Compress got away from Commander Hantai mostly because he was distracted by a message. "What? She got away...how?

"You mean to tell me she just walked out...with them? And you fools didn't stop her?...Oh, no need to apologize. Why don't you just shoot yourself? Save me the trouble. I will deal with this matter personally now."

Thinking that it might be wisest to just find the others, Compress stumbled back that way.

As luck would have it, he found the exact people that Hantai was looking for first.

Shigaraki and Mirko were still bickering and planning by turns. Shine looked like death warmed up.

"I see you found one of our quarry," Compress said.

Shine looked at him dully. "I guess he's another one... Nice outfit. Reminds me of Wally's home..."

"Long story short, Compress, she doesn't know who we are, and we need to find that brat Lethe and get it reversed," Shigaraki said.

"Good luck with that," Compress said, "But does she know who she is?"

"I know who I am!" Shine snapped at him.

"Compress, do you carry provisions with you by any chance?" Mirko asked.

"I do actually. Why?"

"She's majorly dehydrated and hungry. Been drugged too."

"I'm surprised she's this lucid." Compress inspected Shine more closely. "Well, I'm sorry to hear that, Miss Likstar. While I find your lectures annoying, your sarcastic wit is often amusing to listen to. I'll be sorry to see it dulled... I suppose I could spare some water."

"You seem...different?" Mirko narrowed her eyes at him.

"I guess it's that women's intuition," Compress said, "Even in a anti-feminine type like you. I actually am kind of on a high right now."

"You're also bleeding," Shigaraki noted.

"Oh, how kind of you to notice, Sir. Normally you don't pay attention to anyone." Compress was a little too free flowing in his wit.

Shigaraki gave him a look that said "try me, b----."

"I mean," Compress thought he really had gotten more irritable lately too, "I will be all right. It's only a flesh wound... I confess, I was hoping Miss Likstar would be in better shape. I have need of her healing talents."

"Oh...?" Shine had sat down while they were stopped. "Well...those talents don't depend on my own health, not at all... Some of us can be literally dying and still heal..."

"Oh, really?" Compress said, "Then I require your assistance."

"Wait just a minute, you b----d." Mirko shoved him back. "You're not going to make her strain herself. She's not thinking clearly right now."

"It's life or death." Compress dropped his chipper tone.

Mirko tilted her head.

"It may mean our survival," Compress added.

Mirko stepped back and sighed. "All right...if she can handle it."

Compress popped the marble out of his mouth.

"Now...uh...neither of you react. I promise there is an excellent explanation for this. Just let me and Miss Likstar handle it."

"I don't remember you," Shine said flatly, "but I get the feeling you're kind of an ass."

"She really is quite perceptive, huh?" Mirko was smothering a laugh.

"I hate you," Compress said, "Here you go." He handed Shine a bottle of water also. 

She drank a lot of it before motioning. "Come on. No time."

They'd taken the chance to hide in the training room.

Compress decompressed Silk, who started coughing at soon as he did.

"What? You!" Mirko would have decked her right then, but Compress held out his good arm to block her. "Now wait just a moment, Pro. There is a lot you don't know going on."

"Get out of my way," Mirko said.

"Shigaraki," Compress applied to him, "I'm sure you know I would not have brought this traitor here without a good reason."

Shigaraki stared at him.

"What is it?" he said.

Silk looked at them kind of woozily. "Didn't Kurogiri kill you...? How do you keep surviving our attacks?"

"Uh, Kira, maybe not the time," Compress said.

Silk pulled her hand from her side. It was covered in blood. "Is no matter."

"Oh, wow..." Shine blinked at her. The adrenaline from seeing that wound seemed to have woken her up a little. "Wow...I'm... Well, let me try and do something for sure."

"Oh, no, you don't!" Mirko blocked Shine. "She's the reason you're here--at least partly! She's evil!"

"She's not evil," Compress argued, "and she's on our side now...right?"

Silk looked wan. "I not really on any side. I'm bleeding out... Either kill me or put me out of my misery."

