Chapter One: Settling In
The Heaven Canceller was making his way through the evening hospital rounds, checking various patients. There weren't that many patients thankfully, and the ones that were in were minor, except for the case of Angelica, who was still unconscious. He sighed as he left the room of a young man with spiky black hair. Apparently he tried to help a girl deal with a guy, only to end up with a broken arm.
He walked over to the room next to see Angelica still lying on the medical bed, her heart rate and brainwave activity to a minimal. He sighed as he checked her blood pressure, anti-body counts, and her white cell count. All were in the nominal range, so he left to go to his office, only to pause for a second to make sure her brain charts were normal.
He walked to his office, sighing that she hadn't waken up. He expected it to take a week, but a week had past, and she was still in a coma. He thought of the possibilities, of what could be keeping her under.
The first was that the brainwashing was more severe than he had anticipated, and thus it was taking longer to repair the brain. This would make sense, if it weren't for the MRI scans indicating that the damage was almost completely repaired.
The other option was that her mind was trying to reconnect missing or lost connections, something that seemed possible, but remote. But along the same lines, the brain could be trying to reconnect functions to the foreign limbs.
He sat down, about to read into Angelica's file when the phone rang. He knew only one person would be calling him at this time.
"Hello Aleister, checking in on Angelica?" Heaven Canceller asked. "Before you ask, she is still in a coma."
"As I would expect," Aleister said, leaving the Heaven Canceller to ponder those words. But Aleister continued.
"Due to her being a part of this city, she will need to undergo the Power Curriculum Program. This meant that a few of the nurses, in accordance to their jobs, have taken the liberty to begin the process early, getting information needed for the PCP."
"That's extremely risky, especially in someone who is still recovering from injuries," Heaven Canceller noted. "But she is stable, so no harm done. However, any more interference on your part with Angelica's recovery and you will be dealing with me."
"I have done nothing out of the ordinary, though I respect you loyalty to the Hippocratic Oath," Aleister said. "No more interference will occur until she has recovered." The Heaven Canceller knew that the moment Angelica walked out the hospital doors she would be open to his influence, as well as anyone with an agenda.
"Was there another reason you were calling?" Heaven Canceller asked. He knew that Aleister didn't pay attention to just one person at any time; he could track and follow up to several dozens of high importance people to his plan.
"Of course," Aleister said. "With regards to the cybernetic enhancements you forwarded, they are certainly more advance than anything this city has to offer. Even the synthetic skin we create is sub-par to what the SWA has made."
Heaven Canceller could tell from the surgery that what was in the girl's body was easily a decade or two ahead of what Academy City had in the medical field, which was already thirty years ahead of the rest of the world. The bone enhancements made the bones three to four times stronger without any weight gains, the artificial muscle tissue reacted to stimuli much better, and the top it off these enhancements could be applied to those with no motor control.
But with this level of technology, the Heaven Canceller knew of the risks posed to the girl. Research institutes would want her for her technology, police and armed forces would want her for the combat potential, and the obvious issue of the SWA wanting her to keep their tech out of other's hands. He sighed.
"I suppose then she will need a suitable guardian to keep her safe from the non-aforementioned threats," Heaven Canceller said, earning a chuckle from the magician.
"Yes, that is one concern," Aleister said. "However, the other is going to be her role in the city. You know doubt know she can't be a simple student; she would garner much attention at her physical scores during the PCP, and also her knowledge of weapon systems…" Aleister left the statement hanging, as he knew that Heaven Canceller understood.
"I object to her being a puppet to the Board of Directors; while you may control them, they have their own plans, none of which are for the betterment of the city."
"I know this, and I wouldn't want her running for one of them anyway; they would waste her potential," Aleister said, easing the doctor's concerns. "However, depending on the results of the PCP, she may or may not qualify for Judgment."
Heaven Canceller nodded; in order to become a Judgment Officer, you needed to be an esper, and while anyone who enrolls through the PCP is considered an esper, Judgment will only accept those with a Level 1 or higher ability.
"So what do you suggest?" Heaven Canceller asked, a knot growing in his stomach. "Surely not Anti-Skill…"
"Exactly what I was thinking," Aleister said. "And who would be better for taking care of espers other than someone who would easily be underestimated?" The Heaven Canceller shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Well, it is better than being a puppet for the board," Heaven Canceller said. He was going to say something more when a nurse interrupted his call.
"Doctor, come quickly," the nurse urged. The Heaven Canceller heard the line go dead, so he turned to face the nurse.
