"Has she been there all night?"
"Yes, poor thing. It seems like both of those girls are her friends."
"That's so terrible. Both of them arrived within minutes of each other, too. It must have been quite a shock."
"Yes, she was in hysterics and had to be restrained at first. I can't blame her though. I heard it was touch and go on one of the girls for a while, but it sounds like they'll both pull through."
"We should count our blessings I suppose. Sometimes I wonder if it's really a good idea to give kids these powers if they're just going to go around hurting each other."
"Well, there's nothing we can do but try and help them when they go overboard. This is Academy City, after all."
"That's true. Still…"
Kazari pushed the voices out of her head. It wasn't anything she hadn't heard a dozen times that night already, but she still felt a twinge of annoyance; didn't they have anything better to do than stand around gossiping right outside the door? Did they think she couldn't hear them? If they had the time for that, they should have been working to make sure her friends got better.
She glanced at the pair of beds opposite her before leaning back in her chair and pressing her palms to her eyes in an attempt to make them stop stinging. That was being unfair. She knew they had done everything they could for Shirai-san and Saten-san. It wasn't like having the nurses constantly checking in wouldn't make them get better any faster. But still, she couldn't help but wish they would stop talking like that. It made her feel even more helpless than she already did.
Her eyes were puffy from all the tears she had shed and she knew she must look like a mess. She'd spent hours crying and fretting. Now, she just felt exhausted. But having both Shirai-san and Saten-san here with her - something the nurses had been kind enough to allow once they were out of danger - was enough to make her feel at least a little better.
Her friends were here, and although they were hurt, they would both be okay.
Kazari looked at the sleeping faces of her friends, illuminated in the faint dawn light filtering in through the cracks in the curtains. Shirai-san looked almost peaceful, the slow IV drip in her arm the only indication that she wasn't simply sleeping. But Saten-san's expression was tight, as though she were still in pain, and sweat plastered her bangs to her forehead.
She had to resist the urge to move her chair back between the beds. The room was small, big enough for the two beds her friends occupied against the far wall and the chair one of the nurses had brought in for her, but slightly cramped with the beeping machines monitoring Saten-san's condition. As much as she wanted to be as close to them as possible and make sure everything was okay, her friends wouldn't benefit from her hovering over them.
From where she sat, Kazari could barely see the jagged, angry red scar that peeked out from beneath Saten-san's hospital gown, and she felt her own chest throb in sympathy. Even if it did fully heal, she would have a scar she'd carry for the rest of her life.
A lightning strike. That's what the doctors had said it was, and though no one had told her explicitly who or what was responsible, she knew in her heart that it was Misaka-san.
She just couldn't, not for the life of her, figure out why.
She wiped her face on her sleeve, trying to force her eyes to focus. She felt gross, like she hadn't bathed in days. At this point, that wasn't actually that far off, and her dash to the hospital the night before had left her sweaty. At least Konori had agreed to watch the Judgment office for her. Kazari had apologized, ashamed that she'd left in such a rush and forced Konori out of bed to go clean up her mess, but her senior had been having none of that.
It didn't make Kazari feel any less guilty, but there were plenty of other things for her to feel terrible about at the moment.
She scrolled back to the top of the document Konori had sent her - she had at least left the computer working so that by the time Konori arrived at the office she'd been able to send the full contents of the device to her laptop - and started reading again. It could provide some small distraction, at least.
Now if only she could manage to get something out of it. She'd gone over it again and again, but beyond the initial revelations back at the office she hadn't been able to glean anything new. Something was going to happen - that seemed to be what all the data was pointing to - she just couldn't figure out what it was.
She looked up at the sound of footsteps just in time to see a young nurse set a tray of food down next to her. The woman smiled at her, and Kazari returned the gesture, albeit without any real feeling behind it.
"Are you feeling alright?" the woman asked. "We don't really have any spare beds, but if you'd like I can bring you a pillow and blanket."
"No, that's alright," Kazari replied, turning her gaze back to her computer. "I… I still have work to do. Thank you for the food."
A moment of silence passed before the nurse spoke again. "Alright. Please let us know if you need anything."
Kazari thanked her again and watched her check the machines hooked up to Saten-san. Something about it made the situation seem more real, and Kazari averted her gaze until the sound of the nurse's footsteps moved out into the hall and then faded into silence.
Fighting back fatigue, she rolled her shoulders and went back to browsing the data, starting from the beginning for the umpteenth time since she'd settled in. She was running on empty, having neither eaten nor slept since she'd arrived. But she couldn't sleep now, not when there was work to be done, and though her stomach growled in protest, the thought of eating anything made her feel sick.
It could wait. She wanted to make at least some headway before she had anything to eat. Her skill with computers was the one thing she could use to help her friends, and she was determined not to let them down. Not any of them.
Her fingers clattered against the keyboard, organizing files and running crosschecks. She'd managed to make a relatively complete outline of the victims now, linking up the people that were mentioned in the device with more than a dozen other incidents and hospitalizations that they hadn't connected to Power Pox before now.
The timeline had taken a little more work, but she was confident it was correct - or at least, correct enough to get an idea of what had been happening. The first incident that she could reliably tie to Power Pox had involved a Level 2 Empath over three months ago, and had resulted in a hospital visit but not an extended stay. The esper had reported feeling faint and experiencing an influx of sympathetic emotions consistent with her ability but exceeding anything she had been capable of before.
Since then, the incidents had been growing steadily more severe. It had been harder to get a clear picture of it when they only had pieces of the puzzle, but with the information provided by the device Saten-san had retrieved, she'd been able to get a much more complete idea of what had been happening. It seemed like it was all building towards something, and the incident that had landed their two suspects in the hospital was the most recent and most damaging Power Pox event to date.
What it was building to, and how exactly Misaka-san was involved, was what she needed to figure out.
Somehow, she had a feeling it all came back to that hidden file she'd uncovered. The final experiment, and Misaka-san's relation. Kazari bit her lip, eyes narrowed at the screen. It looked like they'd been testing on progressively stronger espers as the experiment progressed - whoever "they" were. Was Misaka-san the one they were building towards? She was a Level 5, after all, and without a doubt the most visible of the seven. If they wanted a flashy test then going after the Level 5 everyone knew would be an easy way to go about it.
But that didn't make sense either. She thought back to when she and Saten-san had cracked the files. It had seemed like they were using Misaka-san's AIM field as a template, trying to force other espers to fit it. And if that was the case then Misaka-san wasn't a potential target, and was much more intimately involved in these events than they'd realized.
She opened the original file containing Misaka-san's information and stared at it. Misaka-san was referred to as the "Parent," which would make sense if their theory about her AIM field being used was true. Kazari could hazard a guess as to what they were doing, too. All the incidents so far that she'd been able to tie to Power Pox involved a sudden spike in power. If whoever was behind this was aiming to increase the power of espers - like Kiyama had done with the Level Upper - then it made sense to use a Level 5 as the template. If that were the case, then the injuries were likely a side effect, rather than the goal.
