Everyone just stared at Lethe for a second.

Then half the group just charged at him.

Medea jumped in front of her brother and turned mostly into fire.

"Stop!" she shouted at them all. 

They slowed--except for Todoroki and Bakugo who had no problem with fire.

"Out of our way!" Bakugo yelled.

"Stand down," Shoto said.

"Kids!" Shine suddenly spoke in her old, authoritative tone they all didn't even know they missed until then.

They both skidded to a stop.

"That worked?" Shine looked at Wally.

"They're all terrified of you here," Wally said. "You'll remember why pretty soon. But, Sunshine, you don't have to do this. I want to punch the little punk too."

"Just give me a second." Shine resumed her normal queenly air that she had before all this.

To her friends, it felt like they were watching her finally wake up from the daze she'd been in.

To Kitsune, and probably Lethe, it was like watching her change personality. Kitsune was just mildly impressed, but Lethe was terrified.

He struggled with his restraints.

Monama wouldn't let him run either. He was holding him firmly in place.

Even Shigaraki was waiting for Shine. When she talked like that, you didn't get in her way.

Shine walked right up in front of Lethe and looked him in the eye.

Lethe looked away.

"Lethe," Shine spoke in her regal but not harsh tone, "you suppressed my memory of my friends."

Lethe said nothing.

"You were wrong to do that," Shine said.

Medea held still, her fire going out now.

Lethe still said nothing.

Shine raised a hand, making them stiffen.

Then Shine grabbed Lethe's forehead and made him look up at her. She seemed to be reading the look in his eyes.

Lethe looked scared enough, even to the very angry adults. He just seemed like a frightened, teen-aged kid.

Shine let him go.

"I could hurt you," she said slowly, "and maybe it would make us all feel better, for a second...but in the end, damage is done, and hurting you won't change that. I'm angry at you...but my friends have proven to be loyal to me even if I don't remember them, and for
someone like me, who's been lonely and abandoned for much of her life, and treated harshly by people in many worlds just for telling them the truth...it's an invaluable gift to know I have real friends here... I remember you were forced to do this thing. I could slap you right now, but I don't want to really punish you beyond that."

She stepped back. Her eyes glowed gold more fully than they had before.

She looked at the others. "I think we should leave him alone. He'll be punished for all this soon enough without us doing it. You all know me, right? You must know I don't believe in revenge...so please, don't do anything to him we'll all regret later."

"But that's not good enough!" Spinner said.

"After all he put us through!" Mirko added. "And you, you just want to let him off the hook?"

Medea looked nervously at them.

"It's not just you. He'd hurt many people we know," Shoto said. "Ibara, Medea."

"Shigaraki," Spinner added.

"Silk," Compress said.

"I don't count. I asked him to," Silk said, earning her some puzzled looks.

"Who is he?" Kitsune kind of broken the tension by asking.

"It's not just Lethe's fault," Medea defended him. "Hantai made him do it, you know. I have the most reason to be mad at him, so if I don't want to hurt him, then why should you?"

"If he was coerced on pain of death, couldn't you all find some sympathy for him in your hearts?" Shine added. "We've all been there, haven't we? It's not easy to make decisions under those circumstances."

"Perhaps if he had actually been sorry to do it," Todoroki said darkly. "But he didn't seem sorry at all."

Lethe looked down.

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

Shine tilted her head. "Just yelling at someone or hurting them will not make them sorry, Shoto."

Shoto couldn't take her talking to him like she knew him again.

He lowered his hands and bowed his head. "I will respect your wishes, Shine. For you, not for him."

He stepped back.

Bakugo wouldn't be outdone by Shoto. He frowned, but moved back also.

"I can see you won't allow us to do anything," Shigaraki said to Shine very ungraciously. "So I won't bother trying. That little shrimp should be thanking you. After he does that to you, you're still the first to protect him from the rightful consequences. You make no sense, Likstar."

"Actually, Medea was the first," Monama said.

"The people who are the most wronged by you are often the first to forgive you," Shine said something strange--because it was actually true. "The fact is, if they let you get close enough to hurt them badly, they probably love you enough to give you another chance...or in my case, just don't believe it's best to be self serving about these things."

