Hey there, everyone. It's be a little hectic, getting these edited in time. I apologize if it looks like I forgot or am ignoring any questions; I just want to save them for a few weeks when I'll be answering a bunch anyway, and so I can be both informative and funny. If I wait until the end I'll be able to give more full and robust answers, so just hold tight!

And speaking of the end, we're almost there. This is actually another update I was really looking forward to: I know that no matter what you do, the middle of a trilogy is often the most boring part (I call it The Two Towers syndrome). With luck the next three updates can at least bridge the gap to Part 3 in an interesting way. I hope you can enjoy it, and as always, thanks for sticking with me.

Chapter 19:

1:32 A.M., December 29th: London, Airspace above the Thames River

"-EEEEALY HAAAAATE MAAAAAAALLSSSS!"

It was difficult to yell loud enough to drown out the rushing winds, but even the smallest of victories was meaningful to Touma as he plummeted towards London. He thrashed his limbs ineffectually as the others victims of Miss Baker's sudden power became lost in the night sky. Hopelessly lost, just like he was about to be.

For an absurd second, he imagined his winter coat having a built in parachute. He reached for its chest pocket for a make-believe rip-cord, only to remember it still lay in his room.

But he had little time for regrets; the ground approached: his impact likely just on the shore of the River Thames. There was some huge, brightly lit strip below him, jutting out over the water. He prayed it was soft even as he knew it was not.

It grew closer, now huge. He grit his teeth as his fear and frustration reached a fever pitch.

"SUUUUUCH MISSSSSFOOOOR-"

A streak of blue rocketed into him, so hard it nearly drove him back up into the sky.

"Uhn!?"

The force blew the complaint from his lips and the wind from his chest, and he hung together in the air with whatever hit in a moment of stupefaction.

That same whatever winced as it collided with his gut, stiffening as he reflexively wrapped his arms around it.

But the miracle that had diverted his fall was not enough to thwart gravity forever; with his new burden Touma's fall began anew.

What was that!? Who is this!? What happened, are we both going to splat, I've got to-

"L-let go with that HAND, IDIOT!"

He obeyed the muffled voice instantly, detaching Imagine Breaker's death grip despite every instinct screaming to latch on to salvation. When he did, Touma felt a familiar tingle coursing up the hairs on the back of his neck. Suddenly he and saviour alike were wrenched sideways, slamming into something hard and cool. It drove the wind from him again, but he managed to slap both hands on the smooth surface before sliding off a rounded edge into another fall. There he lay, hugging the ground closely.

"Wow… Close one." Mikoto straightened her mask, trying to distract her gleefully beating heart. But I do hate going that fast… Need to install goggles or something: as it is this mask isn't going to cut it. It could not even hide the grin on her face as she turned to the boy. "You're such a pain; how many times are you going to fall out of the sky like that?"

"Eerg…"

"Hey! Hey, you all right?" Suddenly worried she scrambled across the rounded surface, grabbing Touma by the shoulders lift him upright. "I need more than groan here!"

"T-the others… They…? Who caught…?" Eyes still unfocused Touma tried and failed to understand, fist half clenching in preparation for another battle.

"I guess that answers my question." Never change, Idiot. She pointed a finger up. "I saw someone else catch them, moving really fast: I can't believe they beat me there. I don't know if they saw you or not because you were up way higher, so you'd have to have been specifically looking for you t-to…" Though briefly embarrassed by what she implied, as her gaze drifted up she trailed off for a different reason.

The floating Dianoid was gone.

While the esper pondered that mystery Touma finally calmed the rattling in his brain, both hands holding the spinning at bay. He blinked at the girl for several moments before she noticed his gaze.

"Misaka…? Why aren't you in the Cathedral? No… Don't tell me those *******s made you part of their plan!?"

"What? No, of course not!"

"Aaaah… Good. That's a-"

"I came on my own, obviously."

"That might be worse!" His outburst shocked the girl, and she wilted as he fell into accelerating panic. "Why would you go out for a midnight stroll in a situation like this!? Why are you here? For that matter, where even ARE we!?" His questing hands finally found the edge of their platform, and he leaned over the side as he finally recognized the London Eye. "T-that Ferris Wheel!? Of all places, we landed on this!?"

"Excuse me!?" He jumped, sensing an onslaught. But though she sparked, Mikoto held back her wrath. "THAT'S your thank you!? After all that work!?"

"Eh? I mean, well, yeah, thank you, but-"

"I'm a bigger girl than I look, you Idiot! Why else do you think I chased you around all night!?" She fumed, practically steaming in the cool night air, but quickly froze under Touma's searching gaze.

"…All night?"

Once again, she blessed her butterfly mask for covering at least her cheeks.

Touma puffed his own out, exhaling sharply before waving his finger in reproach. "Misaka, you're a growing girl, you-"

"THIN ICE."