'Not that that makes any of this better,' she thought wearily. And it still didn't answer the question of what the endgame was. It was one thing to know that someone was using Misaka-san's ability to try and make espers stronger, but figuring out what they meant to do next wasn't a question she was able to answer.
She was pulled from her musings by a groan and the sound of shifting sheets. Kazari's heart leapt into her throat and she looked up to see Shirai-san's eyes open, squinting in the grey dawn light.
"Shirai-san!"
Her computer nearly crashed to the floor as she leapt to her feet, barely catching it and setting it aside before dashing over to Shirai-san's bedside.
"Shirai-san, are you alright?" she fretted, torn between calling a nurse and pulling her friend into a hug.
"Uiharu?" Shirai-san muttered weakly, trying to push herself up onto her elbows. "What's going on? Where…?"
"You're in the hospital," Kazari supplied, gently pushing her friend back into bed. "It's okay, don't worry. How are you feeling?"
"Like I've been run over by a bus." Kazari managed a weak smile at her friend's humor. "My throat feels like it's made of sandpaper. Scratchy."
Kazari hurried to her bag, rooting around in it for a moment before finding one of the spare water bottles she always brought when on patrol.
Shirai-san accepted the offered bottle, sputtering a little as she tried to drink. Kazari moved to hold it for her, ignoring the muttered protests from her friend. She'd never seen Shirai-san look so exhausted.
After a moment Shirai-san stopped drinking, pulling away and forcing herself into a more upright position.
"Thank you, Uiharu." She let out a sigh, her eyes drifting closed, and for a moment Kazari thought she was going to pass out again.
"How did I get here?"
"Someone called an ambulance and you were brought here last night." Kazari bit her lip. "You were found last night after… after your accident."
"My accident?" For a moment she looked confused. Kazari's heart skipped a beat. Had her memory been affected? "Yes. You went off in pursuit of those two from the hospital once we found them on the surveillance footage, remember?"
Shirai-san's eyes widened momentarily before narrowing. "That's right. Dammit. I was careless."
"What happened? I-" Kazari took a breath. "I-I don't really know what happened after we got cut off. The first thing I heard was that you were being taken to the hospital."
"That girl, the one from the video. She can do… something to AIM fields." Shirai-san's expression darkened. "She did it to me. I'm not sure how but... but I remember feeling stronger. Much stronger. Or… no, not stronger, really. There was more power there, but it didn't feel like mine anymore. I was able to exceed both the weight and distance limits of my teleport, but it was entirely random."
Kazari shivered. Watching what had happened to Wannai-san had been bad enough. Trying to imagine what would have happened to someone with the ability to teleport was terrifying. She was surprised Shirai-san was even able to talk about it.
Shirai-san heaved a heavy sigh and shook her head. "How about you, did you have any more luck after we got disconnected?"
"Ah... yes."
"Alright, what did you manage to uncover?" Kazari hesitated as Shirai-san pushed herself back into a sitting position, sweat on her brow and her face pale. She was obviously struggling, but Kazari couldn't bring herself to force her friend to stay still. Shirai-san was always so strong, and it pained her to see her bedridden like this.
"W-well, I managed to uncover some of the files that had been blocked off by encryption. I still don't have all the pieces, but it looked like the Power Pox is the result of a series of experiments performed to try and force the AIM fields of espers to undergo a rapid change. The result is sort of like what we saw with the Level Upper, but with more immediate detrimental effects."
Shirai-san nodded after a moment. "I see. That would explain what happened, to a degree. An esper's AIM field is what defines their ability. If one were to experience a sudden shift, it could have a drastic effect. The question is how they do it." She grit her teeth and her hands clenched into fists. "If I'd managed to apprehend those two, we might already have the answers. That girl is part of it, she has to be, but that can't be the whole story."
Kazari fidgeted, unsure of how to proceed. "W-well, we think we know what method they're using. The device mentioned an AIM overlay."
"An overlay?" Kuroko appeared thoughtful. "Yes, that makes sense. Affecting a change to an AIM field would have to be difficult, even if your ability is designed to do that. But if you had another AIM field as a target, then instead of simply making changes you could attempt to force it into a mold. But even with that, this reaction… I've never felt so much power. It was too much to control. I could feel the calculations happening, but I couldn't wrap my mind around them. It was like I couldn't keep up with my own thoughts." She frowned. "I'm Level 4. For a reaction like that, they would need an AIM field-"
"I-it's Misaka-san's!"
The words were out before Kazari even realized she was speaking, and her stomach plummeted at the look of shock that passed over Shirai-san's face.
"What are you talking about? What do you mean it's Onee-sama's?"
Kazari took a shaky breath. "A-after you cut out, Saten-san and I, we managed to get into the rest of the files left in the device. Misaka-san was listed inside as the 'Parent AIM field,' which might mean-"
"That storm…" Shirai-san trailed off, before her head snapped around and Kazari flinched back at the intensity in her eyes. "But that doesn't make any sense! Onee-sama would not involve herself in something like this. She would not stand back and let her ability be used to bring suffering to others; she is not that kind of person!"
"I-I know that!" Kazari took a deep breath. She didn't think Misaka-san was any more capable of involving herself in something like this than Shirai-san did, but everything pointed to her involvement. "We didn't want to believe it either, but it's the only thing that makes sense, and then Saten-san, she…"
She couldn't finish. Instead, she turned to look at the neighboring bed and Shirai-san followed her gaze, eyes lighting upon the prone form of their friend for the first time. Kazari heard the sharp intake of breath, but she couldn't meet Shirai-san's eyes. It would only be another reminder of her own failures, both as a member of Judgment and as a friend.
"Saten-san... What happened, Uiharu?"
Kazari shook her head, wiping fresh tears from her eyes, staring at the floor. "T-they said… they said she was struck by l-lightning."
Shirai-san frowned for a moment and then her eyes widened as she made the connection. "That's impossible. " Her eyes cut back to Saten-san, and even without looking Kazari knew her eyes were glued to the scarred flesh on her chest. "Onee-sama would never do something like that, Uiharu!"
"I-I know, b-but no one's been able to get a hold of her, and we don't even know where she is. A-and now, with all this..."
"She wouldn't do this. You know that, Uiharu." Shirai-san took a deep breath, sitting up straight. "We're getting to the bottom of this, and then-" She winced, some of the fire leaving her eyes. "Then we'll all talk to Onee-sama, alright?"
Kazari nodded.
