Chapter Text
To be, or not to be, that is the question,
To say he was concerned would be an under-exaggeration.
Hawks was, as Dabi so eloquently dubbed him, ‘a paranoid bird’. Here he was perched on the sole bridge leading to Tartarus -which looked like the Golden Gate gone emo- watching the sole entrance to the highest security prison in Japan. He was several hundred feet higher than any sane person would be, so naturally the security cameras and two stationed guards at the entrance had yet to pick up his presence.
On this lovely overcast Tuesday evening, the Pro-Hero Hawks had gotten off work early. Unfortunately for him, his lovely new villain colleagues had an extra special mission impossible feat for him to achieve to earn his villain green card. When Dabi told him what he was to do, Hawks laughed in his face. Breaking into Tartarus is next to impossible let alone getting back out. So naturally, Hawks assumed Dabi was pulling his leg or something.
It wasn't until Hawks noticed the villain didn’t sport his teasing smirk, his stomach promptly dropped.
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”
Only then did Dabi’s trademark smirk make an appearance, “Figure it out birdy, we need our warp.” Dabi was gone before he could get another word in.
And thus, here he was, a week later, about to probably get his cover blown over some batshit insane mission that was probably assigned for the sole purpose of him getting his ass handed to him.
Yeah, Hawks was just peachy.
He checked the time again, two more minutes.
The guard change would happen at the top of the hour, this momentary transition was all he needed to get to the roof access point. It was cleverly hidden but with the maps of the prison he’d gotten via the Hero Public Safety Commission, he knew how to find the hatch. He also knew and had memorized the placement of every single security camera standing between him and Kurogiri’s cell, the moment he touched down on the roof his feathers would take out every single camera, three floors worth.
One minute.
It wasn’t that Hawks was worried he’d fail, it was more that he was worried he’d get caught. Sure, the hood and mask would help conceal his face, but there’s not a person in Japan who wouldn’t know the owner of the bright red feathers darting the prison halls. Which meant if he came into contact with a guard, Hawks was going to have to take them out. Shuddering at the thought, he focused on his breaths and the ever ticking seconds. Hawks didn’t want to send anyone to the grave today, which is why he had chosen to act during the 8pm guard change. He prayed to every deity he had never worshipped for this to be a bloodless battle.
30 seconds.
The Hero Public Safety Commission had instructed Hawks to perform whatever measures necessary to win over the League of Villains. When he had first received those instructions he didn’t know that those measures need not pertain to the laws of Hero Society. About a month into his assignment, Hawks received the order from The League to take down a Pro, naturally he’d called the President and asked for her assistance.
“What is it Hawks.”
“Yo Madam Prez, so I was talking to my contact the other day-”
“Get to it Hawks, I’m busy.”
“They want me to kill a Pro.”
“And why are you contacting me?”“What- because I can’t-”
“Are you aware of Jeanist’s current condition? He is not in condition to defend himself in the case of any attack or accident that should befall him. You were instructed to do anything necessary to gain the League of Villain’s trust, do not contact me again Hawks until you have a place among their ranks.” The line promptly went dead and Hawks came to the horribly realization of exactly what this mission was. A suicide attempt wrapped in political favors and unpaid debts.
20 seconds.
He could do this. No body bags, no cameras, and no mistakes.
10 seconds.
Deep breath in, hold, and let go. Hawks plummeted fifty some feet toward the roof like a bullet. The crunch in his knees as he hit the roof running was hardly a kind sound, but he kept moving. In the blink of an eye every feather was gone from his back and marking the path ahead of him. His two largest primary feathers sliding into his hands like he was dual wielding Katanas.
Five minutes.
It would take the guards five minutes to get to him the moment the cameras went out. Hawks could make it though, he was too fast for his own good after all. He slipped inside the prison, the roof entrance latching closed behind him. He dashed through the halls like a madman, collecting feathers to his back as he passed each cut security camera. Down the stairs through the hall, down the stairs, through the hall, past door after door of cells holding folks who would love to have their time with him.
Two minutes.
21782, 21783, 21784, 21785!
His tiniest feathers slipped into the door’s lock and in seconds came the relieving click of an opening seal. Pushing the door in he rushed into the room. The glass in front of him looked an inch thick, he willed his feathers to pelt the glass in front of him, using his primaries to slice at it with all of his strength.
One minute.
The hole finally wore through, no more than six inches in diameter but it was enough to bring the heavy glass crashing to the floor. From the otherside of the now nonexistent glass barrier, stood Kurogiri, a quirk suppressor around his neck and eyes pinched in suspicion. Hawks lurched forward, glass crunching beneath his boots and filling the otherwise silent room. The moment Hawks reached Kurogiri, his talons struck the quirk suppressor, through his already glass-shredded gloves. The sound of bustling down the hall reached Hawk’s keen ears,
“We need to go, now.”
“Ah, yes of course.”
A portal opened before them and Kurogiri gestured for Hawks to step through. As he heard the door to the cell open once again, Hawks made no complaint and stepped into the swirling darkness.
When his feet landed in the damp dingy looking room in front of him, he was relieved to see Kurogiri join him as the portal slid closed. The gravity of what he’d just done and accomplished struck him then. Hawks had successfully broken in and out of Tartarus and he was pretty sure he hadn’t been spotted either. A choked laugh bubbled in his throat as he broke into a grin.
Hawks was just about ready to collapse in relief, when a cold hand gripped his throat. Four sickly pale fingers gripped his neck as the middle hovered just centimeters from his skin. In his ear spoke the gravelly voice of the man himself, Shigaraki Tomura,
“You have five seconds before you’re a pile of dust on my floor, Hero.”