Chapter: 17

Ben took a steady breath, mentally running through his plan. The vault was moments from being breached, and he had limited time to stop it. He tapped his earpiece.

"Metal-1, I count six hostiles at the vault. Can you confirm?"

Ethan's voice crackled through. "Affirmative. Two setting the charge, four providing cover. But heads up here's another squad approaching from the west corridor. You'll have company soon."

Ben narrowed his eyes. "I'll deal with them before backup arrives. Kill the lights again when I give the signal."

"Got it, boss. Give 'em hell."

Ben focused his Quirk, reaching into the metallic framework of the ceiling. A silent pulse of crimson energy rippled outward as he molded the structure above, forming razor-thin wires in a web-like pattern right above the mercenaries. The moment they breached the vault, they'd be walking straight into his trap.

Now for the distraction.

Ben formed a spherical device in his palm smaller than a baseball, smooth and metallic with a single blinking red light. A flashbang, courtesy of his Quirk.

"Metal-1, on my mark."

Ben gripped the edge of the grate, muscles coiled like a spring. He counted down in his head.

Three… Two… One…

He dropped the flashbang right into the middle of the group and kicked open the grate.

"Lights out!"

Ethan shut down the power across the entire floor just as the flashbang detonated. A blinding white light exploded through the darkness, followed by a sharp, deafening bang. The mercenaries shouted in confusion, staggering back as their night vision was completely overwhelmed.

Ben dropped down like a shadow in the storm.

His first target one of the men near the charge never saw it coming. Ben slammed his knee into the man's ribs before flipping him over onto the hard floor. The mercenary gasped in pain before Ben's boot crashed down on his helmet, knocking him out cold.

The second demolitions expert fumbled for his weapon, but Ben was already moving. His Quirk pulsed, forming a long steel baton in his hand. He swung hard, the weapon connecting with the mercenary's arm CRACK. The rifle clattered to the floor as the man howled in pain, clutching his shattered forearm.

"Hostile down," Ben murmured.

Two of the covering guards recovered quickly, raising their weapons. But just as they steadied their aim

"Now!"

The thin metallic wires Ben had placed earlier snapped downward. The two guards were instantly yanked off their feet, slammed onto the cold ground as they struggled against the sudden restraints.

Ben didn't stop. He vaulted over a control panel, closing the distance to the last two guards. One of them had managed to draw a sidearm, but before he could fire

Ben formed a throwing knife in his palm and hurled it.

The blade buried itself in the man's hand, forcing him to drop his weapon with a scream. Ben reached him in a flash, grabbing his collar and slamming him into the vault door. His helmeted head bounced off the steel with a sickening thud, and he collapsed.

The final mercenary panicked, scrambling backward. Ben didn't even give him the chance to react he grabbed the man's vest and tossed him over his shoulder. The mercenary hit the ground hard, groaning before going limp.

Silence.

Ben exhaled, taking stock of the situation. Six enemies down. No casualties. Vault secured.

"Bravo 6, objective secure."

Ethan whistled. "Damn, boss. That was clean. But I got bad news the reinforcements just hit the west wing. You need to move. Now."

Ben turned toward the vault door. The charge was still attached, its timer ticking down 00:12.

His Quirk flared. A metallic shell formed around the explosive, sealing it completely. He absorbed the entire device into his aura, neutralizing it.

He wasn't leaving without checking what the villains were after. Ben pressed his hand to the vault door, molding a custom key. With a quiet click, the door unlocked, hissing as it swung open.

Inside, a sleek, futuristic-looking headset sat on a raised platform. The Quirk Amplification Headset.

Ben moved toward it but hesitated. If the villains wanted this so badly, there had to be a deeper reason. He grabbed the device and activated his comms.

"Melissa, I've got the headset. Do you have any idea what else they might be after?"

A moment of static. Then Melissa's worried voice. "Ben… if they're after that headset, then they're not just trying to steal Quirk-enhancing tech. They might be trying to mass-produce it. The blueprints are stored in the I-Island mainframe."

Ben's heart pounded. "That means they don't just want the headset they're after the research data."

Ethan cursed. "Damn it. That explains the squad heading for the server room."

"Then we're splitting up." Ben's voice was firm. "I'll secure the data. You two get to the evacuation zone."

Melissa protested. "Ben, wait!"

But he was already moving.

He grabbed a fallen mercenary's rifle and checked the ammo. Half a mag. It would have to do.

Ben reloaded, gritted his teeth, and sprinted toward the server room.

This fight wasn't over yet.