Somewhere entirely different from the cell...
The monitors cast pale blue light across Kenji's face as he watched his son sit alone in the darkness.
Ryuu couldn't see the camera. Couldn't know that twenty feet above his cell, hidden behind reinforced concrete and scrambled signals, his father was watching every breath, every tremor, every moment of fear.
Kenji's hand gripped the edge of the console until his knuckles went white.
He felt guilty...cause after everything he tried to do...even after trying to cover up the importance of his son's quirk...they still found him...and there's nothing he could do about it...
And now Ryuu was here. In this facility. In a cell. Because Kenji hadn't been fast enough, careful enough, smart enough to prevent it.
"Commander?" A voice crackled through his earpiece. One of the night shift technicians. "Perimeter sensors are showing normal readings. All surveillance feeds stable."
"Acknowledged," Kenji replied, his voice came out neutral...you could even say it came out as bland.
After all...Commander Yamamoto never showed emotion. Commander Yamamoto was efficient, loyal, dedicated to the organization's goals.
But...
Commander Yamamoto was a lie.
He pulled up another camera angle. This one showed The Collector in his private quarters, skin shifting uncontrollably between metallic states even while he tried to rest.
The degradation was accelerating. Kurogane had maybe three weeks left, possibly less.
Which made him infinitely more dangerous.
Desperate men did desperate things. Kenji knew that better than most.
He switched back to Ryuu's cell feed. His son was curled in on himself now, chains rattling quietly as he tried to find a comfortable position on the cold concrete. Unfortunately there wasn't any furniture that could keep him warm.
Kenji's jaw clenched.
'Not much longer,' he wanted to say. 'I'm coming. Just hold on a little longer.'
But Ryuu couldn't hear him.
*Ting*
A soft chime indicated an incoming message. Kenji pulled it up on a secondary screen, already knowing who it was from.
[Dr. Saito] : Commander, I need your analysis on the amplifier's psychological profile. The Collector wants to move forward with acquisition protocols by morning.
Kenji's fingers hovered over the keyboard. Every word he wrote would be scrutinized later if things went wrong. He had to maintain the facade a little longer.
[Commander Yamamoto] : Subject displays strong protective instincts toward peer group. Emotional manipulation via threat to classmates shows highest probability of cooperation. However, recommend caution. Forced compliance may result in unstable amplification output.
[Dr. Saito]: Noted. The Collector is prepared to demonstrate consequences if subject refuses cooperation. Your sabotage protocols remain in place as contingency?
Kenji's blood went cold. They were asking him to help plan his own son's torture.
[Commander Yamamoto] : Affirmative. All systems ready for immediate lockdown if acquisition fails. Subject will not escape facility.
Another lie. The "lockdown protocols" Kenji had installed would do the opposite. They'd open every security door simultaneously, create gaps in the surveillance net, and trigger a dozen false alerts to scatter the guards.
But they didn't need to know that yet.
He closed the message window and pulled up his real work. The work he'd been doing in secret for years, piece by piece, line of code by line of code.
A complete map of the facility's security systems. Every camera blind spot, every structural weakness, every escape route. He'd been building it for years, just in case. Just in case the day came when he couldn't hide Ryuu anymore.
That day was here.
Kenji stood, his chair scraping softly against the floor. Around him, the monitoring station hummed with quietly. Three other operatives were on duty tonight, but they were focused on external feeds. None of them paid attention to the Commander's private work.
He walked to a secure terminal in the corner, one that required his biometric signature to access. The screen flashed green as it recognized him.
*EMERGENCY PROTOCOL OVERRIDE*
*COMMANDER AUTHORIZATION REQUIRED*
Kenji's hand hesitated over the confirmation button.
Once he did this, there was no going back. Years of cover, destroyed in an instant. The organization would know he'd betrayed them. They'd hunt him. They'd hunt Yuki. They'd never stop looking.
But Ryuu would be free.
His finger pressed down.
*OVERRIDE ACCEPTED**
*CASCADING SYSTEM FAILURE IN: 06:00:00*
Six hours. That would put the facility's collapse right around dawn. Enough time to get Ryuu out, destroy the critical research, and ensure The Collector couldn't simply relocate and try again.
