Aizawa, Kaminari, and Jiro came in from the East side of the compound and didn't run into anyone for a long time. The whole section seemed abandoned. They found out why-- one part of it was collapsed in, though you couldn't tell from the outside. It looked like termites had eaten away supports, and it hadn't been repaired yet.

There were also some signs of what could have been a scuffle involving quirks: weird stains on the walls and floor.

They weren't sure what to make of all that.

But picking their way around it took quite a while. All the time Jiro kept listening for any signs of potential enemies.

* * *

Outside in the ditch, Hawks and Miss Joke kept watch. Miss Joke used the night vision goggles.

Hawks was using his feathers to scout around with but running into obstacles, locked doors, etc.

He felt uneasy. Watched as he was, had anyone seen him fly out here? Were they tracking his movements? It was pretty far away, but still.

"You seem a little tense," Miss Joke noted.

Hawks shrugged. "Just not being able to go in makes me antsy."

"Ah..." Miss Joke knew Shine thought Hawks was a problem...but she didn't seem to think he was evil. Personally, Miss Joke liked him. So, he was telling the truth, right? It was just the inaction.

Miss Joke might be smarter than she realized though.

"I'm worried about Rumi too." Hawks thought of a more convincing excuse. "I mean, she's such a hot head. We've run into each other a lot on patrol, and she's...well...kind of a fight hog, you know? Not that I don't appreciate her bailing me out with Dabi that one time, but..."

"Oh, I know her reputation," Miss Joke said dryly, "and I've seen her temper firsthand.... How did she get to be that way? I mean, she seems so collected on TV. I'm a little jealous of her confidence, but off the job, she's a little prickly."

"A little?" Hawks snorted, "Yeah...well..." At least this was a safe subject, he thought. "I don't know. I've known her for a while, but I wouldn't call us close. She's got that whole 'no teamwork unless it's absolutely required for the job' thing. No agency. I have a huge agency, so our philosophy is clearly a little different."

"I have the same problem with my former co-workers..." Miss Joke thought of Eraserhead.

"Yeah," Hawks laughed nervously, "Well, Rumi's.... I don't know why she's so set on being a loner with the hero biz. She's got a quirk that works well with others, not hyper destructive or needing a lot of space to use. Heck, Endeavor works more with others, and he's gotta try not to set them on fire. But she's always said teams make you weak."

"I know, but I'd have died so many times even as a young hero without a team," Miss Joke said, "How did she ever graduate with that attitude?"

"I dunno." Hawks couldn't relate. "Maybe she had bad classmates? I mean, those kids can get a little...over competitive....Anyway, she is doing good on her own though. I mean, Ryuku is lower than her, and she's got a team. Maybe facts speak for themselves."

"Maybe." Miss Joke leaned on her hand. "But it seems to me when you live like that, you always have to be proving that you're tough enough to survive without help. So what happens if someone tries to help you? Do you just toss them aside?"

"Well, it is annoying when people try to help and you don't need it," Hawks said, "Haven't we all been there? Some newb ruins what would have been a flawless rescue or capture?"

"Sure, but I laugh it off," Miss Joke said, "And that newb may save your life another day. It's not smart to snub anyone's efforts. Everyone can have an important role to play."

"Sure, but try explaining that to Rumi," Hawks chuckled, "She's so set in it, I doubt anything will change her mind. Well, I admire her courage of convictions. Never need to give her a chance to deliberate. She'll just do whatever she wants.... I envy it."

Miss Joke cocked her head. "Hmm...you don't think you have that, Hawks?"

Hawks looked grim. "I know I don't."

Miss Joke was quiet for a bit. "I know this may sound a little pretentious coming from someone not even on the leader board...but if you ever need help of some sort, feel free to ask me... I mean, I have time on my hands."

Hawks laughed...so he wouldn't show the stress. "That's generous of you, but you're a teacher, right? I think you're busier than I am."

"I doubt anyone's busier than you top Pros." Miss Joke was very right about that.

"True..." Hawks tried to change the subject. "But how is teaching different from Pro work? I mean, is it harder?"

"Oh, yes..." Miss Joke peered through the goggles. "Hold up...I see someone.... Wait...that can't be who I think it is..."

* * *

Shine, Mirko, and Bakugo were still edging their way farther in. Mirko heard some weird rumbling noises after a while, but she couldn't discern what they were.

