Mystery from Another World--MHA

Part 90: First Clashes

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?"