelf.
"I… don't know," Victoria replied, the AI scrambling to find out what was happening, "Whoever they are they just appeared out of nowhere- he's gone."
The abruptness shocked Snake, as the man reached aisle five. Looking in, he could again see no one was present.
"Who exactly is gone?" Snake asked, concern laced in his tone.
"Some old guy walking around. He was there one second, now he's gone… wait, aisle three! He's in aisle three!" Victoria told him, causing Snake to rush out of aisle five. The store was sectioned into odd and even sides, so aisle three should have been right next to him. And as he entered it, he again found nothing.
"There's no one here," Snake told her, the man slowly slinging his rifle over his shoulder.
"W-what?" Victoria replied, "I'm telling you, there's an old man on the cameras."
None of the info explained anything to Snake, yet the more this went on, the more familiar everything felt. Taking just a moment, Snake stayed perfectly still. Slowly he felt it, the room was chilly. Not cold like the other times the Boss or the Sorrow had showed up. But chilly enough to know they were there.
"...Where is he now?" Snake inquired suspiciously while drawing his pistol from its holster. The AI stayed silent for a second before Victoria quickly spoke up.
"Aisle two, next to the electronics section- and I lost him," Victoria replied, the AI soon groaning annoyed.
"He disappear again?" Snake asked, earning a sigh from Victoria.
"No, he just walked into a blind spot," Victoria clarified, with Snake slowly walking forward. As he moved, Snake couldn't help but feel weirded out by the store. He hadn't noticed it before, but there were a shocking amount of grates on the floor. He passed at least a dozen just walking to the electronics section. And each one had a makeshift tunnel in the floor filled to the brim with wires and cables.
And as Snake got closer to the electronics section, he found all the cables heading the same way he was. Turning the corner into the aisle, he spotted the blind spot Victoria was talking about. Plastered dead center of the aisle was… well, Snake didn't know what it was. A large machine sat in the middle of the room, with dozens of screens screwed together. All the cables in the floor led to differing parts of the machine.
"Victoria, what exactly am I looking at?" Snake asked, soon holding out his Idroid toward the machine. The AI's avatar popped up quietly, the construct looking over the device.
"I think its… a super-computer," Victoria eventually replied, taking note of every component in front of her. The hundreds of cables branching off in the floor likely went to different components. Some to power, others to likely to server rooms. In truth though the computer seemed to be a makeshift design.
"Night Owl's I'd assume," Snake muttered, the man then having a realization. Quietly Snake turned the computer on and watched as it booted up. At the same time, he plugged his Idroid into the computer, and Victoria uploaded a copy of herself into the machine.
"You know for a scientist, Night Owl's got real shoddy cyber security," Victoria commented, the AI "swimming" through the nothingness in the computer. To her word, Snake watched as the computer fully turned on. Its password was cracked quickly, and now Snake observed Victoria open the computer's files. The majority of the stuff present was labeled as utter gibberish, with Snake spotting a few files labeled "Margarita Recipes". Others were named as if Night Owl slammed his head into the keyboard repeatedly. Since… well, gcjacewfjuh didn't seem like a proper word.
"How are we looking?" Snake asked, soon seeing Victoria's avatar pop up on the screen.
"Don't know," Victoria replied, her avatar walking about aimlessly, "There's a lot of data here."
Not promising, Snake thought to himself.
"How long would it take to go through it all?" Snake inquired, with Victoria sitting down on the screen. The AI shrugged back at him, causing Snake to groan.
"For me? Six hours… or is it six days… no, I'd experience the time as six days, but only go through an hour… or no, wait-" Victoria answered before Snake cut her off.
"So six days or six hours," Snake muttered, with Victoria nodding slowly. That would take far too long. He didn't know if they had one hour, let alone six. So with that knowledge, Snake looked over the computer, finding what wires looked the most important.
"Copy everything, delete the rest," Snake ordered at the same time. Quietly Victoria nodded, and the AI got to work. Behind the computer, Snake found another grate on the floor. Opening it up he found another set of wires going into the floor. These ones, thankfully were labelled, giving Snake a small sigh of relief. He was by no means a computer wiz, but he knew a server room had to be important. Holstering his pistol, Snake drew his knife, ready to cut the wires when needed.
He never got the chance, as an alarm began ringing around the room. The sudden noise made Snake cringe before he rushed toward the front of the computer. There he found Victoria's avatar panicking on the screen.
"What happened!?" Snake demanded as the AI continued to move about on the screen.
"The files were booby-trapped!" Victoria replied, annoyed with herself, the AI muttering, "Explains the cyber security."