"Both those options sound exactly the same," Shigaraki said, holding up a hand, "I'd gladly oblige."

"You can't kill her," Compress said.

"You need infirmary..." Silk muttered, "Infirmary has stuff... Would help with Likstar. I know they used drug on her...and not give her any sustenance... Part of Hantai's wearing down process, that SOB."

"He's looking for you, by the way," Compress said.

"Who's Hantai?" Shigaraki asked.

"He's the Commander--real nasty person. He shot her." Compress looked grim. "I will make him pay for that. He's aware of Likstar's escape, I heard."

"We've taken down anyone who finds us," Mirko said.

"How very you," Compress sniffed, "That won't work forever."

"Why is it working at all?" Shine muttered, "I get the feeling these guys ought to be smarter than that."

"They like to toy with us. Maybe they're saving up for some big finish again," Mirko said.

"They wouldn't let any of us escape if they could help it," Shigaraki said.

"How did all of you use your quirks?" Silk said, "That has been bugging me whole time."

"You know what? You shut up," Mirko said, "Compress, we're not saving her."

"How very heroic of you," Compress shot back, "I'm sure Miss Likstar understands...right?"

Shine looked at him...then she nodded.

"No, Likstar, you cannot do this," Shigaraki objected, "This woman is a traitor--to all of us! And she deserves this! If you recalled what happened, you would know."

Silk rubbed her arms and shivered...then she laid down.

"I may have lost memory of this world, but I believe the fact of hypovolemic shock is true no matter where you are," Shine said severely, "and I'm not letting her bleed out in front of me. Whatever you do, Mr. Shigaraki, after that, I doubt I could stop you. But if I can, I'm going to help her. Now are you gonna stop me, or are you gonna let me do my job?"

Shigaraki stared at her.

"This is ludicrous," Mirko said, "Saving the spy?"

"You know, if you need a reason, you blithering idiot, she can lead us to what we need," Compress said.

"I don't trust her! Why would I!?" Mirko was enraged. "You see what happened to Shine? That's her fault!"

"Is not entirely my fault..." Silk said distantly, "She did walk in here... I'm cold..."

Compress took her hand. "Please, Miss Likstar," he said, more gently.

Shine put a hand on Silk's forehead and began to speak low...

No visible show of power followed...

But then color returned to the little woman's face, and the blood stopped.

She blinked. "It worked... I was sure your God was going to laugh in face at this..."

"My God is not spiteful like humans are," Shine said weakly, "I admit, that took a little out of me... I mean, it's not my power, but even flowing through me..." She collapsed.

"Great work," Mirko said, taking her by the arms, "You want to carry her?"

"What about Compress...?" Silk said, "He's hurt too."

"I'll be fine," Compress said, "It wasn't that deep."

"They pierced your arm!" Silk said.

"Well, yes, but just the edge of it," Compress said, "Mere flesh wound."

"That's bulls---!" Silk said.

Shigaraki listened to this with a feeling that it didn't quite make sense... Compress was supposed to be angry at her, right?

Mirko noticed it too. "Excuse me, are you two actually having a lovers' quarrel right now? Ew, Compress, I can't believe you. All that, and you really just don't care? I thought you had more self respect than that."

"You shut up," Compress snapped at her, "Aren't you a hypocrite there anyway?"

"What?" Mirko said, ears back, "What the h--- does that mean?"

"You know d--- well what I mean," Compress said.

"Stop it!" Silk clapped her hands. "Look, whatever you do to me, you're foolish to stay here... Ninja will leave you mostly alone as long as you just run around blindly in here, but once you try to leave, it's all hell break loose... Hantai swore he would never let these two DJs leave alive, if they did get free. Don't you understand why he had her memory altered at all?"

Mirko grabbed Silk by her throat before Compress could stop her.

"And why is that?" she said dangerously.

Compress started to move. Shigaraki stopped him.

Shine was silent.

Silk gasped. "It...was...to stop her from helping you... He hoped to bend her to his will, in time, but first and foremost, he not want her to keep planning for you... He figure the common link in all other losses was her ability to outsmart them...but if she had no one to help, then she couldn't do that... He had the intel to know how their rules work, too... She was powerless to leave without someone to help... Is not true, DJ?"