"Alright, then we need to determine a plan of action." She seemed to have composed herself somewhat, but Kazari could still see the tightness around her eyes. Shirai-san was exceptionally skilled at keeping her thoughts hidden when she wanted to, but Kazari had worked with her long enough now that she could see the little things that gave her discomfort away.
"First things first, we need to-"
She was interrupted by the sudden buzzing of her phone, which the nurses had left next to the bed, and Kazari let out a surprised squeal as her own phone suddenly rang as well. She exchanged a glance with her partner before they both reached for their phones.
Shirai-san sucked in a quick breath "This is…"
Kazari checked her phone, eyes widening at the message displayed. It was a another list of names and dates, some of which she recognized from the files on the device, others of which were completely new to her. But that wasn't what had drawn her attention. At the bottom, beneath the list, was an address, followed by the message:
"AIM Overlay experimental headquarters probability - 87%. Misaka Mikoto last seen entering at approximately 20:23, yesterday. Current status - unknown. Requesting assistance."
"Who sent this?"
Kazari checked her phone. "I don't know, I don't recognize the number. But Shirai-san, this is bad! That address isn't far from where Saten-san was found."
"Which means if it was Onee-sama then this could be where she was going. And you said you haven't been able to get a hold of her?"
"No," Kazari said, shaking her head. "I've been trying all night, but she hasn't answered. I even left her messages, but she hasn't responded."
"Then there's no time to waste." Shirai-san swung her legs over the side of the bed. "If you're right about the Power Pox, then we have to act quickly. There's no telling what could happen next. My attempt at apprehending those two last night means they'll know we're onto them now. Whatever they intend to do, they're going to have to do it fast. We need to move."
She attempted to stand and her legs folded beneath her. Kazari let out a shout and rushed to catch her friend. The teleporter felt almost frail in her arms, and Kazari noticed for the first time that she was shaking.
"D-damn. I didn't realize I was still so weak. Uiharu, help me up. We need to get back to the Judgment office and let Konori-senpai know what's going on."
Something tightened in Kazari's chest at the sight of her friend, barely able to stand but still so determined.
'Shirai-san wouldn't let being weak stop her. Even like this, she'll do anything she can to help.'
She'd always known that. Shirai-san, Misaka-san, even Saten-san… none of them ever let anything stand in their way. She was the only one of them who cowered when she knew her strength wasn't enough.
Well, not this time.
She guided Kuroko back into the bed, lifting her legs and carefully but firmly pushing her back down.
"U-Uiharu? What are you doing? We don't have time for-"
"No, Shirai-san!" Her heart was hammering in her chest, but she knew what she had to do. "Y-you're in no condition to go chasing after Misaka-san right now! You can't even stand! Do you even think you could teleport?"
"Of course I can!" Kuroko replied, but she hadn't met her eyes and Kazari knew she was been right.
"Shirai-san, I always do my best to support you. I'm n-not strong, like Misaka-san, and I'm not brave, like Saten-san. I'm not a skilled esper, and I get scared easily." She drew herself up, a fire burning inside her. "But I have to do what I can! I let you and Saten-san get hurt because I didn't say anything, even though we didn't know what you were running into. I should have stopped both of you!"
Kuroko winced. "That's ridiculous, you can't-"
"It's not! I s-should have known better. I'm supposed to watch over you, and I failed." She took a deep breath, closing her eyes. "That's why, this time I'll be the one to fix things."
For several moments they were both silent, and Kazari opened her eyes to see Kuroko staring at her with a cross between uncertainty and surprise. Finally, her expression melted into a soft smile.
"Fine, then this time I'll be counting on you, alright, Uiharu?"
Kazari smiled. "Yes!"
"Alright, hand me that laptop." She settled into a sitting position. "What are you going to do? This could still be a trap, you know; we have no idea who sent that message."
Kazari licked her lips. "W-well, I do have a plan."
A rhythmic throbbing behind her eyes, a dull pain that coincided with the beating of her heart, was the first thing Mikoto became aware of as consciousness returned to her. The ache spread from her temples down through her neck and shoulders, leaving her tense and sore like she sometimes felt after a particularly intense workout.
Her whole body felt tingly, like it had fallen asleep. It was that same pins and needles feeling, and when she tried to move her legs the tingling only increased, forcing her to suppress a shudder.
What was going on? Why was it so hard to focus? Her thoughts felt strangely sluggish, like trying to keep up with a movie played at double speed. There was a sense of urgency that bordered on panic, but over what? Something was wrong, she just couldn't place what it was.
She tried opening her eyes and for a moment she wasn't even sure it had worked. The darkness was near total. Her eyes strained against it, wide and searching, until at last vague shapes began to emerge.
A sense of relief washed over her. There was enough weird about this situation already. The last thing she needed was for there to be something wrong with her eyes too.
But she still didn't have any idea of where she was. Or how she had gotten there, for that matter, which was even more concerning. The last thing she remembered was… what? She had been at the facility - was she still there? But no, she had left, and then…
Her heart skipped. Saten. Anti-Skill. The furious march back to the facility and the power she'd felt as she ripped it apart. Then Kamui, and finally-
"Corrin." She growled and her power leapt forth, her body tensing with fury.
But as soon as the lightning jumped from her brow pain pierced through through her brain, molten glass searing straight through her skull and past her eyes and oh God it burned-
The pain cut off as quickly as it had started and she was left a panting, shivering mess, the only thing keeping her upright whatever it was she had been strapped to.
"Ah, perhaps I should have warned you about the feedback."
Lights snapped on and she flinched away from the sudden brightness. Even without seeing him she knew that voice. The lilting pace, the amused tone and subtle mockery; there was only one person whose words made her skin crawl like this.
"What the hell are you doing, you bastard? Where am I? Where… where's Kamui-sensei?"
Spots danced across her vision and she blinked rapidly as the world swam back into focus. The man stood no more than a few paces away, and she had to crane her neck to get a look at his smug grin. Just looking at him turned her stomach.
"That woman?" His smile shifted into a thoughtful expression and she shrugged. "I suppose she will be fine, given time. I had such high hopes for her, but sometimes a little disappointment is inevitable. I suppose I hadn't considered just how fond she was of you. I was rather… displeased, with her. I sometimes have a hard time controlling myself when I am displeased. You understand, don't you, Misaka-san?"
"You…" Mikoto would have torn his throat out had she been capable of it. "If you've hurt her, I'll kill you."
"Oh come now, no need for threats. Besides, I would think you'd be pleased. She's just as responsible for your current situation as I am." He shook his head, taking a step closer and grabbing her by the chin, staring into first one eye, then the other before releasing her.
"Let's not talk of her anymore. I'm glad to see you're awake. You'd been out much longer than I anticipated, but you understand why I couldn't let the drugs wear off. It simply wouldn't do to have you running amok again, impressive as it was. But I had begun to worry you might have slipped into a coma, and that would have been most unfortunate."
