Chapter 8 MARS meet EARTH
Disgusted with myself for being unable to stop Telestina, I headed back to my dormitory and slept for only 6 hours before waking up again a cross between restless and sleepy.
Definitely not a good combination.
Never mind, I'll make it up by searching for more information on Kihara Gensei's experiments.
Arriving at the 132nd Judgment Branch in less than half an hour, apparently Kuromaru had slept in again as he was snuggled comfortably under a blanket on the only couch in the office.
Well, no point disturbing him.
Logging onto the computer and starting a search for Kihara Gensei, the search results took less than a minute to appear on the screen.
Kihara Gensei, current location unknown. Known creator of the crystallized ESPer essence and body crystal.
That's all? No other information? Bullshit, our clearance isn't high enough I bet.
At this time, Kuromaru woke up, "Hey Ryu, why're you here so early in the morning?"
"Something in the Poltergeist case doesn't add up. I'm checking the records of everyone involved." I replied, never looking away from my screen.
"Oh, about that, I hacked into Tree Diagram's relay station for anything regarding Kihara Gensei as well, he submitted a request simulation a few months ago.
Apparently he requested a simulation regarding the exposure of crystallized ESPer essence to Espers. The results are on the table over there." Kuromaru said, heading to the toilet to freshen up.
Pulling the printed pages from the printer, it was a five page report on the simulation done regarding crystallized ESPer essence done on Espers. In short, there were many side effects that would occur regardless of the safety measures taken and the experiment had a 0.00018% chance of producing a Level 6.
That bastard knew the risks and the low success rate and still decided to go ahead with that insane experiment?
He isn't human. Only a monster would go ahead with the experiment after receiving this simulation data.
"Kuromaru, I'm taking this data to the 177th Judgment Branch. They'll need to see this." I said, heading for the door.
"Won't a fax suffice?" Kuromaru asked.
"We're cooperating with them on this. I'm also going there to see if they've found anything."
Taking the shortest way to the 177th Judgment Branch, I happened upon a crying girl while crossig an overhead bridge.
Can't she cry somewhere else? Dammit, she's making a scene... Wait, isn't that Uiharu?
"Uiharu-san?" I called out, cautiously approaching the sobbing mass.
Looking up with her eyes full of tears, Uiharu simply stared up at me until she recognized me, giving a double take when she did, "Ryusuke-san...?"
"Come on, this isn't a place to be crying. Let's get you back to the Judgment office." I said, hoisting Uiharu back to her feet and helping her along.
Reaching the Judgment office after receiving quite a few stares, I left Uiharu in the care of Ruiko and Kuroko where she continued crying despite Ruiko's attempts to console her.
"Alright Uiharu, what's wrong, what happened?" I asked.
"It's... It's Telestina-san..." Uiharu said, her crying making hearing her difficult.
"What about her? Did something happen?" Kuroko asks, taking over the questioning giving me an opportunity to scrounge around the office for a drink.
"She... She said her name was Telestina... Kihara." Uiharu said in between sobs.
"Telestina Kihara? Did she really say that?" Kuroko asked, "What about Kiyama Harumi?"
"I- I don't know." Uiharu sobbed.
"Calm down Uiharu, it'll be alright, okay?" Ruiko said, trying to comfort her.
I highly doubt it, if another Kihara is involved, this situation just got raised to a totally new level.
"Found it!" Konori shouted, attracting everyone's attention, "Telestina Kihara Lifeline... She's related to Kihara Gensei? She's his granddaughter?"
"What?" Kuroko asked, leaping out of her chair.
"I came across the data of the research staff in the paper by Kihara Gensei."
"Doesn't that mean Telestina was Gensei's research assistant too?" Kuroko asked, heading over to the computer for a better look.
"Telestina was the first test subject of the crystallized ESPer essence? How could that be?" Kuroko gasped, reading the information as it scrolled down the screen.
Her crying beginning anew, Uiharu was really starting to get on my nerves. We have a situation that's only getting worse and your response is to sit there and cry?
Wait, where is Misaka going?
Following her out the door, I slowly tailed Misaka as she took a slow walk to the MAR Base Research Laboratory.