Medea shrugged. "I don't know if I'm that forgiving, but I couldn't just let you all kill my  brother... Even if he's a little s---, we're family, and I want to act like it."

Lethe cast her a strange look.

Shigaraki seemed to find that hard to swallow.

Mirko frowned. "I don't trust him as far as I could throw him."

"That's pretty far, actually. He's kind of a twig," Compress noted. "And if Medea wants to accept him, who are we to stop her?"

"We all know you're just saying that because you want us to let you keep the Russian lady," Hawks said.

Compress shrugged.

"Mirko," Medea looked right at her, "if it was Ren, what would you say?"

"Ren would never," Mirko said.

"But he could do something bad. And would you just let him get killed over it?" Medea pleaded.

Mirko seemed defeated. "I guess...I can kind of see what you mean...but keep him away from me." She shot Lethe a poisonous look. "And if you don't keep your hands to yourself, you're losing them. Got it? I'm sure any of us would be happy to take them off for you."

Lethe winced.

"I..." he spoke finally, "I know I'm not really worth all this trouble. I don't blame you all for being hostile...and I'm still not sure about this...but, Miss Likstar...I think I owe you your memory back."

Shine tilted her head. "Can you do that? My mind is not easy to manipulate. It took drugs before."

"Releasing memory is easy," Lethe said. "I don't even have to touch you to do it... I can't risk all the others, not yet, but...if it would give you a fighting chance to get out of here, I suppose I could always say I was forced to later. With all of you here, it would be easy to believe."

Shine nodded. "I'm a little scared at how overwhelming it might be to have that happen..."

"Oh, they won't come back all at once," Silk offered. "A few major ones will, and that leads to more, and it's a rush for a minute or so, then your mind settles and it come back as you need it. Lethe is more of just giving you access back."

"Ah, well, okay then." Shine swallowed.

Wally put his hand on her shoulders. "It better work that way." He gave Lethe a glare.

Lethe gulped. Then he closed his eyes, and when he opened them, they were glowing red.

[Image by the same.]

For a moment, nothing really happened.

But then Shine drew a sudden breath and started crying silently.

Wally hugged her. She leaned on him.

Lethe's eyes returned to normal and he perspired. "Her mind really is hard to get to... I'm not sure she'll get all of it back right away because of that... Might take a few days..."

Monama asked, "Do you remember me now, Miss Likstar?"

Shine nodded. 

"You're kind of annoying," she managed. "But I still like you."

"Aw, see?" Medea said. "Even she thinks you're annoying, even if she likes you."

"Stop..." Monama said.

Shine let out a long sigh. "Thank you, Lethe."

"Don't thank me for this." Lethe finally looked ashamed of himself. 

[Fits Lethe to a tee, doesn't it?]

Shine was surprisingly calm once she had her memories settle down. She just turned to the others and said, with a tired smile, "Can we go home now, please?"

"Yes!" the UA people said.

"We must enact our plan, then," Compress said. "And I think you'll like this one, Miss Likstar. It was Creati's idea."

"Well, they helped," Momo said.

Shine shrugged. "I'm far too overwhelmed right now to come up with one myself. I'll just do whatever you say."

Shoto said, "You can hang with Mr. West... Can you get the chip out of him?"

Shine tried to summon her sword, unsuccessfully. "Not yet."

"But...you remember now..." Momo said.

"I couldn't even before Lethe did that. Sometimes we just can't," Shine said. "I guess our own strength and grace is just not enough sometimes."

Wally sighed. "I want to do something though..."

"Just let us handle this," Hawks said. "The two of you have done enough... If we do get out of this alive, I'll get you chicken nuggets."

"That sounds good right about now," Wally admitted.

"You know...we're still missing Kayla," Spinner noted.

"And Toga..." Compress added.

But no one wanted to go look for them right now. Even Shigaraki was too tired from blood loss to try.

* * *

Hantai wasn't just going to let the vermin escape.

Things weren't looking good for him, though. The Hero team didn't realize this, but they had taken out 75% of the ninja in the base who were even active. Out of a few thousand, less than 600 remained who hadn't fought them directly.

Out of the less than 600 who hadn't yet encountered the group directly, around 300 of them had fought clones and were either beaten, wounded, or dead in cases where the clones had gone out of Twice's control entirely.

