"ER-tshhhhhhhhh-ri! Mi r–hhhhssss-ivi?"
Aizawa-sensei's voice! But it's distorted in my earpiece, and I can't understand anything.
"Eri! Volt, it's activated!" he exclaims. Then, it fades away.
All communications go abruptly dead as an electrical discharge passes through the air. The world, strange as it sounds, becomes incredibly silent.
"Sensei! SENSEI!" I exclaim, in total panic.
I have to hear his voice, I need him, damn it!
"Excellent, just what I needed!" Kaito mutters, his face blanching as he looks at another seriously injured man waiting to be recovered.
"If this guy keeps jamming the communications, I swear I'll slap him the next time I see him," Tess mutters, trying to find Shadow in the darkness.
Suddenly, however, my ears start to burn. Not literally, but they feel scorching hot. The ground seems to shake as a sharp, direct, unignorable sound pierces the air: Siren has arrived.
His voice, modulated like an ultrasonic call, overwhelms almost the entire Alpha team and all the nearby fighters. I see some fall to their knees, others put their hands over their ears to protect them as they lose their balance. Kaito screams and falls to a sitting position, writhing on the ground. Ren, still wounded and confused, puts his hands over his ears and screams. I grit my teeth, my head spinning...my heart is racing...
Then a voice...one I'd recognize from miles away. The one that blocks the confusion in my head.
"Calm down. Breathe, keep your head up!"
Aizawa-sensei.
I turn and look around. I can't see him because of the smoke and shadows, but I feel him coming toward us.
"Protect the medical team!" he shouts to the fighters through his earpiece, in that icy tone of his, serious but lucid, even as Siren continues to vibrate in the air.
"Eri, honey, it's Dad. Don't worry, okay?"
My heart skips a beat. I burst into tears, like a woman in despair. I'm angry, worried, trying to be attentive to everything I have to do... but looking at the faces of my companions, tired, hurt, bitter... I realize I don't have time to think about these things.
"Dad…"
"Hold on, honey. Come on!"
I nod.
Titan is returning, looking bigger and bigger. Shadow disappears and reappears behind the debris, trying to confuse us. Volt continues to mess with the circuits, though I think they've found a way to stop him. Siren hovers in the air, screaming like a madwoman.
And we mustn't resist.
Those explosions seem to go on forever. I see Tess being dragged away by Siren's sound effect, one hand trying to shield her ears. Ren and Reina, recently stabilized, are on the ground, though conscious. Kaito runs to retrieve a civilian from the wreckage of an overturned truck, and sadly, no one is coming from the front lines. No voices, no guides, no "Eri, think of the wounded."
So, it all depends on me. I swallow my fear, once towards Tess, once towards the fighting squad, none of whom are coming. Being a hero isn't just about hitting or winning. It means never turning away. Even when you can't fight.
I believe it, I believe those words. I've done nothing but repeat it to my brother. And I'll repeat it until the end of my days.
I speak.
"Okay... everyone listen to me."
My voice trembles just a little. I clench my fists, steeling myself, and think about how I want to be strong, just like Aizawa-sensei. I take a deep breath.
Ren raises his head toward me, Reina looks at me as if suddenly realizing something, and Kaito, who was yelling at himself for not being able to stop anyone, stops complaining.
"Volt's jamming the communications. The others are out of range! So, for now... I'm in charge."
I'm not as bossy as Aizawa, I know that well, and I'm not as charismatic as Hawks. Nor am I as eccentric as Present Mic...
And yet, they listen to me.
"Tess is missing. She was searching for Shadow in the darkness, but I lost sight of her. Ren, Reina: stay close, I'll do everything I can to get you to a safer area. Kaito, grab as many civilians as you can and follow the path I show you. Let's move!"
No one protests.
I move jerkily alongside Kaito, rushing numerous civilians behind me. The smoke from the burned-out factories, however, obscures most of our vision. I can only see Titan moving through the warehouses, each step resonating in my chest. Shadow, however, appears and disappears in the air, impossible to follow. Volt is searching for something, or someone in particular. Siren continues to manipulate the sound, distorting all perceptions.
With no tactical guidance in the headset, no proper support, no visibility... the situation is worse than I expected.
"Where are we going?!" Kaito asks, carrying more than one burned civilian on his shoulders.
"They've set up a sort of field hospital inside that warehouse." I reply, pointing to a half-destroyed building.
"But…"
"It still has a roof, and at least one entrance. It's defensible." I stop him, without hesitation.
"What if… Titan punches it?"
"Then we move before he does. Come on, let's move!"
I can't say it, but I'm thinking just like Aizawa-sensei. Coldly, rationally, clearly, and focused on the priority: saving as many lives as possible.
As soon as we enter the warehouse, we arrange the wounded next to medical specialists. The scene seems to come from a horror movie, but this isn't the time to think about it. Ren and Reina are sitting against the wall, they seem fine but aren't speaking. Kaito is breathing heavily after running with two civilians in his arms. I'm in the center, my hands shaking slightly.
"Listen to me, everyone, please. From here on out, don't panic. The villains are bothering us a bit, trying to drive us crazy."
I look at them, one by one.
"Our job isn't to win. The medical team's job is to protect. And until the others return, we are the civilians' lifeline. And I... I will lead this team. I humbly ask you to cooperate."
I give a small bow, in thanks, and grit my teeth. I don't want to lose anyone, not today. I'm incredibly worried about Tess, but I have to trust her, I have to believe in her. I want to hope for each of them, while Aizawa-sensei is out here risking his life.
