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aspenforest732 · 9 months

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Mortem ad Wrens Chapter 28: Into the Lion's Den

Summary:

tw: dead name, being found by past abusers, trafficking, starvation, torture, threats of death and violence, fear, the uncaring nature of abusers, coercion, lack of autonomy, eugenics, experimentation, medical torture and torment, mutilation, death of children, emotional abuse, a scene that mirrors the torment of indigenous Jewish BIPOC and disabled folks during times of extreme eugenics and hatred for marginalized groups Akira and Bakugo try to survive their kidnapping

Notes:

The mirror of the last trigger warning is separated by [MIRROR START] and [MIRROR END]. It's not necessary to read or be summarized, so skip it if you need/want to. This is a heavy, dark chapter, so do what you need to and be kind to yourself. ‘text’ JSL Text thoughts

“-cut the small talk and die!”

Akira slowly came to painful awareness, their entire body throbbing and shaking. They cracked their eyes open, surveying Bakugo strapped into a chair with bulky restraints covering his hands and the League standing around a bar. At least the lights are low, Akira mused, barely registering as Dabi met their eyes with concern.

“Pipsqueak’s awake,” he drawled.

Twice brought a bag of jerky, at which point Akira realized they were also restrained as their bony, too-thin wrists scraped against the cuffs. The villain dangled the bag in front of them as Shigaraki turned his attention to them.

“Sensei wants you alive, but it’s not mandatory for the process,” Shigaraki rasped. He frowned and stalked forward, grabbing Akira’s chin while keeping his pinky lifted before pinching one of their contacts and removing it. There was a small red dot on the lens that wasn’t normally there. “Can’t let the npc’s cheat now, can we,” Shigaraki muttered as he disintegrated the contacts.

“It can’t be…” Akira looked up as Mr. Compress strode forward and took off his mask. They flinched into the back of the chair as he grabbed their chin. “It is! That’s the Inoue kid I was telling you about.”

Akira froze, fear flickering in their eyes as they tried to keep their face neutral. Mr. Compress studied them with keen, worried eyes as Bakugo jerked against his restraints.

“The hell are you on!” Bakugo snarled. “Their name is Mori, not Inoue.”

Kurogiri pulled a file from seemingly thin air and nodded, “The resemblance is striking. And would explain the other bidder.”

“Why did you leave your family?” Magne asked. She straightened slightly, hints of curiosity peeking through her tight expression.

“They don’t have to tell you shit,” Bakugo growled, “and they can’t anyways. They’re mute, dumbass.”

“Spinner, release their restraints. They can’t move in their state anyways,” Shigaraki ordered. The gecko cautiously stepped forward as Mr. Compress backed off, Spinner eyeing the explosive blonde warily as he released Akira.

Wincing at the movement, Akira used their capture weapon to guide their arms forward so they could sign as Dabi interpreted, ‘None of your fucking business.’ They hesitantly took the bag of jerky and forced themself to start eating, the lack of hunger amidst their pain a testament to how far along they were.

“They abandoned you, didn’t they? You were failed by heroes and yet you try to walk the path of your oppressors. Why not tear down the system, watch it burn so you can start anew?” Shigaraki grinned.

‘I ran,’ Akira glared. ‘I intend to rebuild the system you only seek to destroy.’ They could feel Bakugo staring but couldn’t bring themself to look.

“If your goal is to first destroy, ours is aligned,” Kurogiri intoned. “I would recommend you listen to our offer.”

Akira finished off the bag with a thoughtful expression plastered on their face before risking a glance at Bakugo. To their shock, there were only traces of anger in his expression filled with concern, confusion, and fear. ‘If you want me to even consider your offer, I need more food. I’m in third-stage starvation right now, and that bag will maybe last two hours. High protein and high vitamins are best right now.’

“You’re not in a position to make demands!” Twice reprimanded before looking almost concerned. “They’re just a kid. We should help.”

“Kurogiri,” a deep voice crackled from the small tv, “bring the child to me.”

Akira sent a panicked look to Bakugo before being consumed by familiar darkness and deposited at a table. Across from them sat a broad-shouldered man with a large scar over his face wearing a breathing apparatus and a formal suit. Akira immediately averted their gaze downwards, the man radiating a deeply unsettling aura of danger.

“Eat, child. You have nothing to fear here,” the man said, gesturing to the large meal laid out.