Shine ignored the both of them and was either muttering prayers they couldn't distinguish, or she was singing songs in a low voice.

It was kind of weird. She seemed to be taking things lightly, under the circumstances.

Bakugo acted like it was normal though.

After passing through some kind of courtyard/hallway between buildings, they still hadn't met anyone.

Shine finally said they were being allowed to come in. There was no way someone wouldn't have seen them by now.

"It's gotta be a trap," she said, "Bakugo...I want you to go back."

"What? Why?" Bakugo said. That he didn't just say no was rather a surprise.

"I think we might need back up," Shine said, "Our communicators aren't very long range, and I think if we end up underground, they won't work. If that happens, we need someone to go and get help."

"I won't know that happens if I'm not with you," Bakugo said.

"You will if you listen in," Shine said, "but mostly, I just don't want you to get caught. Your quirk isn't suited to indoor fighting. I think you'd be at a disadvantage. We can handle ourselves better."

"I'd be fine. I can take these jackasses," Bakugo said.

"Isn't it more dangerous for him to go off alone?" Mirko pointed out.

"That maybe be true, but I have a bad feeling about this," Shine said, "I keep getting this sense of agony about this place...and bloodshed...and it's...I don't know, like a curse, almost. I shudder to think what could be waiting for us farther in."

"Then I should definitely stay with the two of you idiots," Bakugo said.

Shine sighed. "For now...but if we run into a real problem, I want you to try to get away and get help. They might not chase you so much, since you're a kid. They'll never let a Pro like Mirko off that easily. And I don't know about me."

Bakugo neither agreed nor disagreed with this proposal.

They turned into a large hallway, then it opened into a room with actual windows. Some kind of lobby to a different set of offices, perhaps? Definitely the newer part of the compound.

And eerily empty.

Or was it?

Behind them the walls shifted and closed in.

Mirko's ears twitched.

"Finally," a voice said from somewhere they couldn't see, "Took you long enough to get here."

Shine held up her sword. "I knew it. A trap."

Someone stepped out of the shadows. The room was only lit by starlight and faint moonlight. No bulbs were on in here.

Still, the person addressing them was unmistakable from TV. Mirko knew who it was.

Overhaul.

It wasn't the one who'd spoken though, because his voice was very different as he addressed them.

"This is interesting and sickening.... Two diseased heroes and one sicker person. Likstar, I presume?"

Shine recoiled. "Overhaul."

"Ah, my reputation has proceeded me, I see." His voice sounded filtered through his bird-shaped mask.

It was creepy.

Bakugo was more attentive to other details, however.

"Ey, weren't you supposed to not have arms?"

"Hmm." Overhaul didn't sound happy about that reminder. "You noticed? Well, these are a recent edition. Yesterday I still didn't have arms."

"How is that? If you used your quirk on that unsuspecting chump?" Mirko said.

"Chump?" Shine gave her an annoyed look.

"So small minded," Overhaul said, "I never liked you top Pros, even more insufferable than regular ones.... Especially you.... Rabbits have all kinds of diseases."

Mirko's ears went back. "Did you jut call me diseased?"

"Duh," Bakugo said, "I think the freak is calling all of us sick."

Shine pointed her sword at Overhaul. "No more dawdling. Where have you taken Eri? I'm asking only as a prelude to forcing you to show us."

"Big game for someone who's not a Pro," Overhaul said. He seemed to be scowling at her. "I particularly hate you though.... I think we need to talk more privately. Dismiss your lackeys."

"We're not her lackeys." Mirko cracked her fist. "And like h--- are we going anywhere."

"Yeah, you can go suck a--- egg," Bakugo said.

"Or a quirk," Shine mused.

"I wasn't making it optional." Overhaul snapped his new fingers.

The room seemed to turn in on itself. Mirko and Bakugo were tossed across it by the floor moving, and then it shoved them through a wall that had moved out of their way.

Shine had very little time to react as Overhaul reached out, and the floor around her broke apart and reassembled itself to pin her down and then shove her toward him.

She used her sword to block herself. He couldn't grab her like he was going to do, but he had her in a pretty difficult position.

He slammed her into the floor--she broke the impact with her sword, which of course didn't pierce her--but the shock still rattled her enough for her to almost black out.

