The map burned clearly in her mind's eye and Kazari moved as swiftly as she could through the empty halls of the facility. It had only become more convoluted since she had split up with Misaka-san's doppelganger, but so far she'd managed to keep moving in what she was pretty sure was the right direction.
The air pressed in around her, sweltering with heat that she was sure was radiating from her own body. Her clothes were damp with sweat and her hair was clinging to her neck and forehead, but she pressed on. Her head felt fuzzy, which probably meant the effects of the Power Pox were getting worse. Was it because she'd been under their affects for so long, or because she was getting closer to Misaka-san?
She had yet to run into anyone else, for which she was very thankful. She didn't really have a plan for what she would do if she ran into an enemy down here. With the way her hands were radiating heat, she was pretty sure she could give someone a pretty nasty burn if she grabbed them, but beyond that she didn't have any ideas. Really, she didn't have any plans at all. She was just acting, moving forward and doing the only thing she could. Once she found Misaka-san, she could worry about the planning part.
Of course, beyond the vague description of "a large room drawing a lot of power" she didn't even know what she was looking for. She tried to ignore the panic that threatened to flared up every time she thought about that, instead gritting her teeth and pushing herself to move faster. She couldn't afford to think about it or she'd freeze up. All she could do was hope that whatever it was, she would know it when she saw it. She had to.
The air was getting denser as she moved, somehow… thicker. It tingled, and Kazari felt a surge of hope. The air was starting to feel just like it did when Misaka-san used her ability! That little bit of static that always lingered after she discharged a bolt of lightning was hanging in the air. That had to mean she was heading in the right direction.
She made another turn, her knees shaking with effort, and she paused, leaning against the wall in an attempt to catch her breath.
'I don't understand how Shirai-san does it,' she thought, chest heaving. You would have thought being a teleporter would affect the girl's endurance, but she was still able to run for miles without losing her breath while Kazari would collapse in a panting heap after five minutes.
As she caught her breath she heard something up ahead, something that sounded like someone speaking. Her heart leapt up into her throat and she held her breath, eyes wide and searching. Had she been discovered? There was no one that she could see, but if they'd already spotted her maybe they were hiding, waiting for a chance to grab her.
She stood like that for nearly a minute before at last she gasped, forced to take a breath. Fresh adrenaline thundered through her veins, making her feel even more nauseous than she already did, but still nobody jumped out at her or came charging down the hall. Instead, she just heard the faint voice again, coming from somewhere up ahead.
It took all of her willpower to force her legs forward, but slowly she began to creep down the hall, keeping a careful eye out now and moving as silently as her trembling body would allow. Up ahead, she saw an open door, and as she crept towards it the voice cut off. She stilled. Had they heard her? She stood there for several moments, heart in her throat and goosebumps running up her arms, but no one emerged from the room to confront her.
She let out a breath, willing herself to stop shaking, and slid forward the last few steps until she was right up next to the door. She waited several more seconds, listening to the sound of her own heartbeat pounding in her ears, before she worked up the courage to lean over and peer inside.
The interior of the room reminded her of a security room, the kind where you'd find an overweight security guard napping while on the monitors some masked burglar crept through the halls. One wall was completely dominated by monitors of various sizes, and behind the control bank stood a man in a white lab coat. He was facing away from her, keeping his eyes on the monitors, but even at this angle something about him unsettled her. His posture was rigid, but off center somehow, like he might start falling at a moment's notice. He was just… off somehow, in a way that she couldn't put her finger on.
She pulled her eyes away from the man and glanced up at the monitors. The sight that greeted her nearly gave her away, a sound halfway between a gasp and a scream halfway out of her throat before she managed to clasp her hands over her mouth.
There, on the largest of the monitors, she saw Misaka-san. She wasn't in her uniform, and her head was hanging down so that Kazari couldn't see her face, but she would recognize that head of brown hair anywhere. There was no doubt about who it was, but Kazari had never expected to see the powerful, confident Misaka-san in such a state.
She was strapped to a large machine, wrists and ankles bound tightly while leather straps around her torso and neck kept her from moving. Electricity surged from her body in quantities that left Kazari awestruck, streaming out of her and straight up into a giant cable strapped to the machine, as if it was being drawn from her like venom from a viper. She was barely moving, the only indication she was even conscious the continual flow of electricity, and even then Kazari wasn't certain that she was aware. She was just… just hanging there, limp.
Tears sprang to her eyes and she tore her gaze away from the screen. She didn't need to see anymore. Misaka-san… seeing her like that filled Kazari with a feeling of loss that she couldn't describe. It was as if a part of her world had just been taken away. Misaka-san had always seemed so strong - practically untouchable. Kazari had watched her fight giant monsters and mechs ten times her size and walk away with barely a scratch. It was just… just wrong to see her like this, helpless and at someone else's mercy.
Something else caught her eye, further into the room, and she wiped her budding tears away. There, behind the man in the coat, was a woman, bound to a chair. Her face was covered in bruises and blood trickled from the corner of her mouth. One eye was swollen shut and her blonde hair was a mess. It was painful just to look at her, but that wasn't what had stolen Kazari's breath and made her seize up.
The woman was staring right at her, one good eye wide.