"N-Not what I! I meant! A-ah, look, why were you looking for me is what I meant, all right!?" His hurried explanation was barely enough to stall her tirade.

But it did more than that. Beyond all his expectations, Mikoto became flustered.

"W-well! I! I was-! Was…" Suddenly intensely interested he watched her toy with her fingers, then her hair. By the time she moved to her collar he tried again, but as he began to speak her mirrored her. Flustered now himself, and uncertain why his stomach felt like he was falling again, he waved for Mikoto to continue.

After one last, shuddering sigh, she did.

"…Worried. You weren't in your room, okay?"

He was silent.

She ground her teeth, unable to look at him.

When she finally did, he was as pale as a ghost.

"…You were in my room? W-why were…" Oh god I didn't leave anything out that might earn me a… N-no, no, we're not in Academy City, it's okay. Breathe again, Kamijou-san, breathe… And she was already there, you dolt. So what… What am I so af-

"Hey! Snap out of it, you weirdo! Space-cadet! Idiot!" Her fingers snapping before his eyes broke his introspective spell. "I was looking for you, didn't I just say!? Is that really so strange!?"

"Not back when you were trying to find me to fry me every night, maybe, but now? Kinda!?" His explosively emotional reply set the girl back, and he fought his way back to the centre of the platform. "Why the heck would people go out of their way to find or talk to me if it's not something leading to more misfortune!? That's not how my life works, anything else is what's strange!"

Though she retreated a step back she quickly surged forward again, meeting him levelly despite her blush. "Hey! I already said I'm not doing that anymore! And why do you have to be so pessimistic!? Maybe there's a good reason for things happening, ever think of that!?"

"So why!? Why look for me!?" He pressed forward, shouting hard. "What possible reason could you have!?"

"I was LOOKING for you," She said, mimicked his actions, "Because I HAD something to TELL you!"

"What!? What did you have to tell me!?"

"I can't! Not NOW! It's all wrong!"

"Why not!? What's wrong!?" Though the sum total of his memories was smaller than the average, Touma could still remember being angry, sad, happy, scared; any emotion one could name. But tonight, for a reason he could not explain, he had never felt so frustrated. "Just tell me! Please!"

"I can't just TELL you that I-"

An explosion rocked the night, just before the words she had never expected left her lips.

The London Eye rattled, sending both off balance. Touma's hands latched out, cancelling out Mikoto's magnetic efforts to stand, but he held them both firmly regardless. Their heads turned together to a bridge in the south.

W-Westminster Bridge? No, it's still standing, so that wasn't… It was only when Mikoto squinted that she recognized the large parade of vehicles storming across its causeway. "…Ahhh! The criminals, I forgot about them! Crap, crap crap!"

"Criminals? What? Didn't we stop them? Misaka? Misaka, answer me, don't just stare at them!" He fought the urge to shake her in his grip, but the esper ignored him long enough to access her phone's map.

"Did they really just blow up the road access on that side? What are they… Cutting off the police? They're making their move? Daaaamn iiiit…"

"What are they doing!? What's even going on!?"

"E-eh?" The girl finally looked up. Felt his hands on her arms, the warmth of his body, and his face altogether too close to hers. "…E-e-e-eh-"

"…MISAKA!"

"They're attacking Buckingham Palace!" She blurted it out all at once.

Touma stared at her a minute.

He wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry.

Eventually he did neither, only sighing. "…So that's why you were... Guess at least… Glad it was a good reason."

"What?" Something felt wrong to Mikoto, but he waved away her concern with a simple smile.

"Never mind. Look, we've got to stop them. I'm friends with the royals, but even if I weren't these crooks can be up to no good." He straightened, wincing as his bones complained.

"Hey, hold on." Mikoto fought free from his weakened grasp and, stepping back, looked him over.

His bare arms shivered in the cool, marred with tiny scratches and small bruises. He wobbled under a sudden stiff breeze, but forced himself upright as his bare arms shivered. As he rubbed them, it was Mikoto's turn to sigh.

"…Can you even fight like that, you idiot? You never change."

"Gotta try." His confident grin was as reassuring as ever, as he turned his gaze to the rapidly fleeing criminals. "But the real problem is catching them, they're so-"

He felt a change in the air.

Mikoto had bent low, both hands resting on the top of the egg-shaped container they still stood atop. It may have even been the same container they had ridden inside with the Archbishop and Index. It mattered little as she briefly surged with lightning, magnetic fields expanding.

Her power spread down and out, arcing from one capsule of the Ferris wheel to another. Soon the entire London Eye was aglow with a very different source of power.

And its motors roared into life.

"Get inside and strap in. And don't touch anything with your hand."

"…M-Misaka don't be hasty I mean this is a national symbol and costs a lot of money and I don't think it has seat-belts so we really should not just-"

"Less so than the Palace." The London Eye began to spin, and Touma gave up any comment in his mad rush to the now open capsule door. Behind him, Mikoto continued with a strained grin. "After all, a wheel is a wheel, isn't it?"

