It was almost funny, how everything always seemed to fall apart right before the finish line. It was like there was someone watching, some mischievous deity that would dangle success in front of his face like a carrot, only to snatch it away at the last second and laugh as he fell face first into the mud.
No matter how meticulously he planned or how tightly he kept things under control there was always something to throw a wrench into his projects. It had been the story of his entire career really, and as far as he was concerned it was the reason he had been doomed to obscurity rather than rising to become one of Academy City's elite.
Things just never seemed to go his way, and unfortunately this time it looked like it might cost him far more than just a little capital.
One chance. He'd been given one more chance to make something spectacular, to really show Academy City that he was worth notice, and now it was all falling apart because his best researcher was acting more like a child with a shiny new toy than a professional.
The Director ground his teeth together as he stormed through the halls towards Corrin's office. The man was a menace, to be sure, but his mind was worth its weight in gold. He had seen firsthand the results the man could achieve as long as he was focused. He was utterly obsessive, and completely devoted to his work. That was the kind of drive he had needed, and the whole reason he had bothered to approach the man in the first place. Unfortunately, it was starting to look like the very same quality that made him such a genius in the lab was now going to ruin everything for them.
"Corrin!" he roared, slamming the door open hard enough to leave a dent in the wall. "You had better have a damn good explanation for this!"
Across the room the man in question stood gazing out at the roiling clouds - through windows that he had been expressly forbidden from opening, the Director noted sourly - glass in hand and looking for all the world like a man who had been given front row tickets to the theater.
"Why, my good Director, how nice of you to join me." He turned and smiled. "Really, you're just in time."
"Oh?" he replied, storming into the room. "And what am I just in time for, Corrin? Because it seems to me I might be just in time to see my career get burned to ashes by my prized test subject!"
Corrin laughed and the hairs on the director's neck stood on end. "No need to be so dramatic. It's true that our little firecracker is throwing a bit of a tantrum, but I assure you that everything is going according to plan."
"According to plan?" He jabbed a finger towards the window, blood thundering in his ears as he tried to restrain his rage. "What part of that is according to plan, Corrin? Please, explain. Is it the part where Misaka Mikoto just decimated an armed Anti-Skill response team? Or perhaps it's the part where her power is going completely out of control? No, wait, it must be the part where she is now heading this way!"
"Actually, yes to all of that. This is precisely what I was hoping would happen, though I will admit things are proceeding rather more quickly than I had anticipated. If anything, we're ahead of schedule."
"Ahead of- dammit, Corrin! Don't you realize what you've done? All of the data we've gathered up until now could be useless! You let our test subject out into an uncontrolled environment before the experiment was completed!"
"Oh, is that what you're worried about?" Corrin let out a bark of laughter. "I'm sorry, I had forgotten just how simple your ambitions were, Director."
Keeping his anger in check was becoming more and more of a challenge as the conversation went on. Didn't the man see what he had done? Forget the fact that Misaka was now on her way back to the facility and angry as a hornet; forget the fact that she had already destroyed the closest thing they were likely to get to a defensive unit; forget even that once she got here they would have no way to stop her - Corrin might have just ruined everything, even if none of that mattered.
No matter what they managed to find, if the results were not reproducible then there was no way they'd be able to market it to anyone. Even Academy City, a place that allowed most rules to be bent and others to be broken entirely, had certain standards that had to be met, and letting a test subject out into an uncontrolled and unmonitored environment in the middle of an experiment was just bad science.
"I hired you," he began once he managed to get his voice level, "to help us develop a marketable version of the Level Upper based off of Misaka's AIM field. I did not hire you so that you could ruin my plans and carry out your own experiments behind my back!"
"And what good would such a thing be?" Corrin asked with a derisive snort. "I never had any interest in something so pedestrian from the start."
"You fool, it would be worth millions! Maybe even more! It could completely reshape the face of Academy City, and you would have been part of it! Now we're going to be left with nothing, and probably wind up dead or in prison!"
"And so what? Really, I thought you were a man of science." Corrin's grin turned contemptuous and for the first time he felt a flicker of unease. "But I guess you're really just another man that cares for nothing but the bottom line. You're more of a businessman than a scientist."
Lightning flashed in the dark clouds outside as the storm drew ever closer. The clap of thunder that followed rattled the windows and sweat broke out on the Director's brow as Corrin's smile widened and a mad light flickered in his eyes.
"No real ambition, no sense of scale or even any idea of the true scope of our work, of my work. This is much bigger than some simple little money grubbing scheme cooked up by a man with more luck than sense. No, Misaka-san has the ability to lead us to something far greater than that."
"And just what," the Director asked, his mouth dry, "is that supposed to mean?"
With a sigh Corrin pinched the bridge of his nose. "You are much slower than I was expecting, Director. I suppose that's not too surprising though. Money is your primary motivation, and people will always lean towards whichever explanation falls in line with their expectations. Had you been paying the slightest bit of attention, you might have realized before now that I was never interested in helping you create some product to be sold. Your petty greed is so insignificant to me as to be beneath notice."
