Chapter 24: Visions of an Eagle

Previously…

"Well if this isn't a happy gathering. Are all the City's monsters invited to this party?"

Misaka-san spun around. She saw who was standing behind me, and her eyes dilated with fear. Sparks leapt from her brow as she gawked at the newcomer.

"Mugino…san?"

Standing behind me was a tall girl with long auburn hair. She wore a beige dress with short sleeves and a yellow sweater underneath. The skirt came down to her knees so that her long slender legs, wearing yellow tights, peeked out from underneath. A checkered cravat was tucked neatly in the dress's V-neck collar, and she wore a pair of thick-soled leather boots.

Misaka-san growled at the sight of her. "Mugino Shizuri, what are you doing here?"

The woman named Mugino laughed. "Now, now, my sweet Kohai, there's no need for such hostilities. I'm simply here for one thing, and then I'll be out of your hair."

That did little to sway Misaka-san, who set the albino boy down before standing up stiffly. "You must be looking for Hamazura-san," she said through clenched teeth, "He's getting treated in the underground parking lot. If you would like to take him home, then…"

Mugino wafted the offer away like an offensive odor. "Nah, I already saw him getting cozy with Takitsubo…. That letch!" She laughed, "No, I'm here to clobber the guys who did him in!"

Her face twisted into unbridled glee, and she cracked her knuckles menacingly. "Those Aztec freaks did me a solid by hurting those I hold dear. The least I can do is pay them back for their troubles!"

Misaka-san grimaced. "Please, Mugino-san, we've got it all under control. There's no need to…"

"To what? Get my revenge? Ha!" She laughed again, "Come on, Railgun, just let me have my fun!"

Both girls stood facing each other, refusing to back down. Without warning, bright balls of green light appeared around Mugino, and she stepped forwards boldly. Misaka-san stood her ground, and sparks leapt from her brow. My hair stood up on its ends as the air was filled with static's and I backed away as fast as my feet could carry me. That's when Misaka-san finally noticed, and her eyes widened with shock. "Otohime-chan? How long have you been standing there?"

"I-uhm…" My mind struggled to find what to say next.

Mugino-san spared me a cursory glance, before turning her attention back to Misaka-san. "Come on," she needled, smirking, "I haven't got all day! Just tell me where to go!"

Misaka-san's eyes darted between Mugino and me, and she wavered. "Just…Promise me," she sputtered, "Promise me that you won't…you know."

Mugino rolled her eyes, "Yeah, yeah, yeah, I get it! I won't hurt any of your friends, or anybody in Anti-skill! I promise!"

Misaka-san shook her head. "Just don't kill anyone, alright? It's bad enough that you're interfering with official Anti-skill activities!"

"Ha! That's cute coming from you," Mugino-san sneered, "Fine, I'll try and hold back! Now are you going to tell me where to go or not?"

Stiffly, Misaka-San stepped aside and gestured towards the theater entrances, and Mugino-san favored her with a smile. "Now that's more like it!"

Seconds later, Mugino was tearing past all the Anti-skill members and then disappearing into the crowded theater. Misaka-san scowled as she watched her go. "Kuso! She's going to make such a mess in there!"

She bent down and picked the teenage boy back up. Then, as I got to my feet, she pushed him towards me. "Here, take Accelerator downstairs. I can't let Mugino go in there alone. The things she could do…"

Before I could protest, Misaka-san charged into the theater as well. In the end, I was left alone with that albino boy. He watched as Misaka-san left, before he turned his gaze to me. His blood red eyes bore into me, and I felt very small. "Hi… I am…et-to…Otohime… please call me Otohime-chan."

"Yeah, yeah," he said dismissively, "You're that idiot's brat cousin, aren't you?

Idiot's brat cousin? Was he talking about me?

"I…I don't understand."

He sighed. "We met two days ago, didn't we? It was at the Family Restaurant on your first day here!" He smirked. "Don't tell me you forgot all about me?"

