Fractured Wings

Nagant's knock on my door wasn't loud, but it carried the weight of urgency. I groaned, peeling myself away from my pillow. 

"What is it?" I called, rubbing at my eyes.

"Destro wants us downstairs," her voice came, sharp and clipped. "He wants us to watch what happens with Lyra." 

Lyra. The fragile woman we'd dragged back here, her fate now teetering on the whims of a man whose vision consumed everything in it's path. 

I swung the door open to find Nagant leaning against the frame, arms crossed. Her gaze was a steady but not unkind, though there was always that edge to her—like an unused razor kept sharp out of habit. 

"Let's go," She said, turning on her heel. 

The corridors of the compound were eerily quiet as we made our way to the lower levels. The walls here were thicker, the air heavier. It felt like stepping into a place where words went to die, swallowed up by the weight of purpose and secrecy. 

When we entered the room, the first thing I noticed was the starkness of it. It was a simple, unadorned space, lit by harsh fluorescent lights that bleached everything into shades of grey. Destro stood at the center, his posture as composed as ever, radiating that unshakable confidence that seemed to anchor everyone around him. 

Arata was already there, leaning casually against a wall, his arms crossed as he watched the proceedings with a detached interest. His navy hair caught the light, giving him an almost ethereal quality, but his sharp eyes betrayed the calculating mind beneath. 

It was the woman standing beside Destro who immediately drew my attention. 

"Ah, you've arrived," Destro said, his tone as calm and measured as ever. He gestured to the woman beside him. "Nagant, Kobe. Meet Kaede Himura. She'll be assisting us with the matter at hand." 

Kaede stepped forward, her movements precise and deliberate. She was striking, her pale lavender hair cascading in loose waves down her back, catching the light like spun silk. Her piercing silver eyes swept over Nagant and me with a sharp, appraising gaze, as if she was sizing us up. 

"Kaede Himura." she said, her voice was smooth and silky. She left her introduction there. 

She carried herself with a confident and up class presence. 

Nagant arched an eyebrow. "What's your quirk?" she asked, Destro seemed like he was about to butt in, but not the same way as he would usually correct one of us for using quirk instead of meta. 

Just in case he was going to shut it down I interjected. "Meta ability she means." I said with a snarky attitude. 

Kaeda's lips curved into a faint smile, one that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Memory imprint," she said simply. "I can... explore memories and imprint them in people too." 

"She's here to extract information from Lyra," Destro explained, his gaze steady on us. "Kaede's abilities are unparalleled when it comes to uncovering secrets we need." 

I studied Kaede closely, trying to gauge the woman beneath the polished exterior. There was an edge to her, a quiet intensity that was both compelling and unsettling. 

That was a dangerous ability, and it's under the hands of someone like Destro. The mind is very fragile, so I doubt imprinted memories would last, but that only led me down a rabbit whole of what her quirk could achieve. 

Would she know if her abilities are fading within someone she has used them against? 

Who in this organization is under her spell? 

Was she going to be used against me if I denied Destro's initial offer? 

Destro's voice cut through the room. "Kaede has my full confidence," he said, his tone brooking no argument. "She will handle this interrogation with precision. Our task is to observe and learn." 

As if on cue, Lyra was brought into the room, shackled and pale, her eyes darting nervously around. She looked even smaller than before, her fear palpable in the oppressive silence of the room. 

Kaede approached her with a calm, almost predatory grace, crouching slightly to meet Lyra's gaze. "You've been through a lot haven't you?" she said, her voice gentle. 

Lyra flinched. It hadn't even been a full day since we had taken her from her predetermined destination, and she was already a lot more flimsy than the hardened exterior she held on to previously. I wonder what happened. 

Kaede extended a gloved hand, her silver eyes locking onto Lyra's. "I'm not here to hurt you," she said, her tone softening just enough to sound convincing. "But I need you to trust me. Can you do that?" 

The room seemed to hold it's breath as Kaede made contact, her hand brushing against Lyra's wrist before grabbing it tightly. 

Her eyes fluttered closed, and for a moment, the air seemed to shift. It was subtle—a faint ripple, like a pebble dropped into water. 

When Kaede opened her eyes again, her expression was unreadable. She straightened, turning back to Destro. "She's never been loyal to Proxy." she said simply. 

Destro nodded, as if he'd expected as much. "And why did she work with him?" 

Kaede's gaze darkened, her voice quiet but firm. "Her family. He held them hostage in a bungalow in Yokohama. He used them as leverage." 

She paused, her silver eyes narrowing. "And he's prepared to move them at a moment's notice. To another game world, like he did with Hosu." 

A silence fell over the room, heavy and suffocating. 

Nagant crossed her arms, her gaze flicking between Destro and Kaede. "So what do we do with that?" 

Destro's expression didn't change. "We use this as an opportunity." Lyra passed out, she seemed to weak, maybe she hadn't been fed. "We can recover her family from wherever they are, and then we may get closer to Proxy himself. If not, then we may have a new ally with us in Lyra." He finished as he looked down to her. 

Daigo was able to create that fake Hosu because he had tagged it's surroundings. And as reports from Skeptic have said, those tags are miniscule and mostly unnoticeable so even if we were to go for the family, there is always the chance that we could get transported before we even know it. 

What a bad situation. 

Destro will most likely keep Nagant and I together to tackle on this mission. And the other three as well since we're part of this squad to capture Daigo Kiyoshi. 

"Get the team ready, Arata. You guy's will be going on a long journey this time." 