"Damn it!" Snake exclaimed, before reaching out and grabbing his Idroid. Instantly Victoria uploaded herself back into the device, while the store's metal shutters slammed down behind them. It was followed by the angered yell of guards and the rapid approach of footsteps. Angrily Snake rushed back to the computer's rear and looked into the grate. It would be a cramped crawl but it could work. Bringing one hand to his codec, Snake had his other reach for a grenade.
At the same time, he found the guards right outside the store.
"Tell Izuku to get to the exit," he quietly told Victoria, before pulling out a grenade. Hopping into the grate, Snake tossed the grenade out and began to crawl forward. Behind him the grenade exploded, launching fragments into the computer, and tearing the machine apart.
Victoria's words rang through Midoriya's mind for a solid second, before he quickly ran up to the clinic's door. Pulling it open just a little, he could hear the pandemonium from the guards outside. Tuning into their radios, Midoriya couldn't help but grimace as they bickered.
"Possible intruder at Dragon Hardware! All units keep a lookout!" a guard exclaimed, as Midoriya got a better look at the situation outside.
"This better not be more supernatural bullshit!" a guard called out, earning a groan from the first one.
"Doesn't matter what it is! Just keep a look out!" the first guard ordered, while Midoriya slowly grew worried. The sound of metal slamming into the ground, was a series of shutters the mall had. On every floor, and even the gap between walkways, the shutters had dropped down. The food court was effectively blocked off from the rest of the mall. They were trying to section them off, Midoriya realized, and divide up possible intruders into zones.
Backing away from the door, Midoriya knew the only way out was to get the shutters opened. But with the guards present, they'd notice them raising back up. They had to be dealt with then, Midoriya decided, while slowly turning toward DD.
"DD, stay," Midoriya ordered, crouching down to pet the dog again, "Protect."
DD licked his face in response, before getting close to Eri. With that, Midoriya drew his pistol and walked toward the door. Looking down at Eri, he could see the girl looking at him worried.
"Stay here, DD will keep you safe," Midoriya told her, before slowly walking through the door, "I'll be right back."
Closing the door behind him, Midoriya crouched slightly as he walked forward. Staying in the small blind spot, he got a somewhat better look at the area. But his odds didn't seem good. They outnumbered him at least twelve to one, and should he be spotted, they'd likely call in backup. Quietly Midoriya tried to think up some kind of plan. Any kind of first action. Yet he was coming up blank.
That was until he remembered what the guards said. Supernatural, Midoriya thought to himself. The teen's eyes slowly looked up, as he craned his head back. Above him, he spotted a small concrete platform, high up and out of the guards' view. An idea slowly came to mind.
"Vicky, can you turn off the lights? Oh, and jam their coms?" Midoriya asked, his answer arriving soon after. Everything light in the room shut down, the only source of illumination now being the moon above. Oh yeah, he could work with the supernatural. Swiftly he pointed his grappling hook toward the platform and shot it up.
The noise instantly alerted the guards to his presence, but not one of them knew what, or where it was. Once the hook embedded itself into the concrete, Midoriya pulled himself upwards. Racing toward the top, Midoriya slowed himself down when he reached the platform. Looking down, he had the perfect view of the guards below. They raced about the area, not keeping an eye out above them.
Perfect, Midoriya thought to himself. Across from him, Midoriya spotted another platform. Below the platform, was a single guard. The man was walking by slowly, keeping his eyes on the area around him. Seeing an opportunity, Midoriya shot his grappling hook into the roof above and swung to the next platform. Landing carefully, Midoriya wasted no time stabbing the hook into the new platform. At the same time, he cut off part of the cable and attached a new hook.
With the new hook, he again lodged it into the platform. From there he grabbed the cut-off cable, leaned off the platform, and let himself fall. Slowing his descent with his grapple's motor, Midoriya found himself right above the guard. The man, hearing the grapple's motor, quickly looked up. By then it was too late. Midoriya grabbed the guard and pulled himself back up to the top of the platform.
Reaching the top, Midoriya held the man in a one-arm chokehold, while his other arm wrapped the cable around his legs. Tying it tight, Midoriya let the man out of the chokehold. The guard turned ready to fight back, only for Midoriya to kick him in the chest. In seconds the guard was knocked off the platform, yelling at the top of his lungs as he fell. The noise drew the attention of every other guard present, so Midoriya quickly swung to a new platform.
He watched the chaos unfold below as the guard continued to yell out.
"What the hell!?" one guard exclaimed, finally running to his compatriot. The guard dangling thrashed about in the air, still yelling all the while. The terror in his tone brought a guilty smile to Midoriya's face.