"What is it?" he asked. The nurse took a breathe before answering.
"It's about the patient Angelica; she is awake."
Angelica wearily opened her eyes, and she noted instantly that she felt tired, but not the tired from an intense work out. No, it was the mental tired, the tired you get from going through the motions over and over again. She blinked a couple of times, trying to adjust her vision to the room.
She managed after a minute of blinking, and was able to note that the room was dark; she figured it must've been evening. She tilted her head, trying to get her bearings. She could tell that from the noise, the clothing on her, and the cleanliness of the room that she was in a hospital. She sighed, trying to remember why she was in the hospital.
She remembered fragments; a blonde man with glasses, a rail yard, blood on her hands, but it was disorganized, fragmented. She tried to go further back, and it was met with slightly better results. She made out the names and faces of people she knew, eventually knowing that the blonde man was named Marco Toni, her handler.
She began to remember her past operations, her overzealous devotion to Marco, and those she had killed or help kill. She didn't feel anything towards the killing; how could she, considering the fact she killed them with no emotions at the time, and she wasn't even sure she understood her emotions. She then tried to piece together her past memories to her more recent memories, only to face a road block.
She sighed after trying to figure out what had happened five times. She rolled over onto her left side, and watched the door. She figured that however long she was out, someone would notice if she was moving, and so she kept an eye on the door. In a minute, a frog-face doctor walked in with a his hands in his pocket.
"So Angelica, you are awake," the doctor said. "My name's Heaven Canceller." He walked to sit facing her. "How are you feeling?"
"Tired sir," Angelica said quietly. "I have been trying to remember my past, on how I ended up here, but I have been failing miserably." Heaven Canceller nodded.
"So what do you remember?" he asked. She recounted everything she knew, save for her missions with Marco. "I see, you suffered short term memory loss. That's normal, all things considered."
"Sir, if you don't mind me asking," Angelica began. "How long have I been in here, and better yet, where am I?"
"You are in Academy City," Heaven Canceller said. "You have been in intensive care for about nine days. Your injuries were severe, you suffered gunshot wounds, knife wounds, a broken arm and hand, and severe blood loss."
Angelica hadn't expected to hear the doctor explain her injuries to her, and she knew that he knew she was a cyborg. She sighed, sinking into the bed a little.
"Sir, what do you know about me?" Angelica asked. She was a part of the SWA, not by choice of course, but she needed to know if she was in danger. The Heaven Canceller saw her mounting fear, and kept a calm face.
"I know you are a part of the SWA, you relations to them unknown to me. However, I know they provided you with cybernetic enhancements and brainwashing." He watched Angelica swallow, taking this in.
"Alright then sir, then what happened to my handler Marco?" Angelica asked. She felt a deep knot growing in her stomach, and she wanted to know the case of her handler, not because she felt any attachment to him now, but rather she wanted to know if she would be returning to the SWA.
"I'm sorry, but the man you were found with, Marco Remaeus, the one probably being your handler, was found dead," Heaven Canceller said. "He was dead on the scene, and you were in critical. Are you feeling alright?"
Angelica couldn't answer, but she motioned for something, and as soon as Heaven Canceller gave her a bucket, she hurled up her stomach content, which wasn't much, but it was bloody. She felt herself shiver, and she cursed the fact that she was weak, and now her handler, the one person she was to protect at all cost, was now dead.
She handed the bucket to the doctor, and laid on her back, with her arms and legs feeling too weak to raise. She looked over at Heaven Canceller.
"Sorry," she said. "I didn't think I would get that sick. I apologize for any inconvenience." The doctor shook his head.
"No need to apologize," he said. "However, due to you situation, you must remain in the city." Angelica narrowed her eyes, wondering the cause of this. The doctor continued to explain.
"Due to you have no relatives for you to return to, and obvious signs of brainwashing from your time in the SWA, which by the way was shortening your life, those in power have decided to give you a life here in the city."
Angelica nodded. She knew that a city like Academy City wouldn't squander having someone like her here.
"As a result, we faked your death. Angelica Remaeus and her father died in the rail yard after being witnesses to a arms exchange with ties to the FRF," Heaven Canceller said. "However, this leaves the issue of your name, your past, and where you will be living."
"I know," muttered Angelica wearily. She couldn't believe this; she was used to running into combat situations, yet here she was tired and unable to stay with the doctor!