!~~~~~~~~!

"And I even left my favourite mix tape in there…"

"Are you still *****ing back there about your van? Jesus, you're a whiny one. Why're all the new guys such babies, eh?"

The driver's passenger shared in his chuckle, but as they laughed the man crouched in the back of his new ride scowled all the harder. He slammed his fist on one of the many piles of equipment to get their attention.

"Not just that, you *******! You guys may be used to this sort of **** but I didn't sign up to the thug life for this!"

"Easy, cool your heels-"

"I was there for the Jewel heist, you know! I was the guy on the rail cart, getting away with the Shark! Would have gone grand, but then those god-damned super heroes showed up, blasting lighting and punching helicopters out of the sky!'

"…Well, that was strange, I'll admit, but-"

"And all that business in the Mall, I was there too! That damn tank flipping upside took ten years off my life! My back still hurts!"

"Y-yeah, I heard about that one, but-"

"And then today, my own damn truck gets pushed over like it was made of cardboard, and I DON'T EVEN KNOW FROM WHAT!"

The young man clutched at his hair as his two seniors shared a look.

"…He's got a point. "

"Don't you start, Larry." The driver shook his head, waving away the passenger's point before spinning back around to their unplanned hitchhiker. "Take deep breaths and calm down, you coward. Just be grateful this at least is going-"

A tremendous noise in the distance cut him short.

It was a horrible shriek of metal, a sound like the world itself was coming apart.

And it was coming closer.

The car skidded to a stop. So too stopped the rest of the convoy, each individual member likely fearing the same thing.

"The bridge!? Is it collapsing…!?" The driver of the van leant out his window, but a strange light caught his eye. The street, the bridge, even the icy River Thames underneath them was glowing with unusual reflected lights. Lights that spun and spun and spun.

He turned backwards to their source, like many of his comrades.

They all saw the same horrifying vision of the London Eye slamming down onto the bridge behind them.

His van bounced three feet from the impact, briefly stunning the driver. When he came to, the Ferris wheel had begun to spin anew, crackling with spare electricity. But it was no longer restrained by any sensible mooring, so as it spun it began to roll forward.

It slowly crunched the concrete between the two lines of criminal vehicles, cars and trucks alike burning rubber to get out of the way.

But each car soon slowed, briefly arcing with electricity, before being sucked back into the side of London Eye with a clang. And there they stuck, screaming criminals and all, lifted bodily into the sky on the mad carnival ride.

The driver fell back into his seat, ashen-faced to gaze ahead vacantly. "…Bloody Hell."

"See!? SEE!?" The man in the back was perversely pleased. "THIS is exactly what I mean! What're supposed to do about that?"

Though their own vehicle was well along the bridge, the Ferris Wheel was accelerating. The leading cars might get away, but those behind them had nowhere to go. A few had already chosen to chance the icy Thames water, but most were stuck in a gridlock of their own confusion as they tried to escape.

"'Ello? What, no plan then?" The man in back waited, but the others were distracted by terror. Eventually he just nodded to himself. "Right, that's it. I quit." The one-time criminal crossed his arms and slumped back among the supplies as their van lifted from the ground. [1]

!~~~~~~~~!

"Just wish we coulda brought the tank." Alone in the back seat of his Sedan, the Shark drummed his fingers on the upholstery as they cruised down Birdcage Walk. The open park of the Crown Lands opened up on the right, and he enjoyed the view. "I wanted to punch a hole right into the State rooms."

"Yes sir. Sir? Despite the radio silence you ordered, I'm getting some chatter from the assault crew. Lot of it, actually." The driver called over his shoulder between the two front seats.

"What are they doing back there? Haven't they cleared the bridge yet?"

"Don't know sir, they're all talking at once, asking for you. And… Their Mama's, sir? I think." The driver reached over his shoulder to hand a buzzing radio receiver to the back seat.

"You answer it."

"Driving, sir. 'Gainst the law."

"…First thing I change, laws. Fine, give it here." The Shark fumbled with his lanky hands for the walkie-talkie, muttering as he did. "How am I s'posed to walk up with an army if my army… Huh?"

Though he could finally hear the panicked voices through the receiver, something else he heard demanded priority. Though it was the fact he felt it in the ground as well that it managed to earn his attention.

He twisted awkwardly in his seat, knees bumping against the driver's seat until he froze.

Something huge rounded the bend behind him.

Just barely scraping through on the narrow road between two low-lying buildings spun the towering London Eye, covered with honking cars stuck like flies to a trap. The whole thing glowed obscenely, lightning crackling of to burst street lights and blow the power of whole city blocks. The pavement was pummelled under its weight, windows rattled and dogs set to barking. It scooped up the last of the leading cars of his former army, and swept towards him with frightening speed.

