Mystery from Another World--MHA

Part 184: Macallister

Shine gave her a blank look.

"That's first rate thinking," Macallister agreed, "Surprised I didn't think of it first. Squad," she meant the ninjas, "help agent Baker take them to barracks 6. Watch them. They might have friends around here who'd try to help them."

Kayla saluted resolutely.

"All right, march," she said, gesturing.

She and Iida both marched. Shine tried to look like she was nervous.

Iida didn't really have to pretend. He had no idea still what was going on.

Shine could only thank God that Macallister had bought Kayla's innocence. That time difference had been a lifesaver... Was that why Kayla had chosen to wait that long? Smart woman.

The only downside right now was that they could not contact Ren. She hoped he'd heard some of that before they took their comlinks.

* * *

The march was short. Inside Barracks 6 it was just like the other barracks, but they were taken to an elevator that was like an armored car. Down 3 levels...

The underground part of these barracks was not like the false ones outside. Here there were guards and what looked like slits for gates and other traps in the walls. Very Indiana Jones.

Shine and Iida gaped.

Shine's stomach twisted. They'd gotten this far, but her idea was seeming less good now that they were down here...and she was being held in place by armed-to-the-teeth, cold blooded ninja.

All at once the walk was over. Kayla punched a number into a key pad and a door slid open. There was a hall of cells here...closed doors. Solid, but with widows in the top half, plexiglass, no doubt.

"Do these ones go for walks?" Kayla asked the guards.

"We just started some of them on it," the guard said, like he was talking about animals, "The one there picked it up fast." Pointing at one cell. "Probably is a hero student."

"Interesting," Kayla said.

Shine bit her lip.

Iida recognized the word "hero student" and strained.

"Make him stop!" the guards cried.

Kayla reached out and slapped Iida smartly across the face. He stopped, looking at her with hatred.

Shine realized he might not have understood that Kayla was helping them still... Uh oh... How could she warn him?

"Is she hostile?" Kayla asked the guards, "We want to run a little experiment. Can I let her out?"

"We've got her chipped, so she won't be using her quirk. Even if the blockers weren't in place down here," the guards said, "and there's not much fight left in her, I'd say. Go ahead, it'll be entertaining." He punched in a code on the cell door. It slid open.

"You, get out!" the guard snapped at the prisoner.

Shine knew who it was, but she was not prepared for what she saw.

Ibara came slowly out of the cell, and she was a total wreck... She wasn't in her hero costume. She had on black clothing like the ninja did, but without the weapons they had, it was just long sleeves and pants.

She had some cuts and bruises on her, but the real shock was her hair. It was cut as short as her shoulders, and it didn't look right. Shine had heard from the other students that her quirk required water and sunlight, and locked in this cell, clearly, she hadn't been getting enough of either. It was hanging limp, like wilted flower petals, making her look like she'd been trampled.