Out of the roughly 300 left of them, Toga had killed 20 at least, which wasn't a lot, but since she was still unidentified and running around the base, it wasn't great.

Then of the 200+ of those, the kidnapped people Spinner had set loose had taken out at least 100 more, since they had caught them completely off guard, and had only suffered minimal casualties in return.

So now Hantai had about 150 or so fighters to work with, give or take a dozen, and just a few elites who hadn't been defeated already.

And thanks to him shooting the nurse, quick recovery was going to be impossible until they got a replacement.

Hantai, after one of his assistants had done the math on this for him, just about burst a blood vessel.

"You're telling me they took out over 2000 fighters just with their main squadron?" he said.

"Well, sir, given the confined space, the black out, and the fact that there were 2 top Pros and several Villains among them, it's not so surprising we were at a disadvantage," the woman ninja said placidly. "Our reinforcements have not arrived yet. Also we suspect internal sabotage. Some reports seemed to have been delayed by someone in the data collecting room, but we have yet to discover who."

Hantai slammed his flail into the table, cutting gashes in it.

The ninja jumped.

"And Lethe? Why is he not here?" Hantai said.

"All our sources suggest he's been taken hostage, sir." The woman backed up several feet.

Hantai swore like a sailor, making her wince.

"Sir," she said, when he was silent again, "should I order self destruct?"

Hantai looked up. "The DJs are wanted alive. The others I don't care about. Blow them up if you want, but first we get those two out of here, or my superiors will have my head as well as yours and anyone else who's left in this miserable base.

"I don't care if it takes all 150 or whatever it was of the people left," Hantai raged. "We get them back and we get out of here. I'll spend as many lives as I need to in order to succeed. You got that?"

"Yes, sir," she said slowly. "And of our own who helped them? If we find them, you want them to be dealt with the same?"

"Alive or dead, I don't care. Alive and we can torture them first, but at times like this, efficiency sometimes pays more than creativity," Hantai said coldly.

The secretary saluted. "Yes, Commander. It's already done."

"And you get out of here too!" Hantai said. "I will handle the matter myself also."

She fled the room.

"Wise choice, Commander," a different girl's voice said lazily.

Hantai's spine shuddered. He looked up.

Agent Tomomoto was leaning on the wall.

[Image by the same.]

"I'm doing the best I can," Hantai said warily. "You see what they are capable of. You expressly said this idea would work."

"It would." Tomomoto pulled out her ever present nail file. "But you miscalculated. It's not the DJs you should have watched out for, it was their colleagues."

Hantai watched her nervously. "They should have been easy to neutralize. They found a way to get around our quirk blocking technology... There's only so much I can do."

Tomomoto came up to him, making him stiffen.

"You're right, Commander." She tilted her hat. "There is only so much you can do. Because you lack imagination. Had fun trying to break them, did you? We warned you not to try too hard. You're attracted to power, are you? So are we, but power is no good if you don't know how to use it."

She poked the metal file into the front of his coat till it hurt.

"The truth is, you have to corrupt them from the inside. That's the only way to really destroy them. So either you pull this off, or you'll be discarded just like everyone else who can't get results. Believe me, the Master has plenty more hacks like you. He won't miss you." She smirked slyly.

Hantai leaned away from her. "I could say the same thing about you. A kid like you won't last long in your position."

"Ah, but you see, you don't understand this, Commander." She pulled back and smirked again. "You're weak, born without power and clawing your way to the top. Some of us are just born into the right position with the right talents, and we're irreplaceable. If you want, I can demonstrate again...but the effect wasn't so pleasant last time, was it?"

Hantai clenched a fist. "We're going to stop them. If it takes every life in this place."

"Good," Tomomoto said, backing off. "In the meantime, I gotta jet. I don't care to be spotted around here yet, just in case this goes south. Ta!" 

She melted back into the shadows in the room.

Hantai shivered. 

Then he shook himself and hastened to get to work.

[To those of you who don't get it because it's been so many chapters, Tomomoto was the real name of Kali Moto, Camie's classmate who disappeared. Told you she was important later.

If you'll recall, her last name means "original" and "friend", while her first means "goddess of darkness". Start making theories.]

