So, hi everyone. It's been a while. Hope you're all doing okay, and none of you have gotten too sick.

Sorry about the late update. Long story short, I am both permanently tired and busy.

There isn't really much to say here with this chapter. I'm just adding limitations to things, establishing the story more... that sort of thing.

Imight end up taking a little break, depending on whether I keep this job I'm on right now. It's a temp job, but I might get put on permanent at the end of the month? It'sall a bit up in the air right now.

About the break, don't get me wrong, I love writing for this, but I am struggling to find time, and when I do find time I'm normally mentally exhausted, so I can't really write cohesively? So I'm going to end up drafting and redrafting the next chapter.

That being said, I do hope you enjoy this one. It's a short one, but I promise I'll make it up to you with the next chapter.

Anyways, hope you enjoy this one!

Motivation

"You're Misaka Mikoto!"

The Level 5 froze up at those three words.

Academy city was a strange place. It was basically a human experimentation facility the size of a city. The only people who could enter or leave were those with express permission, like members of the Board or the mages of Necessarius and the Amakuza. Not even Accelerator or Mikoto were allowed to leave, though that was only really a technicality. They did meet resistance if they tried to leave, but nobody had any chance of stopping them.

That being said, there were very special occasions where outsiders could enter the city. Aside from residents moving in and out, there could be something like a wedding, where family could enter for the day to celebrate it. And then there were festivals like the Daiheisai, where family and friends of any participating students could enter. It should also be noted that only direct family were allowed to take pictures of a student; forms were signed on entry to ensure those pictures were not shown to anyone else, and you could get a very hefty fine and jailed for life if you broke the contract. It protected the privacy of the students there, as well as any technology they might be developing out in the open.

Only a select few people outside the city would even know what she looked like, and even fewer would be able to recognise her at a glance...

Mikoto stopped the current and adjusted her goggles, choosing to use a small amount of electricity to stick to the wall. "You know me? That's... uncommon."

The girl nodded excitedly. "I - Of course!" She ran up to Mikoto, looking up to her, and nervously held out her hand. "I'm Zina." While Mikoto was speaking in Japanese, Zina was speaking in English.

Mikoto dropped down, and cautiously shook Zina's hand. "I'm Railgun. It's a pleasure." She glanced ahead, she was a little unsteady on her feet. "I hope you don't mind me asking, but who's your friend?"

Zina looked behind at the older lady behind her. "Oh, her? She's Voleta-"

"Zina!" Voleta looked mad, but refused to move any closer. "Why the hell are you giving information to them?"

"But it's... Misaka Mikoto! How could I not tell her who we are?"

The Level 5 shrugged. "She has a point, you know. You really shouldn't be answering these. Then again, it would just make things more difficult for you."

Touma cut in. "Hi, I'm Kamijou Touma. It's nice to meet you." He shook Zina's. "You probably know me by the name Imagine Breaker."

Zina stiffened, a look of shock on her face. But this was a completely different look to when she saw Mikoto. "I-Imagine Breaker?" She took a step back. "W-why are you here? What are you doing here with Mikoto?"

"I mean, I would be here anyway whether she was here or not. It's not exactly my fault Tsuchimikado decided to kidnap her as well as me."

Violeta put a hand on Zina's shoulder. "You were kidnapped? I-in that case, why are you helping them?"

He shrugged. "We want to go home, I guess. Japan isn't exactly close to Mexico, you know. Besides, the kidnapping is more Tsuchimikado's thing, rather than a Necessarius thing."

"Still, you shouldn't just follow everything Necessarius says. They are capable of lying, you know, especially about how dangerous the people who took the relics are."

Mikoto raised an eyebrow. "How exactly do you know we're on a hunt to find these relics?"

Violeta covered her mouth, and Zina stood in front of her. "Please, just leave us alone. I don't want to fight you."

Touma sighed. "Listen, Zina. I get what you're saying, but I'm tired, sore, and fed up. I just want to go home, and if I reclaim the relics then I can go back. Please don't take this personally."

Zina immediately turned to her friend. "We need to go, right now!" She tugged at the lady's arm, but she didn't move. "What the hell are you doing?! We need to run!"

"And where the hell do you expect to run to?!" Zina flinched; Violeta's voice carried well. "We're stuck in this city, and more and more organisations are coming in! We have no option but to fight!

Zina steeled herself, ready to attack. From the looks of it, she was starting to move incredibly quickly, even in her minor movements. The gears on her necklace were starting to turn.

As a test, Mikoto threw a spear of electricity at the girl.

At least, that's what she meant to do.

What actually happened was this 'spear' was more like a pellet, and it fizzled away mid-air.

She staggered. Everything was spinning. "Woah, what's going-" She started coughing, cutting herself off. She felt herself starting to overbalance, she stomped her foot to try to right herself but she couldn't tell which way was up or down.

Touma caught her fall. "Easy, girl." He gently set her down against the wall. "What's going on?"

"I'm so tired... everything hurts..." Her voice sounded much raspier. Had her mouth just now gone dry, or did she simply fail to notice it?

"By the sounds of it, it looks like the adrenaline's finally dropped, and it's all catching up to you. Come on, arms-"

Zina looked over his shoulder. "What's going-"

"Zina, I get that you're concerned about your idol, but she needs space right now."

The fangirl seemed confused, ignoring Touma's warning. "Seriously, is Mikoto okay? Why is she-"

Touma drew his knife, and she immediately held her tongue. "Back the hell off. I won't repeat myself." He sighed as the girl dashed backwards, towards Viola. "As I was saying, lift up your arms. I need to have a look at the damage, see if it's gotten worse."

She lifted her arms up, allowing Touma to take off her jacket. "Forgot how much... going angel takes out of me..."

Touma took a look at her arms and grimaced. "Your wounds from the fall are opening up again, the clots are all breaking. That explosive dash over here must've pushed you over your limit."

"I-I'm fine. Don't worry about me, I can keep going..." She started to push herself up, but Touma swept her legs from under her with his foot, catching her inches before she hit the ground. She barely reacted to the attack.

"No, you're not fine. If you were fine, you would've caught yourself there." He gently sat her back down. "Is your stomach okay? Nothing's wounded badly under that shirt, right?"

Mikoto gave a weak thumbs up. "I just... I need to keep going, we don't have a choice. I'll pull through."

"Listen Firefly, I trust you, but you need to rest. It's times like these where you need to not push through the pain. If you rest a few hours, you'll have enough strength to keep on going until we get back."

"And how do you plan on fighting them, Touma? I hope you have a plan."

He sat down, positioning himself between her and the two mages. "I'll have you know that I can be an effective diplomat."

She could feel the darkness in the side of her vision. "Fine, I'll rest. Just... make sure you stay safe, Dragon."

He gently stroked the hair out of her face as she closed her eyes. "Don't worry, Firefly. I promise."