"You know what I am too?" Shine said. Then she shrugged. "We're not entirely without our own agency, you know...but I suppose it's true that I can't help who I can't remember... I take it you all are a substantial threat to Hantai? He's one of the most repulsive men I've ever met."

"You don't know half of it," Silk said bitterly, "and he won't let me leave either. You've only delayed inevitable by healing me. You understand, I only turned on him because I am tired of living this life. I don't expect to get out of here...or to join you again. If that's what you want, you just kill me now. You do it more merciful than he will."

"We're not doing that," Compress said, "Mirko, put her down. She's no threat."

"Tell that to my neck that she almost broke earlier!" Mirko was still mad. "Screw that!"

"You think I'm going to apologize? It's ridiculous at time like this," Silk said, "Fighting me is no use to you. You're foolish as ever, Mirko."

"Don't you get cute with me," Mirko said, "I'm perfectly willing to finish beating you up. If you don't have something better than that, shut up."

"I don't think you can get away," Silk was ever the pessimist, "but if you intend to try, don't stay in here."

"Perhaps you could tell us the best place to try to escape from?" Compress said.

"Only one way out," Silk said, "unless... Hantai probably has secret exit just for him and his squad, but even I not know where it is. I don't think he trusts us elites. It does you no good. You can't get him to tell you... Can you fight your way out?"

"We can try." Mirko dropped her roughly. "Stay out of our way. We are not taking her with us."

"You can't tell me what to do," Compress said, "She's my spoil of war."

"She's not a horse, Compress, she's a spy," Mirko shot back.

"Excuse me," Shine said. 

They all paused.

"I know I don't know you, but it seems to me you could settle this after we get away, and it's not hurting you if he brings her along. He can...turn people into marbles? I guess? But I'm very tired, and I really don't want to die in a evil lair--I'm sick of those--so if you could, you know, act like you're actually helping me...I'd appreciate it." She rubbed her head. 

They all felt kind of ashamed of themselves.

"She's better than any of you," Silk said coolly, "and she's in this state... I guess you can't strip character away with memory."

"Can't you?" Shigaraki said.

"Not really," Shine said, "Just confidence... There's a difference..."

"If we have time until they really care about us leaving, why not go to the infirmary and just try to get in the best shape?" Compress said.

"Is not that far away..." Silk sighed.

"Fine, we can look for the others on the way," Shigaraki agreed.

Mirko wasn't happy about it, but she was outvoted, so they headed that way.

* * *

A few people tried to stop them, but they were taken care of quickly.

Silk was perfectly fine now... Compress was slowing down...

Shine had to be almost carried after a while. She objected to being compressed on the same grounds as before--she thought it might kill her.

"Good to know she's consistent..." Compress remarked.

Incredibly, despite the state she was in, Shine was still the upbeat center to the group, Mirko thought. Her sheer willpower seemed to buoy them up, and she wasn't even that focused right now. Her primary goal was to find Wally. She had no idea why the rest of them were there, and she probably didn't even care at the moment.

But even so, she was as considerate as always, though more short tempered.

It was just unbelievable.

They arrived at the infirmary somehow.

Silk knew how to use the equipment in there fairly well. She hooked Shine up to an IV.

Silk had to prove to Mirko in some detail that it was a real IV and then something to help undo the drugs' effects.

Compress also got stitches.

The nurse on duty found them in there and was terrified of the LOV members and the Top Pro enough not to call for help. Instead, she ended up helping them.

It actually only took about half an hour.

In that time, they didn't hear any about the others, but the nurse was able to tell them--under duress--that a lot of people had been in and out of there with injuries but hadn't said much about what was going on. She thought a few major fights had gone down in the centroid of the base.

The others were whispering about Shine's condition, she knew... It was so weird, hearing people who seemed like total strangers talk about her.

"Shouldn't she have remembered something by now?" Compress said, "Every other case, just being around the person or place began triggering it."