* * *

After that, he summoned Kurogiri, who seemed to have no memory of helping the DJ woman escape, and ordered him to take him to the part of the base the escapees were last reported in.

He found no one there.

"They couldn't have gotten to the exits--we have people watching those. So they're hiding around here somewhere...Kurogiri, go fetch."

Kurogiri did so.

A moment later, Camie and Twice were dropped in front of Hantai.

Camie was already breathing hard and using some kind of inhaler to try to help regulate.

Twice was muttering to himself and didn't seem very aware of what was going on.

"Freaks," Hantai said distastefully. "But you make good bait."

He grabbed Camie by the neck before she could move.

"All right," he said loudly, "Likstar, West, League, Heroes, I know you're here. I trust you can hear me. You have 5 minutes to appear, or I will kill both of your friends here without hesitation. I can find more hostages if necessary. You choose to leave this base, and I will order more of your friends captured. There will be no negotiations."

Silence.

Hantai looked at his watch. "4 minutes, 50 seconds."

* * *

Mirko stopped mid-step and twitched her ears.

"It's Hantai," she said darkly. "He's got more of us...not sure which ones."

"What does he want?" Aizawa asked.

"Us to go to where he is," Mirko said, "or he'll shoot them. Less than 5 minutes, now. I'd say he's a few halls away, in that big intersection."

"Not all of us need to go," Aizawa said. "Someone who will be the least of a loss should go."

"He wants the DJs specifically," Mirko said.

"Just who we can't afford to hand over," Aizawa said.

"Eraser, they'll go whether we hand them or not," Miss Joke said. "You know how they are..."

"We're not losing them again!" Mirko cried. "Twice in one day is enough. I say we go kick Hantai's a--!"

"He won't be alone," Aizawa warned. "It's a clear trap. You'd better not just rush into it."

"Guys, you getting this?" Hawks poked his head around the corner. "My feathers picked it up... Hantai's got more people... Either it's the two rock star kids, or the people we left by the door, or Toga and Kayla?"

"No reason is couldn't be a different mix up of any of those 6," Aizawa said. "But who is Kayla?"

"She's a mermaid," Hawks said.

Blank look.

"Guys," Spinner came into view, still with Kitsune, "Aesop has an idea."

* * *

"One minute left." Hantai put a gun to Camie's back. "I must say, I thought they would care more about their own filth... I guess not."

Camie drew a deep breath. "I'd tell you to go to hell, Scary Man, but, like, I think you're already on the highway there."

"Shut up, you impertinent, little monster," Hantai said, yanking her arms painfully. "I didn't capture you to get lip from you. You are here only as bait. Act like it."

Camie winced.

Twice looked up at her.

"Camie has helped the League," he said, one voice becoming a bit more prevalent. "Even if she has a scary aura...that makes her friend, and that means you should not get her."

"You try anything, you rabid mutt, and I'll shoot her now," Hantai said. "I only need one of you, so keep your clones and your hands to yourself."

Twice froze.

"I appreciate the thought, bro," Camie said, wincing, "but I think he's for real."

"Like Toga..." Twice muttered. "Toga became Camie. Does that mean Camie also became Toga?"

"I'm putting that one down to being crazy," Camie said. "Because otherwise I was never so insulted, dude."

"Shut it!" Hantai warned her.

"Hey!" Spinner suddenly appeared with... a fox?

"One." Hantai looked up. "But not who I wanted."

He pointed the gun towards him. "Don't try anything stupid."

Spinner swallowed. "I have a Hero here," he said, holding up the fox girl, who looked like she'd lost a fight with an egg beater to Camie.

"Suppose I just trade you for my League member. You don't really need him do you?"

Hantai's eyes narrowed.

Camie saw the fox girl looking at him intently.

Hantai nodded.

"Fine, I don't care. This one's too hard to control anyway."

Spinner came closer, dragging the fox girl with him.

They got within range to grab Twice.

"Close enough," Hantai said.

The fox suddenly winked at Camie.

Camie blinked, then she turned and bit Hantai's hand that had the gun.

Hantai turned to hit her--

The fox woman jumped like...well, a fox, and kicked off of his face, making him stagger backwards.