That broadcasting tower looks familiar...
Walking into the compound, Misaka didn't bother to stop the brown trucks that left the compound.
"By the way, those children are in the vehicles. Don't you want to go after them?" Telestina said from inside the compound.
Running after the trucks, I hoped that Misaka wasn't chasing the trucks as well.
They both don't know I'm right outside, I'll take this chance to... Eh?
The trucks that are leaving... Have no AIM Fields within them? That can't be, those overloaded Espers practically broadcast their AIM Fields... Unless...
They're decoys? Misaka! Don't chase them!
Rushing back to the compound I heard a familiar sound emanate from the broadcasting towers.
It was an 8147 kilohertz sound wave, designed to interfere with the cerebral function of only those who have developed Personal Realities.
Capacity Down.
Clamping my hands over my ears and activating my Energy Manipulation field, I was already too late; some of the sound started reverberating in my head even though Energy Manipulation started absorbing the majority of the sound.
Slowly creeping into the facility car park, Telestina pulled out a grenade launcher and shot a grenade at Misaka, barely missing her face and blowing up a MAR van behind her.
As grateful as I was for that grenade missing Misaka, the missed grenade inadvertently sent a large 3 ton van crashing down on me.
Re... Flect!
With a crashing sound, the van rolled off me as a crumpled heap as I fell to a knee from the sheer weight of the van.
Wait, van... Broadcasting tower... Van... Broadcasting tower... Idea!
Rushing the calculations a bit, I gently touched the part of the van touching the ground, launching it right at the tower.
And missing impressively.
Emphasis on 'impressively'
"Oi, you over there, what the hell do you think you're doing?" Telestina yelled gruffly.
It seems I accidentally caught her attention.
"Ryusuke...san?" Misaka whispered, still on all fours from Capacity Down.
"Don't get up." I said, walking in front of her.
"Oh what is this? You think you're a hero protecting a damsel in distress?" Telestina sneered.
"Using dirty tricks to prevent people from fighting on even ground as you. You really are the worst." I said calmly, my mind preoccupied with vector equations.
"What's wrong with getting an advantage over a few lab rats? Wait... You look familiar..."
Not giving her a chance to think, I rushed forward, hoping to provoke her to shoot her grenade launcher.
As I predicted, Telestina fired a shot right at my chest, causing me to roll to my left to dodge.
"Dodge! Dodge! Is that all you can do?" Telestina taunted, firing another shot right where I was crouching.
Now!
Holding my hand in front of me, I deflected the grenade at the tower, weakening the supports.
"How, how can you still use your ability?" Telestina screamed, her eyes wide with shock.
"Didn't you see the truck flying through the air just now?" I said nonchalantly, stamping on the ground and sending what remained of the other truck into the remaining tower supports causing it to collapse; effectively shutting off Capacity Down.
"You're...! Kaho Kihara!" Telestina screeched, pointing a finger at me.
"I have no idea what you're... What...?" I gasped, suddenly hit by an explosion from behind.
Picking Misaka up as my vision began to fade, I weakly reached out a hand before my vision turned black.
Sprawled on the ground as time slowly passed at a snail's pace, I felt someone or something lift my body and instantly reacted.
Destroy.
Entering a vector for every inch of the powered suit I was touching, the suit tore itself apart, dropping me on my head as it did.
Ow... Maybe I should have accounted for the landing too...
Standing up and walking towards Misaka, a powered suit also lifting her as well, I cleared my throat to get the scientist's and powered suit operator's attention.
"That is what happened to your friend. You feeling lucky?" I said venomously, pointing at what remained of the other suit, the operator struggling to remove himself from the wreckage.
Nodding at the powered suit, the scientist took quite a few steps back as the powered suit operator pulled a grenade launcher that was attached to his side.
"You people never learn." I said darkly, giving the powered suit a death glare.
Firing a shot at me, I simply waved my hand across my body, altering the grenade's trajectory slightly with telekinesis causing it to miss.
Not giving up, the powered suit fired another shot at me, this time aimed at my face instead of my chest.
Stepping to the side and reaching out to the projectile via telekinesis, I swung it around me in a slingshot trajectory back at the powered suit; Barely missing his bucket helmet.
