Notes : Here's a new chapter !
As always, I'm Italian, so I apologize for all the grammatical errors you will find ( I'm still searching for a beta reader ).
I'll take advantage of this chapter to thank all the reviewers for your support!
Both my characters and I are very grateful to you, aren't we, guys?
Accelerator: Eh, whatever ...
Mugino: I don't give a fuck ...
Teitoku: Someone bring me a sandwich!
Misaki: * Writes on her mobile phone, indifferent *
Touma and Mikoto: ... * sigh resigned *
... I remind you that they are behind the continuation of your existence.
Accelerator: ... tsk ... thank you * bothered annoyed *
Shizuri: Yes, what he said.
Teitoku: Yeah, yeah, thank you ... but I still want my sandwich!
Accelerator: Do it yourself, second rate!
Teitoku: Do you want to fight, snowflake?!
Misaki: * sighs * ignore them, even I am very grateful ;)
Mikoto: Me too!
Touma: Also because this version of mine is really badass ...
* Mikoto gives him a chop*
Touma: What the hell was that?!
Mikoto: You could be a badass…but you'll always remain an idiot!
* The others nods *
Touma: ... Fukou-da!
... Well, I think it's better go back to the story.
I don not own To Aru Majutsu No Index and To Aru Kagaku No Railgun, all rights belong to Kazuma Kamachi.
XXXX
Chapter 7 :
Today the Japanese government can listen to everything you say: they know who you are with, they know who you're talking to and believe me, they also know who you're having sex with.
Turn on a cell phone or computer and you're screwed.
But in states like Colombia and Mexico it was not so easy. In most Latin American countries, the use of the Internet and mobile phones was limited to the rich. At best there were satellite phones: to be able to locate one you had to fly over it. But even this type of equipment was often reserved for wealthy breakers, landowners, and politicians.
Unabara Mitsuki, Accelerator's personal lawyer, knew that well ... because he grew up in these countries.
His real name was Eztali Xochitl, and they came from Costa Rica.
Arriving at Gakuen Toshi, after emigrating to Japan as a clandestine of a ship loaded with bonsai, at the age of ten he had soon fallen under the wing of an emerging Accelerator.
At the age of twelve he had undergone plastic surgery, through which he took on the identity of Unabara Mitsuki, a Level 3 student who was killed in a car accident.
After another 4 years he was able to prove his intellect, passing with honors the training course for young lawyers organized by the city.
And because of his knowledge, he was personally commissioned by Accelerator to find those blind spots in Academy City where the propagation of radio waves caused by the numerous transceivers scattered around the city caused interferences strong enough to make any tracking or recording tool…incapable.
Like the warehouse he was in now, who was just kidnapped by a young couple who tried to make him pay more than what was agreed by the initial sales contract.
" A discount seemed obligatory, since in this warehouse methamphetamine was produced" the adolescent began, turning his attention towards the duo.
"They produced it in the cellar lab. I read the sell contract, signed by you, and it doesn't say anything about the laboratory in question, no no ... I see that there is the anti-worm inspection, very good, but it doesn't mention the laboratory" he continued, giving a quick glance to the contract he held in his hand. In front of him, the couple swallowed, visibly nervous.
" Some people may accuse you of fraud, by omission, which can be prosecuted criminally: I personally would never dream of it ... but it's a big problem. Congratulations, you had courage trying to trimming the first passing a property seriously contaminated by methamphetamine" he said coldly, tightening both his eyelids. " Great shot for you, good. So, I could file a complaint and have you confiscated the house indefinitely…or I could make a criminal complaint, but we don't want to get to this point: am I right?"
In response, both the man and the woman quickly nodded.
" Excellent!" Unabara exclaimed, recovering his usual smile.
While the couple proceeded to sign the necessary papers to complete the payment of the property, the young lawyer's telephone began to ring.
He didn't waste any time and took the object to his ear.
"Hello " he said gently.
After almost a minute of one-way conversation, however, his expression became very alarmed.
"What?" He whispered through his teeth. " Damn it ... yes, I'll call him now"
XXXX
Accelerator arrived at the ITEM headquarters aboard a gray-metallic Jaguar, flanked by the constant presence of Tsuchimikado.
The couple got out of the car with a plush step, finding themselves in front of an imposing construction made of white marble that shone under the sunlight, and which acted not only as the headquarters of the organization but also as a home of Mugnio Shizuri, the fourth Level 5.