"Can we continue this in the morning?" Angelica asked. The doctor nodded, and left, leaving Angelica to fall into an uneasy sleep. She dreamt that she hadn't killed anyone, and was going to a school with Henrietta, Rico, Triela, and Claes, with none of them having been the child soldiers they were. But in as her sleep dragged on, she began to remember her devotion to Marco, and felt a tinge of sadness that she felt so devoted to someone who treated her like crap when her memory began to slip.
She tossed and turned, trying to come up with something to fall asleep steadily to, and failed, periodically waking up and falling back asleep. When she woke up for the fifth time, it was morning, and the sun was shining in the room as it rose.
She rolled onto her left side again, and saw a pile of clothes on the chair the doctor sat on. She grabbed them, and noted their plainness. It was a simple blue skirt, with a white shirt and a black vest. She sighed as she took off her medical robes, and began to change. It was when she was putting her skirt on, bending over when the door opened.
She turned to see who it was, and saw a kid with spiky black hair wearing a white t-shirt and black jeans. They both stared at each other, only for the boy to brace himself.
"Sorry," the boy stuttered out. He turned and left quickly, leaving Angelica to wonder why the boy was acting the way he was. She then realized it was because she was getting dressed. She sighed; it was going to be hard to be normal.
After she was dressed, she sat in the chair, uncertain as to what to do. She assumed that Heaven Canceller would come back to visit her, to go over what needed to go over, but there was nothing for her to do. While she was used to boredom, she also had the desire to please Marco and the conditioning to keep her in line.
She sighed, and began going through the mental motions of disassembling and reassembling various Steyr weapons while she waited. She had worked through all the pistols and sub-machine guns when there was a knock on the door.
"Come in," Angelica said. In walked the Heaven Canceller and a woman who looked familiar to her, but couldn't put a name to her face; must've been someone she knew only very recently. The doctor motioned to the woman.
"Angelica, this is Yomikawa Aiho, a member of Anti-Skill, and the person who got you here," Heaven Canceller said. Angelica nodded.
"Pleased to meet you," Angelica said, shaking Yomikawa's hand. She saw Yomikawa chuckle.
"Well, I'm glad to see you ok," Yomikawa said. "But let's get down to the issue of you being in the city and your new identity." Angelica nodded. This was the reason she had waited patiently.
"The easiest way to work around the fact you have no name or identity is because you are a child error. Thus, no one will question your past. As for your name, I would suggest against Angelica," Yomikawa said. Angelica shook her head.
"I understand being a child error, but I desire to keep my name," she said. "I already had my name changed once, and I don't remember my original name, but I won't lose this name." Angelica knew she had no reason to be attached to the name, but she was. Yomikawa sighed.
"Alright then," Yomikawa said. "Now then, as to where you will be living, until you get a school to take you in, you will be staying at my place." Angelica looked at Yomikawa.
"What do you mean but until a school takes me in?" Angelica asked. Yomikawa sighed.
"I forget Europe doesn't usually have dorms for their students to stay at. Well, in Academy City, the schools you go to provide you with a dorm and an amount of money to help support you, in exchange for you going to their school and taking part in their research projects."
"I see," Angelica said. "What decides what school I go to?" This time, the Heaven Canceller responded.
"All students in Academy City, barring those with exceptions, go through the Power Curriculum Project, to determine their esper abilities and level. This is the main determining factor, but there are the usual exams and tests to pass through."
Angelica felt her heart pace increase at the mention of espers. In Italy, they weren't mentioned much, if often, due to the chaos the FRF was causing back home. But she knew that espers were supposed to be very powerful, though the extent of them wasn't covered, as espers didn't leave Academy City often, if at all.
"What does that entail?" Angelica asked. She was hesitant at facing the unknown, and since she didn't have the brain washing to make her compliant anymore, she didn't have the usual pep to get her into gear. But the Heaven Canceller smiled.
"Well, it has multiple components. There are the tests and lectures that schools provide, but there are also drugs, brain stimulations, and in some cases hypnosis," the Heaven Canceller explained. "But don't worry, it is safe."
Angelica sighed; the thought of mind alterations did bother her, but if it was required for her to stay in the city, so be it.
"Alright, when will I be forced to take the Power Curriculum Program?" Angelica asked. Yomikawa spoke.
"Probably the day after tomorrow," Yomikawa said. "For today, I will get you situated at my place, and tomorrow I will show you around town." Angelica nodded, while the heaven Canceller handed Angelica a bottle.
"It's pain medication," Heaven Canceller said. "If you experience any pain, take one every four hours. It doesn't cause fatigue, so don't worry about it affecting you." Angelica checked the bottle and saw she had a couple days worth.