His words were dripping with condescension and contempt, and the Director felt his anger building again. Just who did this man think he was? He had been working on civil engineering projects when he'd tracked him down, for God's sake! Hardly the kind of thing a man who spoke in such grandiose tones would be expected to subject himself to. He was just a grunt, useful for his brain and nothing more.
But even through his anger the Director felt something else, something that held his tongue. Fear. Not fear of failure, or even of the approaching Level 5, but fear of the man standing in front of him. He really didn't know anything about him, did he? In a sense Corrin was right; he'd been perfectly happy to believe he was the obedient lackey. Even when given reason to suspect otherwise he had looked the other way. He'd been satisfied that things were proceeding as planned.
It had never occurred to him before now to ask just whose plan it was.
Corrin seemed not to notice his growing panic, and instead continued speaking, his voice growing more manic with every word.
"When you came to me I thought you might understand what I wanted to do, that you might embrace the true possibilities of working with a Level 5." He heaved a dramatic sigh and shook his head, and the Director got the impression he was enjoying the theatrics of his little speech. "Unfortunately you turned out to be an immense disappointment."
"I'm terribly sorry you feel that way," he replied, unable to keep the sneer out of his voice. "You'll be happy to know then that I'm terminating our working relationship."
"Quite." An amused smile played on Corrin's face, and the Director bit his tongue to keep himself from screaming at the man.
Corrin walked slowly to his desk and opened one of the drawers, rifling around in it while the windows shuddered again. The storm was nearly on top of them now; Misaka would be arriving soon.
"I'm afraid though that I'm not quite finished here. Misaka-san was all I was ever really interested in anyway, and once I knew just what she was capable of I was determined to bring it out, even if it costs her her sanity." He glanced out the window at the sky, black as pitch, and chuckled. "It seems like it might have, doesn't it?"
"Just what are you planning?"
"It's very simple really," Corrin replied, searching another drawer. "Your idea was… acceptable, but far too limited. I intend to use Misaka-san's AIM field to advance the growth of every esper in Academy City. All at the same time."
The Director's blood ran cold as the scenario played out in his head. A few espers here and there was nothing, just the cost of doing business, and if a few bystanders got hurt in the process then so be it. But what Corrin was talking about was something else entirely. If every esper in the city suffered a power spike and a loss of control at the same time…
They'd be lucky if there was anything left standing.
"You're insane."
"Is that the best you could come up with? Really, it's like you pulled that line straight from the book of cliches. Which I suppose is itself a cliche- ah! Here we are."
It happened in an instant. Corrin stood from where he had been rooting around in his desk and there was a loud popping sound, accompanied by a sharp pain in his stomach. For a moment the Director could only stare in mute horror at the gun Corrin was holding, before his eyes drifted down to his stomach where a dark patch of red was spreading across his shirt.
He collapsed to the floor with a muffled scream, the pain hitting him all at once and taking his breath away. He clutched the wound and desperately tried to claw his way towards the door. His legs failed him when he tried to stand and his mouth opened and closed wordlessly as he tried to speak.
"It would have been nice if you could have seen it, Director." The sound of footsteps reached him as though through a long tunnel, and he turned his head to see Corrin standing over him, a smile on his face. "I'm sure it will be a sight to behold. A competition of survival between the most highly evolved specimens the human race has to offer. When the dust settles, who knows what will be left?"
Corrin nudged him with his foot and the Director moaned, rolling over onto his back. It was so cold all of a sudden, and the storm so distant. Had it passed already?
"Everything is in place, and soon not even Misaka-san herself will be able to stop it."
His vision began to fade and he gasped for air. It was like breathing through a straw, and more and more of the world grew dark.
"I truly cannot wait for her to get here. I've been waiting for this moment for so very long."
"Heavy damage sustained at entrance A. Facility unable to continue sustained functionality and now operating at 60% power. All personal please evacuate through the emergency exits located in Zones B through F and basement levels A1…"
Red lights flashed and warning sirens blared as the voice calmly continued the evacuation instructions. Everywhere she looked her fellow researchers were scrambling around like ants, grabbing whatever files they could get their hands on and screaming at one another in an attempt to salvage what they could.
Another boom echoed through the facility and Tomoe flinched. The soothing voice crackled over the speakers, cutting off for a moment as the lights flickered and and the backup generators kicked in.
"Facility now running on backup power. Evacuation of all personnel is mandatory. Please evacuate through the emergency exits…"
She tuned out the voice and pushed her way past a squabbling pair that she vaguely recognized and out into the hall. Dust and smoke already filled the corridor, stinging her eyes and irritating her nose and throat. She pulled her sleeve over her face, hoping to block out some of the irritants and crouched low, pushing her way through the people rushing towards the exits, papers fluttering in their wake.
The nearest exit would have been Zone E, in the opposite direction. But she wasn't trying to leave. She pushed her way through the panicked throngs, attempting to make her way towards the entrance. Another boom, louder this time, and the whole building seemed to rock on its foundations.
It seemed like Misaka-san was every bit as upset as she had feared.
The call from Misaka-san's friend played itself over and over again in her head as she pushed through the smoke towards the entrance. Anti-Skill would almost surely have been there because of the disturbance Misaka-san had caused, and if she was here now then that meant that either they hadn't found her, or that they had attempted to stop her.