"Ooooooooohhh…" I said, racking my brain, "No… I still don't remember."

"You wound me!" He sighed again. "Anyway, the name is Accelerator, just Accelerator. Now, are you going to stare at me all day, or should we get moving?"

"Oh!" I smiled meekly, "Sorry."

Released from the tension, I felt a little lightheaded. I draped his arm around me and guided him to the stairs. All the while, the chaos around me continued, and I felt my head throbbing again. Wincing, I rubbed my forehead gingerly.

"Oi, what's the matter with you?" Accelerator had noticed, and he scrutinized me closely.

"Nothing, it's just a headache," I said, rubbing my forehead. Nearby, I saw that Shirai-san had paired up with Saten-san, and they were caring for another wounded warrior.

Ignoring the headache, I forged on ahead.

As I carried Accelerator towards the stairs, I kept thinking about my first night in Academy City, and something stood out in my memory. "Back when we first met," I said, "There was a little girl with you. Misaka-san said that she was her sister."

Accelerator smirked. "So, you do remember certain things, after all!"

I blushed. "I was just wondering why she was staying with you, instead of with Misaka-san."

He shrugged. "It's not uncommon for siblings to live apart in this city. Tokiwadai is particularly strict about their student's bringing guests to their dorm rooms. Even family members aren't allowed to stay in the room, since other students have priority," He cleared his throat loudly and his eyes darted away, "Looking after Last Order is just a favor. It's not like I'm indebted to Railgun or anything."

The throbbing in my head was getting worse, and I could hardly understand what he was saying. Rubbing my forehead, I closed my eyes for a moment. When I opened them, everything had changed. Once more, all of the color around me had been washed out, and I found myself groping in the greyish miasma. Meanwhile, Accelerator lit up like a beacon in the darkness, and his bright flame outshined everything else around me. Yet, as I approached the stairwell, another bright flame appeared in front of us, and it leaned against the doorway.

"Oh, there you are! Aren't you a sight for sore eyes!" Yomikawa-sensei's voice echoed towards me, like I was in a large empty warehouse. Her golden outline flickered as she approached us. "I'm glad to see you in one piece!"

"Heh! It takes a lot more than this to kill me!" Accelerator's voice emerged from the white blob next to me. I blinked, but the world stayed in that morass of grey and blue. What was going on? Last time this happened, it went away so easily, but now, I was trapped! Am I going to be stuck like this forever? My heart thumped loudly in my chest, and I could hardly breathe! If only Oni-chan was…

"Oi!"

Accelerator's voice cut through my thoughts, and I felt a sharp blow to my forehead. Like an old-fashioned TV set, my vision suddenly came back to normal.

"Itai!" I cried, "What was that for?"

Accelerator was staring at me sternly. "Don't play dumb with me! I can tell that something is bothering you. Spill it!"

"I don't know. I keep seeing things that aren't there. It's hard for me to describe!"

"Try!" he demanded, "Describe it to me!"

I tried my best. "I don't know why, but the way I see the world changes all of a sudden. I don't even know why or how this happen, but I'm seeing people colored differently. Most people are dull blue blobs in a grey sea, but sometimes, they're like angry red. Other times, they're bright white like candles in the darkness."

There was a pause as Accelerator traded glances with Yomikawa-sensei. Then, he was deep in thought, and his blood red eyes made me squirm.

"What?" I squeaked.

At first, he didn't respond, and continued to stare at me. Then, he asked, "Have you gone through the power curriculum already?"

"No," I said, "It's like you said, I just got here two days ago! My school doesn't even start until the spring of next year. I don't even know what you're talking about."

Accelerator examined me closely. He whispered quietly to himself, and all I could make out was the word, gemstone. At last, I couldn't stand his gaze any longer. "What?" I piped up, "What do you guys want with me?"

"He said that you might be a Gemstone," Yomikawa-sensei said, "Does your Oni-chan know about this ability?"