"Thank you sir," Angelica said, sliding the bottle into her pocket. "Is there anything else that needs to be discussed?" Heaven Canceller was about to shake his head when Yomikawa spoke.
"Yes, what about your family name?" Yomikawa asked. "I know you don't know your original name, but you can't go around being called Angelica."
Angelica nodded, and also realized that she could adopt a local name due to her being Italian and not Japanese. She pondered the most common names and smiled.
"What about Costa?" Angelica suggested. "It's amongst the top twenty most common Italian surnames, so it would be easy to hide my true identity." Heaven Canceller chuckled.
"Costa Angelica, or Costal Angel, sounds nice," he said. "Well, I will file the paperwork while you and Ms. Yomikawa head home for the afternoon." He then left the room, leaving Yomikawa and Angelica alone. Angelica saw Yomikawa brush her hair out of her face, and knelt down to Angelica.
"Angelica, you ready to get out of here?" Yomikawa asked. Angelica nodded. "Alright then, a few ground rules first."
"First, don't tell anyone you don't trust that you are a cyborg," Yomikawa said. "There are too many people in this city that would literally hack you up to get ahold of the technology you have." Angelica nodded, and from the tone of Yomikawa's voice she could tell the danger was real.
"Second, don't attack anyone. If you must defend yourself, don't kill them, as it will raise too many questions." Angelica again nodded, but she wondered what the odds of her getting into a fight in this city were. If it was serious enough to warrant an warning, it must be pretty common, which would indicate a incapable police system.
"Finally, never ever try to take on a level 5 esper," Yomikawa said. "They are a walking one man army, and any fight with one will result in a disaster for you." Angelica didn't nod, thinking why a city would create espers strong enough to challenge in army, only to realize that was the entire point; if you had such a powerful weapon, you could wield a lot of sway. It was like MAD, but instead of nuclear weapons it was a force of very powerful espers.
"Yes Yomikawa," Angelica said. "I won't do anything too brash then." She saw the blue hair woman sigh.
"Alright then, let's get out of here," Yomikawa said, getting up and holding onto Angelica's hands, walking her out of the room. Angelica was left in her thoughts, wondering what was awaiting her.
Angelica was following shortly behind Yomikawa as they entered an apartment complex, and Yomikawa led to her room. Angelica noted that while it was on the 13th floor, the elevator was quick to get to the top and the hallways weren't so narrow. She noted that the apartment complex appeared clean, and thus it was well maintained.
Yomikawa opened the door to her flat, and gestured Angelica to come in.
"This is my place," Yomikawa said, while Angelica entered. She instantly noticed that the place was meticulously cleaned, almost as though it was done just before Yomikawa came to pick her up. She noted that there was a TV, a couch, air conditioning, and a few other things to make the place lively.
Angelica walked into the kitchen, and noted that while it had a number of appliances, the one most used by its state was a rice cooker. She explored a bit, finding that there was several alcoholic drinks in a special case that kept all of the drinks to their ideal temperature, and that the place had four rooms, on top of the living room, the kitchen, and the dining room.
"So, what do you think?" Yomikawa asked. "pretty nice huh?" Angelica had to agree, it was better than her dorm to which she had to share with the other cyborgs. She felt a tinge of sadness thinking about them; they were the closest things to friends she had.
"Yes, this is nice, but I wonder, is it usually this clean?" Angelica asked. She saw Yomikawa break into a short sweat, so she continued. "This place looked like it was just clean, but from your choice in drinks, the only use of the rice cooker, and the fact you must be busy from your work at Anti-Skill must mean you usually don't have time to keep the place clean, is that right?"
"Well, you see," Yomikawa tried to explain, nervously rubbing the back of her neck. "I do try and keep the place clean, but usually when I get annoyed, I do a cleanup of the place."
"I see, you clean when you are stressed out," Angelica said. She sat down on the couch, while she thought of what to do. If she was to be honest, she didn't do much back at the SWA, other than train and read. She scanned Yomikawa's shelves, and saw not many books. She sighed, wondering what to do.
"I suppose so," Yomikawa said. She turned to head to the bathroom. "Angelica, I am going to take a shower. If you want, you can watch the TV." With that, Yomikawa left Angelica alone, and Angelica turned the TV on.
She channeled surfed a while, growing annoyed with the selections of channels. She passed through the channels meant for children as they rubbed her the wrong way. While Triela might've like teddy bears and Henrietta liked being treated well by Jose, Henrietta didn't have the same sentiment. Though she had to admit, her new opinion was probably as a result of being finally able to objective her existence.