Before she recovered, Overhaul dragged her away with his quirk.... He still didn't directly touch her for some reason.

* * *

Mirko and Bakugo were spat through the wall like it was a mouth--which was a weird thought, considering it was no doubt someone's quirk, but neither of them knew who it was.

The wall opened into the outside of the compound, putting them effectively back where they had begun--

Only it wasn't quite the same.

Bakugo crashed headlong into Hawks and Miss Joke, who were running that direction.

Mirko crashed into someone else, but it was kind of dark to see who.

But since both Pros and the the third personnage cried out in pain or annoyance or both, one of them at least figured it out.

"Eh? What the he--?" Bakugo sputtered, sitting up.

"Hi." Hawks pushed him off with his wings.

Miss Joke had got kicked in the face by Bakugo, by accident. "Oww...that stung.... Where's Likstar?"

Mirko sat up, ignoring who'd she'd crashed into because she was so pissed off. "That b-----d son of a ----. Freaking manwh---!" She swore so much even Bakugo was surprised. Then she jumped up. "I'll kill him!"

"Who?" Miss Joke was afraid to know the answer.

"Overhaul!" Mirko made a fist. "And whoever just spat us out of that wall!"

"But what's facepalm doing here?" Bakugo said.

"Huh?" Mirko just then noticed Shigaraki was picking himself up and looking pretty annoyed.

"Ew..." She backed up.

"Watch where you're going next time!" Shigaraki was mad.

"Watch where I'm going? Why are you even here? Was this a set up?" Mirko was madder than a march hare. [Or maybe mad as one, since her birthday is in March.]

"That's just what we were going to ask when you both came hurling out of there," Hawks shrugged. They wished he hadn't used that choice of words.

"Yeah, this doesn't seem very right." Miss Joke crossed her arms and frowned at Shigaraki.

"Don't look at me!" Shigaraki said.

"Why are you here, then?" Hawks said.

Shigaraki scowled. "I came to get Dabi."

"What?" Bakugo said, "You expect us to buy that crap?"

"I don't care what you think, but there's something I need to find out," Shigaraki said crossly, "Anyway, it sounds like you can't handle it, so I'm going to get Dabi and leave."

"So much for helping us, then," Miss Joke said, "But I suppose you have a right to pull him out.... It does look like we're in over our heads. The problem is, we don't know where he is."

"I did, but I can't get a bead on him." Hawks shook his wings. "Something's interfering, feels kind of like...fabric? That's not right."

"Well, great, now your transmission is busted," Mirko said, "Well, I can't hear him either...but I'm sure nothing much would have happened to him. We wouldn't be so lucky."

"Lucky?" Miss Joke said.

"Yes, thinking it would be the villain instead of one of our actual allies is definitely too good to be true in this case," Mirko said.

"You know what?" Shigaraki got mad. "Frick you."

Mirko didn't acknowledge that. "Anyway, we're in trouble. Overhaul's got Likstar now."

"Oh...that is bad..." Miss Joke rubbed her head.

"I'll kill him!" Bakugo said.

"Only if I do it first, small, angry bomb." Mirko rubbed her fist. "But first, what the h--- was that thing that threw us out here?"

"I dunno," Hawks said, "It looked like the wall just opened with a mind of its own."

"Mimic."

They all looked at Shigaraki, who was frowning.

"Huh?" Miss Joke said.

"Mimic. One of Overhaul's stupid, pathetic goons. Duh." Shigaraki seemed to resent explaining it to them. "Possesses objects? Don't you idiots do your homework?"

"It's not like I knew about this beforehand," Hawks said.

"I...couldn't find a whole lot on it," Miss Joke said, "but it does sound familiar now that you say it, but a whole compound?"

"Well, he's using drugs, clearly," Shigaraki conceded. He didn't sound real concerned about it. "You can all have fun dying while you take care of that. I'll just find Dabi and get out of here."

"Wait a minute you d--- b-----d!" Bakugo blocked his path. "What about Likstar?"

"What about her?" Shigaraki said.

"Well...if Overhaul has her, don't you think it'll be bad for us all?" Bakugo was surprisingly rational. "You idiot, you know her powers. You want him to be able to hunt you down that easily?"

Shigaraki hesitated. "Erh...I hate that you have a point."

