Outside the Base — Same Morning
The sun was barely up, spilling pale light over the steel fences.
Mirko crouched behind a thick tree line, far from the worksite but close enough to see.
Too close.
He pressed his back against the rough bark, breath shallow.
Leaves brushed his hair as he leaned forward, peering through a narrow gap.
Ben stayed low beside him, massive body unnaturally still.
Only the soft rumble in the bear's chest betrayed his tension.
Mirko's fingers wrapped around the fence binoculars—
shaking.
Not from the cold.
From what he was watching.
He saw them.
The four of them.
Sweaty. Dirty. Smaller than he remembered—like the base had already started shrinking them.
His eyes locked onto Izuku first.
Then Aiko.
Mirko's chest tightened when the guard leaned too close to her.
Too smug. Too confident.
Don't, Mirko thought.
Please don't—
The punch came fast.
Mirko flinched like he was the one hit.
"What the—" he whispered.
He watched Izuku get swarmed, dragged away like a thing instead of a person.
Watched Aiko fall apart.
Watched Anna scream.
Watched Tenya freeze.
Then they took Izuku behind the barracks.
Mirko couldn't see everything—
but he heard it.
The crack of the whip carried through the morning air.
Once.
Twice.
Mirko's stomach twisted violently.
His grip on the binoculars tightened until his knuckles went white.
"Stop…" he whispered, voice breaking.
Ben growled low, a warning sound—fur bristling.
Mirko lowered the binoculars slowly, like they weighed a hundred pounds.
His heart was pounding so hard it hurt.
They weren't just prisoners.
They were being broken.
Mirko pressed his forehead against the fence, metal cold against his skin.
His fingers slid down the wire, trembling uncontrollably.
"I waited too long," he muttered.
Images flashed in his mind—
Aiko's smile at the treehouse.
Anna's laugh.
Tenya's dumb serious face.
Izuku standing between Aiko and danger without thinking.
Mirko swallowed, eyes burning.
"I thought I had more time…"
His voice dropped, turning sharp.
"I was wrong."
Ben shifted beside him, nudging Mirko's arm gently.
Mirko looked at the bear, then back at the base.
At the guards.
The walls.
The cages.
His jaw clenched.
"I think…" he whispered, anger settling deep and heavy in his chest,
"…I'm starting this sooner than I thought."
His hands stopped shaking.
Not because he wasn't scared anymore—
But because he'd made a decision.
Mirko pulled back into the trees, disappearing with Ben into the shadows—
leaving the base standing, unaware.
Night — Outside the Base
Mirko crouched low, wire cutters cold in his hands.
Okay…
I'm gonna be stealthy.
The thought didn't exactly calm him—but it anchored him.
Sneak in.
Don't be seen.
Don't be stupid.
Inside… I'll figure it out later.
He glanced back once.
Ben sat a few meters behind him, half-hidden by shadow, massive head tilted slightly like he understood more than he should.
"Yup," Mirko whispered, forcing a small smile.
"You're gonna stay, buddy."
Ben huffed softly, unhappy.
"I'm gonna be in there for a while…"
Mirko turned back to the fence.
The last strand of wire snapped with a soft tick.
He froze.
Spotlight swept past.
Mirko pressed himself flat against the dirt, breath locked in his chest.
The light lingered—then slid away.
Only then did he move.
He slipped through the narrow opening, belly scraping the ground, jacket catching for half a second before he yanked free.
Inside.
No alarms.
No shouts.
Just the low hum of generators and distant boots.
Mirko didn't stand.
He crawled.
Ten seconds later, he rolled behind a concrete barrier, chest heaving silently.
Okay… okay… I'm in.
He peeked out.
The base was bigger than he imagined—fences within fences, floodlights cutting sharp white scars through the dark. Guards walked lazy but alert routes, rifles slung like extensions of their arms.
Mirko swallowed.
I have no idea where I'm going.
A spotlight snapped on nearby.
He bolted—
not running, not panicking—just moving.
Shadow to shadow.
Crate to truck.
Truck to wall.
At one point, a guard passed so close Mirko could smell cigarette smoke and sweat.
Mirko pressed himself into a corner, heart screaming.
Please don't turn.
Please don't—
The guard kept walking.
Mirko's knees nearly gave out.
He moved again, slipping through a narrow service alley, ducking under a hanging tarp, then rolling into darkness when another light swung too close.
Lost.
Completely.
He crouched behind stacked supply crates, hugging his knees, forcing his breathing slow.
Okay…
Don't freak out.
You wanted this.
From here, the base felt like a maze. Voices echoed from everywhere and nowhere. Somewhere far off, metal clanged. Somewhere closer, someone laughed.
He didn't know where the cells were.
Didn't know where they were.
But he knew one thing—
He was inside.
Mirko slid farther into the shadows, pulling his hood low, moving when others moved, stopping when they stopped.
Blending.
Just another shape.
Another kid-sized shadow in a place full of them.