She passed several news channels, only to stumble upon a channel where they were discussing a new firearm from Steyr. Interested in her favorite arm manufacturer, Angelica turned the volume up, and watched as the spokes-person compared the difference between the Aug A3 and the new AUG A5.
Of the major changes was a switch from the standard 5.56mm NATO round to a new 8x50mm high velocity impact rounds. Also the A5 came with an integrated infrared night vision scope that was capable of magnification of five times normal vision. The biggest change though was that the A5 was integrally suppressed, and that it barely broke 90 decibels.
She watched the channel for two hours, not paying attention to the fact that Yomikawa was now out of the shower and was making dinner, to engrossed with the other weapon line up. She saw that there was a new Styer IWS-2000 model coming out, one that incorporated a ten round magazine and a new high explosive incendiary round.
She was about to watch a segment on an aftermarket part to make the M-series of pistol capable of firing 10mm auto when the door opened. Angelica turned to the door and saw a woman with pink hair and wearing a pink skirt. The woman, if she could be called that, was shorter than Angelica, and Angelica wondered who she was.
But a moment later, Yomikawa walked and chuckled, upon seeing Angelica torn between staying still and kicking the child out of the room. She rested a hand on Angelica's shoulder.
"Angelica, this is my friend and fellow teacher Tsukuyomi Komoe," Yomikawa said, introducing Angelica to the short teacher.
"Nice to meet you Angelica," Komoe said. "I heard you were orphaned very recently." Angelica glanced at Yomikawa, who nodded. Must be a part of my cover, Angelica thought, and she nodded.
"Yes," Angelica confirmed. "Though why are you here?" She saw Komoe walk into the kitchen, while Yomikawa followed. Angelica, slightly irritated at being ignored, followed Yomikawa, who began dishing up dinner.
It was a simple meal consisting of rice, grilled fish, and steam vegetables. Angelica dug in, considerable hungry, but she was at a lost at the meal. She wasn't used to Asian cusine, and thought that the choice of food was different, to say the least. But as she looked at Yomikawa and Komoe, who were enjoying the meal with a couple of beers, Angelica knew this would become the new norm.
When she was about to poke at the fish, Komoe turned to Angelica.
"Sorry for not answering you question, I just had to deal with some students who needed to make up their work, and it ran longer than expected," Komoe said. "But as to your question-"
"Let me guess," Yomikawa interrupted. "You were making them playing poker blindfolded, weren't you?" Komoe sighed.
"If they aren't going to pay attention or keep up, I might as well find some way to make the study period interesting," Komoe said. "But back to your question Angelica, I am here to go over how to become an esper with you tonight."
Angelica looked at the woman and wondered if this was a joke. How could someone so short and child-like be able to instruct her on becoming an esper. But Komoe continued.
"I have a degree in chemistry, and I specialize in pyrokinesis, the Esper School of manipulating fire," Komoe said. "And I teach high schoolers on how to become espers, though most of them are slackers. "
"I understand," Angelica said, not really understanding. Weren't teachers supposed to instill a sense of discipline in their students? She then mentally added a note that this was the SWA, and that life outside of there is radically different. She then listened to Komoe.
"To become an esper, you must tap into your personal reality," Komoe said. "Through various combinations of methods and techniques, a person can create a reality separated from the reality of this world. In doing so, they can manifest their powers into the real world."
Angelica thought about this, and wondered what it meant. Did it mean that with enough self-delusion and will, a person can force their thoughts into reality? She needed to clarify this.
"So, does that mean a person with enough self-delusion can create their 'power' and make it real?" Angelica asked. Komoe shrugged.
"Sort of. A way to look at it is that you mold your reality with the world's reality; in that you can create your power in this world and affect others," Komoe explained. "If there wasn't an interaction with personal reality and the world reality, then a person's ability wouldn't be able to manifest and become observable."
Angelica began to get a clearer picture, but she refrained from talking as Komoe explained the finer nuisances of personal reality's and the Power Curriculum Program. After a solid hour of being lecture, there were some things that Angelica could understand.
The first was that a personal reality bypassed the Uncertainty Principle, and a person could directly affect the outcome of their power. If it was equated to an example; if there was a cat in a box with poison, an esper could influence the outcome of the cat's fate before opening the box.