The Meltdowner certainly had a very whimsical taste, on this there were few doubts. Not that it bothered the Number One, he considered himself a man capable of living with the essential, of course, but still no stranger to enjoying the pleasures of money.
The skeptic, however, was his right arm, who set his sunglasses on his face and looked at the mansion with a critical look.
" Tell me again why you decided to involve her, Accelerator"
" Because she's powerful, and can be very useful for our home"
" She is a spoiled girl" the other replied, with a tone full of contempt. " She's not like us"
" Ever heard the term "Don't judge a book by its cover"?" the Level 5 asked, with a mocking grin. "I already told you, I have big plans for this city ... and she will help me to make them happen. We'll all benefit from this cooperation"
" And for "all", of course, you mean ... only you, Casanova"
In response, the albino gave him an annoyed look.
"Don't be smart with me, Tsu, it doesn't suit you" He muttered angrily, causing a small laugh by the blond.
With a resigned sigh, Accelerator rang the bell next to the huge door that preceded the villa ... and waited.
After half a minute, the massive wooden doors opened wide, revealing the interior of the house.
If possible, they seemed even more elegant than the exterior.
Painted in red, circumnavigated by several black marble columns, the walls embellished with numerous frescoes gave the idea of the sumptuous French houses of the Baroque period. Elegant and refined, the environment perfectly represented the owner of the complex.
The sense of beauty and pride that oozed every corner of the structure was palpable and Accelerator unconsciously found himself smiling.
To welcome him and Tsuchiikado was a pretty blonde and blue-eyed girl, dressed in a pitch-colored French dress, complete with a hat typical of Parisian fashion.
She approached the duo and gave them a quick bow.
" Good morning, welcome guests. I'm Frenda Seivelun, Mugino Shizuri's assistant. In the end, you must be the ones we were waiting for, "she said coquettishly, then turned to Accelerator.
After scrutinizing him from head to toe, she said: "You must be the Number One! I don't know why, but I imagined you…taller"
" Tsk ... are you saying I'm short?" the albino growled, tightening both eyelids.
Realizing what she just said to the Gakuen Toshi's most infamous underworld boss, the blonde turned pale and took a step backwards.
" Don't mind this brute!" Tsuchimikado intervened, getting in the middle of them.
He gave the girl a charming smile.
" I am Tsuchimikado Motoharu, the right arm as well as the best ... or rather, only friend of that grumpy there" he said pointing to the figure of the albino.
" Forgive his rudeness, dear Seivelun" he ended, grappling in a quick kiss-hand and making the blonde blush.
"N-no problem, I was out of line," the girl stammered, glancing nervously at Accelerator.
Then, from above, a distinctly familiar voice came.
"Ohi, Frenda, what the hell is going on here?" Mugino Shizuri asked, appearing at the top of the stairs that preceded the entrance to the villa.
He wore a yellow coat with a skirt, a red-checked fular and a pair of summer shoes with heels.
"Ah, Mugino, you're here!" Frenda exclaimed, pointing in the direction of the albino. " As you can see, your boyfriend has arrived"
" Frendaaaaa!" the other snarled, tightening both her eyelids.
The blonde squeaked with fear and proceeded to move away quickly, under the amused look of Accelerator and Tsuchimikado.
"Well, it was interesting" the Level 5 commented, while Mugino released a resigned sigh.
"Sorry for Frenda, but sometimes she can't keep her mouth shut," she muttered apologetically.
The teenager waved his right hand with unconcern, not at all troubled by the girl's actions.
Satisfied, Mugino motioned for him to follow her, while Accelerator ordered Tsuchimikado to stay, with evident displeasure of the Level 0.
The young woman led him to what seemed like an office, gorgeous and professional looking.
The walls were filled with bound books and documents, while at the center stood a solid wood desk, exquisitely carved with floral motifs. On it stood a glass bottle filled with Burbon, flanked by a pair of glasses.
The Level 5 invited the albino to sit down while she took a seat at the work table.
"I wanted to introduce you to Takitsubo and Kinhuata, but they're currently out on errands for me," the brunette said, crossing both hands in front of her.
Accelerator merely shrugged.
"No problem, I will certainly learn to know them as we work together. What do they do?"
"Takitsubo deals with espionage. Her esper ability is called AIM Stalker, and allows her to identify the AIM field of any esper. In short, she is a human detector for espers"
"Interesting" the albino commented, recognizing the potential of such a skill. "And the other one?"