"N-no," I said, "I didn't know that this could happen to me. It's never happened before today, either!"

"You've never been in the middle of a life-or-death battle before today, haven't you?" She sighed. "It's bad enough that a child is thrust into a warzone. Honestly, you shouldn't even be here! What was Kamijou-kun thinking!"

"I wanted to come," I said, desperate to defend my Oni-chan, "Oni-chan is always burdened with so many responsibilities, and I just wanted to help out however I could."

"Fine," Yomikawa-sensei sighed, "You've done well and pulled more than your fair share of the work, but I think all of this stress today is finally getting to you. It's probably the cause of your abilities' manifesting itself, too. You've been working with Shirai-san all morning and it's long past time that you were relieved."

"But I still need to take Accelerator downstairs," I said, "I need to help him find a charger for his collar thing."

"Actually, I think it's fully charged," Yomikawa-sensei examined the albino boy's device. "So, there's no need for that. Still, we do need to get him patched up. Last Order would be besides herself if she saw him like this."

Accelerator groaned. "Don't tell me she's here!"

Yomikawa-sensei laughed. "Happily, Yoshikawa took her to the hospital for a check-up, but if you wait long enough, she might just show up."

"Kuso!" Accelerator growled, "Just what I needed! Yet another thing to worry about!"

Yomikawa-sensei guided us down to the ground floor, and we made our way out to the plaza. Anti-skill had cordoned off a large perimeter encompassing the surrounding street, so traffic was limited. Even still, a large crowd had gathered at the metal barriers, and I could make out dozens of news vans with camera crews documenting the whole situation.

The two helicopters were now parked on the street, away from the plaza's trees. Meanwhile, a long line of Ambulances had formed along one of the side streets that bordered the plaza. I watched as Anti-skill and paramedics loaded each ambulance with wounded people, and bang on the side wall. I saw the ambulances drive away, sirens blaring, only for new ambulances to take their places.

Finally, a large dais had been set up at one corner of the plaza, where the Dean now stood, talking to the crowd and news reporters. They surged forwards as they saw us emerge from the building, but Anti-skill and Judgement officers kept them at bay. Yomikawa sensei showed us to the parking lot entrance, and we made our way downstairs.

Accelerator was escorted to the first aid center to get patched up, and I walked towards the command center. Anti-skill had set up an elaborate array of screens that played live video from all the cameras around the buildings. Most of the feed was devoted to the battle in the theater, but others showed various areas of action.

At the very center of the whole console sat Uiharu. She was listening into a pair of over-ear headphones, though one ear was left unobstructed. As she spoke into the attached microphone, I could hear her voice coming out of my own earpiece, and I was reminded of a police dispatcher.

"All units, this is Gatekeeper!" she was saying, "Be advised that Level 5 Meltdowner has joined the battle and is currently fighting in the main theater!"

"We copy you, Gatekeeper!" An Anti-skill officer responded, "Gold team, keep away for Meltdowner! Watch out for her energy beam, too! One wrong move, and we'll be seeing you at your funeral!"

"Blue leader to Gatekeeper!" Another voice crackled over the radio. "Blue team is securing the external fire escape! I can report that the threats on our sector have been neutralized! We will be accessing the theater via the emergency exit on the seventh floor."

"Gatekeeper to Blue leader! Be careful up there! From Awaki-san's report, we can expect that the overhead walkway has collapsed. Please exercise extreme caution when you make your entry."

"Copy that, Blue leader!"

I marveled at how she was coordinating with so many people at once. It was like watching a conductor direct an entire orchestra.

My attention turned to the nearby monitors, which showed Anti-Skill officers engage with the Aztec warriors. Their forest of spears glanced off harmlessly off of the Anti-skill shields, yet the obsidian blade kept officers at bay. Despite their flimsy appearance, the spearpoints never even chipped as they clashed with the shield wall. Meanwhile, Security Robots ventured forth ahead of the officers, peppering the Aztecs with, what I hoped desperately were, nonlethal rounds. Thankfully, there was no blood to be seen anywhere, and the warriors protected themselves with what looked like bulletproof serapes.

