The group had decided to keep the LOV's plan of using Twice to make decoys and Camie to sneak them in.

Shinjitsu did meet them, as promised. And he'd found a scheduling chart for guards.

"It won't really matter which guards are present," he said, "We're all about the same level, but you will probably want to not look for either of them while Kurogiri is around... I heard he's been moved, though."

"To where?" Shigaraki wanted to know.

"Somewhere else in the base. Seems he doesn't need to be that close to prevent an escape," Shinjitsu said, "Also, uh...maybe I should warn you Commander Hantai said yesterday that they were going to brainwash Likstar somehow."

Mirko grabbed him by his collar. "And you didn't think to mention it then?"

"I'm sorry. I was in a rush to get away before someone saw me and I forgot," Shinjitsu squeaked.

"Just how do they intend to do that?" Compress asked, "With Lethe?"

Medea eyes widened.

"I know they've been using him a lot," Shinjitsu said, "I mean...uh...we're not really supposed to talk about him, but we see him around--real creepy looking kid. I'm not sure how his power works."

"Try Moogling his name in Greek," Hawks suggested, "The internet is a thing."

"Right...uh..." Shinjitsu struggled. "Can you let go of me please, ma'am?"

Mirko let him go hard enough to stumble back. "Anything else you forgot to tell us?"

"If I forgot it, I probably won't remember till it's too late." Shinjitsu didn't seem like he was trying to be a smart Alec, but most of them wanted to slap him anyway.

"What can you tell us?" Aizawa said in a dead-to-me voice.

"I...don't know," Shinjitsu said, "Your idea is kind of crazy... I can try to get you down there. Beyond that, it's up to your ingenuity."

"So how are you gonna get us that far?" Camie asked.

"I was just going to set off the fire alarm," Shinjitsu said, "and, uh, maybe if you with the fire quirk could make something actually on fire, it would help with the ruse..."

"That's your whole plan?" Mirko said.

"Well, Rumi, it does sound like something they would do," Hawks pointed out.

"It'll take them at least 10 minutes to put it out," Shinjitsu said, "but you should try to take no more than 2 to get in there, just to be safe. We're highly trained... Uh, beyond that...good luck."

"You're not going to help?" Kayla said. She'd come today also for some reason.

"I tried helping once. If you fail, they'll only re-educate me again...or kill me," Shinjitsu said, "I'm sorry. I'm not a very brave man. I almost didn't show up to do this much..." He shivered.

"No, thank you. You've done more than enough," Momo said, "It's fine. We'll manage from here."

No one bothered to argue the point. It wasn't worth it.

"But, Kayla, you're not going in there, are you?" Ren said.

Kayla tugged her blueish black hair.

"I wasn't going to," she said, "but last night, I had a dream... I was helping, and...I used my quirk in an odd way...a way I didn't think I could use it...and now, I'm wondering if I can."

"Don't you hate quirks?" Shoto said, "Why would you care?"

"Wouldn't you like to know what you can do even if you chose not to do it?" Kayla said.

"No," Shigaraki said oddly.

They all looked at him strangely.

Shigaraki realized he'd spoken aloud. "I mean we have no time," he said, though he was lying, "If she's coming, it doesn't matter as long as she shuts up about it. Otherwise stay here."

"I guess..." Shoto said.

"But...what about me?" Ren said.

"You're staying out here," Mirko said firmly, "What if we can't warp or portal out of there? You need to have a getaway ready."

"A good point, sis, but doesn't sound like you," Ren said slyly, "I almost think your time in the LOV has upped your game." 

Mirko shoved him down the alley forcefully. "Just get going, you little s---."

"I just love your relationship," Kayla said dryly.

"Well, I guess this is it," Compress said, taking his hat off, "and we all know our roles once we're in there."

"Yeah." Camie twisted her own hat in her hands. "I guess we do."

"Well, I'd say it's been a privilege working with you, but it really hasn't been," Compress said, "so let's just go in there and do it and nevermind the fancy words."

"Who are you and what have you done with Compress?" Spinner said.

"Uh, Shiggy," Toga tugged his arm suddenly, "I still want to stab someone. Can I do that? Please?"

