Rescue // Shoto Todoroki x OC Fanfiction

Chapter Nine

Shoto and Katsumi rounded the building a few times before they decided on a window in the rear that had been busted out. The window didn't look to be lit up from the inside, so she would be able to use her shadows to help her get around in there. They were after a floorplan of the place so that they could come back at a later time and raid the building and clear out all of the villains that Mind Maker had been gathering. 

They wanted to stop this thing before it was able to sprout wings and take off, like the last time a group of villains had gathered. 

From the intel they had, they weren't sure how Mind Maker was able to control his victims, or how many he was able to control at a time. It was totally plausible that some of the people inside weren't even there of their own free will, but they'd cross that bridge when they got to it. His abilities made it seem that he was able to control people for longer periods and from longer distances than any mind control quirk they'd seen before. Katsuki was also hoping she might be able to find more out about Mind Maker's quirk if she was able to get in close enough to see him in action. 

That wasn't the goal here, though. Shoto made it clear that he wanted her in and out as fast as she could, only gathering intel that would help them for a future attack--nothing more. 

Honestly, she thought him a bit more tedious and protective than he ought to be. he knew the stakes as well as she did, and knew that she should be doing everything in her power to get the intel they were after. 

The sun had finally set, and a thick darkness covered the forest. From the outside, the warehouse appeared to be completely abandoned, but Katsumi had no idea what she'd find when she made her way inside. 

Shoto tapped the communication device in Katsumi's ear. "Keep this on at all times. I need to know what's going on in there and do not be afraid to ask for help if you find yourself in a difficult situation. I want you in and out of there in one piece, okay?" 

"Yep, I've got it," she told him. She was used to this sort of thing. Stealth was one of her main attributes as a hero, so this was nothing new. The stakes seemed higher, but this was really just a run-of-the-mill mission in her books. It was nothing she hadn't seen before. 

She summoned her shadow wings and prepared to take off toward the warehouse, but Shoto grabbed her arm. 

"What?" she snapped. He gave her a meaningful look. 

"Please just be careful," he told her. 

"I will," she said, rolling her eyes. She took off toward the warehouse without looking back. 

She flew to the window on the second story, gripping the edge of the windowsill upon her approach, leaning softly against the siding of the building. Landing inside almost soundlessly, she swung through the broken-out window and sank against the wall, pulling the shadows around herself to conceal her presence.

She didn't see or hear anything upon entry, but that was no reason to get comfortable. Following the contours of the dark hallway, she made her way deeper inside the warehouse.

Footsteps suddenly sounded to her left, and her head whipped in the direction of the sound. She didn't see anything but still sank into the shadows and held her body close to the wall.

She needed to work her way across the second floor, then probably hit the first to see what was there as well. So far, the second floor seemed mostly empty, a labyrinth of abandoned offices and rooms.

Katsumi found a staircase at the end of the hallway, and as she cracked open the door, she heard voices filtering up through the stairwell. There were no footsteps to be heard, so she gathered that the first floor must be where they were keeping everyone.