The second is that personal reality can be trained. As Komoe explained, low level espers can become very powerful with dedication, belief, and training. This made Angelica a bit relieved, considering that she had been given a drive that compelled her forward in spite of events around her. If her will was a determine factor, she could become an esper in spades.
Angelica was finishing her meal as Yomikawa looked at the time.
"Well, Angelica, I figure that you have had enough lecturing at the moment, so how about you retire for the night and ponder what Komoe said?" Yomikawa suggested.
"Alright," Angelica said, getting up to put her plate in the sink. She put the plate in, and began to head out of the kitchen when she paused. "Yomikawa, which bed will I use?" Angelica asked.
"The one closest to the door," Yomikawa said while opening yet another beer. Angelica headed out, and heard both Komoe and Yomikawa begin a loud conversation regarding who had the worse students. She sighed and opened the bedroom door, to find a simple twin size bed and a small closest. She took off her clothes, and put on a night dress that was in the closest, surprised that it fit.
She rolled into bed and yawned, tired from the talk with Komoe. She rolled onto her side, and began to think about what would happen tomorrow, and what exactly she and Yomikawa would be up to. She closed her eyes, and began thinking of what she would want to be able to do with her esper abilities.
She pondered the possibilities, from controlling electricity to teleportation, but her mind kept shifting back to the idea of controlling fire and fuel. She saw herself standing amidst a fire storm, with explosions ringing in her ear. She tried to shut it off, reminding her too much of her missions in the SWA, but it kept coming back.
She then tried to clear her mind, and began to imagine a blank world, one empty except for her sleeping form. She soon fell into the lulls of deep sleep.
Angelica was abruptly awoken by Yomikawa. Angelica sat up, and rubbed her eyes.
"Yomikawa, what is it?" Angelica asked. She stole a glance at the clock, which informed her it was eight in the morning. Yomikawa then handed Angelica a new pair of clothes.
"Angelica, we are heading out today so we can go shopping and so you can get to know the area better," Yomikawa said. "Now please, get dressed, because we have a bit to cover." Yomikawa left, leaving Angelica alone to dress. She quickly got dressed, donning what she wore after getting out of the hospital. She then exited the bedroom, and saw Yomikawa was gathering her purse and keys.
"Ah, you ready Angelica?" Yomikawa asked. Angelica nodded, and Yomikawa lead the way to her car. In a few moments, they were in Yomikawa's car, and Yomikawa began to drive.
"So Angelica, how are you adjusting?" Yomikawa asked, as she drove. Angelica shrugged.
"I feel different," Angelica said. "I don't have this over-developed need to please Marco, and I am able to objectively think, but it's odd still." Yomikawa frowned.
"I have been wondering," Yomikawa began to say. "When you were with the SWA, did you kill often?" Angelica nodded.
"Yes, but if you were going to ask if I took pleasure in it, I don't think so; rather I took pleasure in the gratitude that I was given by my handler," Angelica tried to explain. She found that being free of the conditioning made her repulsed the idea of being controlled so easily.
"I can't believe that people would do that to you," Yomikawa said disgusted. "What made them think they should turn little girls into soldiers?" Angelica shrugged again.
"I believe they thought the maxim 'the ends justified the means' applied," Angelica stated bluntly. "I don't regret what I did, I was being shot out and I wasn't in control, but looking back, I don't think it could ever be justified."
Yomikawa glanced at the girl, smiling at the statement. Thankfully Angelica was responding much better than she feared, as she wasn't suicidal. She pulled off the highway and parked at the entrance to district 7's underground mall.
"C'mon Angelica," Yomikawa said. "They have a couple of clothes shops down here." Angelica followed Yomikawa down into the mall, surprised by the sheer size of it. While she knew that Japan had limited space, she thought the high earthquake activity would've prohibited a mall the size of this one.
"How does this mall withstand the structural problems with being in an earthquake prone area?" Angelica asked, curious about the construction method. Yomikawa shrugged.
"I don't know the specifics, but due to the lack of land above ground, Academy City has built several areas to test underground construction methods," Yomikawa explained. "So I bet a lot of engineers had many sleepless nights making sure this mall was safe."
Angelica nodded, and they walked into a shop that offered a wide selection of clothing. Angelica followed Yomikawa in, where Yomikawa chuckled.
"Look Angelica, you can pick your own clothes out," Yomikawa said, giving Angelica a soft push into the store. "I will be in the woman's section getting some new shirts, so come to me if you have any questions." With that, Yomikawa walked off, leaving Angelica to head off on her own.