Mikoto growled, but this time the throbbing in her head peaked before she even let loose a single spark. She bit back another scream, eyes watering as twin Corrins danced in front of them. The tingling in her limbs increased, like sand in her veins, and she shivered.
"It's a familiar feeling, I should think." Corrin smiled and pulled a small syringe from the inside of his coat. Mikoto flinched at the sight of it, but her bindings held her fast. "I remember the first time you experienced it quite fondly. Right in this very room, in fact, though I have made a few modifications since then. What do you think of the remodeling?"
"What are you talking about?" Mikoto bit out, but already she had the sinking feeling that she knew.
"Oh surely you haven't forgotten this place already? We had such fun together here!" There was real glee in Corrin's voice, and it was making Mikoto queasy. But she looked around, trying to take in her surroundings.
It was a room, similar to the testing chambers she'd been in during the experiments, but there was equipment scattered everywhere, more like a lab than a test chamber.
No, wait. That wasn't entirely right. She craned her neck, angling her head as much as she could until she could catch a glimpse of the ceiling.
Her eyes went wide at the familiar shapes dotting the domed ceiling. This didn't just resemble one of her test chambers; it actually was one. And not one that she had any fond memories of, either. No wonder she could barely move.
"Ah, it seems you understand." A swift jab and the needle was buried in her arm. Mikoto grit her teeth. He didn't seem all that interested in being gentle with her, but she would be damned if she let him hear her scream again just from a needle.
"What… what did you do? Why do I feel so..." Ice and fire flowed in her veins, raising goosebumps on her arms even as she broke out sweating. Whatever had been in that syringe, it was already playing havoc with her body.
"Nothing particularly dangerous, don't you worry. Really it's just a precaution, to make sure you stay still. That's what this whole contraption is, really." He made a sweeping gesture. "Level 5s are really something. I didn't truly understand that until I started working with you, Misaka-san, but the kind of power you wield is absolutely incredible! Why, I need all of this just to get you to sit still. I can't imagine how much more it would take to actually try and control you."
"Control me?" Something dark twisted in her chest and she narrowed her eyes, a haze of angry red nearly clouding her vision. "If you think you can, go ahead and try. I'll rip you to pieces."
"Oh? Have I hit a nerve?" Corrin chuckled, which only threw fuel on the fire of her fury. "Well, you need not worry. Had you been paying more attention, you would have noticed I never said I actually intended to try something so foolhardy. Even I have my limits, you understand."
"Then what do you want?!" She lurched against her restraints, eyes blazing. "What the hell do you want from me?! Just leave me alone, you son of a bitch!"
"That is rather impressive language for a girl of your age and standing, I must admit." Corrin didn't look ruffled in the least, simply smiling calmly down at her. "Perhaps Tokiwadai is not as refined as they would have outsiders believe. Then again, I have heard that all-girls schools tend to be rather vicious on the inside.
"But I suppose I might as well answer your question. In short, I plan to use you as the locus of my latest experiment. I want to see what happens to this marvelous city when it is forced to deal with your astounding power on a scale it's never seen before."
Mikoto's insides froze. That was… no, he couldn't do that, not again! She wouldn't let herself be used like that again! That had been the whole point of starting this mess in the first place, and she'd already hurt the people most precious to her. If he thought she was going to let him use her to hurt anyone else, then he had another thing coming.
"You sick bastard." Her voice was a growl, her eyes narrowed and glittering furiously. "This… this was what you wanted from the start, isn't it? You were using me the whole time!"
His expression was almost incredulous. "Well, yes, of course. Are you really just now figuring that out?"
"You-!"
He held up a hand and despite herself Mikoto bit back her next words. It was so hard to concentrate as it was, like trying to grab an eel still in the water.
"I suppose that shouldn't be a surprise. You are a genius, Misaka-san, I would never say otherwise. But despite that, you are still hopelessly naive. It's part of what makes you so predictable. This room, for example. Remarkably intact, given what you did while throwing your little fit, wouldn't you say?"
Mikoto looked around, realizing for the first time that he was right. She hadn't really thought about it, but the scattered bits and pieces looked more like they were leftover from when the contraption she was strapped to had been assembled, rather than debris from her attack. Just where were they? It was still part of the facility, she knew that much. She'd walked here before, but… well, she hadn't been paying all that much attention at the time.
"Marvelous things, these underground facilities. You can blast the surface structure right off the map and still have miles worth of tunnels twisting around under the surface." He smiled, almost wistful. "Although I imagine by now the first few layers directly beneath the main structure must have collapsed. You did an impressive amount of damage, after all. Fortunately, this room is quite a distance from there, so it survived intact. It would have been a disaster if the broadcasting equipment had been damaged."
He smiled widely, mad light glittering in his eyes. "But everything is set! You're here, the perfect battery for my machine, and soon every esper in this city will experience power beyond their wildest dreams; your power, Misaka-san. If some of them can't handle it, well… that's just the price of progress, isn't it?"
Rage boiled in her veins and Mikoto struggled to keep a clear head. "If you think I'll let you use me for your sick plan then you've got another thing coming, Corrin. I'll bring this place down on both of us before I let myself be used like that again!"
Corrin stepped up to a control panel and turned a dial. The buzzing in her head increased, shaking her vision and sending blackness creeping in around the edges. The lights around them flickered and the whole complex seemed to convulse, as though in the throes of an earthquake. She felt an awful tugging sensation, as if something had taken hold of her very core and then pulled. She began to shake, energy pouring from her body into the greedy machine and pushing it up out of the facility and into the sky. She grit her teeth and screwed her eyes shut, trying to rein it back in.
'No! This is my power! I won't let you use it for this! I won't let you use me to hurt people, not again!'
But it was a hopeless battle. The combination of drugs and the alien current swimming through her body was making it impossible to grasp the energy racing out of her even as it built higher and higher. It hurt, like having air forcibly ripped from her lungs straight through her chest, and she couldn't fight the scream that tore its way out of her throat.
"Once again, Misaka-san, you miss the point. You assume I need your permission for anything, when really, you're just another piece in my machine. Important, yes, but in the end little more than another bit of wiring."
His words echoed in her ears even as the pain threatened to burn out her nerves and the energy at last fully slipped from her grasp. It raced through the transmitter above - she could actually feel it now - gathering and then spreading out over the city, pulsing like a massive heartbeat.
It was happening. Already she could feel her power touching the unprepared minds of other espers, taking hold and twisting them like clay. Phantom pain echoed back through the connection almost like when she'd fought the AIM burst. But this time, she couldn't even fight back.
Her world burned, but even through the haze of pain - she couldn't tell whose anymore - she could hear that coldly amused voice.
"If you survive this, Misaka-san, then we'll greet the new world together. Doesn't that sound grand?"