"Kaito, do a reconnaissance as quickly as possible. But if you hear Siren or anyone else, come back right away, okay?"
"Yes, Captain! ..Eh, sorry. Yes, Eri."
"Ren, Reina: help me set up another medical station here. It's not much, I know, but we can stabilize the injured until help arrives, thanks in part to the help of these wonderful doctors."
"Roger."
"I'm in."
"Me…in the meantime. I'm going to find Tess."
Ren's eyes widen. "And you're going alone?"
"She's my best friend, and she's also the one most exposed to Siren's quirk. I'm not leaving her there alone."
They've already figured out they can't stop me, and so they don't.
I leave the warehouse, alone. Without communication, without knowing where Aizawa-sensei is, without knowing whether the villains are winning or losing. But deep down, I feel I'm responsible for the entire team, and I mustn't give up. My dad and my big brother are in danger too, I have to keep my nerve.
The smoke thickens as I enter the industrial district's warehouses. My throat feels tight from the fumes, and the screams of civilians drown out my thoughts. Volt has almost completely shut down communications, and the only thing I can do is fly low, dodging the residual static and searching for people to pull out from under the stairs, from overturned cars, from the debris-filled corridors. I grit my teeth and think only of saving Tess. I need to find her, I need to find her alive. As I head toward the area where there's the most smoke, I find a small group of people huddled under a collapsed walkway. I see an adult bleeding from his forehead, two children hugging him are shaking, and one is limping, trying to free them.
I approach, placing a hand on the limping child.
"It's okay, I'll get you out of here." I say, trying not to shake in my voice.
Shortly after, I lift the adult onto my shoulders, while I take the three children in my arms. My wings, unsteady from the effort but still luminous, cut through the air as I race toward the secure storage area where doctors and volunteers are reorganizing the area. As soon as I release them into their hands, I'm already in the air again, my heart in my throat, searching for Tess. I don't have any more time. Tess must be here somewhere.
Suddenly, a rustling sound. A stuttering signal, again. Then, a hoarse voice appears.
"-i…Eri…can you hear me?"
My heart skips a beat. "Aizawa-sensei?" I ask, trembling. "Yes! Yes! I can hear you!"
I hear his heavy, rasping breathing.
"Shouta…I need you!" I exclaim, "Please, don't disappear again!"
I also hear background noises: some sound like impacts, others like rocks falling. A breath cuts the transmission... then he speaks, his voice tense.
"Listen to me. The teams... are scattered. Volt... sabotaged everything. I have to... keep Siren and Titan away from civilians. Please, don't take any unnecessary risks."
I hear another loud bang, then a brief pause.
"If anything happens to you, Eri... I can't handle this right now."
"Sensei…"
"I can't…let myself lose you. I couldn't bear it."
My breath catches for a second. He doesn't repeat it a second time, doesn't even correct himself. He doesn't add anything.
I stay silent for... I don't know how long, continuing to run in my direction. I force myself to swallow the tight feeling in my chest, and transform it into concentration.
"I'm fine, sensei. Tess is gone here. Please keep the line open."
I hear another rustling sound. Another suppressed moan from him.
"Hurry up..." He whispers, but it's probably not meant for me. But I can't tell, because the connection goes dead again.
And the last thing I hear is a heavy thud...like a body hitting a wall. Like him swaying.
"Sensei!" I exclaim, shaking with fear.
I start sobbing, like a child. This is the price you pay when you're in the dark, when your best friend is missing and you find yourself facing all this alone. The sound of Siren still vibrates in my bones as I slip through the warehouses, trying to stay as hidden as possible. My eyes scan every possible corner of the area, not missing a single alley, when I hear... a voice.
A moan, to be precise.
"...E-Eri? Here..."
Finally, I found Tess.
I find her half-buried under a pile of fallen pipes. Her costume is torn, revealing a portion of her breasts, her face covered in dried blood and dirt. Her legs...bowed, in a way that makes my stomach turn cold.
"Tess! Tess, please…"
She tries to smile at me, shaking like a leaf from shock.
"I-I knew…you'd come. I was…waiting for you, you know?"
"Don't talk." I thunder.
My hands are starting to shake visibly, but I can't afford it. I try to make some quick initial assessments. There are numerous open fractures, extreme pain, and a risk of severe shock. I have to take her away, to storage. Now.
I immediately infuse her with a wave of healing energy, just to stabilize her enough to keep her from dying during the flight. Then I lift her into my arms, draping her behind my back for greater comfort.
"I'll take you to the depot. Hold on for me, okay?"
She nods slightly. She's very weak.
I take flight as quickly as possible when the explosions begin to erupt, one after another. Debris grazes my back, but I can't let it hit Tess. A residual burst of Volt hits my left wrist, searing my nerves, but I don't let her go, not for the world.
The depot is in sight, I flap my wings a couple of times until I touch the ground. I hear a scream.
"Bring him in! Now! He's losing too much blood!"
My world, in that moment, that day, stops.
Aizawa-sensei. Seriously injured.
I hand Tess into the doctors' arms and turn toward the crowded area. My eyes find what they should never have seen. Aizawa-sensei is lying on a rolling bed, surrounded by Recovery Girl and her team. His costume is torn, his chest trembles with every breath. It almost seems like he's struggling to breathe. But above all...
His left leg is gone…anymore. Cleanly severed at the femur. His blood…is gushing out, coloring the floor like a stain spreading too…too fast.
"N-no…no no no no…sensei…!"