What exactly had happened she couldn't imagine, but whatever it was couldn't have been good. Misaka-san had been unstable enough when she left; whatever had turned her around with enough fury that she was actively trying to bring the facility down on their heads couldn't be good.
The hallways thinned out and soon even the lights were dead. She was getting close. The smoke was thicker, and she was starting to encounter debris, but she pushed forward. She had played a part in this, perhaps as much as Corrin or the Director, and it was her responsibility to make it right, even if that meant facing one of the most dangerous people alive.
A cloud of dust and smoke engulfed her, hot and close like an ashen blanket, and she coughed. It invaded her nostrils and pricked at her eyes, a living fog of black nettles trying to choke her. Several times she nearly tripped over the ever-increasing piles of shredded plaster and twisted metal. The scientist in her marvelled at the destructive potential of a person who was by all appearances an ordinary fourteen year-old girl. But Misaka-san was far from ordinary, and if the reports were accurate, this was not even close to everything she was capable of.
At last she pushed through the cloud and burst, coughing, out into the evening air. Immediately she could feel the tension building around her, the buzzing feeling raising the hair on her neck and sucking the air from her lungs. She was hot, and suddenly lightheaded. She must have inhaled more smoke than she realized.
A sudden crack alerted her to the presence of another, and Tomoe's eyes widened when she caught sight of Misaka-san. She stood not ten meters away, arms outstretched towards the ruined face of the facility. The shriek of twisting metal, like the dying cry of a massive beast, rent the air and sent shivers down her spine. The corner of the building crumbled, billowing dust, and another explosion sounded as one of the gas lines was ruptured and set aflame.
Fire hissed like an angry snake, shooting from the pipes, and even at a distance she could feel the heat from the flames. She squinted, shielding her face and taking a step toward Misaka-san.
She was taking a terrible risk. The expression on Misaka-san's face was hard and determined, and she could practically feel the rage radiating off of the girl. Tomoe had the sneaking suspicion she knew what might have happened, but she didn't dare think it. She wouldn't do that until she knew for sure what was going on.
First, she had to approach Misaka-san without the girl turning her into a lightning rod – something she wasn't at all sure she could accomplish given the Level 5's current state of mind.
It would have been much safer, much smarter probably, to simply flee with the others. She wasn't an esper. She had no special powers, no ace up her sleeve that would allow her to stop Misaka-san if things went poorly. Really, she should be running right now, instead of approaching the girl.
But she couldn't. On some level, she felt they deserved this. They'd toyed with the girl, pushed her and pulled her, and now this was the result. Whatever Misaka-san had planned for Corrin and the Director, they had it coming. And so did she. Her inaction was just as damaging, maybe even more so, than what they had done. She had known, known, that what they were doing couldn't be good for the girl, and yet she had done nothing but give half-assed warnings and feeble advice.
It was time that stopped, even if it cost her everything in the process.
She staggered forward until her foot caught on something and she fell with a cry, scraping the palms of her hands in the process. A hiss escaped her lips. Little bits of plaster and concrete were digging into her hands, stinging, and she could feel hot blood leaking from her palms.
"Kamui-sensei?"
Tomoe's head snapped up and she found herself suddenly locking eyes with Misaka-san. There was confusion in the younger girl's gaze, but also wariness. The realization that Misaka-san wasn't sure if she could trust her made her feel even worse, and she sighed heavily as she pushed herself to her feet., wiping her hands on her already filthy lab coat and noting the red streaks she left behind.
"Misaka-san." Tomoe was suddenly acutely aware that she had no idea what she should say. She had been entirely focused on getting to the girl, to putting a stop to all of this. She hadn't spared a thought for what she would do once she found her or how to go about making things right.
For a moment it looked as though Misaka-san might lash out at her. The distrust in her eyes was like a knife in her gut, and Tomoe had to keep reminding herself that she deserved this.
"What are you doing here, Kamui-sensei?" The lightning that coiled around Misaka-san died down slightly and she lowered her arms. No, that wasn't quite right, she realized, looking more closely. Lightning was no longer leaping off of her body, but it was still very much there, wrapping her like a cocoon. "You should evacuate. Isn't that the standard procedure when one of these places suffers an outside attack?"
"Well... yes, actually. Most of the staff are trying to evacuate right now but–"
"Then you should go." Misaka-san raised her hand; a burst of light slammed into the side of the building and something within creaked ominously. Tomoe's head snapped around and her eyes widened in horror as the entirety of the East wing, where she had just come from, began to buckle and twist, the concrete shell crumbling away in giant sections as the metal frame of the building was twisted and pulled like chicken wire. She cast her eyes back through the gloom, cold tendrils tightening around her heart. There was no way everyone had made it out yet.
"Misaka-san, wait!" she cried out, dashing forward. "You need to stop!"
"Stop?" The girl turned a glare on her and Tomoe shivered. "Why should I? You people tricked me. You used me. You treated me like some kind of toy! Why should I listen to you?"
She took a shaky breath and sent another blast of electricity tearing through the side of the building, crackling fingers of blinding blue light leaving molten rivers of metal and concrete in their wake. The structure shrieked as though in pain and the walls began to cave, the red-hot supports unable to hold the weight of the walls.
