Quirkless

A Little Too Practical for Heroics

"We'll be fine." Hitoshi Shinsou could see the doubt in Izuku's eyes even as the words exited his mouth. There were few things that the green haired hero hated more than being left out of the action, but Asuka and Bakugou were right - he was safest outside. He still didn't respond, probably not trusting that he wouldn't brainwash him into staying in the car.

It was a valid concern, if Hitoshi was honest with himself. Keeping Izuku safe from himself was almost impossible on a good day, and today was far from a good one.

He finally turned away from the green haired man and followed the other two towards the warehouse. He heard the van door shut behind them, and he glanced back.

"You know he won't stay in the van," Bakugou growled next to him. "He can't stand leaving the fighting to other people."

"You should trust him more," Hitoshi muttered.

Bakugou just shrugged. "When I stop being right I will."

They had reached the entrance. Asuka knelt, picking the lock quickly. She and Bakugou pulled the doors open quickly and he stepped inside.

The entryway was darker than the outside, the thick concrete walls letting no moonlight in. It took a second for his iris-cams to adjust, but luckily he didn't need his vision for his quirk. He adjusted his mask and called out in a feminine voice.

"Hello? Is anyone there?"

He heard the shuffling of footsteps as the guards approached to investigate.

"Identify yourself," called out a gruff voice from the shadows.

"Knock yourself unconscious," he commanded. The guard turned immediately and threw his face into the wall before collapsing onto the floor. The sound would likely summon any other guards, which was exactly what Hitoshi wanted.

Right on cue, a second voice called out from the shadows. "Sato?"

Hitoshi quickly adjusted his mask to match the voice of the unconscious guard. "Come here, I need some help."

"I'm on my way," said the other guard. Hitoshi gave the order a second time. This guard actually smashed his own face with his weapon, stumbling momentarily before slumping onto the floor, the blood from his nose dripping onto his chest.

Asuka and Bakugou entered the building, closing the doors behind them. The three stood silent for a moment before Asuka walked over to the guards and took their weapons. She removed the clips efficiently, tossing them into her backpack. Kicking the now useless guns into the corner almost as an afterthought, Asuka signaled to head right.

Their footsteps seemed to echo on the hard floor in the silence. The whole place seemed deserted. Asuka stopped suddenly, cocking her head as if listening. Suddenly, a high pitched whine filled Shinsou's ears. The screech was familiar - the same sound that had afflicted them at the gala. It was far from a good sign. He turned his comms off as Bakugou threw his on the floor, cursing quietly. The agent tapped her ears, seemingly unperturbed by the sound before she looked up at a camera in the hall, signaling to Hawkes that they had lost their ears.

They stood in silence for a moment, listening for movement. There was shuffling around at the end of the hallway, but besides the usual creaking of the building from above - there was nothing. Asuka unzipped a pouch at her side. Her lips were in a tight line as her eyes panned the hallway. She clicked her heels together.

"What's going on?" Bakugou whispered hoarsely, shifting his gauntlets uneasily.

"They know we're here." She glanced at Hitoshi, a small smile twitching at her lips. "Give me fifteen seconds headstart."