A Certain Infinite Possibility

by Darkbetrayer

An ancient organization has emerged from hiding in order to bring the world into darkness. Will Touma be able to stop them or will his actions make everything worse. Will Touma finally develop the harem he deserves? Magic and Science will collide in ways no one thought possible. Touma X Harem (Maybe, he is really dense.)

72. S3 SCHOOL

This is Seiri Fukiyose speaking and I was asked to do the opening announcements. To be honest, I'm not even sure why I am doing this. I haven't done a lot in this story and I know a lot of other people would be a much better choice. However, because I was asked, I will fulfill my duty to the best of my ability. When Aogami-san told me about this, I thought he was joking. I figured he didn't receive enough punishment for the stupidity he caused during the Anti-Crime event. I was surprised he was telling the truth for once. Maybe I shouldn't have hit him so fast before I found out all the facts, but you know what those idiots are like. I was told the important part of this was to answer your questions, so let's get started.

Brosephg: I don't use an ability to punish those idiots. All my skills and strength come from self-discipline, plenty of exercise, and following health advices. My actually ability is pretty low and doesn't do a lot, so I rarely think about it. Even without an ability, as long as you work hard and not give up, you can achieve great things.

Guest: When I first met him, he was a kind quiet boy, but always complained about his misfortune. Besides that, I thought he was a perfectly normal student, and then he met those other two idiots and became the Delta Force. If I liked him, o-of course I would ask him out. W-what, when did I ever imply I was going to kiss Kamijou? I-I don't feel that way about him. Besides, Aisa likes him.

Whwsms: As much as I would enjoy the Delta Force dissolving their stupid antics, I would never date someone solely for that purpose. I would only date someone I liked. If I didn't, it wouldn't be fair to them or anyone else who may like them.

Anon: Well, it was obvious she was interested in him. When she made to many cookies, I couldn't eat a lot of them because of my diet, I suggested she should give them to him. She blushed and could barely talk after that, so I had my suspicions confirmed. She's my friend, so if she likes him I'll support her. Maybe she can kick his butt into gear and break his slacker attitude.

321jaz: I tend to go through a lot of different health products. I always find them useful when I read the magazines and yet I find them ordinary when I get them. My advice is to try different ones until you find one that works for you. I only push him because I dislike people who always blame things on luck. He should go out and make his own luck instead of lamenting on it.

Salishious: I want to believe he is Kami, because that would mean he actually went out and participated in the events, even if he did it the stupidest way possible. But since he's a level 0 and Kami is a level 5, I find it hard to believe he can keep that low of a profile. Also, level 5s are supposed to get a lot of money from the city, but he's extremely poor like most of the class.

RPGPersona: Well, I already beat down two of them after the morning incident, but I still have to find the Kagere, Accelerator, and Kamijou. I might have to wait till Monday, but I'm going to make them all clean up the school with hand brushes. They embarrassed not only our class, but the entire school.

wildarms13: He's a classmate and a good person, but he's just really lazy. If he ever got up and became more active in his community, it could be a possibility.

Geust: No, Kumokawa-senpai is nice to all of us, so I don't really dislike her being with Kamijou. If he became more serious and hardworking, it would definitely be a possibility.

naruhinasakufan1: No, that has no purpose and would just cause more stupid antics.

Handsomistic1: If he is really Kami, then maybe there's hope for him. I think the fact he is nice to everyone is one of his best qualities. I can't stand it when others look down on people.

deathmask83: If Kamijou is really Kami, I might have to hit him for world peace.

AxelLord20: All of the above.

Disclaimer: I do not own Toaru Majutsu no Index or any of the characters. Reading this story may cause you to burst out in laughter or start yelling at fictional characters. This may cause nearby people to assume you have gone crazy. Please read responsibly.

---

I had my doubts this was a level 5 research facility, but the security is top notch. If I wasn't here in person, I doubt I could break the encryption from our base.

The door to the laboratory opened for a boy with short black spikey hair and wearing a long sleeve flannel shirt over a t-shirt. His most noticeable feature was the metallic goggles on his head that surrounded his entire head just like Saturn's rings. Many plugs and cables protruded from it, dangling next to his head and some connected to the machine on his back. One plug was connected to the electronic panel right below the electronic keycard pad. Instead of trying to acquire an access card, the boy was simply hacking the lock. He looked around to verify no one saw him, unplugged the cable from the lock, and walked inside. The door closed automatically behind him.

His name was Banka Yobou, one of the members of Teitoku Kakine's group called SCHOOL. He was usually pretty easy going, but could kill in a moment's notice if someone became a liability. His primary role for SCHOOL was information gathering because of his skills with computers and his ability. He was a Level 4 psychokinetic and, besides being able to move things with his mind, he could combine his ability with his goggles for a variety of effects. Primary uses included analyzing, extracting, and rewriting information, but he could also perform various manifestations such like pyrokinesis, silencing, transparency, and electronic manipulation.

Banka looked around and sighed. There were no signs or maps to tell him which way to go, which meant he had to find an access point first. Automated facilities are both good and bad. I don't have to worry about being seen, except by cameras, but then the lab doesn't need to explain where everything is, since the only people who come here would know the layout. He was manipulating the light around him with his ability, causing him to be transparent in front of the cameras. He disabled the cameras outside, but the ones on the inside of the building ran on a separate system. He walked down the hall until he found one of them and connected a plug into it. It took a few minutes to break the security, but all the cameras were now looping the last couple seconds of film, which meant he could walk anywhere unseen. The cameras would only show empty rooms and hallways.

Much easier to concentrate without worrying about being seen, he thought, as he became visible again. He peered into several rooms, when he heard noises, only to be even more confused. There were all sorts of equipment he had never seen before and had no idea what any of it did. Whatever this lab was set up for had to be a recent discovery and secret. The first main lab was behind a large panel of reinforced glass. Machines were flashing and many lines of information were appearing on monitors. In the center of the lab was a large coil machine, connected to the ceiling. It spiraled downwards and ended at a point, with a single metal orb and two metal prongs at the end. It was systematically pulsing with a white light.

Looks like whatever is being created with that, the other machines are monitoring it. I wonder what it does. His curiosity inevitably got the better of him. He walked up to the door and plugged his goggles into the lock. When the door opened, he took a step in and suddenly his head started pounding. It wasn't enough to incapacitate him, but his concentration was waning slightly. Shit, I don't feel good. This machine must be producing some kind of radiation, so let's make this quick. He plugged his helmet into the main machine the others were connected to. He actually did it manually, because concentrating on his ability was making the pain worse. After copying the information, he unplugged and quickly left the room.

I wonder if Kakine and Ricane know about this, Banka thought, stopping in his tracks and thinking. The information he found out was interesting, in more ways than he could know at the time. It seems like this lab was indeed devoted to studying Kami's negation powers, but the machine in that room was different. It was actively trying to reproduce Kami's power but, so far, isolating only the negation portion pf his ability was impossible. It had to be combined with AIM jammers or Capacity Down to actually get results that would affect ability users. Kami's ability seems to interfere with AIM fields, rather than ability user's minds directly. This is valuable information, but where is the entire stock of information? That was only a small part of the research. Kakine would definitely be interested in this.

A sudden movement caught his eye and he turned around instantly, raising his hand to attack.

Damn it's just a dog, he thought, before noticing the backpack and external arms on the golden retriever. It nearly gave me a heart attack. I suppose it might be a guard dog, but that seems so stupid in an automated facility. "Shoo," Banka snapped, waving his hand. The dog's head tilted slightly, but didn't move. Banka briefly debated on if he should blast it away, but decided not to. He wasn't one to enjoy causing random and unnecessary animal cruelty. Unless the dog attacked him, he was planning to just ignore it. Banka walked past it and the dog followed like it knew him. I bet the scientists who actually come here use those arms on the dog to work in small area, maybe even remotely. Eventually, the dog's presence no longer bothered him as he continued to check each room.

Where the hell is it? Banka fumed silently. He had been there far too long and Teitoku would not be pleased with the delay. Plus, the longer he was there, the more likely someone would discover his presence. The only other room that looked important was a manufacturing room. Several long silver octahedron shaped metal shards were being created. Banka didn't know what their purpose was for, but it was obvious the room didn't have the database he was looking for. He paced back and forth down the last hallway, aware the dog was still watching him, but he had more important things on his mind. Where the hell would it be? Don't tell me, the information gets transferred out of the lab and I missed it? I thought I jammed the external connections already. "Ah, they are going to kill me!" He slammed his hand against the wall of the hallway.

Instead of just a thud, there was a slight echo.

What the…? He tapped the wall again and heard the echo reverberate behind the wall. Damn, of course. The room is hidden. It was so obvious. He waved his hand and focused his ability on the wall. Feeling the hidden door, he pushed, not caring if he triggered an alarm. He was going to run in and take the information, before disappearing back into anonymity. The door creaked open and revealed the room he had been searching for. Several large super computers lined the walls and the center had a desk with an access terminal. "About time," he mumbled and walked in. The dog waited patiently outside the room, but his tail stopped wagging. Its head tilted slightly, almost like it was thinking. Banka walked up, sat down in the chair, and plugged in his goggles to the computer.