Akira only hesitated a moment before digging in. Just build your strength up, you can let this be your baseline for now. Survive first, worry about fluctuation repercussions later.

“Are you aware of your family’s transgressions? Good, then I’m sure you understand why they must die.”

Akira glanced up at that, carefully keeping their expression neutral even as their hands shook. Whether from the pain or fear they weren’t sure at this point. Their stomach rolled as they tried not to think about where they were or what would happen to Katsuki.

“I can give you the tools, the people, the money to do whatever you wish to them,” the man continued. “All I ask in return is for you to assist my own goals and follow me. Would it not be a wonderful revenge for a Wren child to turn villain and take them down?”

Akira let a hint of their budding curiosity show as they carefully signed, ‘What would you get in return? What would you have me do?’

He grinned coldly, “Your mere presence, much like Tomura’s, would be a blemish on hero society. I see your potential, child, and oh the places you could go if you never had to wonder where your next meal would come from. Of course, you would do nothing that would make you too uncomfortable, and we can protect you from the Wrens.”

‘Can I think about it? ’Akira hesitantly signed. Is it really buying time if I’m considering it? Akira pushed away the thought derisively, trying to focus on the room’s layout and blinking cameras.

“Of course, child. We will have quite some time together, and I can assuage any doubts you may have. You may call me Shigaraki or All for One. I presume Mori is your preferred name?”

Akira froze at the confirmation, panic surging back even as they tried to clamp down on their emotions. They stiffly nodded and finished what they could from the table, certain they could last the rest of the night at least. They’re coming. Just hold on and don’t give in.

Ÿ̸̩̮́̏̀̈̌͠ȍ̴̧̨̧̧͎̦̬͍̳͕̀̿͗̾̚ú̵̖̱̱͍̪̓̌͐͆͐̅͑̓͊̒̉̕͠͠͝'̶̡͓͈̰̭̦͓͓͔̥̞̣̝̯͍̟͓̂̎͂͗͑͊̈̌̾͘l̵̢̧̡̟̥̖̞͉̪̯̗̜̼͖͓͈̅̎͆͆͋́̐̊̏̄̕͠ͅl̸͙͔͕̪̺̤͚͙͚̈̎͌̔̽̊̇̈̔̄̀̓͗͘͠ͅ ̸̛̤͙͈̺͚͔͍͈̣͎̥̥͆̑̅̇̄̈́̑͠l̴̳̯̤̑ơ̸̧͙̝͈̎͆̃̊̈́̑̅́̃̂̎̏̈̍͝s̵̢̢͉̗͍̤̯͚͕̹̿̽̀͐̓̒̕̕̕̚͠͝ę̸̨̭͓̘͔͙̲͔̣̰̫͔̥͔͇̐̒̽̃͊̿̚͝͝ ̷̥̘͕̖̭͔͈̲̜͕͈͉̫̩͕̱͓͆t̴̨̛̥̤͎̳͓̭̰͇̗̗̦͇̖̪̫̜̏̈́́̈́͛͛̍̚h̶͇̺̫̖̄̋̐͑̆̏̑̽͋̇̍̃̚̚͠e̷̩̘̿̓̓̓̑̉̇͗̽͗̓͂̆̍̾͌̽m̶̼͇̙̘̗̣̏͒̄̋̈́͒̌̐̾́̒͗̉͘ ̵͖̳͇̲̲̤͉̯͈̗̥̹̹̬͔̯̝̎̍̈́̃̀̑̍̓̓̐͊a̵̡͓̖̦̬̩̝̥̓̾̎̔̒͜͝ͅn̴̢͈̟̗̞͓̊͜y̵̠͉͕͖̏̃̒̿̀͒̎͛͐̎̈́́̊͊̕w̴̫̪̞̜͖̱̥͈̩͙̭̩̺͒͛̌a̶̢̭̥̻͍̻͇͋̈́͛̏̂͐̆̑̔̾̀̍̌͝ŷ̸̧̧̡̛͙̖̫͖̺͙͍̺͕͈̞̓̀̒̇͌͆̉̏̀͘ (You’ll lose them anyway)

No, they’re not going to leave if they haven’t yet. Just let… Akira tapered off as they realized All for One was smirking. Looking around their mindscape, they didn’t see anyone, but that wasn’t always an indicator. So, they mentally screamed.