"Not just that," Silk spoke in a low voice, "Emotions trigger it... Without emotions, you may never even notice you lost a memory at all. I don't know science of it. It just works."

"I can tell you that." Shine joined them, startling them. "Memory is a deeply rooted part of your mind, but easily damaged, especially if not revisited frequently. The thought trees, if you will, decay over time without repetition, but memories with strong emotions aren't like that. They stick with you. Even if you don't think of it for years, it could come back, and you'd remember the feeling and the memory with it. It makes trauma very hard to escape without confronting the emotions of it. In a sense, until the emotion is out of your body, you can relive the past...or really, never leave the moment to begin with. It's always still a part of you."

Shigaraki stared at her like that was mind-blowing to him.

"Okay..." Rumi/Mirko kept giving Shine these looks like she was an alien... Well, she was, but it was weird to get looked at that way. "So what does that mean for you?"

Shine's mind was much clearer now with the help of the IVs and other treatments kicking in...though she was still dead tired. But she was able to focus enough to answer this:

"I think the drugs are part of it. Drugs dull emotions, make you mellow, lower you resistance. If I'm remembering right, that's why they used them," she said.

"Didn't they use them on that Ibara girl too?" Mirko mused.

"I think," Silk said, "I had nothing to do with that, by the way...for record. I never approved recruiting kids."

"How morally upright of you." Mirko was killing sarcastic. "I'll remember that the next time you choke someone out."

Silk glared at her.

"So when the drugs finish wearing off, you'll remember," Shigaraki guessed.

"Not necessarily," Shine said, "I think something would still have to trigger me...and I... How long was I here, did you say?"

"I think it's been close to 8 or 9 months now," Compress said.

"That's...a crap ton of things to forget." Shine looked and felt upset. "How horrific...all the people I don't remember right now..." She bit her lip again, then forced herself to speak clearly. "If that's the case...I don't know. Could come back all at once, could happen in bits and pieces...but as far as you seem to know, Lethe doesn't permanently damage memory, just removes access to it. So it's still in there." She tapped her head. "At some point it would have to come back. I bet they intended to kill me before then."

"After they used you, yes," Silk said, "I think Hantai had other plans first."

Shine grimaced. "Please, don't say things like that... I prefer not to think of it... Talking to him was disturbing enough..."

Mirko snapped a tongue depressor--the only breakable thing she'd found lying around. "I hate this... How many more times does this have to happen!"

"Mirko, please," Compress said, "You're hardly the only one frustrated with this situation, but we have other people to find. This is no time to lose your head."

"Shut up," Mirko snapped.

"I know this is hard--" Shine began patiently.

"No, you shut up!" Mirko got up, restless as a caged tiger. "The last thing I can take from you is trying to take care of me. I'm fine! So piss off! Worry about yourself. You're the one in deep s--- here."

"I think we all are," Shine began, a little taken aback by this hostility.

"Just knock it off!" Mirko kicked over one of the trays of medical equipment.

"Hey!" the nurse cried, "Even if you're holding me hostage, can you not abuse the tools? If you want me to help you, I need to have something to work with!"

Mirko stalked out of the area they were in.

"What's wrong with her?" Shigaraki wondered.

"She's being her usual, b----y self," Compress sniffed, "Nevermind her. We have to think. The others are probably scattered around here. We have to find them... Our comlinks don't work down here because of the underground, but somehow you ninja seem to communicate."

Silk held up her phone. "We have app."

"Right...so could you find out where everyone is."

"Oh, by now I'm sure I'm blacklisted..." Silk said. 

She opened her phone. "Hmm...or not.... Huh...Commander Hantai must think I'm dead. Not much use blacklisting dead person, I suppose. My account will be deleted within the day, I'm sure."
She began scrolling through her feed.

"A lot of your friends, if they are not clones, were reported last seen around the meeting rooms...but nothing about what happened after that. We tend not to report on the actual executions... That no evidence thing.

"Are you saying that means they're dead?" Shigaraki's tone implied that Silk was dying in the next minute if the answer was yes.