"What? No, you can't do that." Momo was shocked.

"Yeah, no stabbing," Hawks said.

"You can't tell me what to do." Toga made a face at them.😜😈

"Wait a minute." Miss Joke put a hand up. "We all are agreed on the no killing rule still, right?"

Awkward silence while the LOV gave them pretty unyielding looks.

"We can't allow that," Aizawa said.

"So try and stop us," Shigaraki said.

"Hey, if you want to go there, I'm pretty sure we could." Hawks straightened out his wings. "We're twice as many as you--two top Pros and guy who can erase even your quirk, Shigaraki."

The LOV tensed.

"Hawks, quit being melodramatic." Mirko crossed her arms. "We're not fighting each other outside the Original's base. What a joke."

"I do think that could be a bit counterproductive," Miss Joke said lightly, "but we can't just forget we're heroes either."

"Technically you're not supposed to be here," Spinner said, "so why don't you just piss off and mind your own d--- business?"

"What was the point of doing this to stop them from killing the Metas if we're just going to turn you loose on them to kill them the same way?" Shoto said.

"No one ever said we cared about the Metas," Shigaraki said, "We've wanted revenge on the ninja for a long time. And you're not going to stop us."

"But..." Momo said, "would...? I mean...you know, Shine and Wally wouldn't like that...and I thought the most important thing was to get to them."

"And if we have to kill some people along the way, that just tough s---," Compress said, "You think we're getting in and out of there without some bloodshed? They're going to try to murder all of us. Are you heroes blind? Or do you just think you can roll the dice on this one? Take your chance that you'll be able to get out without inflicting serious damage."

"But that is what we train to do," Shoto aid.

"And that worked out so well for you," Spinner said snidely, "Here we freaking are. Sometimes killing is necessary."

"I would think only as a last resort," Miss Joke said, "as in, they're either going to kill you, or you kill them first. Even then, usually there's another way."

Since at least two of the LOV had to injure people to even use their quirks, they were not very impressed with this defense.

"Maybe I could get by just with my quirk," Compress said, "but what about Spinner here? All he's got is sticking to walls and blades. He's not gonna have much of a choice there."

"And how is Shiggy gonna even use his quirk safely?" Toga said, "Or me? I have to cut people... That's the fun."

"Even if we condone violence like that, you're still out." Hawks made a face. "For that reason alone."

"And you're so innocent, Hawks?" Compress said, "I'm sure you would have gone that far if you were ordered to."

After a pause, he continued.

"Our little spy has killed people, haven't you?" Compress looked at Kayla.

Kayla didn't answer right way. When she did, she spoke, "I won't tell you to go that far. I will tell you, the ninja will go that far if they don't want to use you, and I think they are going to be too angry at you now... If the LOV feels there is no other way, I don't know that I disagree... It's a war to you, isn't it?"

"It's not murder," Bakugo spoke up suddenly, "The ninja started this, and they'll kill us if they can. And we're going into the belly of the beast. Any of us are lucky to walk away from it alive... If it means risking hurting people pretty badly with my quirk, I'm not gonna hold back on some psychopaths who are willing to kidnap and brainwash kids and adults alike--or freaking murder people just for having quirks. The frick are you all acting like they deserve our pity for?"

"It's on principle," Aizawa said, "and you're talking like a villain, Bakugo."

"Or he's just making sense," Compress said, "I knew we liked him for a reason."

"You piss off, Magic Man!" Bakugo snapped, "This ain't about not being a hero. It's just that it's stupid to think you can go in and blast people, and there's not gonna be at least a small chance they might die. Either you use your dang quirk to try to help, or you don't because you're afraid of that. But then you ain't that concerned about the innocent people they've got in there."

Silence.

"Okay...how about this?" Miss Joke finally spoke, "I think we all have to make our own choice about this, but I don't think we as heroes can encourage just going in and demolishing all of them...and that could jeopardize us also...So can we all agree that killing is going to be a last resort even if you feel it's warranted."

Silence.

"You know..." Medea spoke up. "The ninja are evil...not like the LOV, you know, with different reasons...but straight up. We have to stop them...but I don't ever want to kill someone with my quirk again." She wiped her eyes suddenly. "I don't...I can't...But short of that, I'm gonna try as hard as I have to...if we hold back, they'll destroy us all."