Kenji pulled up the sabotage subroutines he'd hidden in the security architecture years ago.
Each one looked like standard maintenance code on the surface. But together, they formed something far more destructive.
*SUBSYSTEM A: POWER GRID DESTABILIZATION*
Status: Armed
*SUBSYSTEM B: SUPPRESSION FIELD GENERATOR OVERLOAD*
Status: Armed
*SUBSYSTEM C: DATA CENTER THERMAL SPIKE*
Status: Armed
*SUBSYSTEM D: STRUCTURAL SUPPORT COMPROMISED*
Status: Armed
Every system designed to look like equipment failure rather than deliberate sabotage. The organization would eventually figure it out, but by then it wouldn't matter.
He activated a secure channel on his personal device. One that didn't route through the facility's network. One that connected directly to a number he'd memorized but never called.
The line rang twice before someone picked up.
"This is an unsecured channel," a professional voice stated. Pro Hero dispatch.
"This is Commander Yamamoto, villain organization operative." Kenji kept his voice low. "I have intelligence on a kidnapped UA student. Kazama Ryuu. Current location and facility schematics being transmitted now."
Silence on the other end. Then, sharp and focused: "Transmit coordinates. We'll have teams mobilized in thirty minutes."
"Negative. The facility is heavily defended and the subject is under quirk suppression. You'll need at least six hours to coordinate proper rescue without casualties." Kenji watched the countdown timer tick. "I'm getting him out from inside. Have medical teams ready at these coordinates in exactly six hours."
He transmitted a location fifty kilometers from the facility. Far enough that the organization couldn't track the handoff, close enough that Ryuu would survive the journey even injured.
"Who is this really?" the voice demanded. "How do we know this isn't a trap?"
"You don't," Kenji admitted. "But the alternative is leaving a student in enemy hands. Your choice."
He ended the call before they could respond, then destroyed the communication log.
The monitoring station remained quiet. None of the other operatives had noticed his conversation. Good.
Kenji pulled up Ryuu's cell feed one more time.
His son was trying to sleep now, chains arranged awkwardly to minimize discomfort. It wasn't working. Every few minutes, Ryuu would shift, would try a new position, would fail to find rest.
'I'm sorry,' Kenji thought, watching the boy he'd abandoned eight years ago suffer in darkness. 'I'm sorry for leaving. For lying. For letting you think I didn't care.'
'I'm sorry I couldn't protect you from this.'
'But I'm going to fix it. Tonight.'
He checked the countdown again. Five hours, forty-two minutes until the facility started tearing itself apart. He'd need to move before then. Get to Ryuu's cell, remove the suppressors, deal with whatever guards stood between them and freedom.
And then face his son's rage, confusion, and hatred.
Because Ryuu wouldn't understand. He'd see a stranger claiming to be his father. A villain operative. Someone who'd let The Collector capture him in the first place.
The truth would come eventually. But first would come the anger.
Kenji could live with that. As long as Ryuu lived at all.
He pulled up his personal files, encrypted and hidden in a folder labeled "Equipment Maintenance Logs."
Inside were copies of everything The Collector wanted. His original research on Resonance-type quirks. The theories about quirk evolution. The reason governments and villains both would kill to possess someone like Ryuu.
All of it was backed up here. All of it was about to be destroyed.
Kenji initiated the deletion sequence. One by one, the files corrupted themselves beyond recovery, overwriting their data sectors multiple times to prevent any chance of restoration.
*DELETION COMPLETE*
*FILES UNRECOVERABLE*
The research died with those files. Everything he'd spent his career building, gone in seconds.
It was worth it.
Kenji stood and moved toward the equipment locker. He'd need gear for what came next. Weapons, ideally, though his Resonance Echo quirk would help. Medical supplies for Ryuu. A coat to cover the boy's prison clothes.
And something else. Something he'd kept hidden for years now...but never daring to look at it until now.
He reached into the back of his personal locker and pulled out a small, worn photograph. The edges were creased from being carried in a wallet, then hidden away when he'd taken on his false identity.