Capacity Down is still screwing up my aim... I think it'll take another hour or two to recover.
Before the powered suit operator could fire another shot I raised my right hand in a classic 'stop' hand signal, "Question!" I barked.
"That companion of yours is unarmed and unarmored. What do you think would happen if I shot several thousand volts through his heart?"
"Don't reveal what you're about to do kid." a voice said through the suit's loudspeaker, as the powered suit moved to stand between me and the scientist.
"He should have run away. Since when does electricity only travel in straight lines?"
Turning around to run, the scientist was already too late as I grabbed him by the ankle with telekinesis and flung him in a parabolic arc to my feet.
Stepping on the scientist's chest causing him to gasp for air, I delivered my ultimatum, "Let the Railgun go. Or I expand on the hundred ways I currently know on how to end someone's life."
Not dropping his grenade launcher and instead pointing it at Misaka, the powered suit operator responded in kind, "Who do you think is more valuable? A researcher or one of 7 Level 5's in this city? Don't get cocky brat!"
Shit! I hadn't thought about that... No... What can I do now?
Without thinking, I altered the vectors below my foot, launching the scientist as a guided missile right into the bucket of a helmet that powered suit had. Taking advantage of the small window of time that bought me, I just grabbed Misaka and ran.
She's light, even when she's unconscious.
Carrying her to the hospital I regularly go to, I left her with the frog faced doctor and called Ruiko, "Misaka-san is at the hospital in district 7, she's unconscious, but only from shock it's nothing serious."
"Wait, who is this?" Ruiko replied.
"Oh sorry, it's Ryusuke-san here, I'm from the supplementary classes, we attended together.
"Oh! Ryusuke-san! Hi! Wait, you said something happened to Misaka-san?"
"Yeah, she went to MAR alone and got hit by Capacity Down; She's at the hospital in district 7's south side."
Hanging up before Ruiko could question me any further, I started to make my way out the door and down the corridor when a familiar frog faced doctor stopped me,
"Don't you want to wait for her to wake up? It shouldn't be long now."
"I shouldn't... And I have things to do."
"Why not? What could be more pressing than..."
"Doctor, as much as I hate to admit it, it's not my face she wants to see when she wakes up. As selfish as my wish to be the source of her happiness is, I still want her to smile, to laugh, to be happy; And I know she can't experience these with me. So please, just let me go."
Walking off before the doctor could reply, I felt the start of tears welling in my eyes, but I denied them and thought about the situation at hand.
There is no time to waste, I definitely can't spend it moping around.
By the time I reached the 132nd Judgment Branch, I had inadvertently spent half an hour traveling, taking the long way to the office to give myself time to sort my own inner turmoil.
It wasn't enough.
"Ryu! We've got an update on the kids that were taken by MAR!" Kuromaru yelled, displaying the information on the projector to save me the time that I had to spend walking to his screen.
"Where are they now?" I asked.
"The MAR trailers are on City Highway 5 and they just passed the 13th interchange in the 18th academy district. Apparently they are heading for a private research laboratory that Kihara Gensei owned. Judgment Branch 177 is heading out soon, if you go now you can catch them!" Kuromaru yelled.
"Thanks!"
Dashing out onto the street, I looked around for a bus or taxi that I could take.
No luck, Touma's misfortune must be rubbing off on me.
Looking at the general direction of City Highway 5, I saw a small glow of activity near intersection 26.
Since cars don't glow in one specific spot, I'll wager my dinner that that's where Misaka is wreaking havoc.
Time to go.
Pulling out my phone GPS, I calculated the distance between my current position and the glowing area on the highway, cross referenced the positions of wind turbines in between and finally doing the necessary calculations in my head while adjusting them to compensate for the 5 km/h crosswind.
Gravity is 9.81 ms^-2, my weight is approximately 61.45 kilograms, the distance between me and the target area is 857 meters, the average height of a wind turbine for maximum wind efficacy is 70 meters, in order to clear the wind turbines and still land on an elevated highway, the launch angle has to be between 35-40 degrees.
Taking these factors into account, I altered the vectors below my feet shooting me into the air like a cannon.