"She's not wrong..." Mirko mused. "Even I don't know about this. It's not just killing, it's that heroes are supposed to be careful, but how careful can we be? We're gonna have to pull out all the stops, we're outnumbered anyway. So, it is what it is."

The LOV still looked dubious.

"On the other hand, bossman," Medea hissed to Shigaraki. "It's wasting a lot of time to argue about it. Can't we just compromise? Think about how many people we need to rescue, we can't do it with just the 6 or 7 of us."

Shigaraki very begrudgingly knew she had a point.

"Fine," he said. "We'll accept your compromise as long as we're forced to cooperate."

"Great," Hawks said sarcastically. "Well, at least after this, we know all the deals are off."

"Huh?" Spinner said.

"The deal was until we took down the Originals," Hawks said. "Assuming they don't kill all of us instead, that means after we succeed here, we're gonna go back to being on different sides."

The look on Mirko' face right then was utter shock that she'd forgotten about that completely.

So had Shigaraki for the record, and the rest of the league.

"Huh, I guess that is true," Compress said. "Well, this really is our final act then."

"And there it is," Spinner said. "You were so close to not saying something over dramatic for once."

"To thine own self be true, Spinner," Compress gestured grandly.

"Well, I guess it's time to get this show on the road." Hawks made the obvious pun. "See you all on the other side, hopefully."

***

https://youtu.be/Ygv4T0bH2Sc

Shinjitsu's idea worked. The fire alarm sent the employees running.

Unbeknownst to the heros, Toga caught one and...well...became them, as it were.

She actually didn't tell the league she was doing it either until it was too late, and they weren't so sure it was a good idea. But Toga refused to be dissuaded from it.

She did easily sneak past the personnel who were trying to put out the fire, and open the elevator.

From that moment on, it was a cinch for Camie to sneak everyone else in.

Once in the elevator, Twice's part of the plan into action.

He made clones of everyone, and want the elevator landed on the correct floor, The clones went out into the base first, while Camie made the elevator appear empty behind them.

Everyone was on edge as they waited.

Sure enough, people began screaming and running when they saw the LOV and several heroes in their base.

The doubles all ran for it, using the quirks as necessary.

"Now, you two, stay here." Shigaraki told Twice and Camie.

"Uh...both of us?" Camie said.

"As long as you make sure this elevator is hidden, Twice can keep making copies of all of us and throwing off the ninja for as long as possible. By the time they figure out who the real one is, we'll all be in there. But he can't do that if he doesn't stay hidden, so you're staying with him."

"Do I get a choice here." Camie said.

"Do you want to die?" Shigaraki said.

"Hey!" Bakugo warned him. "Don't threaten her."

"I wasn't." Shigaraki said

"He means she'll die if she doesn't follow this plan." Mirko said. "And, I'd have to say, her quirk isn't really suited to the rest of this is it? Then we have an escape route if we do have to run for it."

"Camie, it's still a crucial part of the mission," Momo said.

"Momo you don't have to make me feel better, I'm not that egotistical." Camie put a hand on her hip. "I gothca, fine, Shiggy, I'll do it, but like next time, ask me, I'm not one of your league members."

"Technically I did ask you if you wanted to die." Shigaraki didn't even mean that to be funny, but several people laughed.

"Between you and Ren, we now have an exit mapped," Kayla remarked. "Let us hope nothing goes wrong."

"If it does, I'll send a clone to warn you. No I won't." Twice said.

"Hey, the coast is pretty clear right now," Shoto said. "Let's go before they search this elevator."

Camie hugged Bakugo real fast before they split, then everyone ran off.

Hawks was heading the group looking for the central part of the maze, because he could search the fastest out of them all, and Bakugo and Shoto and Momo were all going with him, as the heaviest hitters, they expected to find the most dangerous people guarding that part.

Miss Joke and Aizawa were going to flank them and try to act as a rear guard if someone snuck up on them.

Medea, Monama, and Mirko were all looking for the captives, along with Jiro and Kaminari.