"Aaah, it really is a beautiful morning, isn't it, Queen-sama?"
"I'm so glad we have the opportunity to spend time together like this! You're always so busy. It's nice to have the chance to go out!"
"But of course she would be busy! Everyone in Tokiwadai relies on her! It must be very hard."
"Oh, yes, but you know if anyone can handle it then it would be Queen-sama. She can do anything!"
Misaki sipped her tea, a faint smile on her face as she enjoyed the late morning sun. Vapid and conditioned though her pawns might be, it was always nice to hear their praise. Some of it might even have been sincere. Certainly none of them ever thought poorly of her - she'd seen to that.
'Not that I really need to read most of their minds anyway. Teenagers are so very transparent.'
Really, some of them were as easy to read as Misaka, and that was saying something. It was a special kind of girl that could resist her mental ability and yet still be so easily influenced. Honestly, the girl was so easy to rile up it almost took the fun out of it. Almost.
Watching the way Misaka puffed up in righteous anger whenever they exchanged words was one of the great pleasures in her life, and while it might not have had the novelty it once did, it was still more than entertaining enough to warrant going out of her way to cross paths with the other Level 5 every once in awhile. It was certainly more entertaining than most of her interactions with people. Sure, Misaka might have been easy to influence, but she never knew for sure what was on her mind, and that made it exciting.
Today though, she had no interest in seeking out the temperamental brunette. No, it was a beautiful day, meant to be spent outside, eating sweets and drinking tea outside her favorite cafe while the members of her clique scurried about like little insects, doing her bidding.
The thought made her giggle. Well, perhaps for today she would be an ant queen, instead. It could be amusing to have her clique invade a playground and start building a massive mound in the center. She could just imagine the looks on the faces of the children, trying to play as a bunch of posh looking middle school girls descended upon their playground, digging fervently and attempting to erect a suitable shelter for their queen.
Something for the afternoon, perhaps.
"Queen-sama?"
"Hmm?" Misaki peeked over the rim of her cup, glancing at the ringletted girl next to her. "Yes, Ringo?"
"Rika-chan is back from Lady Fei's with the complete autumn line, just as you requested."
Misaki turned her head, spotting a petite young blonde with gentle curls that cascaded over her shoulders and eager brown eyes, struggling under a stack of boxes and bags.
"H-h-here you are, Queen-sama. I got j-just what you wanted." The stack wobbled and Misaki arched an eyebrow, watching in amusement as the girl attempted to right it. "I hope you like it!"
Ah, yes, that girl. She had almost forgotten about her. First years very seldom left an impression, and poor Rika was just far too enthusiastic to be interesting. Cute girl, smart enough, and not lacking in ability, but she would never be much more than a drone as far as her clique was concerned. She would serve that purpose well enough though, and Misaki nodded at a nearby table. It was populated with those members of her clique she saw fit to bring with her on this little outing, but that hadn't earned the right to sit at the same table as her.
"Well done, Matsumoto-san. You may leave those here for now."
"Yes, Queen-sama!" Her face flushed with relief, and she hastened to set the bags down.
Misaki smiled. Oh the enthusiasm of the uninitiated. "Very good. Now, I believe the bakery was next on the list, wasn't it?"
The smile on the younger girl's face slipped, but only for a moment before returning. Hm, and only slightly strained. Perhaps she had a little more potential than she'd thought.
"Ah… yes, of course, Queen-sama. May I ask what you would like?"
"Oh, I think one of everything should be enough, wouldn't you say?"
Misaki had to stifle a laugh at the effect those words had on the young girl's mind. Surprise, frustration, a moment of wondering if the ladylike Queen-sama would even be able to eat all that, followed by the expected resignation.
"Yes, absolutely, Queen-sama. I'll be back with that as soon as I can."
"Do try to hurry, won't you? I believe Sakura-san will be back soon as well and I would hate to start without her. She's always been such a good sport about eating the ones I don't like."
Rika gave a short bow before dashing off down the street, cheeks still flushed. Such a good girl. Misaki had been worrying for a moment that she would have to intervene more directly to get the girl to play along, but it seemed that wouldn't be necessary. For now, at least, the pressures of social status were doing almost as much work for her as her ability would have.
Children were so simple.
"Um… Queen-sama? Don't you think that might be a little much?"
Misaki laughed. "Don't be silly, Ringo. Matsumoto-san will be fine! And besides, it's quite the honor to be chosen to do my shopping." She gave Ringo one of her best smiles. "Don't you agree?"
A faint blush appeared on the older girl's cheeks. "Oh, well y-yes, of course!"
"Good, then now that that's settled, I could use another tea."
Ringo nearly leapt out of her chair in her eagerness, and Misaki leaned back, watching the clouds overhead. As a rule she preferred not to use her ability on Ringo. It was nice to have at least one member of her clique that she could count as an actual friend. Or almost, at least. It was hard to get that close to someone when you'd seen all their inner thoughts. Especially when some of them involved some rather… creative methods she'd come up with to serve her "Queen."
Misaki shivered. That was another good reason to stay out of Ringo's head where possible. She did not need to see such things.
"Here you are, Queen-sama. Milk tea with extra milk, just the way you like it."
"Thank you, Ringo." Misaki smiled. Questionable fantasies aside, Ringo was still her favorite. "I always appreciate your dedica- ah!"
The cup fell from limp fingers and shattered against the cobbled patio. Misaki clutched her head as a sudden burning pain pierced her temple. For an instant the world turned black, before swimming back into bleary focus, the pain echoing inside her skull.
"Queen-sama! Are you all right?!"
"What happened? Did anyone see?"
"Should we call an ambulance?"
Misaki realized she'd slipped out of her chair and she was on the ground, her clique surrounding her wearing anxious expressions.
"I-I'm fine." She reached up, accepting Ringo's help in getting back to her feet. "Just… just a sudden headache. I'm sure it's nothing."
The girls hardly looked convinced, and she couldn't really blame them. A headache was one thing, but she'd very nearly passed out, and beads of sweat had formed on her brow. And from what? She had no idea. But whatever that had been it was most certainly not simply a headache. The closest thing she could compare it to was the feeling of another psychic trying to invade her mind, but amplified and focused in a way she'd never felt back when she was running through daily tests of her ability.
No, this was something else, something… strangely familiar. But what? The pain was dissipating, but the presence was still there, pushing against her psyche.
"Are you sure you're alright, Queen-sama?"
"Yes, I-" Another tingle, an echo of the pain from before, and the air was rent by a scream.
'Sakura-san!'
Acting purely on instinct Misaki cut her psychic connection with the girl a fraction a second before the surge of pain and terror she'd felt could slam into her.
"That sounded like Mei-chan!"