Nothing noticeable happened. The data wasn't downloading into his goggles.

"What the hell is with this piece of junk?" he demanded out loud, looking at the screen. "All the information is right here. Why can't I download it?"

"Sorry." A young female voice suddenly came through the speakers, causing him to jump. "I accessed the computer system and changed the security before you were able to start your download. You no longer have access to the data."

"Who…?!" Banka cried loudly, jumping up and looking around instinctively, causing his plug to disconnect. "Who are you?"

"I am a member of Judgement and you are charged with trespassing and attempted theft. Give up and things will go a lot smoother for you. Anti-Skill has already been altered of your presence and I won't give you the opportunity to steal that data before they arrive."

"Like you have the skills to remotely lock me out," Banka snarled, turning back to the terminal. He turned his full attention to breaking the computer security in front of him. He plugged his goggles in again and combined both technology and his ability to scan through all the security data. He frowned and was getting increasingly irritated. As soon as he breeched one layer of security encryption, there was another layer blocking the data. How did that girl prepare this many defenses? He breached another layer and finally realized the truth. This girl is actively adding security layers to keep me out. What kind of programming skills does she have? Could she be an electromaster? A warning alarm went off on his electronic gear and he noticed something else that was even more startling. "You actually deleted the data I found already by hacking my goggles? Who the hell are you?"

"I'm just a member of Judgment," the girl said again. "This is your last chance to surrender. Anti-Skill is surrounding your location as we speak."

"Shit," Banka muttered, unplugging his goggles before the girl could get any other information from them. I need to get out of here, but Kakine and Ricane are going to kill me for not getting the data. He stood up and turned around the leave. He could take a couple Anti-Skill personnel by himself, but too many of them could pose a problem. He had confidence he would be able to escape quickly, until the door, leading out of the room, automatically slammed shut.

"I have full control to the lab," the girl told him. "It's quite convenient the entire building is automated. There are even security robots, but I would prefer not to use them. Now, how about you surrender and wait quietly?"

This bitch is messing with me, Banka thought angrily, before waving his hand. Using his ability, the door was forcefully opened. It was accompanied by the screech of metal and bright sparks, as the door tried to remain closed. He dashed through the door and looked both directions. The dog was still out in the hall, watching his every move, but he barely had a moment to spare for it. The thick metal doors started closing down the hall, trying to lock him in. The doors were designed to automatically close and lock in case of contamination leaks, fires, or if an alarm was trigger to trap intruders. This time, they were manually activated by the unknown girl.

Banka walked forward quickly and waved his hand again. The metal door was blown open with a loud clang, and pieces of the metal lock flew across the floor. "You can't stop a level 4 psychokinetic. I'll walk out of here and disappear. Then I'm going to find you and kill you for making me abandon my job." He walked through the broken door and continued to the exit.

"Your ability is rather impressive," the girl admitted. "I just wish you wouldn't use it for illegal activities and instead work with Judgement to help others. I'm also impressed with your skills in electronic manipulation. Causing the cameras to loop their video was genius. It would be almost impossible to tell anything occurred if someone tried to watch it later. I turned them all back to normal though and your identity is being sent directly to our database."

"You may have signed my death warrant girl," Banka replied, as he tore another door open and walked through. Kakine will keep me locked up at the very least if I can prove I'm still useful. I guess today's the last day I get to see the sun. He ran over everything room he saw, when trying to find the access terminal, in his head to determine the best route to escape from the building, before turning left instead of trying to make his way to the main entrance. There was a shorter route and his priority was to leave the facility. Another door was blown open before the girl spoke again.

"I would prefer if you surrendered," she told him again. "If you are in trouble, you should just tell us and we can help you. We have ways to keep people out of danger."

"I don't need help from weaklings who know nothing about what really happens in this city," Banka snapped, walking through the remains of the next door.

"What do you mean?"

"My point exactly. You don't know what kind of hidden experiments the city sponsors to achieve their objectives." There was only one more door he had to reach before being able to leave the facility. Banka was heading to the emergency back door, which cut through the main storage room, to escape the lab. He took a step into the storage room and briefly looked around. There were walls of extra machines, similar to ones he saw, along with boxes of unknown equipment parts. It was obvious that whoever set up this lab, wanted it to be self-sufficient for quite a while. His plan was to break through the door and leave, rather than trying to hack the security system. At this point, he knew the time for the subtle approach had long passed, but then the unexpected happened.

The backdoor opened for a moment and a blonde haired boy, around the same age as Banka, stepped in. The door closed automatically behind him.

He doesn't look like a member of Anti-Skill, Banka thought, slipping behind a shelf of large boxes to block him from the stranger's line of sight. He reached over and focused his ability on a large metal cylinder, containing some sort of liquid. But I'm not one to look a gift horse in the mouth. The door can be opened. I actually thought it might be a fake to confuse intruders for a second. The plan was pretty simple, throw the heavy container and crush, or at least knock out, the other person and leave. The container started levitating, but the girl ruined his plans.

"Jason, to your left!"

"To late," Banka muttered, throwing the large container with his psychokinesis. He was confident he had won with his surprise attack. The container of liquid was far too heavy to physically catch, but he didn't know Jason's ability and received a shock. A black, water-like substance flew from under Jason's clothes and caught the container in midair. He then lowered it to the ground, off to the side of the room, away from both of them. "That's an ability I haven't seen before," Banka said under his breath.

"You should be more careful with what you are throwing around," Jason told him. "What if that liquid was explosive or became a poisonous gas when released? We both could have died and I have things I want to do today." He paused and sighed. "I know you're the intruder, so why don't you just step out and let's make this quick."

"You sound confident," Banka said, stepping out from behind the shelf. "You must be part of Judgement or Anti-Skill, since you are here and know about me. There's no point in hiding anyone I suppose. That bitch broadcast my picture…" He fell backwards in surprise, as he tried to dodge the shadow strand aimed at his head. It came so quickly, he barely could register it. A loud bang echoed through the storeroom, as he fell into a large box of parts against the wall.

"Careful what you say," Jason said, keeping his tone even, but with an edge of coolness.

"It's fine," the girl said. "Please just capture him. He's a level 4 psychokinetic, so be careful."

"Die bastard," Banka snarled, moving his hand like he was swiping a credit card. He was going for a one shot kill now, not bothering to hide his intentions. Jason ducked and rolled off to the side, as the sound of air displacing came from the point his head had been just a second before. Jason responded by swinging another shadow strand at Banka, trying to knock him out. Banka scrambled to his feet and swung his hand at the shadow, as he dove behind the shelf. Jason's shadow got pushed to the side and cut into a box of parts, causing them to fall, with a series of clangs, on the floor. At least I can affect his ability with mine, but I should prioritize my escape instead of drawing out the fight. I bet he has reinforcements. He focused his ability on the light around his body and became transparent.

"He went invisible," the girl called out to Jason. "Be careful."

"On it," Jason replied, backing up near the door. He was smart enough to realize what Banka's plan was. He stood in front of the door and his shadow formed a solid dome around him. By preventing Banka from being able to have a direct line of sight, he couldn't use his psychokinesis to crush Jason's body. His shadow would absorb the impact. "I'm sure there is a way to find him without destroying the entire building."

Unless you have some detection ability or device handy, Banka laughed silently to himself. You won't be able to. The cameras don't have infrared detection devices either, so that girl can't help. Should I try to pass him or back track? He started to walk out from behind the shelves but, before he could decide on his course of action, the girl spoke up.

"I have an idea, but I hope you don't mind getting wet."

Huh, Banka thought, but Jason appeared to understand.

"Go for it."

A red light started flashing and an alarmed blared above Jason and Banka, right before the sprinklers turned on and started soaking the entire room.

Seriously? Banka laughed silently. A little water isn't going to stop me. Besides being a little cold, it wasn't like he was going to slip or try to find a place to stay dry. His equipment was waterproof, so it's not like the sprinklers would short circuit anything. Here I thought this girl was smart. A movement caught his eye, as Jason's shadow dome flickered and broke apart, causing Banka to glance over at him in confusion. What does he think this is going to accomplish? To his surprise, he caught Jason staring directly at him. How…? He noticed too late. Shit, the water is outlining me… Before he could try to defend himself, Jason's shadow delivered a blow into his gut. He gasped, crashed to the floor, and fell unconscious.

"Great plan Kazari," Jason said, as the sprinklers turned off. "He was probably manipulating the light around him with his psychokinesis or something like that. When he pushed the water off him, it gave me a perfect view. How long until another Anti-Skill officer arrives?" He pulled up his shirt and wiped the water off his face and hair. He didn't hear a reply and looked up. "Kazari?" he asked, but still nothing. He suddenly grinned and raised his hand, still holding his shirt. "My eyes are up here."

"T-that wasn't it," Kazari's voice stuttered through the speakers, while Jason laughed at her reaction. "I was checking the location. They should be at your location in two to three minutes."

"Okay," Jason acknowledged. "You should probably disconnect from this lab's security system now. You might get in trouble if they think you have been looking at the information kept here. This lab doesn't appear to be public"

"I would never," Kazari said, sounding almost hurt.

"I know that," Jason nodded. "But others don't."