She began by looking at some shirts. She made sure she got the right size first, before looking at how they looked. Most of the shirts here were either plain or extremely tacky. Angelica brushed past a large swath of the selection before finding a shirt that she liked. It was a black long sleeve shirt with gray sleeves. She tried it on, and found that it was extremely soft.
After picking a couple of those shirts, she headed to find some jeans. While she didn't mind wearing a skirt, she thought the ones she was wearing were a bit short for her liking. As she drew near the jeans however, she could hear someone complaining loudly.
"Argh, why can't they have anything modern?" whined someone. As Angelica came into view of the person, she saw that she had pink hair like Komoe, but she had her hair in twin pigtails, and she was defiantly about the same age as Angelica. Angelica observed the girl as she skipped over the jeans and many of the skirts. But in a moment, the girl turned her attention to Angelica.
"Um, who are you?" The girl asked. Angelica shrugged.
"Costa Angelica," Angelica said, making sure she got her name in the common Japanese format. She extended her hand to the girl, who accepted the gesture.
"Kuroko Shirai," the girl said. "So, are you visiting the city?" Angelica paused, before remembering she looked out of place in the city.
"No, my father died and I am now living in the city," Angelica said. "I am going to start the necessary processing to go to school here tomorrow, but today I am out shopping for new clothes." The girl nodded.
"I'm sorry about your loss," Kuroki said. "But if it makes you feel any better, this city has everything you could ever need." Angelica nodded.
"I know, but still, it is odd not having my father around," Angelica said. She knew that if it came down to details that she would be made, so she kept it to a bare minimum. "So how long have you been in the city?" Kuroko smiled.
"A couple of years now," Kuroko said. "Hey, want to see something I can do?" Angelica nodded, and Kuroko grabbed a pair of pants. Before Angelica could realize what was going on, the pants were on top of her head, forcing Angelica to remove them.
"What the- how did you do that?" Angelica blurted out, confused. Kuroko smiled.
"I'm a level 3 teleporter; I can move objects a short distance, that is if I have contact with them," Kuroko said. "I can't teleport myself yet, but I intend to be a Level 4, and possibly a Level 5 soon." Angelica smiled at Kuroko's confidence.
"That must be nice to have," Angelica said. She then began to wonder. "Er, how many abilities are there?" Kuroko shrugged, raising her hands in the air.
"Who knows?" Kuroko asked rhetorically. "There are so many abilities, each one unique in their own right, that trying to determine them is a fool's folly. That said, there are certain schools of esper abilities that share similar models. So instance, you have electro-masters, which revolve around the manipulation of electricity. However, you have some that focus solely on the manipulation of electric fields while others can affect electromagnetic fields."
"Alright, then can you influence what ability you have?" Angelica asked. She wondered if she could influence what ability she got, so she could be prepared for what she was going to do. But Kuroko shook her heads.
"Sorry, but your personal reality determines your ability, and you can't create a personal reality before taking the Power Curriculum Program," Kuroko said. "Though I can see why you would ask, sometimes espers get an ability they rather not have and are discouraged to continue developing it."
"Okay," Angelica said, and she turned to look at the selection of jeans the store had. She sulked at all the jeans were too big for her. "Argh, they don't have any in my size." Kuroko looked at Angelica confused.
"Why would you want to wear jeans?" Kuroko asked. Angelica sighed.
"Because I rather wear something other than skirts all the time," Angelica said. Kuroko chuckled at the response.
"Well, take it from me, but most of the school uniforms for girls involved skirts," Kuroko informed Angelica. "So get used to wearing skirts while you can."
Angelica then looked at the skirts, and tried to find ones that went to her knee, but Kuroko kept trying to convince her that she should get one a bit shorter than that. Angelica had to a couple of times argue against wearing short skirts, ones that barely covered anything, but she found that hanging out with Kuroko was enjoyable.
After finally finding a couple of skirts that looked good on her, Angelica began to try and find Yomikawa. She was surprised that Kuroko was following her.
"So," Kuroko began. "What are you up to now?" Angelica wondered if she should try and lose Kuroko, but she knew that the shop was too small to effectively lose Kuroko.
"I am going to find my guardian now," Angelica explained. "I don't have money of my own, so she is footing the bill."
"Ah, that's right, you haven't gotten into a school yet," Kuroko said. She looked at her cell phone and sighed. "Hey, I got to go; would you happen to have a phone to exchange numbers with?" Angelica shook her head.
"No, I never had a cell phone," Angelica said. Kuroko sulked a bit, before returning to her normal self.
