The Cosa Nostra (Part 9)

Chris charged up One for All through his body. Several thugs ran up, armed with anything they could get their hands on. "Heroes!" "Stop them!" Chris fired off a powerful flick, blowing through several dozen thugs. Before Chris could start running again, he was grabbed from behind. Chris turned to punch the culprit, but realized it was Jason. "Let go!" Jason yelled back. "Slow the fuck down!" Nighteye and the other heroes caught up. "Thank god you caught him!" Chris shook Jason off of him as Nighteye spoke. "Chris, I know you're in a hurry to save Eri, but you can't rush in by yourself. There is strength in numbers." Jason looked into Chris's eyes. "Breathe, dude. Breathe." Chris took a few deep breaths. He had calmed down a little. Now, as a team, Nighteye led the heroes and students into the lower levels of the Cosa Nostra Facility.

Overhaul walked through the lower levels, not panicking at all. He was well aware of the raid occurring at that very moment. He also knew that his current forces wouldn't be enough to hold off the heroes. However, he always had a plan for every possible contingency. His forces would buy as much time as possible on the surface. Then, as the raid began to make its way down the lower levels of the facility, his elite forces would begin to attack the heroes, dividing them up into more manageable groups. If the raid party somehow made it all the way to Overhaul, then he would have no choice but to fight back, which would mean the death of every hero he came across. It was a good thing he planned on being long gone by then. He, Eri, his assistant, and their research files were walking through the exit tunnel which would lead to a getaway car. The white robed assistant held Eri in his arms as the two gangsters walked. "Sir, is it possible for us to recover from this mess?" "Of course." Overhaul took out the small red box from his pocket and opened it, revealing five red darts. "The final product and Eri are still in our possession. We will be able to complete my plans." The Cosa Nostra leader smiled underneath his mask. "La vittoria è ancora alla mia portata."

Kirishima was nearly out of breath. He was used to long distance running, but the group had been sprinting through the facility for a solid five minutes. Jason and Chris seemed fine, but it was because their quirks were helpful in these instances. Kirishima was just relying on his legs and stamina. The redhead looked ahead. Chris had told him about his run-in with Overhaul in the alley. Kirishima knew the feeling: the feeling of helplessness. He could only imagine what Chris was feeling. Aizawa tensed up. "Anyone else hear that?" Before a response could be given, the wall opened up next to him. An arm tried to grab the teacher, but Kirishima tackled him out of the way. The arm grabbed Kirishima and pulled him through. Fatgum reached out. "Red!" The pro hero managed to hold onto Kirishima, meaning both men were dragged through the wall as it closed behind them. The group stopped. Nighteye turned around. "Come on! We need to keep moving!" The group kept running. Aizawa swore. "The Cosa Nostra were trying to capture me, not them!" Jason was running next to his former teacher. "Relax! He's with one of the strongest heroes I've ever met!" Aizawa looked at Jason out of the corner of his eye. "You really think highly of Fatgum, don't you?!" Jason smiled. "I wasn't referring to Fatgum!" Chris also smiled. They both knew that Kirishima, or Red Riot rather, could handle anything.

Overhaul had just passed the final layer of defenses that would stand between the heroes and him: his lieutenant and the lieutenant's friend. The Lieutenant's quirk wasn't useful for combat, but was great at discovering information. The other guy's quirk was a bit more useful: he could throw off people's equilibrium. The Lieutenant drew his pistol and ensured the magazine was loaded. "Don't worry, sir. Nobody will get past us." Overhaul nodded. "Good man." Overhaul kept walking. The Lieutenant looked up at his comrade, who was hanging from the top of the hallway. "I doubt the heroes will get this far. But if they do, we'll be ready."

The main group of heroes entered a large room. The main door on the other side slid shut, blocking their path. Three thugs were standing in their path. The first thug was a well built man wearing a black mask covering most of his face. The second thug was wearing all white with only his mouth being revealed. The third guy, a man dressed in green and wearing a black plague doctor's mask similar to Overhaul's, was clearly their leader. "Hello heroes! Welcome to the party!" He drew a gun, but Tamaki was faster. The sidekick shot out some octopus tentacles that took a hold of the thugs' weapons, prying them out of their hands. "Hey! No fair!" Tamaki's tentacle turned into a crab's claw and shattered the guns. "There." The bigger thug activated his quirk, turning his skin into hardened crystals. Chris powered up One for All. "We don't have time for this! Let's take them down quickly!" Jason took a few steps forward, putting himself in between the thugs and heroes. "These guys want to stall as many of us as possible. Save your strength and quirks: especially Impact and Eraser Head." Jason's right arm became covered in red energy. "I'll catch up as soon as I finish off these idiots." Chris looked at his lifelong friend. Jason was more than willing to put his life on the line just to give Chris a shot to correct his mistakes. "...Endgame." Jason looked back at his friend. "Don't die on me." Jason smirked. "Same to you, Impact." Chris punched through the door and the hero group hurried on. Jason's left arm became covered in blue energy. "Alright, you discount henchmen. Let's rock."