Misaki wasted no time. Ignoring the pounding in her head she ran towards the sound of the scream, frantic clique members in tow. She may not have felt any particular attachment to most of the girls, treating them as little more than tools of convenience most of the time, but as long as they were under her control they were her responsibility.
She rounded a corner and spotted the young brunette kneeling on the ground, a pained expression on her face. Misaki reached out with her ability, heart hammering, and was met with a twisting mass of unstable energy where the girl's normally calm AIM field should have been.
That wasn't right. Sakura Mei was a powerful esper, Level 4, and she had always had exceptional control. But instead of the stable shell that usually surrounded her mind, it was trembling, growing irregularly, stretching thin like a bubble. If this kept up then it would-
The warm summer air suddenly plummeted in temperature, a chill wind gusting out from the prone esper, and Misaki's eyes widened.
-pop.
She barely had enough time to issue a hasty command to her clique and dive behind a nearby mailbox before Sakura screamed again, and this time it was accompanied by a blast of arctic air. Frost exploded outward, sucking the moisture out of the air and sending sheets of ice crackling in every direction.
The outburst lasted only a moment, and when it passed Misaki opened her eyes, already shivering from the sudden cold. Wicked daggers of ice curled around her shelter, and behind her she could hear whimpering coming from one of the girls that hadn't been quite fast enough.
There was frost in her hair and her fingers were numb, but she'd be fine. Sakura on the other hand, might not. Other people were screaming now, but Misaki paid them no mind. She pulled herself out from behind the mailbox, mindful of her footing and trying to keep her teeth from chattering.
The ice field extended much further than she had initially thought, covering nearly the entire street between intersections and reaching as high as the third story on the surrounding buildings. More than a few people had been caught in the blast, but she could still feel stable brain activity from most of them, including Sakura, who lay collapsed in a heap at the center of the expanse of ice.
Her hair was white with clinging frost and her skin was pale, unnaturally so. Misaki frowned, touching her mind. It was still in turmoil, but nothing like it had been a moment ago. What was going on?
"I feel… funny."
The thought echoed in her mind and Misaki whirled, alarm bells ringing in her head. That same sensation, that same unnatural twisting and stretching that she had felt moments ago coming from Sakura was now coming from another of her girls.
She started in the direction of the feeling before coming up short as she felt it again, from another girl. Then another, and another and another.
Suddenly it was coming from every direction at once, and she staggered to her knees, frantically cutting her connections with them one at a time in an attempt to keep whatever was happening from filtering back to her, before finally giving up and severing them all at once. The air was charged with chaotic energy, and she heard a deep rumbling from behind her, followed by a horrendous shriek of metal on metal.
Another of her girls was leaning against one of the buildings, white as a sheet, and Misaki watched in horror as cracks spread through the wall where she touched and concrete turned to dust.
'That headache from before… something is affecting the espers!'
The building groaned and the cracks spread like a web, reaching ever higher until the building itself began to tilt.
Misaki wasted no time on thinking. She was already moving, sprinting as fast as she could back towards the cafe. Her hand groped in her pocket and she grasped at her remote. With the press of a button she focused her power and seized control of everyone she could. All the espers in the area were suffering the same destabilization that Sakura had, but those without abilities responded as readily to her call as always.
Whatever was happening was affecting nearly every member of her clique now, and seemed to be hitting other espers as well. Right now, she had maybe a dozen people she could control, and they were already pulling her girls out of the path of the crumbling building.
The air split with a deafening crack as the building's foundations gave way and it crashed against its neighbor across the road, sending a billowing cloud of debris and concrete dust rushing down the street. Misaki took a deep breath and shielded her face as the cloud passed over her, giving her a coating of gray that clung to her like a second skin.
The echoing crash and the cloud of dust rushed past her and Misaki coughed, wiping the dust from her face as best she could. If this was an isolated incident then Anti-Skill and emergency workers would be arriving in moments, and if not, well… she was going to have bigger things to worry about.
Her face grim, she set off back towards Tokiwadai, her new thralls close behind. She winced again, another wave of the disturbance slamming against her mind, but didn't break stride. Something was happening, something big, and if this kept up a lot of people were going to get hurt.
Despite the situation, she couldn't help but feel a touch of amusement. Misaka would certainly think she was acting out of character now, but if people were going to be hurt, she would do what she could to make sure that it wasn't her people.
The inside of the van was cramped, filled as it was with armed Anti-Skill personnel, and Kazari tried to ignore the way every bump and pothole jostled her against the rather bulky man she was seated next to. She did her best to keep herself pressed against the partition that separated her from the cabin in an attempt to keep herself from being too noticeable.
The last two hours had passed in a whirlwind. Shirai-san had been less than thrilled about her plan, but had conceded that it was probably their best chance. Kazari was rather relieved by that. As much as she wanted to help, she was painfully aware that there was only so much she could do on her own. She didn't have the kind of strength needed to go into this on her own, especially given how little they actually knew.
She spared a glance around the compartment. Anti-Skill had taken less convincing than she had expected. Being in Judgment certainly helped, especially since it had taken only a brief explanation to get the blessing of Konori. With the backing of the branch head and the information she was able to provide, they'd mobilized a scout force within the hour. They'd been slightly less enthusiastic to bring her along, but she had insisted upon that from the outset.
Her hands curled into fists and she set her jaw, staring straight ahead. She wasn't going to sit back and do nothing anymore, not when she could do something to help.
"Where we headed, exactly?"
"Warehouse district. You heard about what happened last night, right?"
Kazari tilted her head slightly, attempting to pick up the conversation over the hum of the engine. The picture she had of the previous evening's events was sketchy at best, comprised as it was of what she'd heard the doctors talking about and a sparsely detailed Anti-Skill report she'd snuck a peek at.
"Yeah, some esper trashed two vans and put a half dozen agents in the hospital right?"
Another voice cut in, "Yeah. The CO called a retreat before backup could arrive though, so we've just been sitting on our hands all night."
"Makes sense. I heard they were up against one of the Level 5s. Retreat is probably the best option against one of those things."
There was a pause after that, and Kazari's stomach twisted painfully. They hadn't used her name, but Kazari knew, now without a shadow of a doubt that it had been Misaka-san.
The skirmish with Anti-Skill she could almost understand. She maybe didn't know Misaka-san as well as she would like, but she knew the Level 5 had a certain disregard for the rules, and was fiercely determined when there was something she set out to do. If Anti-Skill got in her way, then Kazari could believe that she would go right through them, though she was still surprised when she read the report of how much damage had been done.
The van hit a bump and Kazari had to fight to keep the greasy hospital food she'd shoveled down on her way out from making a second appearance. She'd never been one to get motion sick, but the stress of the night was catching up with her, and her nerves were starting to show as well.
