a/n: sorry for the delayed update! hopefully i'll be able to come out with a longer chapter soon! thank you all for being so patient with me—!

The sharp, chemical scent of various cleaning supply brands and products hits my senses the moment I walk into the place. The smell makes me feel like I'm in the cleaning section of a store, and I narrow my eyes, legs starting to lag behind a bit.

...a clean freak? Or did they just get finished scrubbing the place up?

"Keep moving," a firm hand on my back alerted me suddenly, and I jolted when Chrono pushed me forward, forcing my legs to keep moving.

"...so this is who slipped through our filters, hm?"

That voice... It sent shivers up my spine at the familiarity of it, and I recognize the calm, deep tone. I've heard it before, coming from the old TV of my house.

Overhaul. He was standing at the top of the big stairs, clad in his usual outfit: black dress shirt, dark slacks, and latex gloves.

I looked defiantly up at him upon hearing his voice, my eyes narrowing as I met his cold, lidded golden eyes. They didn't stray from me as he began to speak again, making his way down, hand smoothing against the sleek railing of the stairs.

"Hm. I had expected you to be so much more... special. After all, you were the only... specimen to deceive us," the male then continued on, a sickening glint darkening his gaze.

The way he spoke of humans was disgusting — as if they were lower than him... It made my stomach churn, and I attempted to swallow back my obvious disgust.

When Overhaul finally made it down the foot of the stairs, he approached me slowly, golden eyes trailing over my form. In response, Chrono pushed me forward a bit more, and the golden-eyed male merely put up a hand to stop his subordinate.

"Ah... Hari, that's quite enough. You see... They're already acting more... compliant than I had expected them to be, so I do not think it's necessary to... do more. Of course, this could be changed in an instant..." Overhaul eyed me carefully, before chuckling, pausing.

He then opened his mouth to speak once more before a loud, husky voice shouted out in excitement,

"Hey, I know ya! You were the one with the quirk, eh? How about you fight me, one on one?"

My eyes flickered to the source of the noise, and I noticed that it was Rappa. The overly excited, muscular man-child that had nearly killed me with suffocation.

...From the look on the male's face, I knew that trouble was coming for me.