Fractured Wings

I lingered outside Eri's room for longer than necessary. The room was bugged with sound devices and even extra cameras that were hidden, I was sure they weren't there previously. 

Overhaul still probably didn't fully trust me, which made sense. They were subtly hidden but I noticed them all when I stepped in. Five microphones the size of a beetle and three cameras only slightly bigger, hidden in things like books, untouched fluffy toy bears and the floral decorations. 

Every sound, every breath was recorded. 

Eri looked up at me briefly, her crimson eyes creeping from beneath her uneven bangs before darting back to her hands. She didn't show the same fear to me when I entered as she did whenever Overhaul was near. 

She was sitting cross-legged on the bed, her tiny frame swallowed by a new white gown which still shined in colour and lacked any stain, but for how long I wonder. 

"How are you enjoying the new room?" I stepped in closer, trying to sound comforting. 

She glanced up but didn't answer. Her silence wasn't new, it was probably learned in the harshest of ways. Her arms were exposed, there were scars, raised ridges, pockmarks, and lines that told stories I didn't want to envision. 

Overhaul was a monster. 

"Wanna see something?" In my hand paper formed and took shape as a tiny paper crane. It fluttered to life, and it's wings beat softly as it hovered in the air. 

Eri's eyes followed the movement, curiosity flickering for the briefest moment. The crane landed on her knee, tilting it's head as if it could sense her hesitation. Slowly she reached out, her fingers brushing against the paper's edge. 

"You like it?" 

She nodded faintly which I was thankful for since her expression hadn't changed, just less wariness. 

"Good!" I said. "Hang on to it." 

If I was her, which I technically was—just under more humane circumstances, trust is something I wouldn't be giving out so easily. 

So I couldn't fault her for still being apprehensive. After I free her, hopefully Overhaul won't be a problem anymore. Then she can be sent off to a family that will actually care for her and begin to live a normal life. 

Her quirk, Overhaul had explained it. It was called Rewind, and it only worked on the living, so I could already guess the complications that would come with it. 

I stood and turned my back to her as she was still looking over the paper construct. Just before I reached the door, I caught a whispering, almost inaudible, "Thank you..." 

___

In the quiet light of his office, Sir Nighteye poured over the documents that were brought back by two of his agency members. They explained how they got them from a new member of the Shie Hassaiki. 

Honestly though, he already knew. His quirk was Foresight. So Nighteye decided to use it on one of the two he was planning on sending to survey the area. Centipeder. 

Reason being: He had noticed Overhaul had moved his operations and wanted to be on top of things. He had been investigating Overhaul and had a bad premonition about him so wanted to make sure he could be one step ahead. 

Nighteye had also gathered data on the illegal substance known as Trigger that he had been selling, he doesn't know the type of strain he is putting out on the streets, but he does know that it is supposedly very addictive. 

Well, he didn't know until today. In the future he seen with Centipeder, he knew that this Sōryū was the one who would give him a hand on putting more pieces to the puzzle that was Overhaul's operation. He didn't know why he did, he just guessed that the new member was some morally ambiguous person that got too far ahead of himself. 

A rogue that shouldn't be trusted. 

The documents he had provided were detailed, as if they were stolen from the base of operations itself. But they were penned instead of typed out on a computer. 

The mention of Trigger being mixed with another drug got his attention. But what held his attention was what came next. A Serum X. 

Sir Nighteye tapped his fingers across the words, -Quirk Erasing Bullet- the idea, the implications. It wasn't just a theoretical danger, it was something that could turn into an existential threat to hero society. If these bullets could be mass produced...

It was very chilling. 

Enough so that Nighteye even thought of his former partner. 

'Could this be how...?' He remembers the night he decided to leave All Might. And the bone chilling images of his death is what makes him ignore the thoughts of reaching out to him about this issue. 

'I can handle it,' 

He leaned back in his chair, his fingers steepled his chin. Sōryū's motive's were an enigma. Was he an ally or an opportunist? A rogue vigilante, or someone planted by another faction? Nighteye ruled out the latter since his methods were too unorthodox, his movements too independent. 

Still, the information was too valuable to dismiss. Nighteye's sharp gaze swept the papers again, memorizing the patterns. 