Whatever happened, she was going to have to face Misaka-san. Her chest tightened at the thought. Misaka-san had put Saten-san in the hospital, had hurt her badly enough that some of the doctors hadn't been sure she would recover. That alone was enough to make Kazari's blood boil, but every time the anger started to take hold she would think of Misaka-san, of what must have driven her to the point that she would attack one of her closest friends like that.
"Misaka-san… what's happened to you?" It hurt, not knowing. But there was only so much she could do.
Her plan was in motion, but she still had no idea what to expect once they arrived. The adrenaline that had been driving her so far was starting to dry up and the lack of sleep was catching up to her. Her eyes felt heavy, and her whole body ached with fatigue. Questions raced through her mind and her temples throbbed. Just what kind of place were they headed to, and who was behind the Power Pox? What was Misaka-san's involvement with them? Would she attack her too?
"Hey, kid. You're Judgment, right? 177th branch?"
Kazari gave a start, having been so lost in her musings that she'd failed to notice the woman cross from the other side of the van to stand in front of her, casually holding onto one of the straps dangling from the ceiling.
"Ah, yes." She gave a short bow, as best she could manage without standing. "I'm Uiharu Kazari of the Judgment 177th branch."
The woman nodded. "Chida Yomiko. I was working on this case with another girl from the 177th branch just yesterday, unofficially. Short little thing, brown hair, pigtails. Bit of an attitude. You know her?"
Kazari tried and failed to keep herself from flinching at the reminder of her friend. "Y-yes. That's Shirai-san. Shirai Kuroko, my partner. She… she couldn't come today. She's in the hospital."
With a heavy sigh the woman leaned against the partition and shook her head. "Shit, kid, I'm sorry. I heard something about an incident involving a Judgment officer last night but we were all mixed up trying to deal with the fallout from this other esper. I didn't realize it was her. How's she doing?"
"She's okay, but she still can't move around on her own." A spark of recognition jolted Kazari into full awareness and she looked up at the woman. "Wait! You're her! The one Shirai-san talked to on the phone last night!"
"Yep, that's me." Chida ran a hand through her short brown hair, her expression torn. "Gotta admit, I'm starting to regret that decision. I guess she went chasing after those two from the hospital, didn't she?"
Kazari nodded. "We… we weren't ready." She paused, unsure of how much she should reveal. She hadn't told Anti-Skill everything she knew or suspected, but there wasn't much point to keeping things hidden at this point, was there? "She caught up to them, but the girl has the ability to imprint AIM fields. That's what's been causing all these incidents. They're forcing esper's AIM fields to change."
"Dammit." Chida slammed a fist into the partition with a growl and Kazari nearly jumped out of her seat. "I shoulda kept a closer eye on those two when I had the chance. We had them and we just let them walk out of there like it was no big deal!"
"Um, there's not really anything you could have done though, Chida-san. If you tried to hold them any longer without cause then you would have been violating procedure. They would have been released anyway, and you would have gotten in trouble, right?"
"Yeah, you're right." She let out a breath. "Still, it's killing me that we had them and let them go. Your friend has good instincts, managing to peg them like that. I never would have realized they were the culprits. But even then… I dunno. I get that you Judgment types are all espers and can take care of yourselves, but I can't help but feel like I've failed as an adult when a kid gets hurt trying to handle something they shouldn't have had to."
Kazari said nothing. While it wasn't exactly the same, she knew the feeling. She was Shirai-san's partner, the one she was supposed to be able to rely on, but she'd failed. There were a dozen things she could have done, things she should have done, but hadn't.
But it was more than that. She'd failed, and she was determined to make it up to Shirai-san, but in the first place she had never actually expected her partner to run into anything she couldn't handle. Not since the incident in the bank - it felt like so long ago now - had she seen Shirai-san in over her head. She was always so strong, so confident and capable; Kazari had let herself believe there was nothing she couldn't do.
She always told herself that she was completely confident in Shirai-san's abilities, but really, she just hadn't wanted to admit that there were things out there her partner couldn't take care of on her own. Admitting that would have meant admitting that she should have been there to help. She'd been a coward. Her night in the hospital had been a wakeup call, and the guilt still gnawed at her. It probably would for a long time.
"Suit up, folks!" a voice shouted from the cabin. "ETA to the checkpoint is five minutes! We'll meet up with the rest of the strike force there and then proceed to the target."
"Alright, that's our cue. Buck up, new Judgment girl." There was a grin on Chida's face now, and she gave Kazari a pat on the shoulder that might have sent her to her knees had she been standing. "We might have been running around the whole damn city like chickens with our heads cut off for the last month, but Anti-Skill gets the job done. We'll get this business taken care of and then we can go throw your friend a get well party, how's that sound?"
"Ah, y-yeah!" Kazari nodded, hope blossoming in her chest. She wasn't alone. She had Anti-Skill backing her, and Shirai-san would be in touch through the comms. They would put a stop to this whole mess and then everything would go back to normal.
There was a sudden rumbling and the van rocked before rolling to a stop. Chida frowned and banged on the partition again, sliding open the grate to the cabin.
"Hey, what gives? We're on a schedule here!"
"Shockwave," the voice of the driver came back, and Kazari felt a chill run up her spine. "Looks like an explosion eight blocks to the east. Unit 571 is diverging to investigate."
"Damn. They need backup?"
"Not sure yet, we've been told to hold until they reach the site."
"Hold? What the hell for?"
"Don't know, all I've got are instructions."
"Yeah, yeah, alright, I got it." She let out a tense breath and ran her fingers through her hair. "Shit."
Kazari felt the tension she'd been keeping at bay return full force as the rest of the agents in the van began to talk in hushed tones, the atmosphere of calm confidence replaced with sudden uncertainty.
A sudden buzzing from the cabin and the driver said, "We're getting reports of another accident! Seventh Mist shopping center, at least five injured!"
Chida was back up against the partition in a flash. "What?! What happened?"
"Unconfirmed, but it sounds like another esper lost control! No specifics yet, but- wait! Another one!"
"Are you serious? What now?!"
Kazari felt numb. What was going on? She could barely even follow the conversation between Chida and the driver anymore; everyone in the van was shouting and more and more notifications were rolling in.
Another tremor rocked the van, stronger this time, and everyone went silent. Panic surged through her and Kazari had just enough time to grab onto the railing before the entire van lurched horribly and everything exploded in chaos.
The sudden pandemonium stripped her of her ability to do anything but hold on, her fingers ash-white as she gripped the railing with every ounce of strength she could muster. Bodies and equipment crashed all around her and the air was filled with the sound of screams, some of which she recognized as her own. Something struck her in the side of her head and she saw stars.
There was a tremendous crash and she lurched again, crashing against something hard before she was slammed into yet again.
Several moments passed - during which time she was sucking in panicked breaths, her heart a drumbeat in her ears and her whole body tense with adrenaline - before she realized they'd come to a stop.