"…Bull ******* horse-****. You're joking me."

"Sir? Sir, what…!?" The driver wondered at his boss' emotionally empty surprise until he peered through his mirrors. If the roads weren't dead with the hour, he would have easily caused an accident of his own as he veered deep into the wrong lane.

Frantically trying to recover from his mistake, the driver felt a cold claw of a hand clamp down on his shoulder.

"Don't slow down."

"W-w-w-wouldn't dream of it sir!"

"Knew I shoulda gone for the hostages first. Stupid, Finlay, very stupid." As the earthquake grew and grew the Shark let his upper body lean out the window, ignoring the car's mad swerving. His face was impassive, like a powered down automaton. He calmly pulled a sub-machine gun from inside the car, clicking it loaded. "Getting sloppy."

Without any real goal or expectation of success he loosed his clip into the Ferris Wheel. What fire didn't go wide merely sparked off the vehicles around it. He sighed, reaching for another clip until he felt his grip on the weapon contested. He fought for a second but it was soon wrenched out of his hand, and the glow of the Eye was upon them.

"…Really." He reached into his pocket for a more protected weapon but paused. The London Eye loomed above him, and he felt the car judder and lurch as it failed to fight the magnetic grip. "Well ****** me. That's annoying."

Despite his driver's best efforts they skidded over and the world spun upside down.

The London Eye careened onward, but its revolutions finally began to slow. Teetering off balance it slipped off the road onto the snowy park land. Its magnetic grip began to waver, and several vehicles were lobbed gently into the night as it spun towards the park's Lake.

The icy surface was no match for the thousand tonnes of steel, and it plunged through instantly, finally slowly its momentum enough to fall sideways, flickering lights dying in the night just a few hundred meters from Buckingham Palace.

!~~~~~~~~!

Confused, dizzy, and feeling very unfortunate, a certain boy kicked free from the wreckage. The door to his shell gave way after the third blow, swinging open lazily as it hung on a broken hinge. Waving through the thin smoke of overloaded electronics, he called out into the night.

"Mi-kh…Ack…" Voice catching in his throat, Touma tried as again. "M-Misaka…?" The answering silence slowly penetrated his stress-addled mind, and he began to fret.

But it was for nothing. He soon found her tangled up in a bush a short distance away. She was perched upside down, a mad smile on her lips.

"Whee hee heeee…! That was… Great!" She threw both arms up into the air, oblivious to the fact that they brushed against the snowy ground instead. "I love Ferris wheels…! Eheehehehe…"

"Did you bump your head or something?" After running a hand carefully through her hair to search for lumps, Touma stared closely at her glazed over eyes and sighed. "I have no idea what to do with you sometimes."

As the girl lay gleefully exhausted, Touma hesitated. There was no immediate threat and no sign of any impending trouble, yet something had to be done. In the end he settled for hoisting the gently giggling girl over his shoulder, and for lack of a better goal trudged towards the Palace itself.

Though he imagined it was always lit up, now it glowed like midday as security forces pulled up to investigate the scene. Some were already taking into custody shivering criminals, emerging from sinking cars to seek the safety of shore. He expected to be intercepted soon, and was already working on his alibi.

"I wonder if the Queen's around. I bet she'd enjoy this." He gave the now silent weight on his shoulder a small shake. "Kinda like someone else. Is every girl crazy, or just the ones I know?"

"Shut up. Idiot." Mikoto's voice regained something of its usual tenor as she began to stir. "And y-you can put me down, I'm fine."

"Not going to destroy anything else? How about we use Big Ben like a javelin and try to score a Bulls-eye on Stonehenge?"

"I said I'm fine, Idiot! And NOW you've got a grasp on English history?"

"Yeah, you're fine." As her struggling increasing he stopped, ceremoniously setting her on her feet. The girl turned immediately, straightening her mask as she did.

"G-good. Thank you. Now, the Shark. Come'on."

"Aah, you know where he is?" Touma watched her stride off towards the lake, but spared a moment to peer in all directions. "I didn't see him there at all, are you sure he was even with them?"

"Nope, but we're still going-"

"Nowhere."

Both froze as a tall man crashed into the ground beside them, kicking up snow in a burst of wind that whipped his short blondish hair into disarray. Still he maintained a sense of decorum and dignity, dressed in a sharp suit and ascot, his piercing blue eyes pinning the teens to the spot.

Mikoto fired up her lightning, but was slow on the mark. Touma had already dashed between them, though the newcomer he recognized had made no other aggressive moves.

"It's okay, Misaka! He's with the Knights of England, I think." He turned towards the man who appraised them both with a chilly stare. "Knight Leader or something; that's you, right?"

"Yes. As I said, you're not going anywhere." He drew a long-sword and levelled it carefully at the pair. "At least not until I've determined out why Academy City just attempted to invade Buckingham Palace."