Shigaraki hadn't really fit well into either group, but Medea had suggested his quirk would be least dangerous to use on the edge than in the center where he could knock out the whole complex if he destroyed the wrong thing, so maybe he'd just better join them.

Really, Kaminari and Jiro would have preferred if he didn't, they didn't see Medea as a real villain, and they found the other villains scary.

Spinner was going with Hawks' group since he wasn't really good at stealth or recovery.

Compress was supposed to look for the captives also...but it took them all of five minutes of running to realize he'd ditched them.

"That fool!" Mirko was livid. "I'll bet you anything he's gone off after Silk."

"If he does capture her, it would be useful." Shigaraki defended him.

"She'll kill him." Mirko said. "Like I said before. Or do you actually think he'll fight her for real?"

"I don't see why he wouldn't, she deserves it." Shigaraki was dense as always.

"You idiot." Mirko said.

Kayla had gone with Hawks' group also.

"Like, scary lady," Kaminari panted, struggling to keep up with their place. "Are we gonna split off more? These hallways are never ending..."

"I don't want to split of." Jiro said.

"No, he's right, we'd better." Medea said. "Monama and I will go together, honestly we have the best shot of actually getting into a cell if we find it. Monama, copy everyone else's quirks before we go.

"You don't have to tell me that." Monama grumbled, doing so. Except for Mirko's and Jiro's.

"Be careful," Mirko told Medea. "Don't get cocky. Remember, your control is better when you stay calm, so don't push it."

"Yes, mom," Medea said sarcastically. "I'm sure this is a real calm situation we're in right now. It's cool, Monama will help me control it if I get worked up."

"Yes, I do seem to be able to do that." Monama said.

"Aw, that's adorable," Kaminari said. "You guys are totally cute together."

"Stop embarrassing me, Denki." Jiro grabbed him. "What about us, should we split?"

"I don't know about that," Mirko cocked he ears. "What can you two really do on your own? You'd better just follow me."

"Cool and ...uh..." He glanced at Shigaraki. "You gonna stick with us?"

"Where's Toga?" Shigaraki wasn't even listening. "Wasn't she following us?"

"That idiot!" Mirko said. "She's gone off to kill more people."

"That would be a stupid thing to do." Shigaraki said. "They'll catch her for sure if she does that. I'd better find her." 

"Do we have to, though." Kaminari said. "I mean, she's kind of creepy...a lot..."

"You're not coming, I'll just warp her here." Shigaraki said.

But here he realized that he didn't know the area well enough to accomplish that.

"I guess I'll just have to retrieve her on foot." He grumbled.

"That's a dangerous idea." Mirko said. "The clones are only going to keep them busy for so long."

"I know." Shigaraki said sullenly. "Duh."

Mirko sighed. "If you're gonna go, I'll go with you. kids just keep looking, I'll find you again."

"But...why are you going with him?" Kaminari asked.

"Because we're not just handing the head of the LOV of these freaks on a silver platter." Mirko said. "Not after all the work I went to to make sure that didn't happen."

"What?" Jiro said.

"I mean that they didn't get what they wanted," Mirko realized how weird what she just said sounded. "And going off alone is just guaranteeing it."

"But you're just as easy to recognize..." Kaminari began.

"You want to do it?" Mirko cut him off.

"You know, good luck." Kaminari said. "Don't die, please. It would really ruin our day, you know."

"Yeah, watch your backs," Jiro said. She put her jack to the ground. "I hear people coming now. They'll be on us soon...hmm...Kaminari, why don't you just dust the lights in here? We can use our phones...they can't see in the dark right? It'll buy us a little time, my sensory skills are Mirko's are way better than any regular person's."

"But I could take the lights out on the whole place." Kaminari said. "Which would also kill me, as a bonus side effect..."

"You'll have to stop at your limit." Jiro said.

"But I'm kind of not great at that Jiro..." Kaminari said nervously.

"Kaminari, it could be our only chance." Jiro said. "You can do it, I believe in you."

"Really?" Kaminari said.

Jiro nodded at him.

"Get on with it," Shigaraki actually thought it was a good idea, though he didn't care to say so out loud.

"And hurry," Mirko twitched her ears. "I hear them now too."