"Thanks, but you're right. Besides, I need to check up on Shirai-san. I got a message from her earlier, but no follow up. You have other locations you need to help out too."

"I'm on my way once this guy gets picked up," Jason replied. There was silence for a moment, he assumed Kazari had disconnected from the lab, before he leaned up against the wall and sighed. His eyes darted over to the dog, who now entered the storage room, since the fighting died down. Jason pretended to sniff the air and grinned. "You smell like a wet dog, Noukan."

"I am a wet dog," Noukan replied simply. "I must admit, I rather dislike this. We can talk freely now that the girl is gone."

"If you had just taken care of him," Jason said, indicating the unconscious Banka. "Instead of contacting me, neither I nor Kazari would have found out about this place. Someone with your skills could have made him disappear without a trace with no difficulty."

"Ah," Noukan continued, pacing in front of him. "I was interested in observing him and determining what he was after. I was about to remove him, when your girl intervened. I have to say, she is rather skilled. I see why you keep her around. She easily bypassed our top security without being able to manipulate electricity."

"I don't like the way you say that," Jason mumbled. "It's almost like you know she would hack this place when you called me. Though, maybe if you ask nicely, she can improve the city's system. I seem to recall Judgement's database has better security then even the board of directors."

"You may keep your deeds private from her," Noukan continued. "But she is willing to open herself up to you completely. Between good and bad, that would be the bad sort of stupidity, but between like and dislike, I would say I like it. A heart that can innocently believe others is a beautiful thing. I can sense the breath of romance in it." He paused and looked at Jason.

"That doesn't sound very Kihara-like," Jason pointed out, refusing to comment on his other observation.

"You are hardly one to comment on that. After all, you purposely changed your last name to avoid getting compared to us. Are you still upset he gave your research to me?"

"A little bit," Jason acknowledged. "However, it looks like you have really come a long way from what I was able to."

"I rather like the Anti-AIM wavelength you found," Noukan said. "It filled in a missing link between technology related to our abilities and the abilities that have been causing you trouble."

"You mean magic?"

"Your education is lacking," Noukan corrected him, and turned his head to look directly at Jason. His head shook back and forth slightly, almost like he was disproving Jason's choice of words. "There is only science in this world. What people consider magic is only science that has not been fully understood. You knew this once, yet you let the words of others change your thoughts."

"The world is a vast place," Jason replied, almost defensively.

"It is indeed." Noukan paused and paced back and forth again. "I noticed you are preoccupied with an extensive experiment on your own, barely having time to do even the minimum work for the city. Yet, you find something like this wavelength and still have time to keep the company of a girl and the friends of the Imagine Breaker."

"I have good time management skills."

"Regardless, keeping up that appearance is essential for your plan, is it not? Are they not all interrelated?"

"How much do you know?"

"I know quite a bit," Noukan admitted. "But I made sure to send you some information on the level 5s you might find interesting. I think you will find it invaluable for your experiment. Consider it as payment for your Anti-AIM data."

"Is Aleister okay with this?"

"As long as you don't interfere with his plans, he will not interfere with yours. Most likely, your goals fit into his master plan anyways. Within days of him sending me the data on the Anti-AIM, we have already discovered several uses. I have no doubt he was waiting for you to discover it."

"Here I thought he was mad at me for disregarding the Parameter list," Jason laughed. "Though, I doubt he gets mad…" He phone started to ring and cut him off. He pulled it out and answered, "Hello?"

"It's Kat. You wanted me to tell you if Meltdowner began to act strangely. She just collapsed in the street, but she is also in the presence of the number two, Dark Matter. Do you want me to send you the location?"

"Yes," Jason said and then hung up. "It seems like my experiment has hit a slight snag, so I need to run. Make sure this guy is outside for Anti-Skill. Kazari told them I would have him ready for transport and it would be suspicious if he's not there. What happens after that is none of my business."

"When you change to blend into your environment, you may find the environment can change you. Pretenses should only be kept as pretenses." Jason didn't even bother turning around from Noukan's warning, before heading out the back door.

---

"I would rather be shopping instead of being cooped up here all day," Frenda complained, for what Shiage thought was the millionth time. "It's obvious there's nothing worth stealing here."

"I agree," Saiai murmured. "But you super know what Mugino would do if we tried to ditch." All three of them shared the same look. Shizuri would most likely torture them all first and, if she decided not to outright kill them, they would be missing an appendage or two. "Though, it might be my imagination, but I think she has super mellowed out a bit recently."

"At least until Hamazura messes up," Frenda added and Shiage frowned.

"Maybe you could call Kamijou and ask him to join us," Shiage suggested sarcastically. "You could annoy him instead of me for once." He was getting really annoyed at both Saiai's and Frenda's complaining. After actually speaking the words, he snapped his mouth shut, knowing he made a huge mistake. Saiai actually dropped the magazine and looked at him, with a combination of surprise and a tiny bit of respect. Frenda, however, stared at him for a moment, her mouth hanging over, before turning red in anger.

"Maybe I'll take my boredom out on you!" she yelled, turning and suddenly jumping to her feet. It was one thing if Saiai made fun of her, but she wasn't about to let Shiage do that. Her surprise reaction toward his words was probably what saved her. A fraction of a second later, the glass behind her shattered and a small item flew right past her, the exact location her head had been a moment before. Frenda was experienced enough to instantly know what the sound of breaking glass, the wind behind her, and the crash of a bullet in the wall on the other side of the room meant. "Sniper!" she yelled, diving down to the floor and rolling out of sight from the windows.

"On it," Saiai replied, flipping the table in front of her. Manipulating the nitrogen around her hand allowed her to flip the heavy metal table up against the window effortlessly. She continued to flip the next two nearest tables, until nearly all of the windows, on the side the sniper shot came from, were blocked. She got down on her hands and knees, before turning to look at the hole behind her. "Wow, that bullet had a lot of power behind it. My armor might not super be enough to block it outright."

"What do we do?" Shiage called out, from his hiding place under a desk. "I only have a pistol. We have no idea how far away the sniper is."

"I got a pretty good idea," Frenda corrected him. "Basically, from the direction of that last shot, we know the general area he is shooting from. From the angle, we can tell how high up he is. He is most likely on the roof of the office building two blocks away." She frowned. "That is still an issue, as I don't have any long range missiles at me."

"I'm a close range fighter too," Saiai added, also frowning. "One of us needs to super get close enough to kill him before he kills is. Hamazura, why don't you act as bait and be a distraction, while we sneak up on them?"

"Because I don't want to die?"

"Quit being a baby, we all die eventually."

"I want to try something," Frenda told them. She reached over and picked up a book that fell to the floor when Saiai kicked up the table. She crawled on the floor a couple feet, and tossed the book towards the door leading out of the security room they were in. There were a couple windows not covered by tables near the door and Frenda wanted to determine how skilled the sniper was. She tossed the book over by the door and then rolled backwards to change her position. The sniper did not even shoot at the book before it hit the ground, which gave Frenda a sliver of hope, but then it was dashed instantly. The bullet went through the window, shattering more glass, through one of the tables, and traveled right where Frenda had been a second ago. Shit. "He read the trajectory of the book. Basically, whoever this is, they are skilled."

"We need an alternative way out," Saiai agreed. "Or at least a distraction."

"Don't think about sacrificing me," Shiage interjected, noticing her eyes on him. "Couldn't we blow out a wall or something?"

"Don't be stupid…," Frenda started to say, but stopped. "Maybe not a wall, but how about a floor? Kinuhata, think you can break through this floor?"

"Depends what it is made of," Saiai replied. She reached down and pulled up the tile. "It looks like the floor is just wood, so I should be able to. Whoever made this building decided only the walls and ceiling had to be sturdy. She pulled her hand back and punched the floor, breaking the wooden board. She pulled the wood up and looked down. "Here's a gap, but not enough room to crawl in." She leaned down and punched the next layer into the room below. "I'm through."

"Here's the plan," Frenda whispered.

---

Is she psychic? Chimitsu thought to himself, after watching the blonde girl dodge his bullet a split-second before her brains were spread all over the room. Before he could get off a second shot, the girl dived to the floor while one of her partners threw up metal tables to block his line of sight. He could still aim at the only door they could escape from, so he continued to watch and wait. They are definitely professionals, I'll give them that. He could wait patiently, because he knew ITEM wouldn't be calling Anti-Skill, since their actions needed to be kept under the radar. They were also a small group and didn't have backup.

A movement caught his eye and he saw a book fly from behind the overturned tables. His mind only registered it long enough to determine its angle and speed. His sniper moved slightly and he pulled the trigger, firing a bullet at the table where he predicted the book was thrown from. The bullet broke through the glass, the metal table, and continued farther into the room. I still can't see them and I can't tell if I hit one. They have to move eventually. He waited patiently, preparing to shoot the instant he had a clear shot. I need to find a way to flush them out, maybe some kind of gas?

