The ride to the meetup spot was quiet, but I digress. It was mostly because of the complete lack of effort to talk on my behalf, honestly. But since I didn't hear Compress complaining about it -- he really didn't have any room to, in all honesty -- I maintained the silent atmosphere. The hum of the van's engine and the occasional ticking of the blinker were the only sounds that filled the space, void of any other noise. As I tapped my foot on the ground, wondering where the hell we were going to, I suddenly lurched forwards, nearly toppling over, if not for my seatbelt. Whipping my head up angrily, I looked at the driver, preparing to shout, but my words got caught in my throat as I saw a purple chasm swirling into existence right in front of us.

Damn, forgot they could do that.

As the van slowly eased into the portal, I felt my nerves get the best of me as I struggled a little in the sudden tightness of my seatbelt, my eyebrows furrowed and lip curled upwards. Taking deep breaths and making sure to exhale steadily, I closed my eyes and reminded myself that people were most likely on the way, and that I needed my rationality in order to untangle myself from this complicated mess.

Fluttering my eyelids shut, I squeezed them tightly together until the van stopped rumbling and I could muster the courage to peek through the only blockade that separated me from this nightmare and reality. 

We were transported to an empty lot in front of a large garage. Looking around, I guessed that ever since the police and hero intervention, the League had switched meetup spots. As Compress got out of the driver's seat, I saw three lurking figures outside, waiting for me to get off  the van and into their territory. 

But no matter how frightening this situation was, I knew every moment of hesitation provided an opportunity for the villains to reign victorious. I had no time to lose. With nobody in the car for the slightest moment, I opened my phone and sent out my location to Gang Orca, hoping that he'd caught on already. I shut off my device before the doors to the vehicle opened again, and was promptly dragged out by an arm, then restrained by Toga and Spinner.

Glaring at the now visible members of the League, my upper lip curled in distaste as I watched all of them closely, my fingernails digging into the flesh of my palms. I wasn't sure if it was the cold breeze or the chilling feeling the League radiated that caused goosebumps to rise on my body. Tiny invisible needles seemed to pierce my skin, giving life to small prominences all over. While I shuddered, Shigaraki merely stared at my quivering body, his fingers slowly scratching at his neck. Finally, he spoke after two long minutes of complete silence.

"Good job, Compress," he said plainly, not even batting an eye at his comrade in waiting. The magician smiled and bowed as he slipped his mask back on, thus reverting back to the same emotionless bastard I knew so long ago. I would've paid less attention to him if it weren't the thing in his hand that caught my attention.

The fleeting aspiration for escape was slipping further and further away from my grasp as I realized what it was.

"Oh, did you think I wasn't going to notice your little trick?" the masked man mused, examining the phone I thought I'd left in the car, "Your sleight-of-hand skills are pretty good -- if you weren't a hero, I would've even made you my protege." I was in shock as Compress handed my device over to Dabi, who examined it with a small grin. He pressed the home button to reveal my wallpaper, a picture of my parents and me on a vacation we took years ago.

"Tacky," he commented snarkily, regarding the photo with a coy gaze, "But what could I have expected from someone who sends their location in such a remote area?"

Suddenly, all the air seemed to disappear out of my lungs as Dabi showed me my phone screen.

Message failed to send.

"How did it not-" I stammered breathlessly, trying to make sense of the situation, "What-" A laugh from the scarred villain cut me off, his blue eyes widening in madness as he lifted his hand and pressed a finger in the top left corner of my device's screen. I felt bile start to rise in my throat, the acidic burn doing nothing to help my case in the empty lot with villains.

"There's no service in this wasteland."

Blue flames started to engulf my device after those six words left Dabi's mouth. I watched my phone burn up, glass crackling and popping in the palm of his flaming hand, so utterly impotent and vulnerable at that moment. But as much as I felt like crying or showing signs of the weakness that had already spread through most of my mind, I decided against it and vied to stay strong.

"Why me? Why do this again, and put in all the effort?" I snarled, trying to hide the waver in my voice, "I don't have special abilities — what use am I to the likes of you?" Now it was Shigaraki's turn to speak as he stepped forwards and waved his hand around in naturally deft movements to begin the short conversation.

"You're not of much use to us, don't worry," he drawled, speaking with a sadistically entertained lilt, "But we wanted to set an example." Tomura then spread his arms with a wide grin, as if welcoming an old friend.

"How the world will view these 'low-life' villains after they've pulled a heist bigger than any in Japan's history, and captured a student studying under a top-ten hero at the same time, is beyond your comprehension," he stated, his tone clearer than any time I've heard him before. Shivers ran through my limbs from the depths of my core as Shigaraki's pupils came to a rest on my figure. The dullness that they held was unsettling as his eyes remained matte for the whole time he observed me.

"We're just keeping the heroes preoccupied until further notice. They have so little things to worry about, so what's one little kidnapping going to do?" Tomura chuckled, "We'll release you when the time comes." No matter how much I wanted to focus on this twisted logic, I still had an unanswered question.

"But why abduct someone like me?" I heard a small sigh come from the blue-haired villain at the inquiry, as if the answer was the most obvious thing in the world.

"You were the easiest target," Shigaraki admitted, red eyes crinkled and glimmering bestially atop a wicked smirk, "Weaker than most, but still a high enough bounty for us to attract attention." The blue-haired man profiled me up and down one last time before scoffing and turning to the magician on his right.

"Send them to the garage, and keep an eye on them, Compress. Make sure they don't do anything reckless." My breaths grew sporadic and I instantaneously started to thrash around, with Toga and Spinner struggling to control me.

"No!" I screamed, my vocal chords drowned in anguish and despair, "Stop it!" The scuffle continued for a few seconds before I felt a cold bead on my forehead, a sensation that triggered a number of horrible memories to come flooding back. I heard Compress's sickeningly velvety voice right next to my ear, causing me to freeze as hot tears finally leaked out of my glossy eyes.

"You don't want to go back into the pearl, now do you?" I immediately gulped and started to willingly move alongside Spinner and Toga as they led me to the shed, with Compress not far behind. Spurred on because of sheer will and misery, I filed through all the possible solutions for my escape, but came up empty-handed. There was no chance of running away under the security of three more-than-capable villains with quirks, and the only person I could negotiate with had already shut me down and left.

My face flushed and my hands shook, trembling from the fright of the unknown. There was no indication of what was going to happen to me -- though I assumed it would be something bad if I didn't behave. And as I grew further apart from Tomura Shigaraki, I could only crane my head far back enough to helplessly gaze at his retreating figure as he walked away, leaving me cold, scared, and despondent.