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Your father, much to his credit, remained unafraid. You wondered how he could stare at the higher-up so unflinchingly after just revealing secrets that would ruin the entire course of the rest of his life. 

You tugged at the collar around your neck, less than pleased that there hadn't been time to deactivate it. Looking to the man in the doorway, you glowered. It didn't matter that he hadn't yet done anything to you as his partners had. Right now, he was a threat, an obstacle keeping you from getting to Aya, to Touya.

They were alive. And now that they were safe, you would be compliant no longer. You would tear down whoever stood in the path leading to them. 

"You know, I always had a feeling about you," the man said to your father. "The information you gave us never seemed... accurate. The others didn't feel the same way, which is why you've managed to keep your job for so long, but they were reasonable enough to take my advice and hire another investigator." His head cocked to the side, "Someone who managed to find our weapon within just a few months. Unlike you, who'd given us nearly nothing during your two-year period. It makes sense now, though. A father protecting his daughter, it's quite sweet, actually."

The air turned sour just from the brief mention of Hawks. You pushed yourself out of bed as your father attempted to shield you with his body. Looking between the two men, you realized that neither of them would choose the easy way out of this. Your father had made a promise to you, and it seemed he intended to keep it. "Get out of our way," he said gruffly. "You and your partners have already spilled enough blood."

"No," the higher-up responded icily. "It seems we haven't done enough because people like you continue to misunderstand your place in this society. We are in charge of heroes worldwide, our power is absolute. And soon we'll make this brat of yours cooperate and there will be no one left alive to question our authority." 

"I'll end my own life before cooperating with you scumbags," you spat. 

"We'll see about that." 

You were shoved to the side just as the Higher-Up struck with lethal speed. Your head slammed into the dresser in the corner of the room. Your vision turned blurry for a second, and once it cleared, you had to blink a few times extra to make sure you were seeing things correctly. 

The higher-up's body had shifted, his eyes turned to narrow slits with sharp fangs hanging over his lower lip. Each time he moved, it was fluid and swift. Like a snake. The guy was some sort of human-snake hybrid.

 Your father managed to dodge, but it was only thanks to the strong flow of air coming from the vents. He'd never been quite as strong when fighting indoors. His quirk relied on the natural elements, he needed to be near them to use and absorb their qualities. Air, water, earth, fire. He'd always carried tools on him during his hero days, such as a lighter, a miniature fan, and a water bottle just in case he found himself trapped inside somewhere during a battle. But he wouldn't have any of those on him now.

Pushing yourself back to your feet, you scanned the room for anything that could be used as a weapon, but your captors had been quite thorough in their design. They wouldn't want any of their captives getting a hold of something that could be used against them. 

A loud thud caused you to turn back toward the fight. Your father had slammed the Higher Up's head into the wall, and his slitted eyes had a dazed look about them. It was all the man could do to block his opponent's moves as your father continued to throw blow after blow. 

For a moment, you were taken back in time, to when you were a little girl watching the hero you admired so much on the TV. An odd feeling stirred in your chest, but you didn't dwell on it. Footsteps sounded from far away, meaning that guards had been alerted to the commotion. 

𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 (𝐃𝐚𝐛𝐢 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫)Where stories live. Discover now