" Kinhuata is my bodyguard. She has the ability to alter the concentration of hydrogen around her, which makes her incredibly strong and impenetrable to most firearms. She's a fan of yours, actually, "she revealed with a little smile. " She designed a hydrogen shield taking directly inspiration from your vector barrier"
"Clever girl," the albino commented, with a sneer. "And the blonde?"
" Frenda is my right arm, and she is a Level 0. But she's a genius of mechanics and she is an expert of explosions"
" Never underestimate those small earthquakes" the albino chuckled, thinking back to all the times when Tsuchimikado, also a Level 0, managed to defeat higher level espers.
Then, he turned to the girl with a serious expression.
" You probably know why I'm here. Don't you mind if ...?" he said pointing at the bottle of Burbon.
Mugino waved her hand, giving him tacit consent.
The albino nodded in gratitude and poured part of the amber liquid inside a glass, while the Meltdower resumed the speech.
"Surely you're not here to take me back to bed, Number One. Or maybe yes?" she asked with a sneer of her own.
The Level 5 arched an eyebrow.
"Oh no, absolutely not ...well, unless you want to... "
" Ah ah, it was a one time opportunity" the other teased, waving a finger in front of his face. " I prefer not to enter into intimacy with...work colleagues"
"I imagined it. Anyway, no, I'm here to talk about business. I received an offer that could make me a lot of money, enough to proceed with El Dorado's operations, but I need your help"
"I'm all ears," the girl replied, crossing her legs and slumped back in her chair.
Accelerator took a deep breath.
" It is a simple purchase, a real estate speculation. The point is ... we have to invest money. A lot of money"
The young woman arched an eyebrow.
"I don't invest excessive amounts of money in an activity that I don't have the certainty of succeeding"
"And on this I agree, but believe me, I have a plan. Tell me ... and if I make you an offer so ridiculous that you have to consider it? At that point who knows what would happen" he said with a knowing smile.
" And what do you consider ridiculous?" the other asked, with a mocking tone.
The Level 5 shrugged.
" As you well know, my intent is to take control of betting traffic throughout Japan, which is currently in the hands of the various unions scattered around the cities of the east coast. I've always been convinced that a criminal empire should be run as a company, with various people chosen to control a slice of cake. That's why I want to offer you ... half of it" he ended in impassive tone.
Mugino dilated her pupils and stared at the teenager in disbelief.
Then, after what seemed like an interminable time, she curled her lips in an ecstatic smile.
" Accelerator ... before you had my curiosity. But now you have my attention, "she whispered in a low voice.
The albino chuckled complacently and raised his glass ... but at that moment, the cell phone in his pants pocket began to play.
The Level 5, visibly annoyed by the interruption, grabbed the device and noticed that Unabara, his personal lawyer, was the one who called him.
"Excuse me," he muttered to Mugino, as he carried the phone to his ear.
" Yeah? I hope you have a good reason ... yes ... yes I asked him ... no, because ... .no, I ... HE DID WHAT?!"
XXXX
Terrorism was usually regarded as a form of action that was not only political but also symbolic.
What do we mean by politics? It sheds blood - literally and figuratively - using the vital fluids of its victims to throw an impressive and atrocious sketch on the canvases of social life.
It aims not only to kill but to to express itself dramatically.
In Austin's terms, terrorism was an illocutive force that aimed to achieve a perlocutory effect.
Terrorism was the new form of war, it was the way to make war of the last sixty years: against the populations, even before that between armies or fighters. The war that could be done with thousands of tons of bombs or with the embargo, with economic strangulation or with suicide bombers on airplanes or buses.
The war that generated war, a terrorism against the other, at the cost of defenseless civilians.
In a city like Gakuen Toshi, crime was the order of the day, and it was something familiar. It was part of the city's daily life, and people had learned to accept it.
But a bomb that exploded in an area full of civilians ... that was quite another thing. It was an act of terror. It was a different, despicable ... alien action. It was a cowardly act, an act that made no distinction between innocent and criminal. And because of this, people were now scared like they've never been in years.
Hamazura could feel it in his bones, as he watched the dark faces and tears of those people who were involved in the explosion.
He tried to settle down on the hospital bed, but his leg still hurt too much. Internally, he found himself cursing.