A flash of light from an explosion covered the floor he was aiming at, and the debris from the floor traveled to the room below. Dust blocked the windows, so he couldn't tell when they jumped to the floor below, but he lowered his gun slightly in preparation. Can't escape through the floor they were on, so breaking into another. Not a bad plan, but futile. The area below them was a room similar in style as the one they had been in, only one way out and he could see it. He aimed his sniper, but didn't see anything move down below. A flash of movement caught his eye from above and he instantly raised his gun, but it was too late. It was a distraction! he fumed silently. They stayed on the same floor while I was changing my position. Now they can be anywhere in the lab. Should I retreat or see if I can get a shot? They would know my general location by now, but I have several escape plans set up.

Chimitsu decided to stay and continued watching. He knew Teitoku would not tolerate failure and he had not been with the team long enough to risk failing a mission. SCHOOL had a different sniper before him, but she had been defeated and Teitoku tossed her away because she was no longer useful. Several minutes passed and he knew they had to be planning something. If they tried to reach his location from the lab, they would have no choice but to go out in the open. He definitely wouldn't miss an easy shot like that.

There was movement to the right of the facility and a truck was accelerating away. Trying to flee huh? Pathetic. He rotated the barrel and aimed through a window. He only saw the guy and nothing available that would cover the two girls. He must be fleeing like a coward. He aimed at the vehicle, but couldn't get a good shot from his position, so he lowered his aim slightly and blew out one of the tires. The car spun out of control and crashed into a light pole. He started to reload, when another person caught his eye. The door to the roof of the lab had opened up and the brown haired girl stepped out. She was holding a large chunk of thick metal in one hand and had several objects tied to her waist.

It wasn't an understatement Chimitsu was confused. He actually froze in mid shot, giving the boy enough time to stagger out of the car and down a side ally, out of sight. What on earth could she be thinking? Even if that metal shield can block my shots, she has no way to get to me. It would have been better to leave the building from the ground floor and try to charge at me. Oh well, it's her funeral. He focused on her through his scope and was surprised to find she was smiling, before raising the metal shield.

---

"… and that's the plan," Frenda explained. She, Saiai and Shiage were all huddled together in the middle of the lab, quickly discussing their plan of attack.

"I noticed you want me to be bait," Shiage sighed. "But I guess it's all I can do right now."

"Damn straight," Saiai told him. "Now hurry up and super get your ass moving. We don't have time for your whining." Saige muttered something Saiai didn't here, but she cracked her knuckles in response, causing him to flee down the stairs to their parked vehicle. "He's got an important job. I hope he doesn't mess it up with his usual Hamazura-y-ness."

"While I enjoy making fun of him," Frenda said, pulling out several of her missiles, from under her skirt, and making a few modifications on them. "He does have a few useful skills, but I'm not going to tell him that, it will go to his head." She pulled out a small electronic pad and held it near her missiles, until she heard a small beep. She smiled and pocketed the pad.

"I only prefer his driving skills," Saiai said, turning around and pushing a large shelf out of the way. "It's useful since I can't drive. Well, I suppose his ability to always find us a car is useful too." She picked up a thick metal sheet, large enough to completely shield her, and walked over to one of the pieces of equipment used for welding. She didn't have a lot of time, but she needed away to hold onto the sheet from behind it. She grabbed a smaller piece of curved metal and welded it to the large pierce. Sparks flew from the metal, but her Offense Armor prevented any of them from hitting her clothes or skin. She cooled it off with some water, picked up the metal, and swung it back and forth. "It's not super sturdy, but it will hold against a sniper. You ready?"

"Here," Frenda said, handing her several missiles. "I have them set up to fire remotely. Basically, just get them as close as possible to him."

"Will be tough," Saiai said, as they climbed up the stairs. "I hear the car, so it super looks like Hamazura is doing his part." She frowned. "If he runs away, I swear I'm going to strangle him."

"Go on," Frenda said, kneeling down and positioning a mirror on the ground to view out the roof top door without being in line of fire from the sniper. Saiai nodded and kicked open the rooftop door, holding her metal sheet up.

So there he is, Saiai thought, looking at the roof of a building about two blocks away. The sun was behind him, but she saw the glint of the gun, as it turned to face her. She grinned and ducked behind the shield. She didn't expect the sniper to fire immediately, as he was most likely searching for an opening. It took a few moments, but the next bullet fired hit her makeshift shield and the sound of metal colliding echoed across the roof. The bullet pierced the metal and continued going straight through it. The bullet hit her right in the chest, but the metal slowed the bullet down enough that her ability was able to easily stop it. Perfect, she thought. As long as the bullet doesn't super hit the exact same spot, I'll be fine, but that should be impossible. Anyway, these bullets have impressive piercing power.

The second bullet hit her shield and the same thing happened, but Saiai's grin widened. She was mentally timing how long it took the sniper to reload and fire at her again. While the sniper was fast, it wasn't instantaneous, which mean she had a small window of opportunity. She reached out with her free hand and grabbed one of the missiles Frenda gave her. A third bullet hit her shield and she reacted immediately. She had to lower the shield slightly to see, as she threw the missile like a football, as hard as possible at the sniper.

A normal person wouldn't have been able to throw a ball anywhere near that distance. However, due to Saiai's ability to manipulate nitrogen, she could hit things with strength far surpassing her small build. Even with her ability, she could get the missile near the sniper, but couldn't aim anywhere close enough. The missile flew through the air, but was beginning to fall due to gravity before reaching the target. With its current trajectory, it was going to reach the building the sniper was on, but only the first or second floor. The entire building was seven stories.

That's where Frenda came in. The rocket on the missile suddenly turned on when Frenda hit a button. She had been watching though a mirror from behind Saiai and tried to time the rocket right when the missile started to descend. The missile shot through the air and collided with the building right below where the sniper was shooting from. The explosion didn't hit him, but destroyed the edge of the building, taking away his cover.

Not a bad first shot, Saiai though, as another bullet flew right at her. She blocked it with her shield, but then she noticed something. Shit, this guy is crazy good. All the sniper shorts were clustered around the original impact point. Soon, the shield would be too weak in the middle to block effectively, which meant her Offence Armor would have to absorb the entire blow. She blocked another shot and could feel the metal groan after the initial clang, as it continued to weaken. She threw another missile and Frenda aimed with the rocket. This time, the missile didn't hit the target. It was too far to the left and blew out a couple windows on the floor below.

The next bullet caused Saiai some problems.

A chunk of metal was blown apart, as all the bullet holes connected. The weaken metal didn't slow the piercing power of the bullet enough and it scraped her side. She felt it cut and burn into her, but the wound was pretty shallow. She fought through much worse in the past. The issue was her shield now had a gaping hole right in the middle of it and, if she tried to attack with a missile, she would leave herself opens to a counter attack.

She didn't have a choice and threw the missile, as a bullet flew at her in response. It was pure dumb luck the bullet hit the edge of her shield and its trajectory was modified slightly. It only scrapped her shoulder, but it was obvious the sniper was aiming to destroy her arm. Ouch, does that bastard know how super expensive this sweater dress is? On a more positive note, the missile she threw was the best hit so far. It hit the spot right under the sniper, forcing him to roll away from the edge, giving her a slight reprieve.

Saiai waited and peered over her shield. A minute passed before she saw the glint of metal again. Before the sniper had a chance to aim, she threw her last missile. It flew through the air but, before Frenda had a chance to fire the rocket, it exploded in midair. "What happened!?" Saiai yelled over her shoulder, ducking behind her shield.

"He shot it down?" Frenda's voice echoed from the rooftop stairs. "Basically, get out of there. You are a sitting duck without any more range attacks."

"You think I don't know that?" Saiai called back, backing up as quickly as possible. She could have turned and run, but she couldn't risk leaving herself exposed. Another bullet hit her shield and she slowed down, trying to keep the holes from being in line with her body. She stumbled right when another bullet hit her shield, causing her to fall down on her knee. Unable to walk backwards, she rotated her shield reflexively, keeping another bullet from hitting her directly. She stood up quick and kept backing away, until she saw an explosion that made her stop.

The explosion wasn't coming from the lab, it came from where the sniper was.

"About time," Frenda said, stepping out from behind the door to the roof. "He took his sweet time getting up there."

Shiage had actually reached the sniper.

---

Shiage had stumbled out of the car and down a side alley, out of sight of the sniper. His head was throbbing from the impact of the crash, but he had a job to do. Frenda and Saiai's lives were depending on him. While he disliked the way they made fun of him all the time, they were still part of his team and friends to Rikou. He even considered them kind of his friends too, but he used the term 'friends' very loosely. As soon as his head stopped spinning, he stopped staggering and started sprinting down the street parallel to the one the sniper was shooting down.

His job was simple, get to the sniper's building unnoticed and take him out while Saiai and Frenda distracted him. Shiage had pretended to flee from the fight in hopes the sniper would forget him. It seems like it worked. I haven't run into any trouble. He gripped his pistol tightly in his hand, in case the sniper had allies, and turned once he reached the building. Rather than going through the front door, which was not only stupid but suicidal, he moved to the back door. It was predictably locked, so he pulled out a lock pick. With a click, the lock opened and he pushed the door open quietly. He heard an explosion in the background, knowing Saiai had started her distraction. The building was deserted, but the security lights were on and Shiage moved cautiously down the hall, until he saw the elevators.