"What?" Mikoto shouted her disbelief As Touma paled. "No, that's the completely opposite of what happened!"

"From where I stand, that's not what it looks like. Why else would hundreds of petty criminals, loaded with advanced weaponry, be approaching the Palace, and the London Eye slowly sinking in to the lake of St. James Park?" No one looked at the still sizzling ruin, but as if to punctuate his point it abruptly crunched even further under the freezing surface.

"I was just using it to stop them! A bunch of criminals were planning to attack the Palace and do… Something bad?" The esper faltered, and the Knight Leader pounced on her weakness.

"Something? What could they have done? No ordinary group could hope to penetrate the Palace, not under ordinary circumstances. Do you have any conception of how well protected Buckingham palace is?" For once the man broke his stony visage, bewilderment creeping into his expression. "Even with the chaos around London, we retained more than enough Knights to guard the royal family from anything less than a full-scale invasion. Even this catastrophe your have wrought, though I daresay it was not high on our list of expected threats."

"Oh yeah…" Touma pounded one fist into the other open palm. "I should have remembered that. Though there was that whole 'civil war' thing with Curtana and-"

He was cut off twice.

"That's quite enough of…?" The Knight Leader, though momentarily flustered, trailed off in his attempt as Mikoto exploded.

"You let me do all that when they were perfectly safe anyway!?" Though tired, her enraged sparking was hardly weaker than normal. "Why didn't you say something!? I thought that these Knights or whatever were angry at Necessarius, and there was all that political junk about jurisdictions!"

"Angry…?" The man frowned a moment as Touma quailed behind Imagine Breaker. "There has been tension as of late, but not nearly enough that we would risk endangering the Crown. The Royal Family and security of the State always come first."

While Mikoto simmered, Touma turned his head innocently. "Except that one time, right?"

"I said ENOUGH of that!"

"I was TALKING to you, Idiot!"

Though now the boy faced two angry voices, a third forestalled his impending massacre.

"What on Earth is all this racket, now?" All turned as a spry old woman trudged through the ankle deep snow, nightgown hitched up to her hips. "Did I miss the fun already?"

"Your Majesty!? I advised you to stay in your quarters, this is most dangerous!" The Knight Leader's face suddenly mimicked Touma's. Struggling for calm he quickly swept in beside her Majesty, the Queen of England Elizard, as she stomped towards the two teens.

"And I ignored you. This looked more fun." Squinting in the night, she finally neared Touma and Mikoto, a broad smile spreading on her expressive face. "Ah! Kamijou boy! And that girl as well, from Christmas, is that right… How are you two young'uns doing then?"

"…F-fine?" After sharing a glance with Mikoto, that was all Touma could think to say at first. "Oh! And, ah… Sorry?"

"Sorry? What did you do…?" The creaking groan of twisting metal distracted her, and she turned to see one of the few passenger capsules still attached to the London Eye fall into the water with a splash. The entire wheel had bent nearly 90 degrees at its middle, and it rocked gently in the water as it re-balanced. "Oooooh. Oh my."

"Exactly, your Majesty." The Knight Leader took a moment to straighten his cuff as he approached Touma. "I don't know why you thought it wise to destroy a national monument like that, but I will soon."

"You better get away from him." The man paused as Mikoto let her power flow. "A sword won't help you against me, I promise."

"I haven't heard much about you, girl." He eyed her a minute, keeping his expression carefully level. "But no matter the weapon you use, I can easily defeat you." [2]

"We'll see… About that." But Mikoto's ordinary poise faltered in tandem with her strength. Surprised, she let the man approach them, but any conflict was again halted by the Queen.

"Wait, Knight Leader. I want a word first." She busily pushed past them to stride up to Touma. Though he took a step back, her finger still jabbed pointedly into his chest. "You better be sorry, you little punks! I didn't even get to watch!"

"Your Majesty, please leave this… To… Wait, pardon me?"

"I hated that damn eyesore. Especially after we had to auction off the naming rights to that cola brand or whatever. [3] What an over-hyped piece of tourist trash!" She punctuated her point by scooping up a snowball, hurled with surprising force. It splashed against the London Eye, and amazingly it teetered once again. This only somewhat mollified the Queen, and she huffed with frustration. "Damn it. I only hope someone got some good footage."

For a moment the only sound was the abused Ferris wheel's death throes, but soon the Knight Leader cleared his throat.

"Your Majesty, even if these two are guests of the Church, we still must take them in for questioning."

"Hey, wait!" Mikoto reacted faster than Touma, bristling with indignation. "We can't go anywhere with you: there might still be criminals on the loose!"

"That is a problem for the English police force, young girl. You both will come with me."