"Well, maybe we can hang out sometime," Kuroko suggested. "But anyway, good luck with your entrence exams!" With that, the pink hair girl ran off, leaving Angelica to find Yomikawa. When she finally did, Yomikawa was grumbling about the cost of a shirt she wanted.
"Hi Angelica, got what you wanted?" Yomikawa asked, looking at the price tag, trying very hard not to wince at the price. When Angelica nodded, Yomikawa sighed; she regretted having not attended the young girl when shopping.
Sitting down behind his desk reading the report given to him by Academy City's police force, Pieri glared at the state of the report. He lost Marco Toni and Angelica, according to the report, to a couple of arms dealers that were supplying the FRF. The dealers were killed, but the injuries that Marco and Angelica suffered were deem too extreme, and they both expired before arriving at the hospital.
But while this was the report's story, Pieri knew better. He looked across his desk to Jean, who had read the report.
"It's obvious that Academy City thinks they can pull a fast one on us," Pieri said disgusted. "I have no doubt that Marco is dead, but Angelica, well despite her flaws, she is tough to kill." Jean nodded.
"She was picked because of her mental instability though sir," Jean countered. "Even if they have managed to stabilize her condition, she is mentally unfit for them. So the only risk is they got ahold of our cybernetic enhancements; but those were our older models. The second generation of cyborgs are about to come onto the field, and they make Angelica's cybernetics look like high school science fair project."
"While you are correct, the fact she fell into their hands and they are lying about it means they have something planned," Pieri said. He set the report down and leaned in his chair. He was contemplating what he should do.
"You fear they may try and reverse engineer the technology and use it to gain even more of a lead?" Jean asked. Pieri nodded. "Even if they did reverse engineer the cybernetics, it won't be on par to what we have, due to the wear and tear on her body sir."
Pieri shook his head, and looked out of the window. He knew that Academy City would be smart enough to figure a way around the problem's surrounding her body's conditions. He began to think of damage control, a way to mitigate the advantage that Academy City would have. He then smiled as he thought of an idea.
"Jean, are there any elements of the FRF that are looking like they might split apart from the main faction?" Pieri asked. Jean paused, trying to figure out Pieri's game, but he nodded.
"A couple sir," Jean confirmed. "There is a group in Venice that are disagreeing with the lack of large scale attacks in the South, and then there is the free lancers the FRF hire. Why do you ask sir?"
Pieri chuckled, the idea forming in his head most certainly one that could work.
"Jean, this must remain in this room," Pieri said. "No informing the others, not even your brother."
"I understand sir," Jean said, though if he was honest, he was growing a bit nervous by Pieri's choice of words and his expression.
"Very good," Pieri said. "Officially, the SWA can't enter Academy City, however, we must not allow Academy City to keep ahold of Angelica. Thus, I want you to exploit the FRF connection in Academy City and get them to send a few people to either eliminate or capture Angelica."
Jean felt himself clenching his fist under the desk. How could they use terrorist to support their operations?! But he kept his face calm, looking straight into Pieri's eyes.
"And how exactly am I to do that?" Jean asked. Pieri chuckled.
"Simple, give them an offer too good to refuse," Pieri said. "I don't expect you to keep the terrorist alive after they do our dirty work, so give them whatever the hell they want, for they won't be alive long enough to enjoy it."
Jean smiled; this was Pieri he knew. He understood the need for secrecy, but in the end, they would kill two birds with one stone. He excused himself, and began thinking of ways to motivate the terrorist into acting like pawns.
Author's Notes: The end of another chapter! I like to give a shout out to those who are following and favoriting the story;
-JLee118
-Kar Blackheart
-Triser
-tsun
Now onto the reviews!
-tsun: with regards to your questions, I will answer them in order. The story will involve the dark side of the city, to what extent I am still playing with a few ideas, but it will be dark for Angelica. As for the Accelerator, Touma, and Shiage, they will appear, and they will have their own interaction with Angelica, but not in the next chapter. Next chapter will be dedicated to Angelica getting her personal reality and her first system scan, where we will see her ability in action. As for the railgun girls, we already met Kuroko, and we will meet the others throughout the course of the story. For the things about the Kiharas and Accelerator, they will become a major component to the story, as the Kiharas are the diabolical mad scientists willingly to do anything for science. And Accelerator is too awesome to ignore, and his interactions with Angelica will be unique, to say the least.
If you guys have any questions regarding the story, feel free to PM me or to leave them in a review. Otherwise, as always, please follow, favorite, and review!