While Shiage really wanted to take the elevator, that was a sure way to announce his presence and get himself killed. Instead, he opened the door to the stairs and ran up, two steps at a time, hearing an occasional explosion. He finally reached the top floor, panting slightly, and moved to open the door to the roof as silently as he could. He wasn't surprised to find it locked and pulled out his lock pick again. After the lock clicked, he pocketed it and slowly pushed the door open, keeping his pistol handy, as another explosion went off, but this one away from the building.

There he is, Shiage thought, reaching into his pocket. Frenda told me to use this grenade and take him alive if possible. Not sure how that is going to work. Won't the grenade kill him? Maybe it's some type of concussion grenade? Knowing the girl's lives were in his hands, he tossed the grenade out the back door. The grenade bounced across the roof, alerting the man to Shaige's presence.

"Shit!" the man yelled, letting go of his sniper and diving across the roof. The grenade exploded and Shiage covered his ears and looked away, surprised at how powerful it was. The man was blown backwards from the force and skidded across the roof, no longer moving. His sniper had been blown into pieces. The roof also had a good size hole in it and, as Shiage walked out of the building, he avoided stepping near the hole in case it continued to spread. He peered out over the edge of the roof toward the lab, waving to Saiai and Frenda to let them know it was clear, before turning to look at the man.

Looks like he probably won't make it, Shiage thought. The man wasn't stirring and he had severe burns on half of his body. He was breathing slightly, based on the slight movements of his chest, but he probably suffered a severe blow to the head. Damn it Frenda, he thought. You didn't tell me it would be like this. He put his gun back on his belt and waited for Saiai and Frenda to get up there. He didn't have to wait too long, as the door to the roof was kicked open and they appeared.

"You super took your sweet time," Saiai reprimanded him. "If I wasn't so skilled, I could have died."

"Looks like that grenade I gave you did the trick," Frenda commented, looking at the still unconscious sniper.

"Speaking of which," Shiage said, rounding on her. "What the hell was that? I thought you said you wanted to take him alive."

"I told you what I needed to so you would use it," Frenda said, shrugging. "Basically, it was a new weapon I needed to try out. I realized after our trip to England… with all those level 5s around... I needed some stronger weapons." Of course, her reason was only partially true. It wasn't so much the level 5s, but the magicians she encountered that made her previous weapons completely useless.

"What if it didn't work?" Shiage asked exasperatedly. "I could have died."

"I'm sure you would have thought of something," Frenda replied, brushing off his concerns with a wave of her hand.

"It doesn't seem like that guy was after the lab data," Saiai pointed out, breaking into their conversation. "He was only focused on us."

"So you think he's part of his group?" Frenda asked, referring to Teitoku.

"I think so," Saiai confirmed. "He already super knows me and Mugino."

"Who are you talking about?" Shiage asked, looking between them. Seriously, these two keep me out of the loop on everything.

"I guess we can tell you," Frenda sighed. "Basically, it seems like the number two, Dark Matter, is leading the group who has been stealing all the research data and leveling up the individuals with weak abilities."

"The number two?" Shiage asked, his mouth falling open in shock. "So this guy is part of his group…? Oh shit," he grabbed his head in frustration. "That means we going to be on his hit list. How did I get involved in something as ridiculous as this?"

"He already knows," Saiai pointed out. "But this is why we super didn't tell you. You are overreacting like a baby. Stop being so Hamazura-y." A siren in the distance caused them all to stop talking and turn around. "Looks like our fight alerted Anti-Skill. This area was supposed to be super deserted on weekends."

"Let's move some place quieter to continue our conversation," Frenda suggested.

"What about him?" Shiage asked, pointing to the man.

"What about him?" Frenda asked. "Basically, he tried to kill us, so we could care less about what happens to him. He's hurt to badly to follow us and will probably die without medical treatment. If Anti-Skill arrives fast enough, they will treat him and then arrest him. There is plenty of evidence of him trying to snipe people in the lab. We don't have to worry, but you can kill him if you want."

"Less talk and more action," Saiai told them, heading to the stairs. "We don't want to be caught up here."

Note to self, Shiage thought. Don't make enemies with these two.

---

"Phew," Kazari sighed, leaning back in her chair, away from her computer. "That was intense." She had just finished helping Jason stop the intruder at the research facility.

"You were you know," Ruiko pointed out, fanning Kazari with a magazine. Both of them were sitting in an available room in a different Judgement branch's office. Kazari had burst in, showed the only person there her Judgement band, and announced there was an emergency and she needed a computer. Since most of the Judgement members there were off helping with the fight breaking out in the park, she was able to get a computer in a private room without any hassle.

"I was what?" Kazari asked confused, looking at Ruiko.

"Staring."

"No I wasn't," Kazari replied, a faint blush on her cheeks. "I had to check the information Jason requested."

"Sure," Ruiko replied, grinning from ear to ear. "I can't believe you managed to hack a secure research facility so fast, but I guess that's Judgement's number one computer whiz for you."

"Thanks," Kazari said, slightly pleased with herself. "But I only use my powers for good. Still, that guy wasn't a normal person either. His hacking skills were pretty impressive, not even counting his ability. If Jason didn't show up when he did, I wouldn't have been able to keep him locked up in the facility."

"He was after something in that lab," Ruiko added. "Any idea what it could be? More research data to rank up abilities?"

"No," Kazari replied slowly. "I was too busy keeping him out of the computer system, rather than looking at what was in it. Besides, that's sensitive information we shouldn't be looking at anyways, without proper clearance." She had been constantly changing the encryption codes, while the intruder was trying to hack through it. Even with her skills, she couldn't stop him from hacking the system from her location, nor did she have time to completely write a new security program to replace the old one and prevent his hacking. Her only choice left was to play a game of cat and mouse, drawing out the engagement until help arrived. Every time the hacker broke the previous encryption, she had another one in place.

"You may be right," Ruiko agreed, putting her hands behind her back. "Still, I can't help but be curious."

Kazari felt a wave of guilt because she didn't tell her best friend the complete truth. While what she said was true, she had accidently seen and read several of the files. It's not like I purposely looked, I only happen to see them trying to stop the intruder. She frowned slightly in thought. The data definitely mentioned Kami several times. Could it be related to Kamijou-san? There was also something labeled Anti-AIM wavelength. What on earth could that be? How does it relate to AIM Fields? I really want to know, but it's not like I can go in and peruse the information at my leisure. To distract herself, she looked down at her phone. "I got an update from Shirai-san," she announced.

"Is she in trouble?" Ruiko asked. "If Kagere-san was right about his side, she's probably facing someone too."

"It looks like she is going after some intruders," Kazari confirmed, looking at the message, before reading it out loud. "Four intruders, one may have a mental ability and they plan to use someone's wormhole ability to transport a new wireless transmitting device. Send Anti-Skill and I'll hold them off as long as possible."

"Shirai-san is being reckless," Ruiko said and Kazari nodded.

"I'm transmitting the information to Anti-Skill now," Kazari replied, her eyes never leaving her computer. "They now have everything she found out plus the location. I'm going to see if I can get access to the building and see what's going on." There was silence, as she typed vigorously, and her eyes were traveling side to side so fast they were almost a blur. Her frown grew and she finally leaned forward in defeat.

"No luck?"

"The building either has its own separate system with no connection to the rest of the city or, more likely, someone physically disconnected it. I can't connect to anything. I have access to a camera across the street from the building, but I can't see anything useful."

"Shirai-san is smart and knows her own capabilities," Ruiko reassured her. "I'm sure she won't do anything beyond her abilities. Let's believe in her and do what we can here."

"I know," Kazari nodded, the corner of her mouth twitching. "But she can be a little hot headed sometimes."

"Can't we all?"

---

"AHHHH!"

"Don't think just because I can't use my ability I'm weak," Kuroko said, brushing her hair back. She kept one eye on the girl in the dress, in case she tried to interfere, but she was just casually watching them, with just a hint of amusement.

"Damn bitch," the young man with the ability of Solidification growled, standing back up. The ground beneath him started to crack from his weight. "How did you throw me?"

"Basic self-defense," Kuroko huffed. "Maybe if you didn't try to cut corners in your development, you could have learned to use your skills to their full potential." Kuroko was not the biggest strongest person around, so she was taught self-defense moves in order to make up for it. When the guy tried to punch her, she stepped forward into his chest, dodging the blow. She then grabbed his arm, slipped her foot under his leg, and used his own momentum to flip him over her and onto the ground. Due to the increase in weight, she barely was able to throw him and the floor was crushed. I need to stop Capacity Down. It's too hard to concentrate, but that girl… Kuroko did not fail to notice the girl in the dress, while appearing indifferent, kept her hand right next to her gun.

"I'm going to make you regret that," the guy snarled at her. He stood up and stretched his arms. The ground beneath him cracked with every step he took as he started towards her. Each step was sounding heavier and heavier. "I wonder how much weight you can throw with those scrawny arms."

"Wouldn't you like to know"

"When I get a hold of you, I'm going to make you regret every word, slowly and painfully."

"A guy like you couldn't handle me," Kuroko sneered in false confident. Her eyes darted around looking for a weapon to use. There was plenty of computerized equipment and small tools, which would be perfect with teleportation, but nothing easily reached to stop the guy who could increase the density of his body. Hitting a body that dense would be like punching a lead block.