"No...it means they're going to be dead." Silk backed up. "Could be yes, could be no... You don't have long. If Likstar is able to fight now, you better hope you can make up for it."

She suddenly flinched.

"What?" Compress stood up.

Silk pushed up her sleeve. She had one of the tracking chips in it.

"You didn't have that before," Compress said.

"Nyet...put back in once I left assignment..." Silk winced. "I just felt like it stung me...but they aren't supposed to glitch like that."

"Those things block your quirk if they want, right?" Shigaraki said.

"How else you keep elites in check? Otherwise they might take over," Silk said, "Remember, Mr. Shigaraki, for all Originals hate people without quirks, they do fear them also. They are just human and weak. Easily damaged. Likstar can tell you. Why else did they use methods on her that mostly aren't used on people without quirks?"

"A human who can portal into anywhere, pulls swords out of nowhere, and heals people with her words..." Compress said.

"No, she's right." Shine rubbed her neck. "All that's just window dressing, you know? It's no more a part of me than my shoes or my clothes would be. All the glory you see in me is the glory of another, really... Haven't I explained that to you before, if we know each other?"

"Yes," Shigaraki grumbled.

"All the time," Compress said, "It's quite annoying."

"Well," Shine smiled dryly, "I guess I did my job well, then... Look, not to rush you, but we've spent long enough here. Hadn't we better get on with finding these friends--and my boyfriend?"

"Fiancé actually," Compress said.

"What? Really?" Shine's face lit up for a second. "We're engaged now?"

"Oh, yes, you bragged all about it," Compress said, "You have the ring, don't you?"

Shine looked at her hand. "Oh...you're right. I didn't notice it was different... Thank goodness they didn't take it... So you really do know me, huh...?"

"I don't see why a stupid ring is making you so happy," Shigaraki said, "We're all still going to die if we don't do something spectacular here, and you, the miracle worker, are down most of your powers."

"Good thing I don't have to work miracles," Shine said, "God can work them on His own... I feel sure I must have told you that too, if we've known each other as long as you say."

"I begin to think the memory drain really wasn't as effective at dampening you as they thought," Compress said.

Shine shook her head. "Let's not get too ahead of ourselves... I still feel like crap, but I guess it makes me feel better not being alone right now... I draw energy from other people, that's for sure..."

"Good, you'll need all energy you can get," Silk muttered, "Let's get a move on. Is only a matter of minutes before Hantai finds us here."

"Actually, I already found you."

Hantai suddenly appeared in the doorway... He had Mirko with him.

She wasn't moving, though she appeared to be conscious. Hantai had some kind of metal device sticking into her.

"Nerve stimulation," Hantai said, seeing their looks, "Got the idea from some quirk that we removed in the lab. Our lab people are geniuses. Oh, don't worry about her--it only lasts about 5 minutes. All I need to kill someone, though. I suggest none of you move."

No one did.

"Miss Likstar, so glad to see you feeling better," Hantai said.

Shine shivered, looking pale again.

"Of course I had hoped when you felt better, it would be time for us to revisit our conversation." Hantai said, "but I see your egregious companions have set us back at least a whole day...maybe longer. Perhaps eliminating them was always going to be necessary."

"I thought you wanted her to get to us..." Compress said warily.

"Oh, no," Hantai said, "That was just a bonus. Our higher ups wanted her and her stupid fiancé. I don't find him nearly as interesting, to be sure, but they said both, so we got both. Of course, I hate all of you," and his look and tone matched his statement, "and I was told I could do what I liked with you, if the DJs were delivered alive. And so, I'll be taking her back now."

"If you intend to kill us," Compress had his hand on Silk's arm, "why do you think she'll go with you?"

"Well, if it helps," Hantai said, flipping a small projector out of his pocket, "I do have several of your companions cornered right now."

An image of most of the group, Wally included, appeared.

"But I had the feeling it might be more effective to have hostages in front of me too. Let me be clear--this device is lethal," nodding at Mirko, "but it doesn't have to be. I really hope one of you  moves. I'd like to give a demonstration."

No one moved.