Then, a young woman dressed as a nurse approached him with a slow pace, his face adorned with a solemn expression.
The Level 0 instantly understood the reason for that face kissed by suffering.
"I'm sorry ... we did everything possible" the woman whispered, bowing her head slightly.
Hamazura gritted his teeth. Komaba Ritoku, the leader of the Skill Out, his mentor, and the closest thing he had to a brother ... was dead.
And the name of his killer would have remained forever engraved in his memory: Accelerator.
XXXX
In life they teach us that there are seven deadly sins.
We all know the main ones: throat, pride, lust ... But a sin of which we don't talk so much is anger. Perhaps because we think that anger is not dangerous enough and can be controlled. What I want to say is that perhaps we underestimate anger. Perhaps it could become much more dangerous than we think. After all, when it causes destructive reactions ... it becomes the gravest of the seven sins.
Anyone can get angry: this is easy. But getting angry with the right person, and in the right degree, and at the right time, and for the right purpose, and in the right way: this is not in anyone's chance and it's not easy.
Accelerator had spent years honing that control necessary to lead an organization in which failure was more frequent than success, despite what the movies could make people think.
It was not easy to make him angry. But right now ... he was not just angry. No. He was absolutely furious.
Just half an hour ago he was warned that one of his hit men, Saraku Mioo, detonated a bomb in the center of Academy City, in order to eliminate Komaba Ritoku, the leader of the Skill Out. And in the explosion also civilians were involved ...
Shaking his head from those thoughts, he walked stealthily inside the building that served as the base of the GROUP, quickly followed by Tsuchimikado.
Accelerator's office was rather bare, except for the presence of occasional posters scattered on the walls of the room, all depicting famous cantos of 80's and 90's music. Among them stood out one in particular, a painting depicting Lemmy Kilmister, leader of the Motorhead group, with a crown on his head.
Waiting for him in the room there was Musujime Awaki, flanked by a boy a little older than her, with short brown hair gathered in a helmet, dressed in a feather coat and tight jeans. This was Saraku himself, the one who Accelerator commissioned to kill Ritoku.
When the eyes of the Esper came into contact with the figure of the Level 5, he curled both his lips in an ecstatic smile.
"Ah, here you are, boss! You'll be happy to know that the work was done without a hitch, "he said in a confident and convinced tone of voice, receiving a glare from Awaki.
"You should have waited," she hissed, visibly irritated.
In response, Saraku sent a derisive sneer to the girl.
" Wait? Fuck off, the decision was up to me" he said with a snort, crossing both arms in front of his chest.
Accelerator passed his head from part to part of the couple, before taking a deep breath.
"What happened?" he asked coldly, addressed to Saraku.
The boy, initially surprised by the tone of the Level 5, just shrugged.
"Well, you asked me to take out Ritoku," he offered casually. "You didn't specify the way I should use to kill him, so I decided"
Accelerator chuckled, apparently amused.
"Did it happen that way? Did you have to…decide?"
" Yes" the other confirmed, visibly proud of the thing.
In front of him, the albino nodded sympathetically.
"And you decided to use a fucking bomb" He murmured.
Saraku nodded vigorously.
"Yep, I set fire to the square as if it was July 4th, Transformers style" he said simulating an explosion with his hands, adding some sound effect to emphasize. "Motor and action, baby, someone call Michael bay!"
He burst out laughing and Accelerator followed him.
If the hit man had stopped to think, he would probably have noticed that the Level 5's laugh was definitely colder and dull than usual, almost empty. Tsuchimikado and Awaki, on the contrary, noticed it almost immediately and they instantly shrugged.
" And the child?" Accelerator asked, after taking a couple of soothing breaths.
Saraku snorted a second time.
"I certainly could not deliver the bomb in person, I'm not suicidal," he said teasingly.
The albino stared at him intently, then glanced quickly at Awaki.
The girl swallowed hard, before mumbling: "I suggested him to wait."
"Oh, come on, don't be a virgin. It was blatant, and that was right. The Skill Outs had to know that Accele didn't care ..."
The teenager didn't even have time to react.
With a quick and sudden movement, Accelerator placed the tip of the index on the chest of the boy, manipulating the vectors that constituted his nervous impulses and sending a powerful kinetic wave into the body of the hit man .
Saraku coughed a bundle of blood and was thrown in midair, landing directly against the opposite wall of the room.
