Omg… omg—
Mirko!
Aiko didn't even think. The moment she saw him step out of the shadows she ran straight into him, arms wrapping around his waist like she was afraid he might vanish if she let go. Her face pressed into his chest, her breath shaking.
"Hey… hey," Mirko whispered, holding her tight, one hand on the back of her head. "I got you. I'm here."
"Make it quick, you two," Kaito muttered from the doorway, nervously peeking down the hall.
Aiko pulled back just enough to look at Mirko's face, her eyes red and shining.
"What—how—what are you doing here? How did you even get in?" she rushed out, barely breathing between words.
Mirko gave a weak, crooked smile. "Long story. Involves a bear, a fence, and a lot of very bad decisions."
Then his face softened. "But I couldn't leave you guys. I'm here to get you back. Back home."
Aiko let out a small broken laugh and wiped her tears with the back of her hand.
"I really thought you were dead," she said quietly. "When you didn't come back… I thought I lost you."
Mirko shook his head. "Not that easy to get rid of me."
Kaito cleared his throat a little louder this time. "Alright, lovebirds, time's up. I can't keep her gone any longer."
Aiko's hands tightened on Mirko's jacket. "Wait—just one more second."
Mirko leaned in, his voice low and serious now. "Listen. I'm working on a plan. I'm inside this place now. I'll find a way to get all of you out, okay? You just have to hold on."
She nodded quickly, eyes full of hope and fear. "I will. Just… don't disappear again."
"I won't," he promised.
Kaito stepped forward. "Aiko. Now."
She hesitated, then slowly let go of Mirko, backing away a step.
"I hope I get to see you again," she said softly, almost afraid to say it out loud.
Mirko smiled at her, small but real. "You will. I swear."
Kaito gently took her arm and started pulling her toward the door. Aiko kept looking back until the last second, until Mirko was out of sight.
Back at the work site, the sun was already high and brutal, baking the dirt into hard clumps under their shovels.
"That guard over there?" Anna whispered, barely moving her lips as she kept digging. "He just sneaked food inside his pants. I saw it. Like—right in there."
Tenya blinked. "You mean… he's stealing food?"
Anna snorted. "Yep. Shoving it down his uniform like a raccoon."
Tenya let out a bitter little laugh. "So we steal food and get punished like criminals, but they do it and it's fine?"
"Exactly," Anna muttered. "Hypocrisy with a badge."
"Hey, you two," a guard barked from behind them. "Keep it down and keep working."
Anna leaned closer to Tenya and whispered just loud enough for the guard to hear,
"Relax, we're just talking about how tight your pants are. Hard not to notice when you're smuggling snacks in there."
The guard's face turned red. "What did you just—"
"Okay, okay, chill!" Anna quickly said, shoving her shovel back into the dirt. "We're working, we're working."
Tenya bit his lip to keep from laughing.
In the distance, Anna noticed Kaito dragging Aiko back toward the work line. Aiko looked tired, dusty… but she was smiling. Actually smiling.
Aiko locked eyes with Anna for a split second and gave her a tiny, secret grin.
Anna froze. "Wait, what the hell? Did Aiko just smile?"
Tenya looked up, following her gaze. Sure enough, Aiko was walking toward them, eyes brighter than they'd been in days.
When she reached them, Anna leaned in. "Okay, what happened out there?"
Aiko shook her head slightly, still smiling. "I'll tell you later."
Tenya frowned. "Tell us what later?"
"Just… keep digging," Aiko said softly, her voice suddenly lighter than it had been since they were brought here.
Kaito hurried back toward Mirko, his jaw tight, eyes darting around like he was afraid someone might be listening.
"Okay," he said under his breath. "What exactly—how exactly—are you planning on getting them out of here?"
Mirko swallowed. "I… I'm not sure yet. But I'm going to. I didn't come all this way just to—"
He never finished.
A deep, thunderous BOOM tore through the air.
The ground jumped beneath their feet. Dust and bits of concrete rained down from somewhere behind the work buildings.
"Oh my god—what the hell was that?!" Mirko shouted, barely hearing his own voice over the sudden alarms.
"We're under attack!" a guard screamed from across the yard. "Everyone to positions!"
Sirens began to wail, harsh and ugly, slicing through the base. Soldiers started running in every direction, boots pounding against metal and concrete.
"What's going on?" Mirko asked, panic rising in his chest.
Kaito grabbed his arm. "It's the other settlement—Black Ridge," he said quickly. "They've been fighting us for months. If they're hitting us now, it means this is going to get really bad."
Mirko's face went pale. "What about my friends?"
Before Kaito could answer, another explosion hit—closer this time. A nearby building's wall blew outward, collapsing in a cloud of smoke and fire. People screamed. Someone went flying. Guards were shouting orders that no one could hear.
Mirko was knocked backward, coughing as ash filled the air.
"Get down!" someone yelled.
Everything felt unreal—sirens, smoke, gunfire cracking through the chaos, prisoners running in panic while guards tried to form lines that kept breaking apart.
Mirko scrambled back to his feet, heart slamming against his ribs.
Through the mess, he could see the work site in the distance. Somewhere out there were Aiko, Anna, Tenya, and Izuku—scared, unarmed, trapped.
This is it, he thought.
This is the only chance I'm ever going to get.
While everyone else was distracted by fire and explosions, Mirko slipped backward into the shadows, eyes burning with fear and determination.
"Finally," he whispered to himself, fists clenched.
"A way out."