"Get me down from here!" the guard yelled, his thrashing slowly coming to a stop, "Get me down! Get me… down…"
The moment the guard stopped moving, a different one yelled out in fear. Just as planned, Midoriya thought to himself, while a few other guards did the same. He still had no clue what had them spooked, but why not take advantage of it?
"Not this crap again!" one guard yelled, earning the annoyance of another.
"Please! It's just some cable! I don't see blood coming out of the walls!" a second guard yelled, quickly becoming Midoriya's next target. He wasn't close to the platform, however, there weren't any guards on approach to him. The only thing behind him was a long dark passage. So Midoriya quickly dropped down and snuck around some partitions. Again he readied his grappling hook and aimed it down at the arrogant guard.
"It's probably just one of those mercs!" the guard yelled, a few others nodding with him.
"To think, all of you are scared of nothing-" the guard muttered, right as Midoriya's grappling hook shot through his leg. It caused the man to cringe in pain before he saw the metal hook and cable. For added effect, Midoriya waited for just a few more seconds. He let each and every guard see their compatriot, before reeling him in like a fish. The guard was yanked off his legs, his body slamming into the ground.
He quickly began to regret his words, as he desperately tried to grab onto anything. Yet nothing worked as Midoriya kept pulling him in. The other guards didn't even have time to do anything before their ally was gone. All he could do was scream in terror, while Midoriya shoved his sidearm in his face. Pulling the trigger, a tranquilizer round shot out, and knocked the man out. Removing the hook from the guard's leg, Midoriya had little time to react before the rest of the guards opened fire.
The teen quickly ducked behind the partition he hid behind, as gunfire lit up the dark passage.
"Damn it, kill this bastard!" one of the guards ordered, panic clear in his tone. With little time Midoriya spotted a grate on the floor.
"Kill it!? What are we even dealing with!?" another guard countered, while Midoriya rushed into the small tunnel. There he carefully moved about, as the guards ceased fire. They rushed toward his old position, spotting their comrade's knocked-out body. A few loudly swore before someone yelled "Spread out, and find him!"
Just what he needed, Midoriya thought calmly. With footsteps moving about above him, Midoriya pressed forward. Searching for his next target, Midoriya found it in the form of another lone guard. As the guard walked by, Midoriya spotted a SPAS-12 in his hands. Not wanting it to remain an issue, Midoriya slowly began thinking up what to do. He needed to be fast, so using his pistol might take too long.
His rifle wasn't an option, it was too big for CQC. And a fistfight might go wrong, the same could be said with choking him out. At this range, a single shot would tear Midoriya apart. He needed something quick, and soon he spotted a nearby electrical box. Quickly Midoriya wanted to shoot down the idea. It would definitely kill the man… but… he didn't have enough tranquilizer ammo to last him forever. A knife could work, but like with choking him out it could go wrong.
Grimacing, Midoriya looked toward the unaware guard, while quietly hyping himself up. Almost launching himself out of the floor, the guard turned and looked at Midoriya shocked. He didn't turn fast enough though, as Midoriya grabbed him. His short stature made it difficult, but he managed to trip the guard and shoved his head into the electrical box. Sparks flew as the man's body twitched, pained yells and screams echoing through the room.
Again Midoriya couldn't help but grimace. The smell of the guard's flesh made him gag, and Midoriya shook his head.
"I'm sorry," Midoriya muttered, grabbing the man's shotgun, and ducking back into the grate. Three down, nine to go, Midoriya thought, quickly refocusing on the objective. With his new weapon acquired, he began moving forward again. After a minute he heard guards yell out again.
"Aw hell, got a man down over here!" a guard yelled, another loudly running up behind him.
"Holy shit," the next guard muttered, Midoriya hearing him gag.
"What is happening!?" another guard yelled out exasperated. At the same time, Midoriya pulled himself out of a new grate. In a secluded area, the teen quickly grappled to another open platform and looked down at the area. With a deep breath, he unslung the silenced M4 over his shoulder and gazed through a small ACOG. Finding a lone guard in the open, Midoriya slowly aimed at the man.
Firing, three rounds flew through the air, racing toward the guard. Each hit, as two shot through the head, and one through the neck. With the guard dead Midoriya turned toward his next target. Another lone guard, and just like last time, he fired a three-round burst. Unfortunately, a guard rounded a corner, just as the bullets hit his buddy. It took the guard a little time to realize what had happened.
"Crap! Above us!" the guard called out, with Midoriya cringing. Quickly he dropped down, narrowly missing the hail of gunfire as the guards targeted the platforms above them. Slinging his M4 back over his shoulder, Midoriya ducked around a few more partitions. Five down seven to go, Midoriya mentally counted. Rounding a new corner, he spotted another lone guard moving about.