"Oh yeah? Try and make us." Though she smiled grimly, inside the esper was far from confident. She reached for the core of her power but felt only dregs left to spare. …Little woozy right now. Lot of work keeping that frail Ferris wheel together so long…

"Knight Leader…"

The man froze: from the way he shivered, he recognized the Queen's icy tone. But he closed his eyes, gritted his teeth, and rallied like a true professional.

"Proper procedure dictates-"

A snowball smashed into his face, and he staggered backwards sputtering.

"Young man!" The Queen readied another projectile, her dark look frightening even Touma and Mikoto. "Unless you want another one you WILL listen to my command!"

"B-but- Agh!?" He tried to wipe the snow from his face, but another attack soon replaced it all.

"Did you forget who this boy is!?"

"N-no your Majesty but-" Another connected, knocking him to his rear.

"You know, the boy who helped save England and the world? Many times? And ONE time in particular?" She stood over her fallen subordinate, a huge armful of snow ready to drop.

But it was unneeded, for by the dismal look on Knight Leader's face he had finally surrendered. "…Y-yes, your Majesty."

"So what do you say to them?"

The shadow of the snow loomed above him, so the Knight Leader forced back a defeated sigh.

"…Because you are recognized allies of the Crown… I will formally drop the investigation."

"AND?"

"…A-and the cost of the repairing the damage."

"Good!" She let the snow fall in a clump onto his lap before striding away. Over her shoulder she called back to Touma and Mikoto, waving hugely. "Don't stay out too late, you two rascals! Or you'll turn out like me! Eheheh… Oh! And if you want to use the facilities for the wedding, just give me a call, okay, dears? I can make arrangements, I know people! Now, tah-tah!"

"A-ah, thank you…?" The two waved goodbye absently as she trudged back to her room, but Touma had a second thought. "Wait, what did she mean by that last bit? Who's getting married?"

"Heck if I know. She sounds a little senile, but I guess she's nice enough." Mikoto kicked the snow from her shoes and stretched her tired limbs. "Come'on. We've still got work to do."

"Please do." The Knight Leader had finished cleaning off his own snowy covering, what little dignity he could muster fading fast. "Just get off the lawn before you somehow burn Buckingham to the ground."

"They'd have to beat me to it! This place could use a reno! In FACT…!"

"Y-your Majesty, you're still here!? And you heard… You can't be serious!? Wait! WAIT…!" The blonde man scurried after her, all trace of decorum vanished. Taking advantage of the opportunity, the two teens made their own escape, leaving the royal grounds and crumpling London Eye behind them.

"You think they can handle this?" Mikoto gestured over her shoulder, and Touma took a second to watch as the last few members of the failed invasion were brought ashore by security forces. It was difficult to tell which group was more confused.

"Yeah, the Knights are way more competent than they look. But you think the Shark or whatever won't be here?"

"Yeah. He wormed away last time, didn't he? And I'm pretty sure I saw him shooting at us from a car; it was way ahead of the others that I ran over, so when I lost steam it might've gotten flung pretty far."

"Hope no one got hurt."

"I-it would have still landed in the park, I'm sure! I made sure of that much at least. Now, hold on…" His eyes followed her curiously as she fumbled at her chest, averting once she noticed his stare. "T-this thing doesn't have pockets, okay!? You know how hard it is to get girl's clothing with pockets!?"

"How could I possibly!? It's not like I buy dresses or anything like that ever!" He covered his face with his hands, stumbling blindly through the snow until he sensed she finished. He peeked through his fingers. "Your phone? Who could you call at this hour?"

"Somewhere it's morning." The phone only had to ring once. "Oh! Are you there, Uiharu-san?"

"Yes! Good morning again, Misaka-san! Do you have more information about that issue in London? I was casually scanning local government communications, and you would not believe-"

"N-Never mind that! It's all fine, everything's fine!" Mikoto blushed as she cut her friend off, aware of Touma's narrowing expression. "I've got a different thing now. I'm trying to figure out where-"

"33 Page Street, Westminister Burrough, West End Ward: you should already be near, just a few kilometres Southeast of the Place grounds. I'll feed the data to your cell."

"W-what?" Mikoto stopped dead as Touma fell face first in an effort to match. "What? How did you… What's even there? I don't even know what I'm looking for yet!"

"It's a tenement building, older style group residence. Sorry, I just assumed you'd want to know where the hostages were."

"Hostages? Did I hear her right?" Though Touma pushed up from the snow to listen closer Mikoto hushed him with her finger. It was needless, as Uiharu went on.

"Let me explain. I knew you'd be going after those criminals you mentioned earlier, so I took the liberty of tracking as many down as I could." Back in Academy City, a girl leaned back in her chair, a full cup of morning tea cooling beside her. "They weren't very secure; they just set up a proxy network, piggy-backing on London's existing physical infrastructure. They ran their networking, they money laundering, their messaging all through that. You probably could have hacked into it with no difficulty if you had know where to look.