All for One chuckled darkly, “I see you realized one of my quirks. Your plans can be folded into our resources. Incentives can be provided, of course, if the other parties don’t desire a partnership.”

Akira shuddered but kept their mind carefully blank. ‘I appreciate your generosity,’ they signed, carefully focusing on each word instead of jumping ahead to connected thoughts.

Eventually, All for One escorted Akira to a small bedroom attached to an office. They carefully kept their mind blank aside from matching the pitch of a low hum felt throughout the building. A few minutes after All for One’s steps faded into the distance, they carefully lowered themself onto the bed. Give up what little I’ve carefully cultivated for a near-guaranteed success, Akira mused. The people already involved wouldn’t be out of danger, but maybe they could be kept out of further danger? Akira knew they would be labeled a villain, a traitor even soon after their plan started, but All for One had lived for well over a century if the age of stories could be trusted. They could try to limit casualties, but from Shigaraki’s campaign, Akira doubted they’d be able to do so for long and certainly not by proxy. And what would Aizawa think? Taishiro?

Akira sagged against the headboard, still exhausted from the day’s chaos. As they drifted off, their treacherous mind slipped one last thought. Am I even worth being saved?

Akira awoke gradually for once, realizing with a confused frown that it had been a dreamless sleep. Surveying the room, they tested the thickness of the walls, noting that the one opposite the office was a little thicker. Akira meditated on the bed for a few minutes before there was a knock on the door and it opened. They tensed as All for One entered, bearing a tray piled with lunch foods.

“I hope you enjoyed your rest,” he rumbled. “A life such as yours is often plagued by nightmares.”

Akira nervously ate while All for One waited by the door, their eyes flicking to him every couple bites as they focused on a K-pop album in their head. Their thoughts occasionally started turning to Katsuki, but Akira quickly turned back to the song. As they finished, Akira slipped off the bed opposite All for One, keeping their eyes on the ground and mind on the songs.

“I trust you have thought about my offer,” All for One said, his aura of danger returning. “Today I will show you what you can have if you agree.”

Akira slowly nodded, heart pounding as they fell into step behind him. The villain led them out into a viewing area over large vats with tubes running to massive tubs. Stepping beside All for One, Akira’s breath caught in their throat at the dozens of Nomu in the vats. They were definitely in a warehouse, and Akira startled at the number on the right wall, not recognizing it as a Shizuoka code. I wonder how… Remembering who they were next to, Akira shut down that train of thought and refocused on the songs, cringing as they glanced to the villain who was now facing them.

“I suppose another way the heroes have failed you,” All for One said, voice gaining a slight edge. “You will never have to sleep on a warehouse floor again, my dear, if you stay with us. An army of Nomu under your command, a warm place to stay, all the food you could ever want. All this could be yours, and the Wrens will never see the light of day when we’re done.”

‘And what if I refuse?’ Akira leaned away from his gaze.

“If you cannot be of use willingly, we can still make use of your quirk,” All for One said dismissively. “I’m much more interested in your potential, however, and would be willing to invest more time in changing your mind if it comes to that.”

Akira shuddered, flashes of family members “changing their mind” flashing in their head. They flinched as a massive hand rested on their shoulder and All for One’s face came into view.

“We would talk, child. Nothing more, I can assure you,” his voice dripped with sympathy and Akira found themself wanting to believe him.

Startled at the thought, Akira wrenched their shoulder out of his grasp and stumbled back a step, hand death gripping the railing as their left knee buckled. Their eyes remained fixed on the floor as they tensely waited for All for One’s reaction.

He sighed and stood. “Come, I will show you the rest of this base. We have many, and you will not have to stay at U.A. if you join, although that is an option. You certainly would not be alone.”

Akira glanced up at that, mentally running through the options in their class alone. Hitoshi wouldn’t, they have too much at risk. Katsuki has enough of a temper but clearly wasn’t at their base willingly. Koji could use animals to relay information, but he’s too sweet. Akira carefully watched All for One’s posture as they ran down their list of candidates and was shocked to see his body language change ever so slightly at Aoyama. What the fuck?

All for One chuckled darkly, pausing his explanation of how someone named the Doctor created Nomu. “Clever child. A shame the boy never got used to his quirk. Quirkless like he and my brother’s successor are either the best or worst candidates depending on their genetics.”

Successor… why is that familiar? Akira tried to think of when they last heard the word.