The man moved around hesitantly, his body twitching and shaking a little. Yet he pressed forward, his eyes methodically searching the area in front of him. With little time, Midoriya snuck up behind him. The faint mechanical noise of his exo alerted the guard of his presence, and the man turned to investigate. But was met by Midoriya tripping him up, and putting him into a chokehold.
The guard struggled against him, coughing and gasping for air. But the man fell unconscious, as Midoriya placed him back onto the ground. With him down the teen rushed off, weaving through scaffolding and corners. Eventually, he stumbled back to the first guard he'd taken down. The moment he did, a guard yelled out in annoyance and fear.
"Got another man down over here!" the guard yelled, while Midoriya surveyed his area.
"This is getting ridiculous!" another exclaimed, "We're getting picked off one by fucking one!"
"It's… it's gonna get us!" another cried out, terror clear in his tone.
"Everybody, squads of two, now!" one of the calmer guards ordered, while Midoriya heard footsteps rush around the room. Carefully Midoriya walked back to the grate near the clinic, ready to hope inside. That was until a new guard yelled out something that made him freeze.
"It's moving through the floor! I know it is!" the guard yelled, with another quickly replying, "I got just the thing!"
Quickly Midoriya rushed away from the grate, just as the entire thing was engulfed in flames. Fire ran through the floor for a quick second, burning other nearby grates and the cables in the floor.
"Haha! Burn freak!" the guard yelled out, Midoriya quietly swearing in response. He was given little time to think up a new plan though, and he heard footsteps approaching his position. Swiftly he pulled out a collapsible cardboard box and hid under it. Once underneath it, he grabbed the shotgun he'd stolen and checked its chamber. It had a round in the chamber, along with five loaded rounds.
I should have grabbed more shells, Midoriya thought tiredly, closing the shotgun's chamber. As he did this two guards walked nearby, both searching the area quickly.
"Again, why is this happening again!?" one guard muttered Midoriya watching him through a slit in the box.
"Shut up! We're going to be fine!" the second guard told him, the man busily searching the shadows for anything.
"How can you believe that!?" the first guard demanded, causing the second one to groan annoyed.
"Afraid to die?" the second guard demanded, the other guard quickly shaking his head no.
"N-no! I'm afraid of what happens after! We still haven't found the guys caught in the fire!" the first guard replied, causing the second guard to scoff. Yet as they moved, the first guard soon noticed the cardboard box. The man stared at it for a silent second, before slowly pointing his rifle toward it.
"Was that box always there?" the first guard asked, earning another scoff from the second guard.
"Who cares, it's a cardboard box," the second guard replied, with the first guard glancing toward him exasperated.
"But it wasn't there before!" the first guard exclaimed, while Midoriya hurriedly readied his shotgun.
"For crying out loud, there's nothing there!" the second guard yelled annoyed, before slinging his rifle over his shoulder, "Look!"
The second guard carefully reached out and grabbed the box, the first guard still aiming his rifle at it. As the man lifted it, Midoriya quickly aimed his weapon at the first guard. The moment both men could see his silhouette, Midoriya fired. A slug launched forward, tearing apart the first guard in seconds. With little time Midoriya turned toward the second guard, slam firing the shotgun.
The second guard didn't have time to unsling his rifle before the slugs tore him apart. Quickly though, Midoriya stood and grabbed the cardboard box. There he grappled back up to the platforms, knowing the guards' focus would be back on the ground. He was right as another two guards rushed toward the sound of gunfire, and found their dead compatriots.
"Crap! Crap!" a guard called out panicked, while Midoriya watched from above.
"This isn't happening! This isn't happening!" another guard yelled out, the man shaking as he moved. Every sense of professionalism was gone in these guards. They eyed every corner, every grate, every shadow, every crack in the floor suspiciously. Their eyes darted everywhere rapidly, and Midoriya could hear each man breathing fast.
"Damn it, where are you!?" one guard yelled out desperately, as another laughed to himself in fear.
"We're screwed! Screwed!" the laughing guard muttered, as all four guards remaining moved around. And in their panic, all four guards met up by sheer accident. One squad of two rounded a corner the other squad was walking by. And in panic one of the guards fired. From four guards to three.
"Hey! Hey!" a guard yelled, rushing toward his fallen comrade, and looking him over. Seeing he was dead he rapidly turned to the guard who fired, his rifle raised and ready to fire.
"Are you crazy!?" the guard demanded, as the one who fired backed up.
"I-I-I-I thought it was him!" the one who fired replied, earning an angered cry from his buddies.