"Shut up," the guy said, swinging his fist at her. Kuroko ducked under the blow and instinctively kicked upwards between his legs. A small part of her hoped it was just his muscles, rather than his entire body.

She was wrong.

"Ahh!" she yelled, rolling away and getting shakily to her feet. She was limping slightly as her right foot felt like it was on fire. Damn, it's his entire body. I almost broke my foot.

"Serves you right," the guy laughed, as he swung his arm in a backhand motion. Kuroko raised her arms up high, to defend her head, and his blow lifted her off her feet. She was sent flying backwards and crashed into a table, flipping it over, causing the tools to spray all over the floor. Kuroko groaned slightly from the pain and sat up, grabbing her head. Her arms were aching from his blow and slightly numb. "Heh," the guy snickered. "Most of you high levels are complete garbage without their ability. How do you like it now that the tables have turned?"

"I don't use my ability to hurt others," Kuroko told him angrily, when her eyes noticed something. A small device fell out of a case when the table flipped over. It was a Taser. Perfect. She reached out a hand slowly to pick it up, as the guy took a step toward her. "I only use it to help people."

"Stop."

"What is it?" the guy asked, turning around to look at the girl with the dress.

"He's done," she said pointing to the engineer, who had stood up and was wiping his brow. "Do the job I brought you here to do."

"But…"

"Are you trying to argue with me?" Her eyes narrowed and even Kuroko froze from her tone. The guy fell silent and quickly nodded, before walking over to the device. He positioned himself on one side, leaned up against it, and started to push. The girl turned her eyes back to Kuroko. "It looks like the timing was in your favor. I do hate wasting time, so you won't be subjected to the humiliation of being his toy, but…" she raised her gun, "You saw my face and rejected my good will earlier. Now, why don't you drop that Taser, stand up, and die with a shred of dignity."

This girl is in a completely different league than the other guys, Kuroko thought. The Taser in her hand could only be activated by continuously pressing the button, if she let go of it, it would turn off as a safety mechanism, which meant she couldn't throw it to disable Capacity Down. She dropped it and stood up slowly. She wasn't going to give the girl the satisfaction of trying to run and get shot in the back. It's not like I can attack her anyways being affected by her Measure Heart. The screech of metal echoed around the room, as the guy continued to push the device toward a wall, which had opened up to another room. A room not part of this particular lab. The other two guys walked around the machine and entered the wormhole first.

"Good girl," the girl in the dress said, smiling. "Before I shoot, any chance you will be willing to work for me? I could use a teleporter."

"I would rather die."

"Then this is your luckily day. Say your prayers." She raised the gun and pointed it right at Kuroko's chest. Kuroko tried to perform the calculations to teleport one last time to save herself, but Capacity Down was still interfering with her head. Her life flashed before her eyes. She saw all her friends' faces, especially Ruiko's and Kazari's. Mikoto's bright face then swam to the front of her mind in all of its radiant glory. After that, surprising her greatly, she saw Jason's obnoxious grinning face. Shoot, if I get out of this alive, I'll be nicer to him. Maybe be a bit more honest… Her only hope was to dodge the initial shot, charge, and knock the gun out of the girl's hand. As long as she didn't plan to try to attack the girl directly, she should be able to bypass Measure Heart.

The girl in the dress pulled the trigger and Kuroko tried to move.

A shot rang out and glass shattered.

Curiously, another explosion went off at the same, causing Kuroko to look up from the floor. She was lying on the ground, because her injured foot gave way when she tried to dodge. The girl had a surprised look on her face. Her gun was pointing up and to the left of where Kuroko had been and, at the same time her gun moved unnaturally on its own, the boom box emitting Capacity Down exploded. She was stunned and unable to utter a word.

What just…? Kuroko turned her head. "Onee-sama!"

"What!" the girl exclaimed, turning her head, after finding her voice. "The Railgun is here?"

"HOW DARE YOU TRY TO HURT MY FRIEND?!" Mikoto roared, sparks flying all around her. "Do you have any last words?"

"There's no way little ole me could possibly stand against the mighty Railgun," the girl said. "Especially after you destroyed Capacity Down." However, she started to smile. "But, what if you no longer see me as your enemy?"

"Onee-sama!" Kuroko cried out desperately. "Knock her out quick!"

"Huh!" Mikoto asked, before quickly pulling her attention back to the girl. She was just about to shoot out a bolt of electricity, when she stopped.

"To late," the girl said. "She has a very special person in her heart. The distance is much closer than even yours teleporter."

Kuroko felt an odd combination of despair and relief, after looking at Mikoto. Arg, I hate to admit it, but there's only one person who should be held so close in her heart. Onee-sama, what do I have to do to make you feel that way about me? Those thoughts were what caused her despair. What gave her relief was the fact Mikoto was sparking slightly, made a first, and closed her eyes.

"What is this feeling?" Mikoto asked, taking a deep breath. "I feel like you are a completely different person."

"My ability is Measure Heart," the girl replied, jumping off the table and landing on her feet. "It can freely regulate the distance between people's hearts. I simply set my distance to the most important person to you. I hit your friend over there too," she gesture to Kuroko. "It makes it so easy to kill people when they can't even fight back." She raised her gun again. "Though, against you, I'll probably just retreat. While you can't attack me, I doubt I will be able to harm you."

"This is really a troublesome ability," Mikoto said, but then she grinned. It wasn't a happy kind of grin. It was more of the type of grin laced with dark intentions. I know she isn't him, but when I look at her, my heart beats faster. It's as if she is him. However, she attacked Kuroko and he would never do that. It's not him. She sparked up more and her eyes opened. "You're right. You do feel exactly like him now."

"Oh," the girl exclaimed, raising an eyebrow. "It's a guy? There were rumors you were with someone." She started to back up toward the wormhole.

"But…" That single word caused the girl to freeze.

It can't be, the girl thought. I thought she was supposed to be the most stable of all the level 5s. Her ability, Measure Heart, may seem to be all powerful, but there was a weakness. Some people may act unpredictably when they feel like someone close to them betrayed them. She wouldn't dare to use her ability on someone like Accelerator. He would most likely fly into a murderous rage and destroy everyone around him. If Mikoto was anything like him, she could be in trouble. "You aren't seriously willing to attack someone so close to you?"

"You obviously don't know who that person is," Kuroko sighed, rubbing her head. "You really made a grave mistake."

"You know," Mikoto said, taking a step forward and causing all the equipment in the lab started going haywire with the electricity in the air. "Due to your power, I feel like I consider you an important person, but you attacked my friend. If I did that, I know he would stop me, even if he had to beat some sense into me. The least I can do is return the favor." Several strands of electricity scattered, short circuiting all the nearby computers. Kuroko could sense the danger and teleported away to get out of the building.

"Wait!" the girl said, putting out a hand, before dashing at the wormhole.

"YOU IDIOT!" Mikoto yelled she unleashed a burst of electricity, while simultaneously summoning a lightning strike from the sky unconsciously. The surge of electricity knocked out the power for several blocks, including short circuiting a power relay station, increasing the range of the black outs. When the dust settled, every piece of electronics in the lab had short circuited. Mikoto panted as she stared at the unconscious girl laying on the floor. She managed to weaken the direct attack at the very last second, but all the extra anger she felt caused her power to fly in every direction. I think I may have caused some unnecessary collateral damage. She looked around when Kuroko teleported next to her.

"Looks like the guy closed the wormhole," Kuroko said, teleporting next to the girl and handcuffing her. "They just left her behind when she couldn't escape. Damn, they got what they wanted. Who knows what they are going to do with it."

"Well we captured her," Mikoto said, pointing at the girl. "She should be able to tell us."

"How did you find us anyways?" Kuroko asked. "You weren't anywhere near me when I entered."

"I followed you," Mikoto stated simply. "When I lost sight of you, I had to hack the cameras to find out where you went. That's what took so long, or I would have been here sooner."

"Seriously onee-sama," Kuroko sighed. "I've told you before you shouldn't interfere with Judgment business, but…" she teleported and hugged Mikoto. "Thanks for saving me."

"You don't need to thank me," Mikoto mumbled, patting Kuroko on the back. "So, do you think they are going to be mad I destroyed all the equipment in the lab?"

"We can always blame it on their group," Kuroko said, pointing to the girl. "You should get out of here though. I'll contact Uiharu and update her on the situation, but you shouldn't be caught when Anti-Skill shows up."

"Let me know what happens," Mikoto said, turning around and moving toward the exit.

"Okay onee-sama," Kuroko said, watching her leave. As she pulled out her phone to contact Anti-Skill, a thought crossed her mind. Do I have to keep that promise?

---

Accelerator was walking through the deserted streets toward the warehouse Motoharu had told him about. He only saw a couple cars driving around and a few delivery trucks. Once he was within three blocks of the warehouse, things got unusually quiet. There were dozens of security cameras and plenty of obvious and, most likely hidden, alarm systems. Each warehouse he passed looked exactly the same as the previous one, except for their identification numbers. From a normal person's perspective, this area would be exactly like the countless other storage areas for the city. If Accelerator hadn't known Motoharu long enough to know how reliable his information was, he wouldn't have bothered to check the place out.