A knock on his door broke his concentration. "Come in," he said without looking up. 

Mirio Togata, a third year UA high student he had been mentoring as an intern, stepped in. "We're ready Sir," Mirio, was an exemplar student. He could pick up on things quickly, he worked hard, he had the charisma of a first class hero, and he was witty... or at least tried to be. 

Overall in Nighteye's eyes, Mirio Togata otherwise known as Lemillion, was one of the only people he could call fit to lead Japan's next generation. A ray of sunshine to take over All Might's giant mantle. 

'A shame my previous mentor couldn't see it.' 

"Good," Nighteye replied, rising from his chair. He carried the documents into the main room, where his small but trusted team gathered. Bubble Girl and Centipeder on one side of the table, while Glasslock stood near the window with her arms crossed. 

"This is everything Sōryū provided," Nighteye began, laying out the papers on a table. "We're dealing with the Shie Hassaiki, led by Overhaul. We have known of his illegal dealings of Trigger but there has never been any substantial proof." 

Nighteye pointed over to the documents, "But that has changed, we just need to pick up one of his dealers and have probable cause to bring him in and question him. If things go right he will be of our streets, but we need to handle it with care." 

"Don't you think this all dropped on us too conveniently?" Mirio asked, his tone was curious. 

Nighteye nodded, his hand resting on the edge of the table, "Precisely, while this information is invaluable, it also reeks of intent. Sōryū wants us to act but we don't know why." 

Bubble girl frowned, her arms crossed. "If it's a trap, why risk giving us information this sensitive? It's not just bait, it's detailed enough to dismantle half of Overhaul's network if this checks out." 

"Unless he wants to cripple Overhaul for another agenda." Centipeder interjected, his voice was low and vibrating throughout the whole room. "This Sōryū, may have no intention of helping us beyond serving his purpose." 

Glasslock then spoke from where she stood, slowly walking in with the rest of the people at the table, "Maybe he's just playing hero in his own way. Like those freaky underground heroes and just doesn't want to dirty his own hands too much." 

Nighteye took in everything his team was saying before he thought to give his own thoughts. 

"I don't think that. Sōryū, from the descriptions you two have provided and more, seems calculated. He wouldn't be the type of person to thrive off of recklessness." 

"Then what's the play?" Mirio asked. His usual exuberance was tempered, his focus sharpened by the gravity of the situation. "Do we follow the leads or hold back?" 

"We follow," Nighteye announced, "There were two main locations he mapped out, a warehouse and a bar. You guy's will move in two's. If you meet him again, try and get a motive or at least be a good judge of character. Of course if he is acting in ways intolerable... I'm leaving arrest up to you." 

Centipeder didn't look happy, but it was hard to tell when one couldn't read his face. Nighteye just assumed so because of the air around him. 

"What's wrong?" He asked. 

The group turned to look at their peer, "I just think that the kid is using us and it could all lead to our downfall. If we want to have a chance with this we should fight fire with fire. We should expose that we received the information, causing him to start moving more erratically, like he's doing with us..." 

"No!" Nighteye couldn't even shut the thought down. A part of him wanted to and another understood where Centipeder was coming from and agreed, but Mirio had harshly butt in. 

"We're heroes. We should do the best we can to help everyone we can, we still don't know if he's a victim and needs our help. So we shouldn't rush in and do something like that." 

Another shining example of why Nighteye has full faith in Mirio to become a bright ray of positive light in the future. Sometimes a little too idealistic, but that confidence to call your seniors out was good to help him and the rest see the current situation for what it was. 

A blurry mess that only got a little less dim, 

Nighteye smiled. 'I envision only a bright future for us.' 

___

The halls in the compound were steeped in silence. The only sound was the buzz of the overhead lights. I moved with a silent gait, to avoid detection. The cameras tracked their predictable paths, and I waited patiently for my moment. 

My quirk, Papermaster, I didn't know exactly what category it fell under, I think it was emission, but categories didn't really matter. But one little thing I learned when I got used to sneaking around places, was to flatten. 

My body collapsed, taking a two-dimensional form, like actual paper. 

The world felt strange in this state, muted and warped. I lost that normal peripheral sight that everyone has and was more tunnel-visioned. But it was a small price to pay. 