"I almost killed one of my best friends, and it's all because of what you people did to me."
Tomoe's heart dropped into her stomach. That girl on the phone… so she really had found Misaka-san.
Misaka-san's shoulders were shaking, though from emotion or exertion Tomoe couldn't tell. She was in an even worse state than when she had left the facility, and judging from the tiny trails of blood leaking down her forehead and arm, it looked like she had managed to reopen some of her healing wounds.
"Misaka-san, please. I understand how angry you must be right now but-"
"Oh?" Misaka-san interrupted, a dark glint in her eyes. "What do you think you understand, Kamui-san."
A lump formed in her throat as the pressure in the air built. It was like being back in the cloud of smoke and ash and for a moment she couldn't breathe. One wrong step, one more misplaced word, and Misaka-san would lash out, she could feel it.
"I-I'm sorry." She licked her lips, acutely aware of her sudden lack of saliva. Her throat felt dry, like paper. It felt as though any attempt to speak would tear it, but she forced herself to anyway.
"You're right, I don't understand. But you have to stop this. I'm sorry about your friend. I really, truly am. This isn't the way to fix this though. Maybe Corrin and the Director deserve it. Maybe I do, too. But there are plenty of people here that never meant to hurt you! They were wrong not to see what was happening, but answering their ignorance with violence won't fix anything!"
The lightning gathering in the air faltered, and Tomoe saw a hint of uncertainty in Misaka-san's eyes. As much as she might not have wanted to admit it - no, as incapable as she was of even realizing it herself, Misaka-san needed help right now, and after everything she had done, had let happen to the girl, Tomoe had to do what she could.
"Listen, Misaka-san." She took a step forward, holding her hands in front of her. The electricity that was crackling along Misaka-san's frame receded as she approached, but still the girl didn't speak.
"I know you're upset. I know you have every right to be. I know we've hurt you, and deserve to be punished. But please, understand that you won't feel any better if you keep doing this. No one will be better off if you try to fix it like this."
The storm swirling around the girl had all but died down now and Tomoe stood only a few paces away. This close, she could see just how battered Misaka-san looked. Had it been that bad when she left?
"I don't…" Misaka-san paused, licking her lips. "I don't know what else to do. I can't let this go. I can't."
"I know." Tomoe tried to keep her voice soothing despite how nervous she was. It was one thing to know, intellectually, what Misaka-san was capable of. It was quite another to see it close up.
But she couldn't stop now. She couldn't let her fear prevent her from doing what needed to be done. Not anymore. She had stood by and watched while Misaka-san was tortured and pushed. She wouldn't falter now, even if Misaka-san did decide to strike her down.
She took a deep breath and pushed onward. "I know, and I'm not asking you to let it go. I just… don't want you to do it this way."
"Then what am I supposed to do?" Static charged the air and the scent of ozone assaulted her nostrils. It was as if Misaka-san's frustration was seeping into the air itself. "I have to do something!"
"Then come with me."
The words came out before Tomoe even knew what she was saying, and Misaka-san's brows scrunched together as she frowned.
"Go with you? To do what?"
"We can…" She hesitated, wondering what exactly she was trying to say. "We can find Corrin, and the Director. They do need to pay for what they've done to you. This is wrong, and I'm willing to accept my punishment too. We'll find them, and then you can turn the three of us in to Anti-Skill."
That seemed to give Misaka-san pause. Tomoe was almost surprised by her own words. Was that really the right thing to do? The thought of actually turning herself in was far from comforting but… it was the only way, wasn't it? The only way to stop Misaka-san, and to make sure everyone involved got what justice they could.
"Why? Why would you do that?"
Misaka-san's voice was low, uncertain, and Tomoe nodded, her determination hardening.
"Because this needs to stop, and I'm not going to run away from my part in it." She smiled, a small, sad smile. "I know I don't know you very well, Misaka-san. I've only really known you for the last few months, and even then we haven't exchanged very many words. I don't know what you wanted to accomplish when you came to us, but I know this can't have been what you wanted."
The storm clouds overhead seemed to still, an extension of the girl standing in front of her, and finally her shoulders sagged and she let out a sigh. The pressure that had been building in the air seemed to dissipate somewhat, and for the first time she noticed just how exhausted Misaka-san looked. In that moment she looked nothing like the Level 5 that had moments ago been tearing the building to pieces. She just looked like a tired fourteen year old girl.
"I just… I'm tired of this. I'm so sick of being manipulated and twisted around by everyone in this city. I just want it to stop."
Tomoe's throat tightened, and she had to stop herself from reaching out for the girl. For all her power, she was still just child. She was a child that was hurting, and lashing out, trying to fix this in the only way she knew how. Maybe she wasn't the ideal choice, but Tomoe couldn't help but feel it was her responsibility to try and guide her.
"You can make that happen, Misaka-san." Tomoe's voice was soft, as soothing as she could make it. "I can help you make this right. You just have to trust me. I know that's asking a lot, after all this, but this will work. Just come with me and we'll put an end to this, peacefully this time. Let's just try this my way, okay?"
Silence stretched between them for several moments before at last Misaka-san nodded and Tomoe let out a breath.
"Yeah, okay. We'll try it your way."