"Of course I do! So you can't just buzz that fire hazard out of here until we've made sure Likstar is okay."

"But why is it our job to rescue your stupid friend?" Shigaraki objected.

"Because it's partly your fault," Bakugo said, "You're the one who didn't warn us beforehand about their quirks."

"Don't pin this on us! You should have done your research!"

"Uh...if I may interject," Miss Joke spoke up, "Shigaraki, isn't it in you best interest to have Likstar alive? She is the only reason we aren't going to arrest you after this is over. And you have a better chance of finding your subordinate if we have her, too."

She also suspected the villains wanted something else from Shine. Hadn't they spoken to her privately?

Then she frowned.... Shigaraki knew that already.... Was it possible this was a bluff? Did he actually intend to find Shine as well as Dabi and just didn't want them to know about it because he had a secret reason to do so?

It was a little far fetched, but not totally out of character, she thought.

"We don't need his help," Mirko interrupted, "He'll just slow us down. We have to get back in there. I'm calling it, Hawks. Time to get off your duff. I hate to admit it, but you're faster than I am because of those stupid feathers, so you can probably find the room faster. It's straight ahead from here."

"Right." Hawks shot some feathers out into a window, but then he shook his head. "I think the layout had changed. It's blocked off now.... Overhaul moved it, maybe?"

"Overhaul can't use his quirk without his arms," Shigaraki spoke in disgust.

"But he has arms," Bakugo said.

"Yeah, he had arms." Mirko twitched her ears. "And that's something I want an explanation for too."

"Isn't it obvious? He used the kid." Bakugo sounded disgusted. "That SOB must have made her use her quirk to restore his d--- arms! I'll roast him alive when I find him."

"Oh...that poor little girl." Miss Joke covered her mouth. "I really hope you're wrong, Ground Zero...but I think you're right."

"I'll just add that to the reasons I have to kill the guy," Mirko sniffed.

"Me too," Shigaraki muttered, then realized he'd said it out loud. They gave him odd looks.

"I meant him getting his arms back," he said spitefully.

They rolled their eyes.

"But Eri doesn't have great control," Miss Joke said.

"Overhaul is the one who controlled her for years. Maybe he can get around that..." Bakugo suggested.

"Well...let's not tell Eraser this when we find him," Miss Joke sighed, "I'm afraid it would be too much for him."

"Don't worry." Hawks patted her shoulder. "I'm sure we'll find the kid soon. There's too many of us to fail, right?"

"What an idiotic thing to say," Shigaraki said.

"Any luck?" Mirko tapped her foot impatiently.

"Still meeting dead ends," Hawks said, "And what's more, I'm going from the opposite way too. Nothing. It's like they disappeared into the..."

"Ground," everyone finished suddenly. Except Shigaraki.

"What?"

"There's underground rooms here," Bakugo explained irritably.

"Like in his other base?" Shigaraki knew all the details about Overhaul, apparently.

That was pissing Mirko off.

"Okay, face palm guy, spill. Clearly you've been in this creep's lair before. Does he have a pattern?"

"Why should I help you?" Shigaraki said.

Mirko began to say something threatening, but Miss Joke blocked her. "Consider this-- Dabi might have found his way down there too, so any help you could give us in finding it or knowing what to expect may help him too."

Shigaraki rolled his yes. "Fine...but there's not much to say. He likes to make you walk in circles... The underground part is where all the most secret things are, probably. I suppose he had the kid in there too. I never saw her before. I don't even know what she looks like. There were meeting rooms too. But that's assuming he designed this level to be like that one. It could be a whole 'nother scenario."

"Gaming terms?" Miss Joke said, "Level meaning the underground, I assume? Or do you mean the situation itself? I'm confused."

"He means both," Mirko supplied, still annoyed, "Overhaul is kind of repetitive, sounds like."

"Well, if it ain't broke..." Hawks said uneasily, "So...we need to get underground. That's not great for me. Not my terrain."

"Well, it should be find for the rest of us." Mirko wasn't concerned. "Except Blasty there, maybe."

Bakugo glared at her. "I'll handle it! I won't let a d--- rabbit beat me."

"I like your spirit, kid, but you'll have a long way to go before you can challenge me," Mirko said with complete unconcern.