____

Sir Nighteye sat at the head of a small circular table. His gaze scanned the room of heroes and assembled officials. The tension was dim but growing. 

Best Jeanist sat to Nighteye's right side, his expression inscrutable but his posture betraying a rare annoyance. Kamui Woods leaned forward, fingers drumming lightly on the polished surface of the table. Across from them, Snipe adjusted the brim of his hat, his sharp eyes darting to Detective Tsukauchi, who was flipping through a thin stack of reports. 

At the end of the table, a pair of administrative assistants were whispering hurriedly, their laptops open, lines of data scrolling across their screens. 

Nighteye broke the silence first, his voice cutting clearly through the murmur of the room. "We've lost her," he said simply, his words were a quiet statement of failure that echoed like a verdict. 

Jeanist nodded, his jaw tightening. "Lyra Himemiya was taken out from under us," he said. His voice was strained, sure he didn't partake in the mission, but that was because it was supposed to be a simple escort mission. He didn't even believe that a hero in the top ten would be necessary. 

"She was taken by a group we can't identify fully." 

"And yet we know some players," Nighteye replied, his gaze sharp as glass. "Lady Nagant and Kobe Arakawa-Soryu." 

Snipe gave a low whistle. "Lady Nagant. She's a disgrace to hero society, donning the cape during the day and played assassin at night. I not all that surprised at her playing on the other side." 

"Nor I," Kamui Woods added, his voice low. "From what we've gathered, she might still just be playing mercenary. And Arakawa, he's become more brazen. He's really embracing his title of villain." 

Detective tsukauchi cleared his throat. "We've spoken to his mother recently to get a feel of the type of person he was." he said lifting up a folder. "He was a bright kid, smart and excelled at basically everything." 

"Probably led to arrogance and a feeling of entitlement to do and get what he wants, especially since he was also born with such a powerful quirk." Jeanist interrupted. 

Tsukauchi gave a strained smile at what Jeanist said, and then he continued reading on for the rest of the room. 

"She also shared some... concerning details about an incident when he was younger. Apparently Kobe was prone to violence as a child. Unpredictable, even dangerous. And when he was younger, one of the major incidents led to him hospitalizing Katsuki Bakugou who is now in UA." 

Jeanist's expression darkened but the look of surprise washed over more. 

"What happened after that?" He asked. 

"He was sent to a correctional facility. Takashima Correctional facility." Tsukauchi confirmed. "Although we couldn't get any confirmation since the place had shut down three years ago. We have requested further information from higher ups." 

Nighteye sighed, it was disappointing but his suspicion was also growing. Facilities like that would still have backup files on everything not just with higher ups like government bodies but also actual prison's since they were just subsidiaries. 

That would be something to look into.

"His past is troubling yes, but that doesn't explain his alignment right now." he said, "There's something, or maybe someone, pushing him further down this path." 

Kamui Woods straightened in his chair. "The others present during Lyra's extraction, what do we know about them?" 

"One was a girl with a mutant quirk," Tsukauchi started to read off initiating the next portion of conversation. "She could glide through the air using fins and discharge bursts of electricity. Then there was another girl who appeared to have a strength-enhancing quirk. Her speed and agility were also abnormal." 

"And there was a boy," Jeanist added. "My attacks... just slid off of him. I couldn't reach for his thread. It was just him redirecting physical force away from himself. Great defense." 

"Is there anything on the registry relating to quirks like that? The latter one seems most unique," Kamui asked, the quirk of whoever fought Jeanist was most likely to be more isolated and easier to find with the details that was provided about it, more so compared to the girl that had a strength enhancing quirk. 

Tsukauchi shook his head, "No. Nothing on who they were or on who they could even be working for. Although there are rumblings that the league are growing their forces. They have been quiet." 

"The League?" Kamui asked with some apprehension. "I was thinking that they may have been working with Proxy." 

Nighteye leaned back in his chair. "That seems a little more plausible." He said referring to Kamui Woods. "But I think he is either working for him or searching for him, which is what led him to taking Lyra Himemiya." 

There was a pause, the room falling silent as the weight of their collective uncertainty settled over them. Then Nighteye spoke again, his tone colder now, sharper. "What about Lyra? What did you manage to get from her before she was taken?" 

Tsukauchi tapped the file in front of him. "Not much," he admitted. "But what little she said was illuminating. She was coerced into working with Daigo Kiyoshi because he was holding her family hostage. A normal family, living peaceful lives in Yokohama, until he abducted them." 

"And used them as leverage." Nighteye said, his voice quiet but intense. 

"Exactly," Tsukauchi continued. "He threatened to send them into one of his fabricated worlds, like the one he created of Hosu. If she defied him, they'd be lost forever." 

"Proxy's quirk allowed him to create tags that allow him to recreate real world objects into his virtual domain." Nighteye started. "Then that's where we start. If the tags were critical to his plan then we scour all of Yokohama, beginning with where Lyra Himemiya's family was last seen. We'll find them, and we'll find Proxy too." 

Nighteye wasn't finished though, "And if Soryu is searching too, or working alongside him, we'll bring him in too." 

Snipe adjusted his hat, his sharp gaze sweeping over the room. "Looks like we've got our work cut out for us." 

The room fell silent again, each person lost in their own thought. Some were gathering contacts to alert them of their next plans and what was necessary in getting ready for their next escapade. 

Nighteye was already doing a mental map of the search and the steps he was planning to take in it. 

"We begin immediately."