With slow, measured steps Misaka-san made her way through the rubble towards the ruined entrance. She wasn't limping anymore, but Tomoe could still see the fatigue in each step. Something told her Misaka-san wouldn't respond well if she tried to help her though, so she simply fell into step beside the girl, a small glimmer of hope sparking in her chest.
"If he tries to run, I'm taking him down."
Misaka-san's final threat hanging heavy in the air, and without another word they pushed into the smoke.
"Yeah, no, fuck that."
Another boom echoed through the alley and Shou ducked behind the wall before the psycho currently ripping the walls off of his employer's facility could notice him. There was a crunching sound and a cloud of dust billowed past the entrance to the alley and he pulled back.
Youko was leaning heavily against the wall, loose locks of hair plastered to her head with sweat. Her breathing was short and ragged, and her face had lost almost all color.
"Shit." Shou ran a hand through his hair, twisting it in his fingers and pulling a few stray strands out. "Okay, we need to get you to the closest safe house and hope that's good enough. We're just gonna have to hope this whole mess buys us some time before Anti-Skill starts looking for us."
His gut twisted painfully as he pulled Youko's arm over his shoulder. She was cold, her skin slick with sweat, and she felt like dead weight. Standing was about as much as she seemed capable of at the moment.
"We should… try to…"
"No, look. I'll make the decisions for now, you just rest. I'm supposed to be the responsible one anyway, so let me try for once."
Youko snorted but said nothing, and he took that as a good sign. At least she was still there enough to scoff at the idea of him being responsible. That was something, at least. But her condition was getting worse by the minute, and he honestly didn't know what was wrong with her. That was the most terrifying part. Using her ability sometimes took a lot out of her, sure, but she'd never reacted like this before.
He grunted, slipping an arm around her waist and hobbling in the opposite direction of the sounds of demolition. Maybe it was the repeated uses. As far as he knew, she normally had at least a few days to recover from using her ability, and now she'd used it three times in as many days. The strain had to be brutal, but as long as he could get her to a bed and some medicine she would be fine.
At least, that's what he had to keep telling himself.
Youko knew her own limits, of that he was sure, but… well, she was a stubborn girl, and circumstances hadn't been ideal. Maybe this time she'd pushed a little too far.
They hadn't made it more than a block before Youko stumbled, nearly dragging them both to the ground. She mumbled an apology and pushed herself back to her feet without another word, and Shou felt a stab of self loathing as they kept walking through poorly illuminated alleys.
None of this should have been happening, really. If he was a better provider, she wouldn't have had to sell her skills like this. She wouldn't be on the verge of collapse and they wouldn't be worried about Anti-Skill busting down their door.
Youko had never liked hurting people. The fact that she'd gone along with this idea in the first place had surprised him a little when he'd presented it to her. Neither of them had really expected it to escalate to the degree that it had, but that wasn't really the reason she'd agreed, was it? Probably, she had known how dire their situation was, even then. He hadn't told her anything until after they'd signed on, but looking back there was no way she hadn't known.
He'd been an idiot.
Well, no surprise there, he thought bitterly. Hopefully now they'd be able to find something else, something that wouldn't put such a strain on her. All she really wanted was to go to school and enjoy her high school life. She had said that back when they were younger, before she started hiding herself away behind that mask of indifference. It was his fault that she couldn't live the life she wanted, and he felt like shit for it.
With a heavy sigh he readjusted his grip on her and guided her back the way they'd come. Well, no point dwelling on that now, really. It wasn't really his style to regret, and it wouldn't do Youko any good anyway. Once they got out of this he could have a good, long sulk if that's what he needed, but for now he needed to make sure they got out of this mess.
Another boom echoed behind them, louder than the others.
"Shit, she's really going to town on that place." He chuckled, but picked up the pace. If that was who he thought it was, then the last thing he wanted was to get caught. If she was willing to go that far to take down the facility, she sure as hell would have more than a few choice words for them, and he wasn't at all interested in finding out what she might do.
"'Halt,' Misaka demands as she makes her presence known."
"Whoa!" Shou's heart nearly leapt out of his chest and he stumbled back, nearly bringing both himself and Youko to the ground. Youko grunted and staggered, keeping herself upright even as Shou twisted towards the source of the voice, adrenaline already pumping through his body.
"'There is no need for alarm, but this MISAKA insists that you make no attempts to escape,' Misaka says, attempting to convey her seriousness through a glare."
The speaker was a girl, younger in appearance than Youko, and with a set of strange goggles perched upon her head. She looked familiar, but before he could place her face she stepped forward and Shou noticed the rather large weapon she held in her hands. Christ, where did a girl her age get hardware like that? Not only that, but she had snuck up on them without him even noticing; just where the hell had she come from?
"We will make no such attempts." Youko had drawn herself up, no longer leaning on Shou and fixing her face in its usual neutral expression. It was a valiant effort, but her frame quivered slightly with just the effort it took to stand.
"'Good,' Misaka says, hoping she will not have to do anything to further convince her quarry."
The girl's voice was strange, hollow almost, and the way she spoke was testing his already frayed nerves.
"So? What the hell do you want?"
The wisdom of snapping at someone holding a gun on him was probably questionable, but he'd had enough. He was on his last nerve as it was, and this was doing the opposite of helping.