I clung to the walls, evading the cameras line of sight. Reforming only when I was sure there were none as I got closer to my destination. 

Ahead, two guards stood casually at the intersection of the corridor. Overhaul hired normal men through a security agency, they had nothing to do with his actual business. I could respect their commitment, they would probably search for the nearest exit if they knew what he was actually doing. 

Paper cranes glided silently down the hall, catching the feint light as it fluttered. One of the guards noticed it first, tapping his partner and pointing. 

"What is that?" 

"Dunno. Maybe he has a kid." 

"He would have said so idiot," 

Curiosity won over caution and they followed the crane as it drifted around the corner. Once they were out of sight I moved again, darted towards the door and turning 2-d again to slip under the small gap between the door and the floor. 

And I was in. I was in Overhaul's private office, one of them anyway. But this one was important, it was important because it held his private computer. 

Like every other room in the compound, this one was as sterile and as suffocating as the man himself. 

Overhaul's desk stood at the center of the room, in front of a mini bookshelf, it looked like it was a principals office. Every item on the desk was in perfect symmetry. Even his keyboard looked like it was untouched, each key polished and pristine. The smell of cleaning agents wafted around the area. 'He must have been here recently.' 

I grabbed a pair of gloves from my pocket, second-skin gloves. They were designed to practicably be unnoticeable and due to it's clear tones, they really did seem invisible. 

I sat down with a piece of paper between me and the seat. I booted up the computer and let my hands fly across the keyboard. Overhaul's digital security wasn't bad, but it wasn't good enough to stop me. Layer after layer of encryption fell away, revealing a treasure trove of files. 

I scanned the screen bypassing financial records and supply logs until one folder caught my attention. "Conference Records." 

Inside were audio files, each labeled with dates and times. I clicked on the most recent one, plugging in an earpiece just in case the audio could be overheard. Overhaul's voice filtered through. 

"We're on schedule, the prototypes have shown promise." he said. 

A second voice responded, scrambled and distorted. Something about his cadence felt oddly reminiscent, geeky and overly-obsessed but this person was still keeping airs about them, trying to sound demanding and tough. 

"Good, that quirk of your's sure works wonders. How's the girl?" 

The conversation made me think that Overhaul was not the big bad boss that we all assumed. He was giving a report about his workings that have been going on. He is talking about Eri and the quirk-erasing bullets he is making. 

"She's still with us, we unfortunately had to move but I'm sure your master already knows about that." So overhaul wasn't even speaking to the big boss, just some lackey. 

I read the file names and even looked at how he saved the conversations. He was talking to someone labelled Doctor. I didn't have a clue who that may be. 

But then again, why record these conversations? The questions gnawed at me. Was it insurance? It would make some kind of sense, Overhaul trusted no one, not his men or supposed allies. But that would mean there could be more. 

Another file drew my eye, it's title was: Project Oversight, Opening it revealed a few scattered notes and a single reference to an "academic facility". I frowned, the name of the school was Aldera Junior High. 

'Bakugou and Midoriya went there,' I never got to go because of my bad behaviour, I was banned from most school's in the district. But even then, I was already sent of to the Eden Project. 

Shaking my head, my dreads danced along with the movements. I copied everything down on my phone. 

The chair creaked softly as I leaned back, staring at the screen. Overhaul made a mention of the scrambled voice's master, someone powerful enough to control Overhaul. 

Before my mind could wander, footsteps echoed outside the door. Then Overhaul's voice came next. 

The computer was already off, but since it was recently on he would probably notice the signs, every other sign to show I was here was erased. I flattened myself into a sheet of paper and slid under the desk as the door opened. 

'Even if he does notice, I doubt he would confront just me. There's no solid proof that anyone was here.' I also thought that even a man as controlled as him would think that he made a mistake, just this once. 

He muttered something unintelligible, I created a small paper ant to watch his movements. Once it relayed that he was turned away I slid from under the desk in my 2-d form, making no sound and then slid under the door again as he turned towards his computer. 

The guards were no longer where they were stationed. 

I reformed as I made it a solid distance away from the door. My breathing was steady. 

After some more time I made it back to the underground space and ended up in my little abode, acting completely normal. Nothing about me would give away that I had just broke into my employers private room and tampered with important information.