Even if he felt the blow, the sentinel of survival that was in him made his way into his brain, forcing him to look up.
Accelerator was walking toward him, his face closed in an impassive expression.
Without wasting time, Saraku activated his power. The figure of the teenager dematerialized into nothingness, as if he had never been there.
The Level 5, however, extracted a pistol from the pocket of the jacket and, in less than one second, he moved the weapon behind him without even turning around and opened fire three times.
"?!"
Feeling that he hit something, Accelerator turned around.
Saraku was lying on the ground, panting, and had bleeding wounds on his side and on his thighs.
The albino walked towards him and started talking.
"Look what we have here... a teleporter that can only move behind people. What a shitty power. You can't even be a Level 4. And usually being able to teleport your own weight would be enough to get you to that level"
" Bastard …" the hit man whispered, trying to get up but failing miserably.
Accelerator snapped his tongue and put the gun back in his jacket, stopping right in front of the boy.
"Fucking loser. You can't do eleven-dimensional calculations alone, so you compensate basing your calculations on the position of others. That power is wasted on you, "he muttered angrily, before putting his foot on the teenager's chest, pinning him to the ground.
As he tried to free himself under the pressure exerted by the Level 5, the albino briefly turned his gaze to the portrait of Lemmy.
" Do you like that poster? Me too, " Accelerator said, curling his lips in an amused smile.
" Do you know what attracts your gaze when you look at it? The crown, "he continued, tapping his head for emphasis. " Do you want to know why? Everyone loves being king"
And, having said that, he slapped Saraku right in the face, causing him to spit another trickle of blood.
The teleporter stared at him in disbelief, while Accelerator just shrugged.
"I hit you like a bitch. I'm not the type of guy who uses a closed fist on a helpless girl"
And then he slapped him twice more.
"A bomb ..." he whispered, curling his face in an expression that bordered on the purest anger. " You used a fucking bomb in a square full of women and children"
He tried to hit him a fourth time, but Saraku spat in his face.
The dense stream of blood and saliva was readily reflected by the Accelerator vector shield and spilled harmlessly onto the floor of the room.
Tsuchimikado and Awaki took a step back, while the esper turned to the hit man with a look of pure madness.
" Thanks ... now I can hit you like a man" he muttered ecstatically.
After all, this boy had chosen his own path at the exact moment when he decided to behave like a fool.
A bomb has a destiny. A predetermined fate established by its creator. And anyone who tries to alter that destiny will be destroyed. The bombs mark the time in all the moments of their existence. And no one announces his end in a more blatant way.
And if Accelerator hated something ... it was that his operations were slammed in the face of the residents of Academy City, especially if this meant involving civilians who had nothing to do with them.
He punched straight at Saraku's face. The albino increased the impact force at least three times, manipulating the kinetic and potential energy carriers of the hand. The resulting blow affects the fixed joints of the boy's skull, producing a loud crack that echoed throughout the length of the room.
" Who do you think I am?" the Level 5 asked, pulling another punch. This dislocated the boy's jaw.
" I don't kill women and children. Fuck you!" he shouted, hitting him twice more." I don't want this shit on my conscience"
And as the frequency of attacks intensified, splashes of blood and pieces of flesh, dug directly from the bones, began to fly in every direction.
"I kill you, butcher!" Accelerator exclaimed, throwing a final fist on Saraku's deformed face.
The boy's skull exploded into a myriad of bits of bone and brains, spilling blood and gray matter onto the floor of the room. The hands of the albino, however, remained immaculate, as well as his clothes.
The esper stood up and threw a kick at the hit man's corpse.
" Who the fuck did you think I was? A lousy worm like you?" he whispered almost to himself, his tone of voice decorated with disgust. " I told you…I told all of you: don't piss me off!"
He pointed to the body.
" I don't kill children, but you didn't want to listen to me!" he continued, while Tsuchimikado and Awaki stared at him worried.
Then, the Level 5 took a couple of soothing breaths.
" Fucking asshole ... now look at the end you did " he muttered, and then snap the tongue.
Having done this, he turned his attention to his subordinates.
"Call someone to clean up this mess," he ordered in a cold voice.
Tsuchimikado was fast to pull the phone out of his trouser pocket.
The following weeks would've been very long, he could feel that.
XXXX
Touma : ...that was brutal.
Accelerator : Becouse this is how high class villains act !
Mikoto : Please, leave a review !