Oh my gawd I regret doing it already! Flying without any aids is so damn scary!
Using telekinesis to make minor course corrections, I safely cleared all the wind turbines and buildings.
But I hadn't taken into account the fact that there would be two MAR helicopters in my way.
To hell with it! Bracing for impact, deflection up on the whole front of my body! Vectors redirected to the direction my body is moving.
This isn't going to be pretty.
Hearing a whirring motor just before impact, I plunged through the right helicopter like a human cannonball, the right helicopter immediately lost control and started veering left and right as the pilot wrestled to regain control of the damaged aircraft.
Landing safely in front of Misaka and Kuroko, I gave a jovial wave at the two before Kuroko yelled while pointing behind me, "Ryusuke-san! Watch out!"
Shit I nearly forgot! Deflection on front of body disabled, reflect up for the back of my body!
The whirring sound turning out to be a Gatling gun spinning in preparation to fire, the bullets peppering my back as the bullets were all reflected back at the offending helicopter, shattering the gun and punching several holes in the helicopter's body.
"Ryusuke..." Misaka said.
"Was that...?" Kuroko continued.
"Look, I can explain how I'm using that ability..." I started to say, hands up in an attempt to calm the two down.
"Are you insane? What the hell were you thinking flying in like that?" Misaka yelled.
"Uhh, onee-sama, I think the more pressing issue is why he's using the ability of the number 1 Level 5..." Kuroko muttered, "But for now..."
Teleporting Misaka onto Konori's motorcycle, Kuroko pulled a large belt of spikes, a belt long enough to wrap several times around her body, "Onee-sama, go reinforce
Kiyama Harumi, Ryusuke-san and I will handle things here."
"Kuroko... I got it. Just make sure you catch up later ok?"
Gleefully holding several spikes in her hand, Kuroko yelled, "You're saying that knowing I'm your greatest partner?"
"Enough talk! Just go!" I yelled, using a telekinetic blast on the nearest powered suit.
A blast echoing through the highway as another powered suit's grenade launcher exploded in its user's hands, Kuroko and I slowly worked to destroy either the powered suits or the weapons the were carrying, or both.
Landing with a few needles in her hand, Kuroko gave me a quick look over before speaking, "I never thought I'd be fighting alongside you in these kind of circumstances."
"Me neither, it's a pleasure to work with you, teleporter."
"You seem to be using multiple abilities." Kuroko stated plainly, teleporting the needles in her hand into a nearby powered suit's grenade launcher again while I shot a bolt of forked lightning to prematurely detonate several incoming grenades.
"It's a long story... I'll explain some other time but yes, I'm more or less a multi-skill." I said, shifting a powered suit into the path of several more incoming grenades, using him or her as a personal shield.
"I'll be curious to hear your explanation later!" Kuroko said, teleporting away.
"Right, which one of you wants some of this?" I yelled, only to see a majority of the powered suits more interested in Kuroko.
Whether it's because of her panties, or because of the rate that she's decimating their numbers, don't ignore me you assholes!
Stomping on the ground to fling the nearest powered suit into the comrade closest to him, I finally got some attention from a few bucket heads that turned in my direction.
That's more like it! Whoa, shit!
All of them pointing their grenades and firing at the same time, I had several Personal Realities open, my attention and computing power split equally among all of them. With that being said, I can't reflect, block, or destroy all of the grenades fired without letting one or two through.
Or...
Instead of countering I'm forced to dodge.
Thank goodness those grenades aren't homing.
Leaping into the air with a vector and telekinetic assisted jump, I closed the Electromaster and telekinesis Personal Reality while leaving Vector Change open.
Landing in time to receive three more grenades, with only Vector Change active I simply took the grenades head on, reflecting the explosion back at the powered suits.
"Haha! Good work! Thank you for the show!" I yelled, in a totally out of character voice.
It seems my reliance on Accelerator's Personal Reality is causing a change to my own personality...
Not good...
Closing the Vector Change Personal Reality, I started using Pyrokinesis to manipulate the flames, barely managing to move it from target to target.
My control at this level only allows me to manipulate flames, not create it; Probably still a Level 2.