"'You have been identified as complicit in the recent series of events with an as yet unknown relation to Onee-sama,' Misaka says, her posture saying that she is all business."
"Onee-sama? What the fuck are you talking about?"
The girl took a step forward, and Shou took his eyes off the gun long enough to get a better look at her face. When he did he almost did a doubletake. The hell? Wasn't she back at the facility? Sweat formed on his brow and he bit back a curse. He wasn't sure how she'd managed to sneak up on them or why she was bothering with the damned gun when she could just blast them into oblivion, but-
"Not her."
He blinked, suddenly aware that Youko was tugging on his sleeve. "What?"
"Not her. A copy."
"'That is correct,' Misaka replies, wondering how she was discovered but dismissing it as irrelevant. 'This MISAKA is a clone of Onee-sama. However, she is still a formidable opponent, and suggests that you comply with her instructions.'"
Shou grit his teeth. Shit. Shit shit shit! They were cornered. For a brief instant he met Youko's eyes and the bottom dropped out of his stomach. There was only one way out of this, and he hated that he had to rely on Youko again.
"Alright. Alright, you got us." He let out a defeated sigh. "Can you lower the damn gun, at least? I'm a little worried you might have an itchy trigger finger, girl."
They wouldn't have much time. In her current condition, he didn't know how much of an effect Youko would be able to have on the girl. If it didn't incapacitate her completely, he'd have to try to get the gun away from her.
"'This MISAKA will not,' Misaka says, narrowing her eyes in suspicion. 'The Network has extensive experience with stalling tactics to be used against opponents in a superior position. In your position, the Network would attempt to stall for time until a tactic could be formulated, or retreat if one could not. As you have not attempted a retreat, this MISAKA suspects that you are attempting to formulate a plan of action.'"
Damnit! They were found out. "Youko!"
Even exhausted as she was Youko wasted no time. Even Shou could feel the tingle as something passed over his skin and closed in on their would be captor.
'Please work. Come on, come on!'
The girl stumbled as Youko brought her power to bear and Shou leapt forward. There was no time to think - he had to get that gun and-
"'Do not move,' Misaka warns, narrowing her eyes to show that she is angry."
He froze, inches away from the girl, the barrel of the gun pressed to his chin and the girl staring at him with the same impassive eyes as before. Behind him, he heard Youko cry out, followed by the sound of her body slumping to the ground.
"Youko! Dammit, what did you do to her?!" It took every ounce of his self control not to reach out and grab the girl by the collar. That seemed like a very good way to get turned into swiss cheese.
"'This MISAKA has done nothing. She has simply suffered a backlash from a failed AIM imprinting,' Misaka assures, noting the unusual ability."
"Backlash?" He hadn't even known such a thing was possible, but it would explain Youko's condition if there was more at play than just fatigue.
"'This explains the signals the Network has detected throughout the city over the past three months,' Misaka says to herself, ignoring the question as the answer is obvious. 'However, it would not work on this MISAKA because Onee-sama's AIM field only differs from this MISAKA's in magnitude. The effect can be dissipated across the Network, and as such your friend's ability is useless against her."
Shou slumped to the ground, the defeated sigh that escaped his lips not an act this time. Well, there went their last hope at getting out of this. What a monumental fuckup.
He heard the click of the gun and looked up to see the barrel leveled at his face.
"'Now, this MISAKA has questions, and you will answer them,' Misaka says, making it clear she will not tolerate anything but complete cooperation."
Shou could only nod.
It had only been a few hours at most since the last time she had been in the facility, but it felt like a completely different place. Smoke hugged the ceiling and the lights were dark, the only illumination the mellow glow of the emergency lights lining the walkway. The floor was littered with broken tiles and wires dangled from the ceiling, the building's guts spilling out in its death throes.
Behind her, the occasional creak or groan echoed down the hall. The damage she had done before Kamui had managed to calm her was probably still going to be enough to ruin the building. She could smell the acrid scent of a slow burning fire, the blazes started when she'd ravaged the entrance still going. They would eat the inside of the building out like a disease, and sooner or later it would fail.
She felt nothing when she thought of that though, not even relief. She had experienced nothing but pain here, but still the thought of turning it to dust, of atomizing it one square foot at a time, brought her no pleasure. It needed to be done, that was all.
Despite the imminent danger and the potential for her prey to flee, Mikoto felt no sense of urgency. There was a course laid out before her now, and she would follow it. The building's inevitable collapse would not stop her. If Corrin and the Director decided to flee it would not stop her. She would follow them until they had been brought to justice, whether at her hands or Anti-Skill's.
She spared a glance at the woman walking beside her and her stomach twisted painfully. Could she really trust Kamui? She had been a part of all this, from the very beginning. She had been one of the chief players in her latest nightmare, and had gone so far as to admit it.
But Mikoto was so tired. All she wanted now was for this to be over, to put this chapter of her life behind her and to beg her friends' forgiveness. Kamui had offered her a way out, and desperate as she was, Mikoto had grasped for it.
"Where are we going?" she asked, breaking the unnatural silence. The facility was far too quiet without the distant hum of machinery and the bustling scientists, and it was setting her on edge.