There's nothing unusual here, Accelerator thought irritated. But that kind of makes this place unusual. Every area in Academy City is unusual in some way, so a normal area would be a perfect place to secretly hide something important. He stopped when he reached his destination. It definitely looks the same as the others. I swear, if he is leading me on a wild goose chase for some reason, I'm going to strangle him. Let's see, I should knock, say hello, and see if anything is going on. He walked up the asphalt to the main door, reached up to flip his choker on, and tapped the metal with his hand.

The metal crumbled, tore with an ear screeching sound, and flew off its hinges, bouncing loudly across the cement floor.

"Hello," Accelerator called out. "If you're here, I expect an answer. I won't be happy if I have to search for you." Everything was silent and he frowned. "Hard way it is." He walked into the warehouse, flipped on the lights, and looked around.

As warehouses were concerned, this one looked like it was designed to only hold one type of cargo. Countless wooden crates, about eight feet long and a couple feet wide, lined the wall and several crates were stacked in the middle. There was plenty of room to drive a forklift around the warehouse, so it wasn't anywhere near capacity. Accelerator wasn't too interested in what the crates were holding. He was more focused on seeing if Teitoku was there, or at least one of his lackeys who Accelerator could persuade to talk. Accelerator walked along the perimeter until he noticed a door in the back. He walked up to it and twisted the doorknob.

It was locked.

Am I really surprised? He reached up to flip his choker on, when another voice spoke through the warehouse speakers.

"There's no reason to be all violent Accelerator," the man's voice said. "If you wanted entrance, all you had to do was ask."

"I've heard that before," Accelerator laughed. "But when I ask, they cry, beg for their mommies, and either attack me or run away. What are you going to do?"

"Well," the man said. "I know my associate would prefer to kill you directly and for me not to interfere. However," his voice sounded amused, "I could hardly call myself a researcher if I don't take advantage of opportunities to test out my new models on such a perfect subject."

"Oh?" Accelerator asked. "Who are you to think you can stand a chance against me?"

"You can just call me the Doctor," the man said. "Please have some fun, or I can't get any good data on you." The sound of wooden box lids slamming on to the floor came from behind Accelerator, causing him to turn around.

"This is interesting," Accelerator laughed. "Robots I have dealt with, but humanoid ones? Usually it's a power suit over someone, or some large remote controlled machine."

"These are a new model of self-adapting automatons," the Doctor laughed. "I just need some data to work out a few kinks in their programming. Be a good sport and help out. Destroying them is fine too."

"For most people I would assume they are just trying to save face," Accelerator said, turning his attention to the five machines standing up and stepping out of the cases, before surrounding him. "But there's something about you. I can feel it with even just your voice. You have been part of the dark side for a long time."

"I take pride in my work," the Doctor bragged. "Losing a couple pieces of equipment is a perfectly acceptable price for my research. You level 5s are perfect specimens with your abilities that go beyond common sense. Number 7 is someone I definitely want to see my improved inventions. His abilities are stupid and incomprehensible, but he at least appreciated my machines."

"Let's see what they got," Accelerator sneered, flipping on the switch of his collar. The first robot pulled out a metal pole from its crate. It turned its head to look at Accelerator, before suddenly jumping over thirty feet to land right in front of him. It swung the pole at Accelerator's head, but all it did was bend and fly away from Accelerator. The robot didn't give up and, after dropping the pole, reached out and tried to grab Accelerator's neck with its hand. Its fingers flew off its body, the revealed circuits sending out sparks. A moment later, its arm joined its fingers, when Accelerator reached up and tore it off. "How dull." He used his other hand to tear off the head of the robot, causing it to go silent.

The second robot raised its arms and started fire bullets from its wrist, but it was as effective as the first one's attacks. As soon as the bullets hit Accelerator, they immediately flew back the way they come from and started shredding the robot. It stumbled as the damage messed with its motor functions, but it managed to stabilize. It jumped forward and landed right in front of Accelerator, who raised an eyebrow. A second later the robot exploded in a flash of light, sending fire and metal in all directions. Accelerator didn't even budge.

"Everyone does these things," he sighed. "Seriously, you are as boring as the others."

"Just wait."

Accelerator noticed the third robot had a different arm attachment. Instead of a hand, it reminded him of the end of a Taser. The robot raised it and fired a bolt of electricity at Accelerator. The electricity hit him and spread out in every direction, but nothing happened to Accelerator. He seemed as bored as ever. He tapped his foot and leaped forward, pushing his hand into the robot's chest, and pulling out most of the circuitry. The robot exploded and, when the dust cleared, Accelerator was still standing, but his face now showed a slightly irritated expression.

"Interesting," the Doctor commented. "I knew direct attacks would have no effect, but you showed no reaction when being attacked by metal or bullets. When faced with electricity, you seem to have become more agitated. I wonder why. Some kind of trauma perhaps?"

"I'm just getting bored of your unoriginal attacks," Accelerator snapped, but knew that wasn't true. He actually felt a sense of déjà vu that made him slightly sick. The robot shooting electricity reminded him of the Level 6 experiment with the Misaka clones. I'm never going to get over the shit I've done. Nausea welled up from within him after he ripped the machine apart. Watching the broken pieces of electronics scatter on the floor calmed him down slightly, but he was no longer bored, or even slightly amused. He took a step forward toward the fourth one. "I'm going to destroy your toys and then go downstairs to find you."

"Kids these days," the Doctor sighed. "No patience to enjoy the fine art of experimental research. Oh well, one day you will realize the joy, if you survive that long. I have a feeling you make a lot of enemies and someone will find a way to kill you."

"You are…" Accelerator started to say, but stopped when a slightly greenish-yellow gas started shooting out of the last two robots mouths. It was surrounding Accelerator and spreading out to fill the entire warehouse. Gas wasn't directly an issue for Accelerator, his deflection was set up to automatically reflect it, even if he didn't know it was there. The issue occurred when the gas pushed too much oxygen out of the area. Even if the gas wouldn't directly enter his body, the lack of oxygen could cause him to suffocate. There was also the issue of if the gas was flammable, because the robots seemed to self-destruct on defeat, except for the first one for some reason. The fire could easily remove all the oxygen in the building.

Instead, Accelerator manipulated the air in the warehouse and blew it out the entrance he came in, diluting the gas until it was gone. He took a breath and leaped through the air to one of the remaining two robots. He moved his arm in a sweeping motion, causing one of the robots to get sliced in half. He then pushed off on the ground, as the robot exploded, to reach the last one. He reached both of his hands up and grabbed its head. With the unpleasant screeching sound of tearing metal, its head was separated from its body. Accelerator kicked the rest of the machine's body right before it exploded. He glanced around at the floor, covered by smoking electronic parts, and grinned.

"It couldn't even scratch me," he said loudly to the Doctor. He threw the head at the wall where it made a satisfying clang.

"Not yet," he replied, not sounding even the least bit disappointed. "It was about what I expected. I only wanted to see if something I read about you was right."

"Read about me? You mean how unbeatable I am?"

"I believe you know an individual named Amata Kihara?" the Doctor asked. "Well, former individual. You did kill him after all."

"Tsk," Accelerator muttered, clicking his tongue. He hated that name. Amata Kihara had been the lead researcher in examining Accelerator's ability for in the city. Last year, Amata had been trying to kidnap Last Order and kill Accelerator. He actually managed to capture Last Order and implant a virus into her head, before Accelerator showed up. He fought Amata, but his choker ran out of power and he was about to die. It was only because of an unknown power, which he now related to his black wings, that allowed him to survive. He killed Amata while Index saved Last Order form the virus. "What about him?"

"He had a pretty detailed file about your ability," the Doctor replied. "Including your weaknesses, tactics, and habits."

"Bullshit," he snapped. "I don't have weaknesses."

"Denial only leads one to an early grave. Anyway, I could have used your weaknesses against you, but I wanted my machines to start adapting to you. The last two you fought, you actually had to do more than just reflect, didn't you?"

Accelerator didn't say anything, because he didn't want to admit the Doctor had a point. While every pathetic thug who attacked him could use projectiles or melee weapons, many others could use abilities, like shooting lightning. However, trying to suffocate him was a strategy most people wouldn't think of. It took over ten thousand Misaka clones before they thought of that strategy. Either the Doctor lied and programed the machines to use strategies Amata dictated, or the machines were adapting faster than he cared to realize.

"I am going to take your silence as confirmation," the Doctor continued. "Anyway, as payment for your cooperation, feel free to go through the door and down the stairs. You will be pleased to meet one of my associates, but I believe he won't be the one you're looking for." He laughed slightly and the voice disappeared.

"Who the fuck was that?" Accelerator mumbled, as he walked to the door. He had no doubt the area beyond it was trapped, but it didn't faze him. Instead, he realized something else that infuriated him. I bet that guy was just supposed to distract me while the others escaped. If they tried to fight, they wouldn't stand a chance. He kicked the door in frustration, sending it flying off its hinges, and walked in. The door led to a stairwell and he continued underground. There were only dull security lights lighting his way and his footsteps echoed loudly. He came to another heavy set steel door and he kicked it open too.