Not noticing one of the powered suits approaching from behind, Kuroko's warning came too late as
I frantically swung my hands back to bring the flames behind me, a searing pain washing over my arms as the flames got too close.
"Gyaaah ahhhh!"
Shit, I was careless.
Teleporting back to me, her large belt of spikes all expended, Kuroko and I surveyed the carnage, all the powered suits either destroyed or badly damaged.
"I'd say our work here is done no? My goodness, what happened to your arms?"
"Uhhh, they got burned."
"I can see that much, but how?"
"Poor control of fire." I replied, biting my lip.
"Konori-sempai is on the way back, I'll fix these up in the mean time." Kuroko said, running back to her discarded bag, only to return with some bandages and ointment.
"These are not easy to come by, your lucky I prepared for injuries." Kuroko said as she applied the ointment to the bright red areas before wrapping it with bandages.
"Thank you."
"Don't mention it," Kuroko said, finishing up with a small clip to hold the bandages in place, "So, while we wait for Konori-sempai, would you mind telling me how you use multiple abilities?"
Seeing my face darken at her request, Kuroko quickly raised her hands, "Oh, don't worry, if it's a sensitive subject you don't have to..."
"It's not that I don't want to say, I just really don't know." I whispered.
"Eh?"
"A lot of details about my past, are very fuzzy to me. Not only that, knowledge I shouldn't have keeps popping up everywhere. Who am I? Why am I like this? Even I don't have the answers to these questions. I used to... But... I'm starting to see so many conflicting memories that... I just... Don't know..."
"Don't fuss over who you were, it's who you are that matters most, here and now. You shouldn't dwell on the past or dream about the future. Just live in the here and now." Kuroko said.
I guess she's not just a sick lesbian freak after all...
"Oh! Konori-sempai's back." Kuroko said, pointing at an incoming motorbike.
"Misaka-san and the others are being chased by a large MAR vehicle, get on, I'll take you to them!"
Watching Kuroko mount the motorcycle, I suddenly remembered the time I totally failed at riding a bike, "Uhhh, you guys go on ahead, I don't think there's enough space for me."
Breaking into a fast sprint before either of them could argue, I started taking larger steps, using
Telekinesis to boost my speed and Energy Manipulation to recycle waste energy, heading off after them.
It's not as effective as Vector Change, and it takes a lot more concentration... But I'm actually afraid of using it right now...
What if I become like Accelerator?
Reaching the MAR vehicle with Konori only slightly behind me, I contemplated using an ability on the vehicle to interrupt it.
No, not a good idea, enough of my focus is already going into traveling. If I divert my attention to attacking I had more of a chance to fall and break something before attacking.
Looking back up at the scene in front of me, Misaka had broken one of the mechanical grappling arms that Telestina, judging from the voice coming from the giant vehicle, had shot at her.
"Kuroko!" Misaka yelled, getting an immediate response from one of the two girls behind me who teleported straight into the air.
"I can shoot more than coins! This is my full power!" Misaka screamed, slamming her fist into one of the mechanical debris that Kuroko had teleported into her.
"What?" Telestina yelled, slamming on the brakes.
I won't let you!
Leaping into the air, I slammed my foot into the back of the vehicle with a flying kick, converting the energy from the reaction force to reduce the damage to my leg and to increase the damage output.
Multi Active Rescue Squad, meet the Esper's Active Response To Heresy!
The mechanical part slamming through the vehicle only inches above me, I could practically feel the vacuum caused by the Railgun above me, trying to suck me in.
Bracing myself as I fell to the ground, I tried to prevent any of the larger debris from falling on me;
I barely succeeded.
Maybe kicking it wasn't the brightest idea I had all day.
Emerging from the smoldering wreckage just in time to see Misaka and Kuroko curious peeking around the wreckage to see whether I was still alive, I gave a small wave to catch their attention,
"Yo!"
"Seriously Ryusuke-san, leaping and kicking a machine that was about to be blasted by Onee-sama's Railgun is a really bad idea you know?" Kuroko said.
"Eheheheheh." I giggled sheepishly, shaking the aftershock from being in such close proximity with Misaka's Railgun out of my head.
