Eraserhead and Scribe

Eraserhead and Scribe Chapters 19-24

Chapter 19

The sweat shop was set up in a warehouse. When they arrived, Jeanist positioned his men at all the exits. The police joined them. Aizawa glanced at Scribe. "Can you tell if they're still there?"

"They're there." She felt her mouth set grimly. She handed Jeanist a list. "I looked through the files on the way here. These are the kids with the most dangerous quirks. I am fairly certain they're all here."

Jeanist scanned the list. "Acid, electricity, telekinesis. He's built quite an army."

Scribe nodded. "And he's probably taught them how to fight. This isn't going to be easy."

"I didn't think it would." Jeanist nodded. "You're ready?"

"Let's do it." Aizawa put an arm around Scribe's waist, tossed his capture scarf at the rooftop and pulled them both up. He looked at Scribe. "You good?"

She kissed him lightly, squeezed his hand, then turned to the entrance to the stairwell. Aizawa positioned himself by the skylight and they waited for Jeanist's signal. When it came, Aizawa broke the skylight with a swift blow of his boot and propelled himself down among the falling glass.

He landed with a thud on the catwalk below, crouched for an attack, then straightened to look down on the baffled group of heroes and police searching an empty building. Scribe burst through the door from the stairwell, then stopped, also looking around in surprise.

Jeanist used his fiber quirk to propel himself up onto the catwalk with Aizawa and Scribe. "Not your fault, Scribe. Looks like he anticipated us again."

"I don't understand." Scribe frowned. "I was certain..." She paused, closing her eyes, then said, "Joke says the kid panicked at the last second. But it was literally like a minute ago. They haven't had a chance to go anywhere." She looked around. "Maybe one of the other kids has a quirk that helped them escape? Or hide?"

"A portal?" Aizawa asked. "Some sort of teleportation?"

"Of sixty kids?" Scribe shook her head and sat down on the catwalk. She closed her eyes again as if meditating.

"Scribe?" Aizawa put a hand on her shoulder.

She looked up. "Camouflage."

"What?" Jeanist gave her a dubious look.

"One of the kids has a camouflage quirk." She stood, looking around, running to the edge of the catwalk and leaning over. "Which means they're still here. Somewhere."

As she spoke, one of the heroes below let out a yell and jumped back as a burst of pink smoke erupted from the seemingly empty air below. Scribe quickly balled up a piece of paper and flung it at the smoke, and it became a bubble that caught the gas inside and settled harmlessly on the floor. Jeanist leapt down, using his fibers to land him nearby.

Aizawa felt his muscles tense. "Got any more like that?"

"God, I hope so, Shota." She looked at him anxiously. "They're just kids. We can't fight them like they're enemies."

"Get ready, then." He took her hand. "Find the villain. When you do, call me. If I can erase his quirk, the kids will stop fighting."

"I'll let you know as soon as I locate him." She turned back as another explosion resounded. She tossed another piece of paper down and it became a shield that blocked the explosion and then clanged to the floor. Aizawa flipped off the edge of the catwalk and swung down into what was rapidly becoming an actual fight in spite of the inability of the heroes to respond in kind to the attacks.