"Shit, you okay, Judgment girl?"
"I-I… maybe? Y-yes?" She honestly wasn't sure. Her vision was still spinning, and by the time she managed to orient herself she realized she was lying on the ceiling; the entire van had flipped onto its roof.
"Alright, everyone out! Get those doors opened and then fan out, weapons ready! Find out what caused that then check for injured! Let's move, people! We need to know what we're looking at here!"
Kazari wasn't sure who had spoken, but the Anti-Skill agents responded to the commands, righting themselves and forcing the doors open with a clamor. They tumbled out of the ruined van and Kazari felt herself being tugged to her feet. Her knees were scraped and her head was pounding, the coppery taste of blood on her tongue, but there were no serious injuries that she could detect.
"W-what's going on?" she managed as she was half guided half pushed out of the van. "Are we under attack?"
She stumbled out onto the street and into a commotion as chaotic as the one she had just left. All around her people were shouting, some of them in obvious pain, and the road behind them had been split in a fashion that brought to mind the poltergeisting incidents she'd encountered several months ago. In the distance, smoke curled into the air, and more and more Anti-Skill vehicles kept arriving as the agents scurried like ants over the scene.
Someone shoved her as they rushed past and she nearly fell to the ground. The pain in her head was getting worse, and she was starting to fear she'd received a concussion.
Through her dizziness she tried to piece together what was going on, staggering back towards the van. She needed to do something. She was a member of Judgment - it was her job to help during situations like this, but she had no idea where to start.
"We've got wounded, get the medical kits!"
"Ambulance en route now, but they're going to have to divert down 86th!"
"What happened, what caused it?"
"Esper! She's having a seizure, they're trying to stabilize her now!"
"District 7 is a warzone! We've got a dozen incidents and counting!"
"Get in touch with HQ, we don't have enough manpower to cover everywhere at once!"
A lump of ice settled in Kazari's stomach and she staggered in the direction of the nearest agent. The crash was caused by an esper? A dozen incidents, all over District 7? That should have been impossible. From what Shirai-san had said, Power Pox was the result of a single esper's ability. She couldn't have been in more than one place at a time, and even if there were other espers in the city with the same ability, there had never been more than once incident in a single day, let alone at the same time.
Realization hit her with the force of a rampaging ox. They'd discussed the disturbing trend already, that the frequency of the incidents seemed to be increasing. But what would be the purpose? If someone was just trying to cause chaos, then starting small and working their way up would have been the opposite of what they would have done.
But this was Academy City, and every time they'd encountered something like this before there had been someone looking to advance some project working behind the scenes. Kiyama had used the Level Upper to put espers into a coma, and Telestina had been building up to a poltergeist event that would have brought Academy City to its knees.
And now espers all over the city were showing signs of being affected by Power Pox, losing control of their abilities. It was almost as though they had found a way to apply the effects to everyone in the city at the same time.
She took a few deep breaths, trying to force down the panic mounting inside of her. The pounding in her head was persistent, but she didn't feel like she was losing control of herself or anything. If her hypothesis was true, then any esper in the city could be at risk right now. Maybe it could only affect certain kinds of espers, or maybe she just wasn't strong enough to feel the effects?
"Additional units dispatching, we've got reports outside of District 7 now!"
All around her Anti-Skill agents were running about, shouting, a blur of frantic motion. No one knew what was going on, what was actually causing this mess. Orders were being shouted from command vehicles, but the panic in the air was thick enough that she could feel it.
She needed to tell someone. She needed to get them back on track. Anti-Skill was in disarray. The ground rumbled again and Kazari's knees trembled as she struggled to stay on her feet. In the distance she saw more columns of smoke rising into the otherwise clear morning sky.
'We have to help the civilians, but they won't be able to stop this unless we get to the source!' she realized. If her suspicions were correct, then things would just continue to get worse until every esper in the city was affected. But she couldn't just let people get hurt in the meantime - but then again they were already getting hurt.
Frustrated tears prickled her eyes. What was she supposed to do?
Someone grabbed Kazari roughly by the neck of her uniform and she let out a cry as she was nearly yanked off her feet and dragged towards one of the empty cars, its lights still flashing.
"You're with me, Judgment girl! Get in!"
She stumbled when the grip on her uniform vanished, and she saw Chida sprint around to the driver's side. "W-what?"
"Just get in!"
Kazari hastened to obey, fumbling with the handle before falling into the passenger's seat.
The opposite door slammed and Chida started the car, backing them off the sidewalk before Kazari had even managed to get her door closed. The car lurched forward just as she snapped her seat belt into place and she squealed in fright as they hopped the curb to avoid another Anti-Skill van.
"You know what's going on here, right?"
"U-um, well maybe! I think so!" Another distant explosion rattled the windows, and Kazari tried not to think about what might be happening around the city.
"And I'm guessing it was you who gave us our original destination, right?" She sped through a red light, missing a truck that a second later would have turned them into scrap.
"Yes!" Kazari's fingers were latched onto the seat and her eyes were aimed directly forward as they rushed through the city streets.
"Alright, then that means you're probably the only one that has any idea of how to stop this."
"B-but I don't even know for sure what's going on! The address is the only lead I have!"
"That still puts you ahead of the entirety of Anti-Skill right now! The entire agency is going to be running around putting out fires, literally, until someone can put a stop to this mess. Hate to say this, but there's no time to go through proper channels and get backup. If we go there do you think we'll find the cause of all this?"
'Misaka-san...'
"It's the only clue I have, so it will have to do! If I'm wrong then… well, we'll think up a new plan then!"
Chida's face twisted into a grim smile. "Good enough for me. Let's go!"
AN: And it's finally out! Took forever, and to be honest I've had it sitting around for a while just because I couldn't bring myself to beta it. It's pretty long, and reading through it a bunch of times looking for errors is so tedious. Finally got it done though, so here it is!
I don't know how happy I am with the chapter as a whole. In terms of the events, I think I like them. It actually feels a bit like something that might happen in Railgun, though I'm not positive that meshes with the rest of the story. Maybe it does though, and if so I'm pretty pleased. The issues I have are with the characters and the dialogue. Kazari in particular is hard to write. Hopefully I managed it though. I wanted to give her a little more action, and she is the only one of Mikoto's friends still able to walk at the moment.
The next chapter will be out much sooner than this one was. Actually, I'm hoping to finish this story up before the end of the year. I've got it all outlined and the initial drafts of everything except the epilogue are done. Still a lot of actual writing to do though, and of course the editing, but please bear with me.
I appreciate every comment, review, and read I receive, so please let me know what you think if you still happen to be reading. When I finish this it will be my first completed major project, and I'm grateful for everyone that's helped me along the way! It's not done yet though, so I'll save the rest of that speech for later. For now, thank you for reading!