"Ah, well, disappointing." Hantai's eyes gleamed with evil delight. "Now, Miss Likstar, come here."

Shine drew a deep breath. "If I do, you'll kill her anyway."

"No, I'll trade for you," Hantai said, "I mean, she'll still die, to be sure, but I care more about capturing you. I'm perfectly willing to let my associates take care of it. You don't have to watch at least, right? And if you really have confidence in your companions here that you don't even know anymore, you'll think it's a better chance than me offing them all now. I will take you either way. I find willing subjects to be easier to work on, however."

"Don't do it..." Shigaraki warned Shine, "This has to be a trick."

"Don't you see?" Shine sounded ghostly. "I have no choice. He's made sure of that. I couldn't just let someone die... He is exploiting my ethics. Evil people love doing that..." She drew a deep breath. "I can't do the selfish thing here... Don't worry," she smiled at them, "God will deliver me, one way or the other, from this. I'm sure...he rewards people who obey him. And this devil of a man is going to pay for all of this, for all eternity...if he doesn't turn from this course...so we have no reason to fear this monster. I only fear losing my people before they're time is done."

She walked up to Hantai, unwavering for the moment. "You will hand her over before I let you lay a finger on me."

"Oh, sure." Hantai flung Mirko hard into one of the hospital beds.

Even the nurse was staring at him in some amount of terror and horror.

"Oh, and you." He looked at her and pulled out a gun with his free hand. He shot her.

The nurse fell back.

"I never fail to mete out punishment to my own men," he said, seeing their shocked faced, "Don't look so surprised. She was a traitor."

"You--you monster!" Silk was outraged. "We forced her to help us. She was no traitor."

"Oh, on the contrary, she chose her safety over our goals. She most certainly is one," Hantai said, grabbing a hold of Shine's arm while she was still in shock, "You really learn slowly, Widow...or should I say Silk? A pity I just promised not to kill you. Then again, who's to stop me...?"

"Touch her," Shine choked, "and it won't matter in the least what we just agreed to, depend upon it."

"You're sick." Shigaraki was disgusted with Hantai. "Killing your own men like that, and you shouldn't ask them to sacrifice their lives just to please you. What did she ever do to you?"

"And why would a demon like you care?" Hantai said, "You kill innocent people often enough, don't you?"

Mirko slowly pushed herself up. "You b-----d"! she shouted at Hantai, preparing to charge him.

"Don't do anything crazy." Compress grabbed Mirko by her ears just before she could leap at Hantai.

"Let go of me. I'll murder him! I'll tear out his spine and bludgeon him with it!" Mirko's street side really had come out right now. She began using words that made Silk want to wash her ears out with bleach.

Hantai just laughed. "I really am going to miss this Hero when she's dead. I like her sadistic side."

"You---" Mirko threw out more insults. She started to shake Compress off.

"Well, enjoy what's left of your pathetic lives," Hantai said.

Black smoke swirled around him and Shine, who cast them one last look of sadness.

"No!" Mirko tore free of Compress's grasp to lunge.

Hantai's eyes were cold as he reached up with his gun again and prepared to fire.

"No!" Shine grabbed his arm and yanked it aside.

Shigaraki at the same moment managed to slam Mirko down with his own weight, so that she fell short of the Commander by a meter or so.

Hantai swore, but he and Shine both vanished from sight then.

Silk suddenly covered her mouth and ran for the nearest trash can and was sick.

"No!" Mirko yelled furiously, shoving Shigaraki up, "Why did you do that! You moron! Do you know what this means?! He's getting away." She shook him hard by his shoulders.

Shigaraki didn't even fight back. The whole thing had left him in shock.

Mirko waited for a second, and, getting no answer, she just burst into tears.

Even Compress, who was not overly attached to Shine personally, felt pretty disturbed by what just happened...and the nurse too...

He checked her.

"I'm afraid she's dead already..." he said, "That was a display of power..."

Silk looked up from the trashcan. "We have seconds to get to the others... Unless they can stall what's going on...I think we've lost."

They were all silent in horror.