"After that, I just listened in and quickly put together a map of their operations. There are many of them around the city tonight, but the only big group aside from what you must have already encountered are clustered at the address I gave you. It's nice they were so organized; they left a lot of notes." Mikoto heard the soft shuffling of paper as her friend organized print outs. "Ah… Aha! They show that that base is to protect a VIP, their financier, but the home being used is rented by a family with no criminal ties that I can find. So I did some more digging, and realized they must be being held against their will. I don't know why this poor family was chosen, but you have to help them!"

"Damn straight. You're amazing!" The esper broke into a sprint as Touma moaned behind her, struggling to keep up. "Anything else?"

"Yes, and I got some good news! The VIP I mentioned, the person behind it all, was paying out in pure digital currency, in exchange rate transfers that match the accounts from the Second Dianoid Incident! It's the same American woman from before, Rosslyn Rossevelt!" Uiharu's voice buzzed happily through the line, though she turned bashful in record time. "I can finally complete my report now; I'll admit it's been bothering me for a while…"

Really… Guess I can finally meet and shock the woman behind this all. "I can't believe it… You're the best! Thanks, Uiharu-san! Got to go!"

Her phone clicked off again just as Mikoto reached the street she had torn apart in her efforts. Emergency sirens began to blare in the distance as she picked her way over the concrete rubble.

"So what's the plan? And are you all right? You look as tired as I feel." Touma finally caught up, eyeing the girl with unmasked concern. She turned away, keeping her eyes carefully forward.

"A-ah, the last of the criminals are holding some hostages. The woman behind this all, too. They're just a few blocks away."

"Oh. Well, let's save them and stop her." The two jogged in silence a moment. "…Should I know who they are?"

Despite feeling drained the girl laughed aloud. "It doesn't matter. All I know is that we have to get there. And do something."

"Right." Without hesitation he nodded, before checking himself. "You think that master criminal guy…?"

Mikoto nodded, panting. "If he's not been arrested already. I bet that's where he's going."

The wispy steam of their breath floated up, mingling together before dissipating as the two ventured once again into the night.

!~~~~~~~~~!

1:48 A.M., December 29th: London, Archbishop's Park

"Stop hanging off me! Since you wanted to come this bad, work for it damn it!"

"But it's late… I'm tried…"

"You're slowing us down, you stupid nun! Get your beauty sleep LATER!"

To punctuate her point, Lessar attempted to punt the nun across the wide field. But Index instead moulded around her limb like some non-newtonian fluid, absorbing the shock and clinging lazily.

Itsuwa watched with a stern expression. "We need to hurry, you two! Kamijou-kun and Misaka-san might need us!" The New Light Magician swung her tail to pry Index off like a recalcitrant leech; Index's mouth clamped sleepily upon it, making it an uneven stalemate.

"I'm trying!"

"Ah'm… Trahing… Too…!"

Ignoring their struggle for the sake of her own serenity, Itsuwa turned back to her work. The people clearing field she had set up had worked to remove the investigating officers; they could return once her own research was done. One last time she examined a patch of disturbed grass. It was like all the others; the once pristine field was a snowy, muddy, churned up mess. A number of boxes and crates from some hurried operation were still strewn about, along with discarded packing and foam. "No… No trace of magic. But I still think she came this way."

"What gave it away, the van on its side with a huge God-damn dent in it?" Lessar wobbled up, unsuccessful in extricating Index.

Itsuwa tutted. "You really ought not take the Lord's name in vain so often." But the other magician just waved her hand dismissively.

"Ah, it's not like the old man upstairs cares. Don't give me that look. What, you really think he's going to come here and-"

Something crashed into the snow next to them.

"J-JESUS H. CHRIST!" She fell over, taking Index with her.

Itsuwa's spear was assembled in a flash, but it was pure instinct; all three girls remained petrified as a deep baritone called out to them from a whirling cloud of smoke.

"There you are."

Lessar was the first to recover her voice.

She crossed herself three times, gulping visibly as the snow melted into the seat of her pants.

"Oh God. Oh God, oh God oh God-"

"Y-y-y-y-you m-might just be making it worse!" Itsuwa stood, but her knees knocked. "S-say a Hail Mary, or something!"

"Who is that?" Index pushed up from the ground where Lessar's fall had thrown her, looking barely alert. "And why does he have djinns following him around? Doesn't he know those are dangerous?"

She pointed at the tall, broad shouldered man striding from the impact of his landing. He strode closer, towering down impassively interest at the three girls before him. At each shoulder hovered two orbs of light; one was pale white opal, next to a glittering green emerald. Opposite were a burning ruby and a shimmering sapphire. Eventually he spoke again, but this time with a trace of thin amusement.

"I know not this 'Christ' you mention, but I am not Yahweh. Of that at least, I can certain."

Lessar plopped back onto the snow, hand clutching her heart.