"Corrin's office first. He's more unpredictable than the Director, so I think it's best if we get to him as soon as possible."
Mikoto glanced at Kamui out of the corner of her eye. Her face was a mix of uncertainty and apprehension hidden behind forced confidence. It was an expression Mikoto was all too familiar with.
"I'm a little worried about what he might do, so be on guard, Misaka-san."
"Don't worry." Mikoto's voice was hard as steel and she pictured the man's grinning face in her mind. "I'm perfectly willing to take him by force, if that's what it takes."
Kamui fell silent at that, simply nodding in response, and they turned up a set of stairs.
"Be careful. His office is on the third floor, so we'll need to go up and I'm not sure how stable this place is."
"How come you're so sure he's even still here?" It didn't really make sense to her. Corrin had struck her as cautious man, for all that he seemed to enjoy making her suffer. The idea that he would stay in the facility when he almost certainly knew she was here for him seemed rather ridiculous.
"Oh, I'm pretty certain he will be." Her face twisted in an expression of disgust that seemed out of place on her normally kind face, and Mikoto couldn't help but wonder if she had missed something. "He's just the kind of obsessed maniac that would want to stick around to see the results of his experiment first hand. I'm sure he's somewhere with a good view, and that probably means his office."
She peeked around the top of the stairs and ushered Mikoto around the corner into an unfamiliar hallway. Mikoto had never been this high up in the facility before. The labs and test chambers were all in the underground levels, spread around in a maze of rooms that extended much further than the surface structure would suggest. Kamui's office was on the main floor, so there had never been any reason for her to go up.
"If he's not there, then the only other place I can think of he might be is down in the labs, and I don't know if I want to go down there. This place wasn't really designed to withstand the kind of punishment you dealt it, so those levels might already have caved in. Even if they haven't I don't want to risk us getting buried alive."
Mikoto felt a stab of frustration but pushed it away, nodding. Kamui was right, and there was no point in getting frustrated by her forethought. It was her own lack of it that had landed her in this mess, so she could hardly criticize the woman for trying to construct an actual plan.
Up here, the halls were just as dark as below, but the smoke was much thinner and it looked like most of the structure was still intact. That would change when the rest of the facility crumbled beneath it, but for now things were relatively untouched.
"And if he's not there, then what?"
"Then we'll report him to Anti-Skill, and come up with another plan." Kamui's voice was determined now, and she was walking with more confidence in her strides. "I have reason to believe there's more to this than just his mistreatment of you. Trust me, if we go to them they'll be very interested in tracking him down."
For a moment Mikoto wanted to ask why that might be, but she thought better of it. There was no need. She didn't need any more reasons to hate the man, and at this point learning any more about what he'd done could only serve to shatter the tenuous control she had on her power. Exhausted as she was, it was still boiling inside of her, pushing against her skin and trying to get out.
It would have been so much easier not to listen to Kamui, to just let it out and crush the place like she had planned. But Kamui had been right. That lack of control had led her to hurting Saten-san. Though a part of her hated to admit it, nothing good would come from losing her cool now.
They trekked down the hall in silence until finally Kamui stopped in front of a door. It was plain, unlabeled and innocuous. It was the kind of door Mikoto would have walked right by without a thought if the older woman hadn't drawn her attention to it.
"Are you ready, Misaka-san?" Kamui asked, her voice soft and her hand poised just above the handle.
"Yes. Let's just get it over with."
With a nod Kamui pushed the door in and they stepped inside.
A harsh, coppery scent assaulted her nostrils as soon as they opened the door and alarm bells immediately began ringing in Mikoto's mind. Something was very wrong here, but she couldn't tell just wh-
Kamui let out a strangled scream beside her and adrenaline raced through Mikoto's body. Her body tensed up and she extended her senses, searching for danger, before following the doctor's horrified gaze. Her eyes widened when she saw what had set Kamui off and she tasted bile.
In the middle of the floor, barely visible in the darkened light, a crumpled body lay in a dark puddle. Mikoto's stomach twisted and she had to bite back the urge to gag as she identified the smell that had invaded her nostrils when she stepped in. Blood. It was most certainly blood, and given the amount that had pooled around the body there was no way he was still alive.
"W-what is this?" Kamui whispered, staggering back a step, her composure shaken. She held a hand to her mouth and Mikoto had to avert her eyes when she heard the woman begin retching. The sound alone made her want to empty her own stomach onto the floor.
"I'm afraid this is just the result of a difference of opinion. Taken to extremes, perhaps, but I'm sure you understand how one can lose themselves in a moment of passion. Am I right, Misaka-san?"
Mikoto whipped her head around towards the voice and hissed as Corrin stood from his desk. Hatred bubbled up inside of her and it took every ounce of her self control not to fry him on the spot.
"Corrin," Kamui whispered behind her, putting a hand on Mikoto's shoulder and taking a step forward, "what have you done?"
"Nothing that our dear little electromaster here wouldn't have done herself, if given the chance." He smiled at Mikoto and her insides burned with fury. Here he was, the man that had caused her so much hardship, smiling that same sickening smile he always did. It made her skin crawl in a mixture of revulsion and rage.
