Check and Coco's Hero Rescue Operation (1)
"Is this the place?"
"Looks like it according to the GPS. But man, this is..."
In front of an abandoned factory located in a restricted zone, a single vehicle came to a stop. The ones stepping out of the car—where no vehicle should have been in the first place—were Check and Coco, heroes from the 7th Squad.
The two stared for a moment at what appeared to be their target, the abandoned factory, then scanned the surroundings. For now, there were no signs of life nearby. They'd half-expected some thug-looking villains to swarm out the moment they arrived... but it seemed the enemy wasn't about to pull that stunt.
"Can't see that fella or Club nowheres."
"They're tellin' us to head inside, I reckon. What d'ya think, Vice Captain?"
"...We gotta go in. Whatcha frettin' about."
Of course, there were other possibilities. They could wait until the two entered the building with no escape, then pounce. Or maybe the place was rigged with bombs. The risks were endless.
But they couldn't back down out of fear. It'd be ideal to scout thoroughly, but that damn villain had set such a tight deadline they couldn't afford the luxury. Time was already razor-thin just getting here.
"Whatever tricks they're pullin', I'll smash 'em head-on."
"Heh, that's our Check, Vice Captain. Alright, then I'll circle the perimeter a bit more before sneakin' in. Sound good?"
Check nodded readily at Coco's suggestion. Better than entering through the same path and getting taken out in one sweep. Plus, securing an escape route was a key task.
And so, Check and Coco split up—Check heading straight for the front entrance, Coco looping around the side of the building.
To rescue their fellow 7th Squad hero and junior, Club, the two veteran heroes each stepped onto the prepared stage.
The contact from Villain No. 13—the one who'd kidnapped 7th Squad hero Club—had come about an hour earlier. Unlike before, it wasn't an email; it came through the phone installed at the 7th Squad base.
Rahe, the captain, happened to be away on squad leader duties at the time. Inside the admin office were Check, Coco, and Apple.
"H-hey, hero folks. Havin' a good day? Lunch hit the spot?"
The voice on the other end was pathetically mundane—hard to believe it belonged to someone who'd pulled off a hero kidnapping. It evoked some ordinary guy next door, nothing more.
But regardless of the voice, his cheeky attitude, droning on with lame jokes, was enough to enrage the heroes in the room, already on edge from losing their juniors.
Anyway, the exchange continued briefly between the brazen villain and Check, who made no effort to hide her irritation and fury. Only then did Villain No. 13 finally get to the point.
Naturally, the reason for his call was the hero Club he held captive.
"From now on, for the next hour, I'll have your precious 7th Squad hero tied up at the designated spot."
"I'll be waitin' there too, of course. No bombs goin' off the moment you step in to grab your hero, so relax."
"Want a photo? Me and your hero are already here."
Over the receiver, they could hear Club's voice mumbling something. The words were indistinct, but it confirmed No. 13 and Club were together right then.
No. 13 said he'd send the location via one of the 7th Squad members' smartphones. How the hell did he know their personal numbers? Well, they'd already heard he even had Captain Rahe's contact info.
Rahe had speculated he had a top-notch informant or some related ability.
He added a few more stipulations—things he wanted them to follow. Violate any, and he'd confirm it, then take Club and bail immediately. The hostage's safety could be at risk, he warned flatly.
No desire to bow to a villain's demands, but with a hostage in play, no choice.
"What I want is a chat, heroes. Killin' you or messin' with the hostage? Not my business."
"So please, just this once, trust me. Like this hero Club here did."
The man's utterly untrustworthy voice cut off after that.
Right after, the location info hit Apple's phone, and Check and Coco headed to the spot he'd designated.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Too damn quiet for no reason.
How far in do I gotta go?
Check—in her white dress shirt and pants, the base uniform rather than combat gear—strode down the abandoned factory's corridor without a care. No weapon in hand, yet she carried herself like nothing could touch her.
Even seething with rage, she didn't show it, instead replaying her conversation with that villain in her head.
She'd been the one handling the call back in the admin office.
His demands, surprisingly simple:
One: Arrive at the designated spot by the designated time.
Two: No weapons.
Three: Captain Rahe stays away.
Four: Don't tell anyone outside the 7th Squad.
He'd especially hammered the bit about Rahe.
Made sense. Captain Rahe, the "Ice Witch," was undeniably the strongest among the 13 squad leaders in the Hero Association. Whatever ability that villain had, facing her meant game over.
Anyway, Rahe wasn't involved this time. Couldn't be.
She was away on duties and couldn't make it even if she dropped everything— it'd take two hours minimum. Whether coincidence or calculated, No. 13 had called precisely when she couldn't show.
With a razor-thin time limit to boot.
Not a coincidence.
That bastard's tone... sounded like he knew Rahe's location.
No. 13 had said if Rahe showed, he'd ditch the meet immediately—take the hostage and run, or worst case, lop off a limb and dump her.
If not bluffing, he had to know her position. Or maybe real-time surveillance via some means.
Either way, no relying on Rahe.
But they didn't need to. Rahe had anticipated conditions like this and prepped Check and Coco beforehand. Delegating Club's rescue to them, saying she'd take the heat.
Step in for her when the time came.
And her prediction nailed it. Spot on.
"......?"
Suddenly, Check sensed a presence. In an abandoned factory that should be empty, an impossible human vibe.
She narrowed her eyes but didn't stop, pressing deeper inside.
Reaching the corridor's end, she cautiously opened the door, wary of bombs.
No explosion as it swung wide.
"Warehouse...?"
Beyond was a warehouse—not some cluttered storage, but for mass-produced factory goods and specialized equipment. Vast space, high ceiling; clear it out, and it'd pass for a plaza.
Scattered throughout: rusted iron containers, massive machinery, tools galore.
And amid it all, something out of place, lined up.
Mannequins?
Dozens of them. Ceramic-like human forms, faceless and identical, frozen in various poses or tangled together, abandoned in the warehouse.
The presence she'd felt moments ago? Gone.
Definitely from this space, beyond the door.
Check entered cautiously, senses sharp, probing for signs of life.
Nothing. No humans anywhere.
No Club, no Villain No. 13. Wrong floor? Wrong room? Or was the whole meet a lie?
As she ventured deeper, pondering...
Clack.
"!?"
Check whipped around. Nothing there. Just a mannequin in a weird stance.
But as her gaze hit it...
Clack-clack. Creak-creak. It started moving. Like a living thing.
And then the ones beside it, beside them, beside them—all sprang to life at once.
Clack clack clack clack clack clack clack clackclackclackclackclackclackclackclackclackclackclackclackclackclackclackclackclack...
"Ha, that fuckin' bastard."
Petty noises alone, but dozens overlapping? Deafening racket.
As if waiting for her entry, the mannequins gained life in unison.
They tested their limbs with small twitches in place.
Then, all at once—
Charged straight at Check in the center.