"Ooooooh thank… Wait." She sat bolt upright. "Then who are you, exactly?"

"You may know me as Solomon."

Itsuwa made to speak, but was cut off by Index.

"As in Solomon the Wise, King of Jerusalem, and famed Jewish Kabalist?"

"Perhaps. Though not wise enough to find you sooner." He looked around the open field. "You are not where I was told you would be."

"Hold up." Lessar finally picked herself up, begrudgingly lending a hand to Index. "Why? Are you, a creepy old man, looking for two pretty young girls and a nun at this hour?"

"…Hey!"

This time, the man did not smile an iota. "Not all of you. Just one. I am sorry."

Lessar looked to Itsuwa.

Itsuwa returned the favour.

Index glanced between both.

They all replied as one.

"…Which?"

"The one named 'Index Librorum Prohibitorum'."

!~~~~~~~~~!

1:51 A.M., December 29th: London, A Dirty Alley

Franklin thought himself a tough guy. After all, he'd been let into his current gang rather quickly; breaking the doorman's arm of their preferred club was apparently something of an initiation. After that, all that was left was to paint his motorcycle with the crew's colours and he was in.

So when the old, lanky man in the fancy coat, dripping wet and shaking, had staggered into Franklin's back alley turf, he and his three mates were ready for some violence.

Or so they had thought.

Now, as Franklin lay broken in a puddle next to his motionless comrades, barely wheezing through shattered ribs, he gazed in horror as the not-so-old man revved up his precious bike.

The motorcycle's engine whined and complained as the Shark muttered incoherently under his breath.

He just about had it going when his phone rung. Bloodshot eyes turned from the ignition to his pocket, and he clumsily grasped about the pockets of his drenched overcoat. Eventually he answered it.

"Ah. Good morning, Sir." The Accountant's reedy voice came in distorted over the line. "I see you survived."

The Shark merely grunted, slowly manhandling the phone under his cheek as he returned to the motorcycle.

"Will you need a pickup? I'm afraid our fleet is-"

"No."

"Oh, good. You will be arriving soon then?"

"Yeah. Soon." Finally the engine kicked into gear, and he kicked up its stand in turn. He spoke calmly, despite revving the engine hard. "Can't waste time."

On the other end the Accountant made a sympathetic noise. "Speed is our ally more than discretion now, I agree. Unfortunately, our stock of weaponry has run completely empty, except for your personal armament. As has our financial reserves."

"Yeah. Ain't surprised."

With a roar and a spattering of muddy snow the Shark blasted out of the alley into the empty streets, powering along the road.

"Nonetheless the equipment you ordered with the last of our funds has been set up. Will you be arriving at the warehouse first, or-"

"Hostages. Not making that mistake again. And I'll be dealing with the American as well."

"As you say."

"Right. I'll just get the goods and get out. Not clean, but we still have leverage for when they arrive."

"Might I ask who you imply?"

"The weirdos. They always do."

"As you say. But might I make a comment?"

The Shark drove on, his silence affirmation.

Eventually the Accountant spoke again.

"…You must be aware that this is the last chance."

"Whatever." Warning ignored, the Shark merely shrugged. "I'm hanging up. Shouldn't drive and talk on the phone."

!~~~~~~~~!

As Franklin lay on the ground, reflecting on his poor choices in life, he realized it was not the pain he felt that frightened him the most. Not the loss of his gang, his bike, or his ability to move. It was not the brutal way his supposed target had dismantled him and his crew in seconds, raining down blows in ways they could hardly understand. It was not even the strange man's attitude that rattled Franklin so.

Instead, it was the man's lack of attitude.

An utterly empty expression with utterly empty eyes. [4]

!~~~~~~~~!

Footnotes

[1] I have been waiting for this scene for SO LONG. You have no idea. As soon as I planned to set this book in London, I knew I had to make it interesting, and I was trying to figure out how to top the Dianoid fall scene. This is my best effort.

[2] Casual reference to this character's Magic. If you don't remember it exactly, don't worry because it's not really relevant, but for the curious he can reduce the power of any one weapon he can recognize to effectively nothing. He's not the most interesting character to me, but even people like him can shine in the right circumstances.

[3] The London Eye is now apparently called the "Coca-Cola London Eye" or something similar. I assume for the reason I stated, but I admit I didn't really check. Either way I'm sure it would bother the Queen as much as it bothers me.

[4] There are a couple of mysteries presented in this chapter, but only the one at the very end has been foreshadowed at all. I am confident no one will guess the true cause because I haven't deemed fit to make it clear, but I think that some have already noticed something peculiar in the Shark's character and story. You don't have to get too worked up over it, but just be aware I plan to at least attempt a justification for everything I write. I don't know if I did quite enough to foreshadow it; I fear I may have been too subtle for my own good. Time will tell.

Eventually.

Until then, until then!