"Don't ever say that to him..." Miss Joke knew him enough to say.

"Anyone else find it suspicious that we've just been standing here for 5 minutes and nothing else has attacked us? Like, why would they just toss you two outside?" Hawks said.

"Oh, we've been here the whole time," someone said.

They all turned weirdly to see a group of masked people standing a few paces away next to the wall.

"Yeah, it's weird you didn't notice," someone else said.

"Why didn't you attack, then?" Hawks couldn't let it go.

"Why should we when you're not trying to do anything yet? Waste your own time," the first said.

"Pricks." Shigaraki didn't like the gang one bit.

"Well, this should be fun." Mirko cracked her knuckles.

* * *

Dabi, Shoto, and Momo had gone farther into the compound and also reached somewhere near the middle, but they were stopped by the building shifting.

It didn't seem directed at them, but they were hopelessly lost in a matter of seconds because it all looked different.

"I think I just figured out why this dump is such a maze," Dabi said.

"I'm sure there's a way to get back on track..." Momo said.

Shoto tapped his communicator. "I don't know. No one's coming in."

"But I'm sure I made these to be long range," Momo said.

"Something could be causing interference," Shoto said.

The floor under them shifted.

Someone's voice seemed to come from the walls. "Well...what's this? A member of the LOV?"

"Oh...frick," Dabi said.

The ground opened underneath him, and he fell through the floor.

"Dabi?" Momo looked over, thinking maybe she could help...but it sloped down like a tunnel.

Shoto yanked her back as the ground shook and it closed.

"They captured him!" she cried.

"I saw," Shoto said, "If it was that easy, they could capture us too."

"Oh, not to worry," the voice said, "I don't care about you. The grunts can take of you two brats. I'm just out for the big fish."

The walls stopped shifting...

"I think he left..." Momo said.

"I guess there is something underground here, then," Shoto said.

"That was so scary..." Momo shivered. "If...we we don't stop that wall villain, none of us will be able to escape here."

"How do we fight a wall?" Shoto said.

Momo rubbed her forehead. "I know I read up on Overhaul's gang before we left. I'm sure there must have been one who matches..."

"I think you have your own problems," another voice said. [Tengai.]

They turned.

Two masked men were before them. One looked vaguely like bulldog to them.... The other was just a tall man in a kimono or something.

"This should be fun," the bull dog looking one said. [Rappa.]

The truth came out then. Momo realized that not just Overhaul, but all of his 8 Bullets had escaped...

Something so specific, it must have been carefully planned.

But at the moment it was more important that they were about to die if they didn't do something.

"This'll be a real Death Match!" Rappa confirmed her worst fears by adding, digging in his heels.

Shoto pushed Momo behind him and cast a wall of ice.

"A shield? That's boring!" Rappa yelled, charging and busting through it.

"Yaoyerozu? Do you have a plan?" Shoto really hoped the answer was yes.

He got a nervous sound in response.

Momo didn't have enough information to make a plan with, now she saw how woefully unprepared they were for this. This was why Aizawa and Shine both had wanted to avoid actual combat as long as possible.

But there was no time for worrying about that now.... She had to assess their powers.

Shoto shot fire at the angry man.

"Watch it, Rappa," the other one said, casting some kind of bubble shield around him.

"Thanks, Tengai, but I don't think this little twerp will be much of a challenge," Rappa said.

"I wouldn't underestimate him. He's the son of the number 1 hero now. I watched the UA sports festival. He's not someone to dismiss," Tengai said.

Privately, Momo cursed that festival for ever being broadcasted. How many times had Todoroki gotten in trouble because people already knew who he was and his power?

Maybe they wouldn't remember her though, since she did so badly (she still thought she'd done badly).

To confirm this, Rappa said, "And the girl?"

"I don't remember. She's probably a student too.... Not sure how a couple of students found their way in here," Tengai said, "But she's not much of a threat, probably. Still, you never know."

Shoto thought they were idiots. Momo was the bigger threat. He couldn't even use his quirk properly in this confined space.

Rappa broke through more of his ice. "Is this all you're going to do?"

"No." Shoto froze over his legs. "It's not."

Rappa just laughed and broke out. "Now that's more like it!"

So he was crazy.

The shield guy cast a shield over Momo.