Reaching the laboratory in the 23rd district without any more issues, we were slightly delayed by Misaka , who insisted on destroying the nearby MAR vans and all the empty powered suits inside.
"Honestly Onee-sama, to blast every single one of them..." Kuroko sighed.
"I had no choice! How was I to know that they'd all be empty?" Misaka protested at her kouhai.
"It's fine it's fine, better safe than sorry. I don't want to have to fend those things off when they attack me from behind anyway." I said.
Hmmm, there's a large energy flow down towards the very bottom of this facility. Maybe I should check it out.
"Misaka-san, Kuroko-san, I'm going to check something out, meet up with you later ok?"
Disappearing before they could object, I started making my way down through the facility, imagining a 3D schematics of the facility in my mind as I made my way down via the long way.
By the time I reached the bottom floor, Misaka and the others had already found the children.
Hurrying towards them, a familiar sound pierced my ears as it started to echo inside my head.
No way... This is...
An 8147 hertz soundwave, designed to interrupt with Esper brain function.
Capacity Down.
Collapsing to the floor, I could barely move my body as I watched Misaka and her friends struggle to cover their ears from the sound, Kiyama being the only one who was unaffected.
Wait, where's Ruiko?
Dammit, move body move!
Hearing two simultaneous cries of pain, I looked up again to see Telestina swing a gigantic conical lance shaped weapon at Misaka and Kuroko, sending them flying several meters before landing roughly on the ground.
Dammit, this sound... If only I can get my Energy Manipulation or Vector Change up now...
No good, I'm starting to lose consciousness...
With my vision fading to black, my arms went limp and I collapsed back onto the floor, meters away from the girls that I failed to protect.
Why... Why am I not unconscious?
That damn sound is still bouncing inside my head like a freaking ball on Red Bull. Why am I still conscious?
It can't end this way right?
No. I WON'T let it end this way!
Forcing my eyes open again, I watched as Telestina simply batted Uiharu out of the way like she was a rag doll.
Anger... Fury... Move! Get up dammit! I'm ordering you to get up! Why the hell are you still lying on the floor? Why is this body not moving at all?
Come on... If there is some higher power out there, please, I'll give you everything I have. Just give me the power to move!
"Higher power? How unscientific." a voice in my head sneered.
Wait, who's that?
"Who else?" the voice laughed, the laugh echoing in my head like the Capacity Down.
Wait, this voice, it can't be...
"Why are you so shocked? You asked, I answered. It's as simple as that." the voice said.
My voice.
Oh great I'm talking to myself now, I guess Capacity Down causes insanity in Espers too.
"You ARE talking to yourself, but why does that make you insane?" my voice said, as a cleaner, identical version of me wearing a lab coat appeared in front of me.
Cool hallucinations now. This insanity is getting worse.
"OI, I'm not a hallucination you Goddam moron!" the me wearing the lab coat yelled, "Great, I get called to help and now you're treating me like a figment of your fuckin imagination. Go figure."
"Who... Are you...?" I managed to rasp, my throat sore for some reason.
"Isn't that simple? I'm you."
How can this be possible? Split personality? A side effect from overusing other people's Personal Realities?
"Nah, none of the above." the me wearing the labcoat said, forming an 'X' with his arms, "The details would take too long to explain and I seriously can't be bothered myself. I'm only here to ask you a question."
"A... Question?"
"Yep, you asked for 'the power to move'. I'm here to answer that request."
"To... Move...?"
"Yeah! To move! Don't tell me this Capacity Down affected your brain or something, I don't want to have to deal with a vegetable you know? Anyway, you weren't awfully specific when you asked for the power to move. Where do you want to move? Oh and you might want to hurry up and make a decision." the me in the lab coat said, pointing behind him.
The situation had gotten from bad to worse, Misaka was know being held in the air by that weapon Telestina is carrying and Kiyama just took a kick in the ribs from Telestina as well.
Crumpling to the floor from the attack, I blinked once in surprise. Why didn't I hear Kiyama falling? I'm sure that kick would have hurt, why didn't Kiyama scream?