On another monitor, I saw Mugino-san sailing high up above them, jumping from balcony to balcony. She cackled wickedly as she fired off beams of green light towards the combatants. Misaka-san was chasing after her and was using her own powers to deflect the beams away. Despite her best efforts, Misaka-san couldn't stop the energy beams from chewing holes through everything.

Meanwhile, two other monitors were showing the battle up in the higher levels of the lobby. Kanzaki Kaori was fending off the Yellow-clad Shorn One, while Itsuwa-san and Xochitl were tag-teaming against the two brightly colored warriors. Despite the massive head wound one of the warriors sustained, he was holding his own. Still, his motions were sluggish and awkward, and the girls easily evaded his attacks.

Finally, I saw surveillance footages of four people running through a dimly lit hallway. Index was leading the charge, racing ahead at top speed. Oni-chan and the girl with the orange hoodie followed close behind, doing their best to fend off any would-be attackers. Finally, Stiyl Magnus brought up the rear, and his black cloak billowed out behind him.

I was surprised that one of the cameras was not only moving but was also keeping pace with the four-man squad. When Yomikawa-sensei came up behind me, I pointed it out to her.

"Yup," Yomiakwa-sensei nodded, "That's a drone footage, alright! We've re-purposed some of the floating cameras used at the Daihahesai festival. This way, we can keep track of anyone who isn't being watched by the normal surveillance system."

There was no presence of the Aztecs, but brainwashed people kept appearing out of nowhere. Strangely, they kept bouncing away from Index, only to meet a savage punch to the face or a horrible ball of fire, courtesy of the three bodyguards. Thankfully, there were no errant powered suits appearing and attacking.

I hope that I didn't just jinx everybody.

"Where are they now?" I asked.

Yomikawa-sensei shrugged. "Somewhere in the upper floors, I guess," she said, "They're moving so quickly, that we can't really pinpoint where they are at any given time."

Saying this, she tapped Uiharu on the shoulder and gave her a quick order. The girl nodded and then spoke into her radio. "Image breaker! This is Gatekeeper! Can you give us an update to your current status?"

Oni-chan's voice crackled through my radio. "Hai! We just cleared the thirteenth floor! Index seems to detect whatever power is controlling these people! Stiyl is with me, and so is Kinuhata-san! Everyone's working hard to keep her safe! Hopefully, we can locate and neutralize the source!"

"Thank you, Image Breaker! Carry on, but don't do anything crazy!"

"Yes, Image Breaker!"

Uiharu-san ended the line and gave us a quick thumbs up.

Just then, one of the officers consulting the blueprints came up to us. "Yomikawa-dono, if I can have a moment of your time."

Once again, I was left to myself, as Yomikawa-sensei went to help the officer. I turned back to watch the video feed when the throbbing in my head started up again. Knowing what was to come, I closed my eyes and prepared myself. As I suspected, all the color around me was washed out again. Almost everyone around me was either dull grey or deep blue. Only Uiharu-san, Yomikawa-sensei, and Accelerator stood out as white beacons.

Meanwhile, the command center monitors showed a mosaic of red, white, and blue. Oni-chan's whole group was a big white blob, with random streaks of red coming in and out. Meanwhile, the theater was a sea of red fighting a sea of blue, as the Aztecs battled with Anti-skill. Two white flames danced through the air, leaping from one balcony to the next. I was beginning to understand what these colors meant. Still, that Mugino-san was like a bright flame surprised me a little. Despite her outward bluster, she at least had no ill-will. I'd like to learn more about her.

I turned to the last monitor, which appeared to be a bird's eye view of the plaza. Everyone was either grey or dull blue, but I could make out two white dots as Hamazura-san and Takitsubo-san walked towards the line of ambulances. Finally, there was a single dot of red as the Dean left the street corner.

Wait. What?