Kaminari broke the plating off the electric panelling in the ceiling, with Jiro's help.

"This is gonna be really tricky to do without just frying this wires..." he muttered.

He started to focus.

The light in the hallway flared on and off, and then one by one, they blew out. It went all up and down the hallway.

Kaminari panted, and let go.

"I don't think I did that many of them...too much voltage, but, maybe it'll slow them down a little...Am I dumb right now?"

"No, you did great." Jiro grabbed his arm. "Now, let's move." She took off using her jack to search ahead for things.

"Whatever else I can say about Aizawa, his kids are pretty impressive," Mirko admitted, "Medea better not embarrass me... All right, let's go get your stupid dumb teammate before she dies. Why should anything go right today?"

"Are you referring to Toga dying as something going right?" Shigaraki said.

"Why would I do that?" Mirko was being sardonic, but he missed it.

"It would be strange..."

Mirko choked on a laugh. She heard someone coming. "All right, shut up."

A few moments later she heard the fast breathing of someone who was running and footsteps, even though they were light ones.

Then flashlights...

She pressed out of their line of view until they were close enough, then she jumped over the rays of light and slammed all three of them into the ground, knocking them out cold.

"Hey, genius, maybe destroy their phones," she said, picking one up and crushing it.

Shigaraki grabbed the other two and did so.

"I swear, when we find Toga I'm b---- slapping her for this," Mirko swore under her breath.

* * *

Silk ran through the base after the alert went out to everyone's phones that the LOV and heroes were here.

How did they get in so easily without the outer guards noticing?

She really shouldn't be surprised at this point.

Running into the meeting room, she found Lethe sitting against the wall, crying...

Silk skidded to a stop.

"What happen?" she said.

Lethe looked up, eyes redder than usual.

[Image design by Onerose, original template by original creator.]

"I can't stop seeing it," he said in a haunted voice.

Silk looked at him strangely. "Seeing...what?"

"It was in her memory..." Lethe said, "It was in yours too, come to think of it...but you didn't feel the same... You blocked the emotion out of it...but with hers, I felt it... It was all there."

"Emotion...is a big part of memory..." Silk said strangely, "I guess I didn't think about controlling mine making it easier to forget...but you must be talking about Miss Likstar's... You went through them, didn't you? Did you...succeed?"

"I don't know," Lethe said, "She passed out, and I can't tell if it worked, or if her memories are just more vivid to me anyway... Either way, I'm fricked."

Silk leaned on the wall next to him and sighed. "All right...what did you see? It was about your sister, wasn't it?"

Lethe nodded. "I saw...she was in a bathroom, I think...and she was screaming and crying...and in pain..."

Silk's head started to hurt a little.

"This is something I was there for," she said, in an unreadable tone.

"It was...but part of it you left for...and Likstar was talking to her...but...she was in so much pain, because of her memory suppression...she was sick," Lethe said.

Silk rubbed her temples. "I seem to recall a bit about that, now that you mention it."

Lethe put his face in his knees. "No wonder she hates me now... How did it get that far?"

"You...take on the memories you suppress, don't you?" Silk said, "Is side effect, right?"

"Yeah...though if it's not a big memory, I hardly notice it," Lethe said, "Sometimes the most emotional memories are not the ones that tied things together... I have to pick carefully. I could never retain them all at once."

"Isn't that hard on your mind?"

"I've managed to push it aside... You of all people ought to understand that." Lethe sounded dead now.

"Da...but I'm a grown woman. You're just teenager," Silk said.

"So? We all have to make our difficult choices," Lethe said.

"I...was wondering, just what kind of memories of mine did you suppress?" Silk said oddly, "I mean...uh, it was nothing too... Um, how shall I put this?"

"Rated R?" Lethe said.

Silk turned red. "I would never have asked--"

"It's not quite the same as you think." Lethe looked embarrassed too. "I mean, the experience isn't...uh, but even if it was, I wouldn't... I mean, I can edit around it, if you know what I mean. I don't just go looking for that part of people's psyche."

"A different person might." Silk was mortified.

"I'm not a perv!" Lethe was offended.

"Most boys your age are in some way," Silk said.