"Oh, I activated Vector Change to block out all sound. It's incredibly effective. I can even modify it to only reflect Capacity Down but I'd rather talk to you in private. You can thank me later."
"I..." I mumbled.
"I what? I can't hear you." the me in the lab coat said, holding a hand to his ear to try and hear me better.
"I want to beat that bitch who's hurting Misaka to a pulp, I want to pulverize her for tricking everyone and lying. I want to make sure she never tries such a stupid stunt like hurting those children ever again. I want to make her pay!" I said, screaming my last sentence.
"That's the spirit, unfortunately, your mind is nearly at it's limit. Something about using multiple abilities to travel. That was a real waste of your abilities. Vector Change would have worked fine but you chose to overwork your mind. That's why you blacked out just now."
"Bullshit." I replied.
"Hmm?"
"There's no such thing as a limit. Once you decide your limit, it's over. I'm not going to cave to something as stupid as a limit. If such a stupid thing existed, then the only thing to do is SURPASS IT!"
"How idealistic of you. With that mentality you're sure to succeed. However, reality isn't as kind and forgiving as ideals. Anyway, since you want help, I shall give it, but I need to borrow your body. Thanks!"
Bending down and touching me gently on the head, I disappeared into thin air.
Leaving no trace that I was even there at all.
My body... It's moving now... But I'm not controlling it...
Wait, I've felt this before... When I fought Kiyama Harumi!
"I'm surprised you remembered. But yes, that was all me." my alter said.
Slowly getting to my feet, I stomped on the ground, one to get Telestina's attention, and also to dislodge the tile I was standing on.
Telestina's shouting something, with Vector Change still set to reflect all sound, I couldn't hear anything. Nor did I care.
Here's to you bitch.
My hand moving if it's own accord, it felt like I was watching a movie, a movie where I felt exactly what was going on in my body and my mind, but still unable to cause a change in either.
Controlling electricity in my left hand that was pointed at the ground, the calculations were made with surgical precision; Calculated down to the last volt.
Another set of calculations were made, this time it was a rearranged version of Maxwell's equations calculating the output needed for the effective manipulation of Lorentz Forces.
Yanking my hand into the air, a blade of iron sand was summoned to my hand, though unlike Misaka's, the blade did not vibrate like a chainsaw.
Running towards Telestina with the blade in hand, I swung the blade right at Telestina's face, forcing her to drop Misaka and defend herself.
The blade I was using split and shattered upon impact; it was a gathered pile of sand after all.
Saying something that I again could not here, Telestina took a step forward and stabbed me in the ribs with her weapon, winding me completely.
"I don't want to have to use that... But I might have to if this keeps up..." my alter said.
"What's 'that'?"
"Nothing, you don't need to know."
Gathering multiple pieces of metal and crushing it with Telekinesis, I finished off the makeshift weapon with a large blast of flame, engulfing the whole piece of gathered steel and forging the pieces together.
Dashing forward again for round 2, I felt the burn in my muscles as my body was pushed beyond its limits, my makeshift weapon and Telestina's clashing several times before my body gave way, falling to the ground yet again.
"Is that all?" I said, rolling my eyes if that were even possible.
"Oh shut it, it's not as if. Had a body in pristine condition to work with from the beginning. Fine, if she wants to play, let's play."
Only two words flashed through my mind, 'Reality Shift'.
Wait! Why's Misaka up again?
My alter's presence simply disappearing at the sight of Misaka lifting Telestina with magnetism and throwing her, this encounter... Only leaves me with more questions than answers.
Deactivating the reflect that blocked all sound, Telestina said, "Electromaster Level 5. You're just another bit of data, that's right! Data that talks back!"
That thing she's holding... That's...! Another Railgun?
Misaka watch out!
Both sides firing their Railgun at the same time, the projectiles met in the middle, causing a small explosion of energy where the two projectiles meet.
At this rate, if I don't do something...
Reaching out once again with Energy Manipulation, I tried to siphon energy from Telestina's Railgun when a large shock passed through my body.
Ow! What the?
That shock... Is it feedback from overusing my ability?
I don't think I'm going to stay awake for this... Misaka... I leave this matter in your hands...
-End of Chapter 8-