"Just keep moving!" a third guard ordered, with all three moving to continue their search, only for the second guard to hold out his hand in protest. Without a partner, the second guard went on by his lonesome. As one of his companions already killed one man, he wasn't going to be there when it happened again. Of course, this played right into Midoirya's hand, the teen swinging to another platform.
Now right above the lone guard, Midoriya readied the same preparations as before. He attached a hook to the platform, let out some cable, and cut it. He attached a new hook, leaned off the platform, and dropped down. All while the guard below was unaware. In seconds Midoriya grabbed the man and yanked him into the air. The sudden force made the man yell out in fear, as Midoriya reached the platform.
Swiftly he wrapped the cable around the man's legs, the man struggling against him.
"No, no, no, no, no, no!" the guard cried out desperately before Midoriya kicked him off the platform. The guard screamed the rest of the way down, while Midoriya swung to a different platform.
"Help me! Please! Get me down from here!" the guard begged, thrashing about in the air and clawing at the cable on his legs. His allies on the ground could do nothing but watch the display before the man lost consciousness. Two left, Midoriya thought to himself. Both guards remained silent then, as they walked around the area. Their movement was panicked and rushed. Even a pin dropping could set them off, as both men looked around terrified.
With the final two, Midoriya grabbed a smoke grenade from his bag. Pulling out the pin, he chucked it toward the last two guards and watched as the area went up in smoke. Both men coughed loudly, and they even fired around them wildly.
"This isn't fucking funny! Where are you!?" a guard demanded while coughing in the smoke. Seeing his moment to strike, Midoriya dropped down from the platform and lowered himself to the ground. Sneaking around, he managed to reach the smoke cloud the guards were trapped in. Carefully he walked towards them, entering the smoke cloud himself. It was difficult to see, but he could hear the guard's every move.
Right behind one of them, Midoriya tripped the guard up and grabbed him into a chokehold. Though by now the smoke cloud was dissipating. So instead of a slow chokehold, Midoriya threw the man to the ground and punched him square in the head. The sudden force of the throw and the enhanced strength of the exo knocked the man out nearly instantly. It also gave away Midoriya's position, as the teen quickly ducked. Rounds flew by overhead, and were Midoriya slightly taller, they likely would have taken his head off.
Not wanting to risk it, Midoriya ran back into the shadows, while the final guard stopped firing. Peeking around the corner, Midoriya watched the man look down at his ally. The guard's breathing sped up rapidly, as he looked around the area.
"Guys!?" the guard called out, "Anybody!?"
He was met with silence, causing the guard to pace about.
"No, no, no, no, no, no…" he muttered, his rifle trained on every corner of the room.
"Yoshida!? Endo!? Somebody!?" he pleaded desperately, while Midoriya watched the display. The teen couldn't help but feel a tad bit bad… then he remembered Eri. He could live, with feeling a tad bit bad.
"Stop toying with me!" the guard yelled out angry and terrified. At the same time, Midoriya readied his grappling hook. Shooting it forward, the hook lodged itself into the man's rifle. Before the man could resist, Midoriya yanked it back, and the gun was torn out of his hands. Catching it, Midoriya found it to be a Type-89. Not having it in his collection, slung it over his shoulder with the SPAS. Was a tad bit difficult to carry, but the exo helped tremendously.
Deciding to add just a little more pizazz, Midoriya stepped out of the shadows. The guard, terrified out of his mind, had no honest clue what was going on. Especially as he laid eyes on Midoriya. A million thoughts rang through his mind. Was this teen real? Was it his imagination? Was it a hallucination!? Why was this thing toying with him!? He didn't get his answer, as Midorya began walking toward him.
In a panic the guard turned to run, only to slam into a wall behind him. The man fell back in response and quickly rubbed his face. Turning around, the guard expected Midoriya to still be decently far away. Enough so that he could flee. Instead, he found Midoriya standing above him, the darkness of the room hiding everything except his silhouette.
"Wait, please," the guard desperately begged, only for Midoriya to slug him in the jaw. The brute force of the exo cracked bone and loosened some of the man's teeth. But even with the loud painful noise, no one was to hear it. The last guard's head fell to the floor unconscious. With that dealt with, Midoriya briefly sighed in relief, before rushing back to the clinic. Pushing the door open, he found DD still on guard with Eri behind him.
The girl's face, seeing him look through the door, instantly lit up. Quickly Eri stood up and rushed toward him, her small box in hand. In return Midoriya smiled, before whistling toward DD.
"Coasts clear," Midoriya told her, smiling widely as he motioned her forward, "Let's get you out of here."