Spinner pulled Camie out of his grasp and grabbed Twice too, shoving them away.

"Twice make more clones, hurry," he said.

Twice made a bunch of him and Camie.

The clones ran to Hantai.

But Hantai threw off Kitsune, who was still very weak, and sent her sprawling.

Spinner caught her and hauled her up.

But Hantai wasn't done yet.

Out of all the hallways around, the ninja came, and some came out of the smoke of Kurogiri's quirk.

 And they started shooting arrows and throwing stars.

All the clones were hit and melted.

The real people who were hit just yelped in pain, but weren't hurt that badly.

Hantai brushed himself off, and the ninja surrounded them.

"Nice try," he said, "but you couldn't really think that would work... Not sure why I even let you get that far."

"I'm sorry, Spinner," Kitsune muttered. "I can't affect this many people even on a good day, and I'm pretty tapped out right now..."

"You tried..." Spinner couldn't really point fingers. He wasn't any better than this.

"Now, if you all would like to come out, we can stop this foolishness." Hantai picked up his gun and pointed it at them.

"Or I'm going to count to ten, and with each count, I'll shoot one of your minions." 

He looked serious about it.

It felt like a long time, but he hadn't counted beyond 8 when most of the group appeared in the hallways.

The ninja stepped aside, keeping their weapons trained on them, as they came in.

Hantai smirked when he saw Shine and Wally, both glaring at him.

"Seize all of them," he said, leveling his gun at the hostages. "Then I want you to kill one person for every word those two dare to say, since your voice seems to be the one thing you can use to manipulate my people, Likstar. And kill one person for any move they make to resist. Is that clear?"

"You are such an unbelievable a--h---!" Mirko yelled at him.

Hantai glared at her.

"You know what, kill the rabbit," he said. "I'm tired of her."

He noticed Lethe. "Ah, there's my right hand man. Hand him over too."

Instead, Shigaraki suddenly grabbed Lethe by the shoulder.

"Call off your snipers," he said, "or he's dying with us."

Medea shot Shigaraki a horrified look.

Lethe looked terrified too.

Hantai stared at them.

"Let's see...an ultimatum? Either let my star pupil be killed, or let you get a chance to fight back?" he said. He frowned. "What a conundrum."

Then suddenly he laughed, horrible, evil laughter.

"Or it would be, if we hadn't already taken pains to clone his most useful quirk."

Lethe blanched. "What?"

"My dear boy, you're much too valuable to only have one of you," Hantai said. "Sooner or later, you were going to snap under the weight of all those memories. We had to have backup already. Sorry I didn't tell you. I wanted you to feel important...but if it's down to this, I guess I can let you go sooner. Go ahead, Shigaraki, you get one win before dying."

Medea screamed, "No!"

"Or I can save you the trouble." Hantai suddenly pointed his gun at Lethe.

"Lethe!" Medea jumped in front of him.

"Medea, no!" Mirko jumped at her.

Hantai fired.

Several of the girls screamed...and some of the guys did too. Spinner was one.

Medea sat up. Lethe was under her.

Mirko pushed herself up with one arm.

"D---, I missed," Hantai said.

He hadn't missed entirely. Mirko had blood running down her other arm, but it wasn't deep enough to have hit a vital spot.

"Oh my gosh!" Medea looked ready to throw up.

Lethe whimpered.

"I can try again." Hantai took aim again.

"Look out behind you!" Kitsune yelled at him.

For reasons no one else understood until afterward, Hantai actually turned and looked behind him.

In that moment, Hawks knocked the gun out of his hands with feathers.

And all hell broke loose.

The ninja began to try to kill them all right then, and they all leapt into action.

Hantai recovered from the surprise and pulled out his flail and began screaming at his subordinates to kill them all except the DJs.

In the confusion, Mirko found Hawks moving her with his feathers.

"That was a brave thing to do," he said. "We all have to protect our students, but you couldn't have dodged just a little more?"

"I...had to show the b-----d I could take a hit..." Mirko said. "Turns out, getting shot really hurts."

She shot Shigaraki a knowing look.

Shigaraki shrugged. "It could always be worse."

"Prick!" she said.

"Well, he could have killed you, you moron," Shigaraki shot back.