“The green-haired boy, Midoriya,” All for One supplied. “Though a surprise it was handed down to two Quirkless in a row, I suppose the Symbol of Peace was desperate.”

‘His quirk wasn’t forcibly manifested?’ Akira signed, hurt blossoming in their chest as they remembered the hours spent researching with him. I thought he understood.

“No, Mori,” All for One corrected and explained the origin of Midoriya’s quirk.

I knew All Might was a shitty person, but what the hell. Giving a child this burden? Akira snarled as the story got worse. They stumbled, peering in between the vats as they noticed something vaguely familiar. Akira took a step towards the vat, catching sight of a mutating Arata before All for One’s hand firmly squeezed their shoulder.

“Looking at them will just upset you. Know that none of them were missed and almost all were near death or longing for it when they came to us,” All for One murmured. “It is a shame the wielders of One for All have only gotten younger as my brother’s legacy has been passed on.”

Akira found themself nodding and cast one last look at the developing Nomu before letting All for One lead them onward. Their stomach did flips as the villain showed them the operating room where Ragdoll lay and another room with file cabinets filled with quirks, their owners, and missing person reports.

[MIRROR START]

Akira narrowly held back the bile until the last room where their knees gave out at the sight of failed experiments. Parts of children whose bodies were too weak to handle multiple quirks, adults who bore signs of extensive, prolonged injuries, and others with a hollowed-out appearance.

Akira shuddered, tears streaming down their face as All for One placed a hand on their back while looming over them. “It’s important to remember the past while looking forward to the future. We’ve perfected the process since these sacrificed their lives. You’ll see a whole new world at my side, and someday you’ll look back on this room in pride.”

[MIRROR END]

Akira numbly nodded, keenly aware of where they could end the day. All for One brought them back to the file cabinet room and set a stack of files in front of them to find suitable quirks for their plans. He left, locking the door with the promise of bringing food later. What started as getting to know the victims of his operation morphed into a growing morbid curiosity as Akira found a few Trump and Brute Regeneration quirks that could theoretically counteract or reverse the brainwashing depending on how the currently active quirk worked.

Some hours later, All for One brought dinner and a radio. Akira paused as they heard Eraser’s voice. “The ‘worst outcome’ I assumed in that situation was that the students would be at their wits’ end and be killed.”

Akira felt a little of their tension drain as Nezu mentioned there were no serious injuries from the attack. At least the others are safe.

“Can you say the same thing for the kidnapped Bakugo and Mori?” a reporter asked. Akira snorted as he used Katsuki’s attitude as an excuse to write him off as joining the League. “And no one knows anything about Mori. Their guardians are nowhere to be found, and their address is a P.O. box. What evidence do you have they are who they claim to be?”

Aizawa took responsibility for Katsuki’s violent tendencies before pausing a moment. “We are aware of Mori’s situation, and they highly value their privacy. I will not be discussing the personal life of one of my students, a minor, on live television.”

As Nezu reassured the press that the school was investigating with the police, Akira finished the food and stood, carefully moving away from All for One. “You’ll be exposed soon, Mori, and that will only bring more pain to the few you’ve exposed to your plan. Join me, and we will take the heat of whatever the Wrens bring.”

Akira looked between the files and All for One a few times before slinking forward. If I’m exposed this early, they’re going to die no matter-

Akira warped forward out of the room as an eighteen-wheeler slammed through the roof, sending chunks of concrete and drywall flying as they tried to dodge. Remembering the layout, they started to limp towards the warehouse floor but were abruptly pulled back to All for One’s side by dark whips made of crackling energy. All for One frowned as the dust settled and Best Jeanist, Mountain Lady, and Gang Orca rounded up the Nomu. He sighed, “It seems Tomura has failed again. Stay here, you wouldn’t survive the fight.”

Akira froze as they watched his oppressive aura strengthen and expand, All for One starting to float and become more muscular. “Let’s show these children what real power looks like,” he mused.

Notes:

Akira has a “max” of 4 clones because more puts too much of a strain on their body. Having 12 active for more than a few seconds wrecked them. Schooling your thoughts is pretty hard without training, especially under stress. Finally had to break from the lyrics! And I was so close to the end, too ☹ “when at last we atone” just did not fit this chapter at all. Lol I can't believe I thought the lyrics fit for that long! Also, going back over this made me realize my early conceptualization for telepathy was based on system interactions. Originally thought they were based on actual interactions (different host, high school)

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