"I really was expecting you earlier though. And I had hoped your entrance would be rather more dramatic. You started off so well out there, Misaka-san."
He turned his attention to Kamui before Mikoto could retort and shook his head. "I really am disappointed in you, Tomoe. I thought you, of all people, would understand what I was trying to achieve here."
"How could I hope to understand the mind of a madman?" Kamui replied, and Mikoto was surprised by the amount of venom in her voice.
Corrin regarded her silently for a moment before stepping around his desk with a sigh.
"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. True vision is such a rare thing in the scientific community. And really, you're just a medic, in the end. No true ambition. Someone that can't stomach a little suffering could never really change the world."
He raised his hand towards them and Mikoto's eyes widened when she recognized the object in his hand. Kamui gasped and Mikoto reacted, unleashing a bolt of lightning strong enough to knock Corrin off his feet.
The instant Mikoto let loose her power she was hit by an overwhelming wave of fatigue, and even as Corrin was sent to the ground in convulsions she staggered to her hands and knees, her vision swimming. Everything suddenly felt so heavy, and a dense fog was closing in around her mind.
"Misaka-san!"
Kamui was at her side in an instant, but somehow she still felt so far away. She was shaking her, but everything felt delayed somehow, like she was watching it happen to someone else.
"Wha… what'sss going oooon?" Her voice was thick and slurred, her tongue a heavy lump in her mouth.
"Oh my, you really-" the sound of pained grunting reached her ears through the fog and Mikoto looked towards the slowly rising Corrin with heavily lidded eyes, "you really pack a punch, Misaka-san. I shudder to think what might have happened had you been seriously trying to hurt me there."
Mikoto grit her teeth, trying to manage a glare. "Wha… didja do to me?"
He brushed himself off, leveling the gun at Kamui before she could rise, and shrugged.
"Oh, well not that much. It was a team effort, really. When I injected you with the destabilization serum I-"
"You what?!" Kamui shrieked.
There was a bang and a chunk was gouged out of the floor in front of them. Kamui's mouth snapped shut audibly and Corrin wagged a scolding finger, gun smoking.
"Now now, it's rude to interrupt. Now, as I was saying, the destabilization agent in the drug I injected you with not only makes it harder for you to control your AIM field, as you no doubt noticed, but it also has the serendipitous effect of working as a paralytic agent. It won't work right away, but when combined with the catalyst, which you've been breathing ever since you stepped into the facility, it has a rather impressive effect. All it takes is a little push, and exhausted as you are, I imagine that lightning strike of yours was all it needed."
Mikoto was having a hard time following what he was saying, but the anger was building within her and she could feel her power tingling along her skin. Electricity crackled and she grit her teeth. He'd tricked her again. She tried to do the right thing, and all it had done was let him make a fool out of her! Well, no more. She'd bring this facility down on his head even if she went down with him.
She growled and lightning surged forth. For the first time there was a hint of fear in those laughing eyes of his, and Mikoto grinned, letting her power build.
'That's right, asshole. You should be afraid.'
Then someone cried out in pain, and Mikoto realized with a start that she had forgotten about Kamui. The woman knelt next to her, cradling her arm and eyes screwed shut in pain, and the storm that had begun building died in an instant.
Damnit. She had completely forgotten the older woman was there. There was no way she could get Corrin without also hitting Kamui, and bringing the whole place down on them all wasn't an option. She still wasn't sure she trusted Kamui, but even through the haze that was steadily closing in around her thoughts she knew she couldn't hurt the one person in all of this who had tried to show her a way out.
The sound of mocking laughter reached her ears and she twisted her neck to see Corrin standing over them, a twisted grin on his face.
"I was really quite worried there for a moment, Misaka-san. I thought you were really going to try to kill us. Looks like you still haven't learned the price of compassion though. You would make a terrible scientist, Misaka-san."
"Bas… tard…" she ground out.
Then Corrin's boot slammed into her temple, and Mikoto was lost in dreams.
A/N: Well this one took a while. Granted, it is pretty long, by my standards, so maybe I can get away with it this time. Between me being lazy and my beta being a busy busy person, this is coming out close to two months later than I would have liked, but what can you do? That question is rhetorical, by the way, please don't answer it. I'm sure there are plenty of things I could actually do to address the issue, but I am a lazy person.
This chapter leads us ever closer to some sort of conclusion, and I think I've learned a lot from the process so far. The feedback I've gotten from people definitely helps, so I'd appreciate it if you stick with me and keep telling me what you think! I did actually enjoy writing this, and I am largely pleased with how it turned out even if there are some things I don't like about it.
We'll be checking back in with the rest of our girls next chapter! I was a little nervous about this chapter because it's so OC heavy. I wanted to avoid that, but this is more or less the last time that will be necessary, so if you find them all boring then bear with me until the next one!
Corrin was more fun to write in this chapter than usual since he's no longer playing at being nice, and Tomoe is the kind of character I like, even if I don't know that I'm entirely happy with how she's turned out. And Shou and Youko's scene had Imouto! So that's exciting at the very least.
As always, I love you forever for reading, and if you leave me a review I'll be even happier. I'll try to get back to anyone that does actually review (unless you state specifically that you don't want me to). Thanks again, and hope to see you much sooner for the next one!