Iron Maiden

Infiltration

Immediately after we officially became Undisputed, the heroes sent us into a separate empty room for interns while they chatted amongst the officers. I was a bit put off by the fact that we weren't going to be involved in the debriefing, but that just gave me a chance to catch up with the others.

"So...." I say, sitting on a chair with my arms behind my head, "How's it going with your internships?" The rest of the girls were all sitting in chairs around the empty room.

"Boring, but insightful," Jiro answers first, "Death Arms has me do reconnaissance while he and his employed sidekicks do the heavy lifting. It's not how I thought I would be spending my internship, but I can see where the effectiveness comes in."

Hagakure is the next one to speak up, "Lots and lots of physical training. Instead of going out and fighting bad guys, Rock Lock is teaching me how to fight, do takedowns, and how to knock out people quietly with pressure points or rear-end chokeholds. Because my quirk is invisibility, he feels that a stealthier approach to fighting is better suited for me."

"His Purple Highness takes me out on patrols with him," Mina says, "So far, we haven't encountered much because his hero tower is in Hosu City, and Hosu City is filled with other heroes. I ran into Iida once actually."

Hagakure's hands tilted slightly, "You did?"

"Did you guys chat?" Jiro asked.

Mina let out a peeved noise, "Not really. I tried to talk to him, but he wouldn't say more than a simple hi." Mina's expression quickly changed to curiosity, "He seemed out of it though. Like his mind was focused on something else." Mina sighed, "What about you, Hatsume?"

I could feel my face warp into a slightly distressed look. All of their internships were based on helping them physically and aiding in their quirks while mine was about my mental state. I want to tell them, but I don't want them to think less of me either. "My mentor is having me work on building some things and takes me out for patrols too. It was because of our latest patrol that actually brought all of us together."

"Okay, Hatsume, tell us what's going on," Mina crosses her arms over her chest, "I'm getting tired of waiting to be told of why we're all here. We need to know if we're going to prepare for this mission."

I can't argue with Mina's reason. They are here and under-informed of the circumstances. Seeing no reason to hide the information, I begin to tell them of the mission Hiro and I was on, the discovery of the human trafficking meet-up, the rescue of the captives, and the talk with the detective. The second I touched base on the human trafficking part the aura in the room shifted dramatically. None of the girls were expecting that kind of crime for me to come across. I could feel emotions shift from shock to anger to realization in a heartbeat. Shock at the crime, anger for the crime being committed, and realization that this is the crime we're going to be busting.

"Human trafficking..." Jiro mutters angrily, "How could people just do... that?"

"I don't know," Hagakure stands from her seat and paces around the room, "But those kinds of villains just deserve to rot in prison. Mind my harsh attitude."

"I'm sure none of us mind," Mina says, glaring at the floor, "Personally, I agree with you Hagakure. Some villains need to go to prison, but then some are entitled to a prison cell forever. Human traffickers are one of those kinds of people who have a cell with their names on it."

No part of me regrets telling them everything. I kind of embrace this enraged attitude of theirs because I feel the same way, if not, a little more. I may have a quirk, but I can relate to these quirkless people that are preyed upon when it comes to feeling less than human and being held captive against my will. I can't help but shudder about the alleyway. The way those three boys wanted to use my body to satisfy their sexual desires before I pissed them off to the point where they wanted to kill me. The experiences aren't the same but the feeling of helplessness; feeling your heart pounding against your chest, memories of your loved ones flooding in, the fight or flight mentality that's taken over your mind, and the hopelessness when you realize no one is going to save you and you're at mercy to someone else's will. The crimes may be different but the feelings of being victimized are similar.