"Or me." Medea was shaking. "That was so scary. I never had someone get that close to killing me before."

"You idiot, why didn't you turn into fire?" Lethe said.

"Because I couldn't block for you if I did that," Medea said. "I thought maybe I could at the last second if I knocked you down."

"You don't have that kind of control yet," Mirko scolded her, kicking her with one foot. "You idiot!"

"I had to try," Medea said. "And you didn't do any better than me!"

Then she hugged Mirko, startling her. "I'm sorry..."

"Don't get like that," Hawks said, adjusting his goggles. "She won't die for this as long as we get out of here soon. No time to cry, kid, you have to fight."

Medea wiped her eyes then nodded. She turned into fire. "Come on, Monama."

Monama had copied a few different quirks while he could.

"Right." He blasted some ninja aside.

"I can fight." Mirko got to her feet.

"No you don't!" Hawks argued. "Shot people do not fight."

"If shot people don't fight, then we're all dead," Mirko said. "Don't baby me. I'm fine. It's just a flesh wound."

"I now I see why it sounds stupid," Compress muttered, compressing a few ninja and tossing them down the hall.

Silk smacked two more together with her bindings.

"We can beat the grunts, but he is only using them to stall us, depend on it. I know him. He'll have a real problem for us ready by the time we get rid of them."

"We need to be able to fight," Wally said to Shine, as they watched the chaos.

Shine tilted her head. "I can't shake the feeling that there's something we're forgetting--not like it was suppressed forgetting, but like we're missing it."

"Well, I hope you remember fast." Wally caught one ninja's pole as they attacked him and swung it to the side so they hit the wall. "Man, I am so slow right now."

Shine kicked the ninja into the wall. "I don't know, babe, that looked pretty good to me. You've still got it."

Wally smirked at her. "I love you."

"You too," Shine said.

"Stop that!" Bakugo yelled at them. "Freaking focus!"

He looked towards Camie.

Camie had stumbled away from Hantai, who, losing patience with the idea of shooting her, just used his flail to swat at any clones Twice was making.

She made it to Bakugo before stumbling, and he caught her.

"Hi." Camie looked up at him sheepishly.

"Get your s--- together," Bakugo said, standing her up and blasting someone away behind her.

"Right, right, Bae," Camie said. "Just stand still a sec, will you?"

She took a prepatory stance, then, using Bakugo as a balance beam, she vaulted over his shoulders and kicked one ninja away from him.

"Who needs a quirk?"

"No!" Hantai was watching this in anger. "No! No! No! I will not be foiled like this."

"You use a word like 'foiled' and you expect anyone to take you seriously?" Wally punched another ninja away.

Shine had picked up a pole and was taking advantage of her longer reach to keep them from getting close enough to hit her.

"I don't care if you hit our own, shoot them!" Hantai yelled at his ninja.

Who turned to give him astonished looks. Then some of them pulled out guns.

Others didn't. They just stood there. 

"Hey, sir, I have friends here," one called.

"And we're all quirkless. This is our only safe haven," said another. 

"We can't just recklessly shoot each other!" a third said.

Hantai frowned. "Kill them," he said. "No room for traitors here."

Some of the ninja reluctantly turned to the three who'd spoken, as well as the others who didn't want to shoot.

Hawks knocked the guns out of their hands.

"Everyone take cover!" he yelled.

Shoto formed a wall of ice around as many members of the group as he could.

Compress tossed a huge piece of metal sheeting out in front of them and ducked behind it.

Shine motioned at the three who'd just turned. "You're with us now whether you like it or not. Come here."

They kind of looked at her oddly, then they did so.

No one else moved to shoot them--they were too surprised by Hawks stopping it.

"Sir, I'm not sure we can win this," said one.

"No," Hantai said. "Either you die to them, or to me later. That's the only way this ends for you. Or win. Do I make myself clear?"

"Dude," Wally called from behind the ice, "it's not worth it. You've lost, just admit it. You can't keep killing off your own people. You're already down to, like, 50 as it is."

"But I have insurance," Hantai said.

A few elites stepped forward. One held a gun that looked eerily like a bazooka.

"Blast them," Hantai said. "I don't care who else you hit, as long as they are some of them."