the copycat hero: Deku

Chapter 47

"I can't believe it," Toshinori growled, "That bastard…he really must still be alive, why else would they want Young Midoriya so badly."

"This is the worst possible outcome," Nedzu sighed as he sat in his office with All Might, the skinny blond glaring at the plush carpet beneath his feet, "We knew that All for One was targeting Midoriya, yet we still allowed ourselves to be complacent."

"And the other teachers…" Toshinori muttered, the pair having just come from a staff meeting, "Could what Mic said be true? That there's a traitor in our midst?"

"I honestly do not know," Nedzu replied, shaking his head as he grimaced, not liking the idea, "Especially if it is a student. Though the question remains, how did the Villains know where to attack? And what do they plan to do with Midoriya-kun?"

"We have to save him," Yagi muttered, "As quickly as possible. We have no idea what All for One has planned for him."

Izuku was shaken awake as the box slammed down on a floor, jostling him painfully in the darkness. How long had he been unconscious? Was it only a few minutes? Hours? He didn't feel hungry or thirsty so it couldn't have been that long. His head ached as he tried to stand up in the tight space, bracing himself against the cool walls of his container. He pressed his forehead against the steel, shivering slightly as he reached out with his quirk, still unable to feel anything at all.

"Hey!" he shouted, beating on the door, "Anyone out there? I'd like to come out now! Promise I won't kick your asses too hard!"

Silence echoed his words back at him, the teen muttering to himself as he tried to pry the door open, digging his fingers into the crack. After a while, he began kicking the door, bracing his back against the wall to get as much leverage as possible and slamming his foot against it. The resounding thumps reverberated inside the box, making Izuku's headache even worse as he scowled, not stopping as he tried to free himself. After a while, he stopped, out of breath and dizzy, propping himself up in the small box as he rested. Once he had his breath back, he went back to kicking, every tiny shift in the lid becoming a hope that he may break out of whatever hell box this thing was.

It quickly became a pattern, kicking, resting, then kicking again. Izuku's legs burned, his feet aching from spending what felt like hours kicking solid steel, his head filled with pain as the blood that had run down the back of his neck dried and cracked. He continued, even as he got more and more tired, his breath grating at his throat as he became thirsty, his stomach growling as he became hungry. He didn't stop.

After what felt like a lifetime, the box shifted, Izuku starting awake as he looked around the pitch blackness, not sure when he'd fallen asleep. It felt like the box was being lifted by a forklift, Izuku able to hear the squeak of the tyres and hum of the motor as he was jostled around inside.

"Hey, could I go to the bathroom?" he called out, "I really gotta pee! Promise I won't try to escape!"

No answer came, the teen muttering to himself as he felt the box get lowered to the floor, closing his eyes as he listened to the sounds around him. It was faint, but Izuku thought he could hear the sound of a pump of some kind running, as well as the buzz of numerous other machines, the soft beeping of a heart monitor breaking the uniform noise. He leaned forwards against the door, trying to hear better, when it suddenly swung open, sending him falling to the floor.

The room was lined with monitors and cables, the quiet hum of technology filling the air. Beside a tall chair sat a breathing machine, slowly and steadily pumping in and out as it worked. A heart monitor beeped off to the side, breaking the monotonous hum that filled the air. Izuku, however, didn't see any of this.