"Didn't I say this was off limits to you…?" A familiar voice said as Accelerator walked in. "Why Accelerator, it's been awhile. Did you come to meet your demise?"

"I finally found…." He started to say, before looking around. "What the hell is this?!"

"The odds aren't in your favor."

"Whether it is one or a thousand of you," Accelerator snarled. "It won't matter."

"Let's put that theory to the test."

---

I know this is probably impossible, but I can't sit back and do nothing.

Touma had been checking all the places he and Index had run into Hyouka before, but he wasn't having any luck. Misaki was using her network to keep watch around the city, but she wasn't faring any better. Touma knew Hyouka was the one who normally found him and Index. Index had told him several times before if she ever went looking for her, Hyouka would be the one to find her. This time, he was the one who needed to find Hyouka. He had just gotten off the phone with Misaki and was leaning up against a brick wall, trying to think what his next course of action should be.

What is the best way to find her? he thought. Misaki can obviously search a wider area than I can and she's going to contact me immediately if she finds any sign of her. I should try contacting Index again. He had tried to call Index several times, but she never answered. Since Index was completely hopeless with technology, he figured she either had her phone on silent or left it somewhere. The reason he kept trying to contact her, despite the obstacles, was she might be able to find Hyouka for him. While he was hopeful, he was still surprised when she actually picked up.

"Hello," Index said, slightly nervous. "Can you hear me okay? Who is calling?"

"Index, it's me."

"Touma? Is something wrong? You better not be involved in something dangerous again."

"Don't worry Index, I'm not," Touma reassured her. "I'm just trying to contact Kazakiri-san and I was hoping you might know where I could find her."

"I do know," Index said proudly.

"Really?" Touma asked relieved. "Where can I find her?"

"At our dorm room."

"Wait what?" Touma asked, completely bewildered.

"Last Order and I were at the park this afternoon getting ice cream after lunch," Index explained. "When we ran into another girl. Her name is Fremea and she's with us too. She likes the same shows we do, so we hit it off immediately. We were heading back to the dorm when we ran into Hyouka." Her voice suddenly became a whisper. "I think something is bothering her, she was kind of hesitant coming with us. Try to keep her reassured or she might disappear again."

"I think I know what's bothering her," Touma told her. "Can you put her on?"

"One minute," Index said. Touma waited, slightly anxiously, as he heard several girls in the background. He heard Last Order's unique way of talking and a girl he didn't recognize. That must be Fremea, but did she just say nyaa? When the phone finally reached someone else, it turned out not to be Hyouka.

"Hey Kamijou," Lessar's voice came through loudly. "Good, I need to ask you a quick question."

"Okay," Touma sighed, knowing if he refused to answer Lessar would just delay more. It would be a lot easier to answer her and move on. "Make it fast, I really need to talk to Kazakiri -san."

"Do you prefer chocolate or honey?"

"What?"

"Do… you… prefer…"

"I heard you the first time," he interrupted. "I was just surprised. In what context?"

"Just overall."

"Chocolate I guess. Now can you please put her on?"

"Okay," Lessar said happily and Touma felt like he was going to regret his answer later but, for now, there were more pressing concerns. There was a short pause before Touma finally heard Hyouka's voice.

"Hello," she said, sounding nervous.

"Thank god I found you," Touma sighed and took a deep breath. "Kazakiri-san, I know about the organization that's after you."

"What?!" she gasped. "Umm, please hold on a moment." There was silence and Touma thought she must be moving away from the other girls, because he could no longer hear them in the background. "If you know, then you realize why I can't see you two anymore. Do you think you can tell Index for me?"

"No," Touma said firmly.

"But…" Hyouka tried to say.

"Listen," Touma said firmly. "Regardless of who comes after you, regardless of who we have to stand up against, Index and I are your friends. We will always be your friends. If you are in trouble, all you have to do is say so and we will do everything we can to help."

"Those guys don't appear normal," Hyouka said, sounding like she was holding back tears. "If you try to protect me, you will just get hurt. I only came to tell Index we wouldn't be able to see each other again, but I got too involved. I have so much fun when I'm with her, but I'm sick of others getting hurt over me. I don't want what happened before with that one lady to happen again. So many people were hurt and I was left unharmed. Index has been such a great friend to me, and so have you. If anything happens to either of you, I could never forgive myself. I'm not even human and you two still call yourselves my friends."

Touma waited patiently while she ranted before continuing. "I told you before not to think that way. Even if you aren't made of flesh and blood, you still have thoughts and feelings. You are one of the kindest individuals I have ever met, even helping me save countless lives. So, even if you reject my help, I'm still going to give it to you. If they think they can kidnap or hurt you, I'm going to shatter their illusions." He heard Hyouka sniff.

"Thank you," she said softly.

"You know," Touma added. "Index and I have several friends who also volunteered to protect you if the time comes, even after finding out about you. They don't care either. To them, you are someone who is in trouble and needs help. When all of this is over, I hope you get a chance to meet them."

"I would like that," Hyouka replied truthfully.

"Go and have fun with Index and the others," Touma told her. "Contact me if you run into trouble and I'll rush over to help you."

"Okay," Hyouka said and Touma could hear the happiness in her voice. They hung up and Touma sighed in relief.

At least she's safe for now with Index. Plus, Lessar's there and she is reliable. He looked down at his phone. Oh, I should let Misaki know I found her. There's no reason for her to keep looking. He texted her a quick explanation and looked up at the sky. He just realized how tired he was. With the anti-crime game, Eve's arrival, and running around the city looking for Hyouka, it had been a long day. He was debating heading back to his dorm to lay down, but with five girls there, he probably wasn't going to get any rest. He yawned, and suddenly stopped. Something strange in the distance caused him to freeze.

Clouds in the sky started to spiral over a building in the distance. Their color was changing from grey to a blood red and lightning crackled in the sky. For a wild moment, he thought Mikoto was going all out, but he knew better. She can't change the color of clouds and lightning. The clouds spun faster before a red light descended upon the earth, like an orbital bombardment. Smoke and dust rose in the distance and Touma felt his blood freeze. He recognized that attack from so long ago, back when he met an alchemist and first learned about vampires.

That's a Gregorian Chant, but the Catholic Church isn't here right? Could they have sent someone to assassinate Eve? It was supposed to take thousands of people chanting an incantation to be able to cast that spell.

He didn't need to think twice. He stood up and ran down the street toward the source of the explosion. He was going to investigate and make sure no one was hurt. The only magicians powerful enough, that he knew were the city, to cast that would be someone in Eve's group. Please don't let any of my friends be hurt.

---

Feel free to leave a review, comment, suggestions, or ideas, I love reading them. If you have a question you wish I ask and would like a quick answer, feel free to message me directly. I try to respond to those within a day or two. Comments, I tend to respond to in the next chapter.

So, people were very adamant about Frenda not dying. It was one thing in the novels, where she had a limited role, but now she actually has a purpose. You all can be happy. I actually want to address something one person stared in the comments for last chapter. It reminded me of something interesting I discussed with a couple other people.

Agent Nine, you hit an important point in the story. When Touma tries to handle everything himself, he gets sent to the hospital a lot more. In my story, that route is a lot harder with most of the girls knowing about magic and the stuff he gets involved with. So with help, he gets hurt a lot less, but there is a downside with this now. It's more mentally taxing, because now he's always worried about his friends getting hurt when dealing with magicians. While they have experience dealing with magic, they still don't truly understand it. This will become an important point later on.

Shizuri: What the hell! Why are we reading about the brats? Everyone wants to see me.

Me: Well, I wanted to get them out of the way…. Your fight is going to be amazing and a lot longer than the others.

Shizuri: I think you just don't want to die.

Me…

Frenda: YAY, I survived!

Misaki: Hmm, I didn't get any screen time this chapter.

Mikoto: Eh, your fights aren't exciting.

Misaki: Just because my battles are more mentally taxing than flashing explosions everywhere, doesn't mean they are boring.

Ruiko: So Uiharu, you actually did something really important this chapter. Great job. I wish I could do something. I haven't done anything since England.

Kazari: Don't worry. You will get your chance to shine.

Mikoto: I was wondering, why do you never let Touma do the opening comments?

Me: Because I don't want every reader to ask the same question, "Which girl do you prefer" and all the variations of it.

Mikoto: …

Misaki: …

Shizuri: …

Frenda: …

Ruiko: …

Lessar: …

Index: …

Aisa: …

Seria: …

Itsuwa: …

Kanzaki: …

All other girls in the world: …

Me: Umm, I don't like the way you are looking at me. AHHHH!

(Silence)

Accelerator: Okay hero, you can come out now.

Touma: Thank god, when he said that, I know it wasn't going to end well. You think the author will live?

Accelerator: Who cares? Just get on with it.

Touma: Ok yea. Next week he's planning to have Frenda and Saiai do opening announcements.

Last Order: Aww, MISAKA wants to do the announcements again, but this time alone MISAKA sighs as MISAKA indicates her desire.

Accelerator: No.

Misaka Imouto: Misaka could accompany the superior model, Misaka offers.

Accelerator: No.