"I suppose all I need to do is restrain you. Kind of dull, but then, I'm not the adrenaline junkie out of the two of us."

Momo swallowed, then crouched down, hugging her sides. Hopefully he would think she was just scared.

"Pathetic..." he muttered, looking away to watch Rappa whale on Shoto's ice defense.

Good. Perfect.

Momo thought frantically, What would be the best thing to make right now?

A nesting doll popped out of her arm.

She wanted to slap herself.

Wait, maybe she could work with this.

She just needed this shield to be gone.

Shoto solved this problem for her by attacking it, since he thought she needed help. The shield flickered and went down.

Momo rolled closer to Tengai, doll in hand. Tengai stared at her.

"Is that a toy?" His tone implied he thought she was an imbecile.

Momo nodded. "I, uh...just like them." She held it up. "They're nesting dolls.... I mean, they make me feel calmer."

"And you're a hero student?" Tengai said, "That's just...wow.... UA really has gone downhill."

Momo smirked at him just a little. "But they're cool. I'll show you." She popped it open and shut her eyes.

Light flashed, blinding Tengai, and he got it right in the face too which physically hurt him.

"Ahhh." He hissed and recoiled. "What in the h--- was that!"

Momo lunged forward with the taser she still had and tasered him.

Tengai writhed and fell over, stunned.

Momo laughed in her surprise that had worked. "This is my new favorite weapon. I cannot believe I didn't think of this before."

[Frankly, neither can I. What the heck, show/manga?!]

"Tengai?" Rappa turned. "My shield! Why, you little brat! You have more fight in you than I thought!"

Why did he sound happy about that?

Before Momo knew what was happening, he'd charged her and lashed out.

She tried to move, but he still caught her enough for her to go flying into a wall and nearly get knocked out.

Shoto lost his temper at that. Fire blazed up all over the hallway.

Rappa actually didn't like fire, based on the yowling noises he made at that.

"Ah..." He tried to avoid it.

Shoto slammed him into the wall with ice and he fell over.

Momo blinked dazedly. Her head was still spinning.

Shoto ran up to her. "Yaoyurozu, are you okay?"

She looked at him, a little loopy.

"Momo?" He grabbed her shoulders. "Can you hear me?"

"Uh huh..." Momo managed, "Sorry...still kind of dizzy.... That was amazing though."

And terrifying, but she thought better of saying that. He might take it the wrong way.

[Momo can still be sensitive even when she might be concussed. Truly best girl!]

"That was a good idea," Shoto said, "I didn't know a taser was so versatile."

"Yeah, I don't know why I never used it before," Momo said, "But it's not going to keep him down for long."

Shoto turned and froze Tengai to the floor. "That should do it. Let's get out of here. We need to regroup with the others. Can you walk?"

"Yeah." Momo got up a bit shakily. She was still a bit unsteady. Shoto took her arm to help.

"I was finally helpful..." Momo said, just relieved at this point that she hadn't been knocked out of the fight before doing anything.

"What do you mean finally?" Shoto was confused. "Weren't you already helpful?"

"I mean when it really mattered though," Momo said.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Shoto wondered if she was concussed. Was she not there for the previous brush with Silk?

"I'm fine," Momo said.

"Don't start crying."

Momo laughed nervously. "I think you just made a joke."

"That wasn't a joke..." Shoto was puzzled.

Of course it wasn't on purpose, Momo thought.... Kind of made it funnier though.... Oh, wow, she was a little woozy still.

Normally she'd have just taken him completely seriously, but she was too happy about successfully taking someone down to be as sensitive.

The good mood didn't last though. She remembered about Dabi.

"We have to find him," she said suddenly, "I'm sure they captured him for a reason. What if it's to do horrible things to him?"

Shoto glared. "He's not a good person. Should we really feel sorry for him?"

"Shoto..." Momo used his real name by accident, though it was even-- he'd used hers earlier. "I know...it's a lot...but...you don't really want him to die, right? He's still helping us, for whatever reason."

Shoto sighed. "I guess not...but I just don't want those b------ds to win, that's all. I don't care about him. But to help, we need to find the others and regroup. I don't think we can take all these guys on alone. We were lucky those two weren't that smart."

Kirishima would be mad later to hear how fast he beat someone it took him and Fat Gum several minutes to defeat...but then, they didn't have a Momo.