"That's sexist," Lethe snapped, "and I'm not, so there! Don't freaking ask me stuff like that."

"Yeah, well," Silk cleared her throat, "just for future reference, you can just skip those...uh...sort of memories if it happens to come up. I think Commander understand."

"The Commander wouldn't understand, actually," Lethe said with obvious contempt.

"You hate him?" Silk said.

Lethe shrugged. "Don't you?"

"I'm not stupid enough to say things about him, even if he not here. You never know who listening," Silk said.

Lethe sniffed. "It won't matter... How much more of this can I take? If I don't find a way to get rid of all this... I didn't think it would matter at first, but if I can't get away from the memory of Medea---I might go crazy."

"Lethe, you are crazy," Silk said, not sure what possessed her to go there, but she just did, "You think it's your right to do these things to people and call it caring. At least I know what I am, a dirty, despicable liar. Is what I chose, in order to choose for myself...but you think it's somehow a service to make people into puppets for you or for Commander...and you carry the memory of what you stole from them. All that makes them who they are...you want to strip away a vital part of it? Even in your own sister... Perhaps the suffering you get in return is what they call Karma around here."

Lethe scowled at her sideways. "Says the woman who uses affection to get to people and then rip them apart--turn them over to be murdered or brainwashed themselves. You're no better than me."

"I know what I am." Silk stared straight ahead. "The Black Widow...I don't like that term, but I guess is true... I suppose karma get around to me eventually, huh? But at least I do believe in this cause...but not you, Lethe. You just scared. Boy like you should never have been recruited. I thought so from start. I was never going to try to recruit you, but the higher ups had other plans. For record, I never wanted Medea to get involved either. I not think the Originals is place for kids. We throw our lives away to it. Kids can't grasp it yet."

"Kids have to make that choice all the time. Heroes do," Lethe said, "What about the ones who grow up in this? What's the difference?"

"I not like everything that the ninja do, Lethe," Silk said.

"Here's the thing, Silk," Lethe said, "or whatever your real name is, if you hate this just as much as me, or more, and you know you do, and you still want to make yourself the Black Widow or whatever, then I think you're worse than me, because at least I did this because I cared about someone. You're just tossing aside anyone you care about. Don't think I don't know you'll toss me aside just as fast when I'm not part of your mission. So don't sit there and pretend to care if I'm upset. I'll handle it, on my own, like I always have, because I know what needs to be done. I don't need your fake pity." He stood up and stalked away angrily.

[Vocaloid--Again (Gumi English)]

https://youtu.be/jdQWia3fwMU

Silk stared after him, then leaned on the wall. "Idiot...he's supposed to be in here anyway."

Sure enough Lethe walked right back moments later. He was sullenly silent.

Commander Hantai entered the room shortly.

"So you both know what's going on," he said, sounding livid.

"Da--yes, sir," Silk said.

"I've sent Kurogiri to apprehend as many as he can," Hantai said, "Somehow they were using their quirks. I don't suppose our little spy would know how that is?"

Silk thought. "Could be the Rabbit hero's brother's doing."

Hantai slammed his fist into the table, making Lethe jump. "Should have eliminated him when I got the chance. I swear if I ever see that disgusting little traitor Baker again, I'll kill her myself. Slowly."

Lethe shivered at how he seemed to relish that thought.

"And to think you told me she had a quirk the whole time," Hantai went on, still livid, "How she ever got so far with one is beyond my power of comprehension, but if I find out who's responsible I'll kill them too--Well, Silk, I trust you know what to do. You know their weaknesses. As one of our elites, you'll be able to stand up to them."

Silk nodded. "Yes, sir, I know what to do."

She hesitated. "Are all of them here?"

"So far we have the leader and the lizard, and the crazy, little bloodsucker apparently attacked someone, but she'll be in disguise, so who the h--- knows where she'll be? The actual cloner and the magician aren't confirmed to be here. We have two Top Heroes, two lesser known Pros, and about 6 UA brats, and," he glanced at Lethe suddenly, "we suspected a few more unidentified. Silk. Go to it. Lethe, you will stay here. I won't have them kidnapping you back."

Lethe swallowed and nodded.

Silk left the room as ordered.

[👀hmm....😬]