Yuki smiled up at him from the photo, her arms wrapped around a two-year-old Ryuu. They were in their old apartment, the one they'd abandoned when Kenji disappeared. The boy's violet eyes, inherited from him, sparkled with innocent joy.
That child was gone now. Replaced by a teenager who'd grown up without a father, who'd faced horrors no student should face, who was currently chained in darkness below his feet.
But maybe, just maybe, Kenji could give him a chance at a future.
He tucked the photo into his inner pocket, right over his heart, and began gathering supplies.
The countdown timer read five hours, eighteen minutes.
Time to become a father again.
Even if it killed him.
---
Kenji made his way through the facility's lower levels with practiced ease. Night shift meant minimal personnel, most stationed at external checkpoints rather than internal corridors.
He passed a maintenance worker who nodded respectfully. "Commander."
"Routine inspection," Kenji replied smoothly. "Continue your rounds."
The worker disappeared around a corner, unaware that in a few hours this entire structure would be collapsing around them. Kenji had made sure the emergency evacuation protocols would trigger early, give people time to get out.
Most people.
The guards stationed near the detention level were a different problem. Three of them, all with combat quirks, all loyal to The Collector's cause. They wouldn't just step aside.
Kenji would need to be smart about this.
He rounded the final corner, his footsteps echoing in the concrete corridor. The guards looked up, hands instinctively moving to their weapons before recognizing him.
"Commander Yamamoto," the lead guard said, relaxing slightly. "Didn't expect to see you down here. The Collector said no one was to approach the subject until morning."
"Change of plans," Kenji said, his voice carrying absolute authority. "The Collector wants me to conduct a preliminary psychological assessment. Ensure the subject will be cooperative when the deadline arrives."
The guards exchanged glances. The lead one frowned. "We didn't receive any updated orders..."
"You're receiving them now." Kenji pulled out his tablet, displaying falsified authorization codes. "The Collector doesn't want the subject to have time to prepare mentally. A surprise interrogation will yield more accurate results."
It was plausible enough. The organization valued psychological manipulation highly. And Kenji's reputation for results gave weight to his words.
The lead guard studied the tablet, then reluctantly nodded. "How long will you need?"
"Twenty minutes. No interruptions."
"Understood, Commander."
The guard unlocked the cell door. Heavy magnetic locks disengaged with a series of metallic clanks.
Kenji stepped through into the dark cell beyond.
The door sealed behind him with a pneumatic hiss.
And for the first time in eight years, Kenji stood in the same room as his son.
"Who's there?" Ryuu's voice was hoarse, exhausted. He'd pushed himself into the far corner, chains pulled taut. "If you're here to torture me, get it over with."
Kenji's heart broke a little more.
"No," he said quietly. "I'm here to get you out."
Silence. Then, confused: "What?"
Kenji activated a small light on his tablet, illuminating the space just enough to see by. He kept his face shadowed deliberately.
"The facility is going to collapse in five hours," Kenji explained, moving toward where the quirk-suppressing cuffs were anchored to the wall. "I've sabotaged the structural supports. We have a narrow window to get you out before everything comes down."
"Why would you..." Ryuu's voice was suspicious. "Who are you? Another one of The Collector's people trying to manipulate me?"
"No." Kenji pulled out the master override key he'd stolen from security. "I'm someone who's been trying to protect you for a very long time."
He deactivated the suppression cuffs. They fell away from Ryuu's wrists with a metallic clatter.
Ryuu came in contact with kenji when his cuffs came off and—
"That's..." Ryuu's voice shook. "That's not possible."
Kenji stepped into the light, removing the clear-lensed glasses that distorted his eye color. Let his violet eyes, the same shade as his son's, be visible for the first time.
"Hello, Ryuu," he said quietly. "I know you have questions. I know you're angry. But right now, we need to run."
Ryuu stared at him, emotions crashing across his face too fast to process. Recognition. Disbelief. Rage. Confusion.
"You," he finally whispered. "You're... but you're dead. You left. You..."
"I know." Kenji extended his hand. "And I'm sorry. For everything. But we can talk once we're safe. Please, Ryuu. Trust me one more time."