They were still staring at each other, eyes locked, when there was a rumble from deep within the facility and the lights flickered, bathing them in darkness. The spell broken, Kazari fell back against the wall just as a masculine voice cursed. A moment later the emergency lights lining the hallway flickered on, bathing her in the same pale green light as the earlier corridors. Misaka must have found the generator, and been able to shut it down. That was the first piece of good news she'd had all day.
"Looks like things aren't quite going your way, Corrin."
Kazari pressed herself firmly against the wall. That must have been the woman. Who was she? What was she doing down here? It sounded like she knew the man in the lab coat, Corrin. And from the tone of her voice she was not at all fond of him.
"Nonsense. Why, this is simply a momentary setback, my dear Kamui. Overcoming such unexpected challenges is the most rewarding part of the scientific process!" The voice sent a shiver up her spine, and for the first time she felt like she knew what people were talking about when they called someone "slimy."
"Maybe Misaka-san is more than your little toy can handle. I wouldn't be surprised; you never were much of an engineer. All theory, no substance."
Kazari moved, slowly, until she had leaned in as far as she dared. The screens were static, bathing the room in a frenetic white light. Corrin was working quickly at the controls, and behind him the woman, Kamui, was once again looking at her. This time though, Kazari managed to hold her gaze without feeling as though she was about to panic. She hadn't revealed her to the man yet, so maybe they were on the same side.
"Doctor Kamui." Corrin's tone was harder, less playful than a moment ago, but still with the eager edge that had made Kazari shudder in the first place. "I can't help but feel as though you are trying to goad me. I would have thought you'd have realized the futility of such an action. You are helpless. No amount of taunting will stop me now, and besides," he said, a note of humor returning to his voice, "you're only really qualified to hand out band-aids, anyway."
Kamui threw a glare at his back, and Kazari couldn't help but do the same. This man, standing no more than ten feet from her, was the one responsible for this whole mess, she was sure of it. She clenched her hands into fists, resisting the urge to start shouting.
Her eyes flicked back to the monitors and she set her jaw. She'd always thought of herself as a kind person. She didn't like conflict, doing her best to avoid it when she could. It was her least favorite part of Judgment work, and even Satan-san had teased her for her softness on occasion. She couldn't help it though; she didn't like to see people hurt, and she didn't like being angry. As far as she was concerned, the world would be a much better place if everyone could just get along.
But right now, she was angry. The sight of her friend bound into that horrible looking machine terrified and infuriated her in a way she'd never before experienced, and she glared at the man in the white coat. Her fingers gripped the door jam until her knuckles turned white and she ground her teeth together. She had no idea who he was, but she had no doubt that he was responsible for this mess. He was the one responsible for putting her friends through so much pain. Shirai-san, Saten-san, and Misaka-san too; all of them had suffered because of him.
She tore her gaze from the man, trying to ignore the sick feeling in her stomach, and caught the eyes of the woman bound to the chair. She was frozen, staring at her with wide, pleading eyes, and Kazari felt something in her tighten up. She had to remember what she was here for, why she had taken all these risks in the first place. Whoever this woman was, she wanted Misaka-san rescued too, and that made her an ally.
For a moment neither of them so much as blinked. Then the woman's lips moved and she jerked her head to the side. Kazari nodded, the soundless command breaking the spell her whirling emotions had placed on her. With one more glance at the man's back - just enough to make sure he was still engrossed in the screens - she slipped as silently as she could past the door, moving with quick, quiet steps. Once she was far enough away from the door she broke into a sprint, new energy fueling her limbs.
'I can't let this go on any longer! I have to get to Misaka-san now!'
The thought spurred her on, and soon she felt something in the air, a tingling that rose the hairs on the back of her neck. It was familiar, but still it took her a moment to identify the feeling. Her heart thundered in her ears. It was Misaka-san, it had to be. She knew what the air felt like when Misaka-san used her power, what it smelled like. It had always awed her before, but this time it only filled her with dread. It was so much stronger than she'd ever felt it before, so thick she could taste it, an acrid, metallic taste that clung to her tongue and threatened danger.
She pushed the feeling to the back of her mind, her legs carrying her forward and a single purpose driving her.
'Wait just a little longer, Misaka-san! I promise I'll help you, so please, just a little longer!'
Light flared in his vision and Touma struck out with his hand just in time to deflect a lance of pure energy. Terrified screams filled the air and he saw another flash, this time blossoming forth like a dandelion from the boy crouched on the ground, head in his hands.
"Damnit!" What had happened all of a sudden?
Debris rained down from above and he threw himself to the side to avoid being skewered by a chunk of glass. He landed on his shoulder and grit his teeth against the pain, pushing himself back to his feet and charging towards the source of the light show. Another series of blasts drove him back while others crashed into the ground and surrounding buildings, adding to the chaos. He heard a strangled cry and turned just in time to see a woman get knocked off her feet by a beam that caught her in the back.
She tumbled to the ground and curled up in obvious pain, smoke rising from where she'd been struck, but Touma wasn't able to do more than spare her a glance before another volley brought his attention back to the kid throwing lasers.
Touma didn't waste any more time. He caught three consecutive blasts in his palm and closed the distance. A beam caught him point blank in the shoulder but he spun with the momentum, ignoring the pain. He drove his fist into the side of the kid's head just as light began to gather at his temples, knocking him to the ground. There was a sharp crack as his head struck the sidewalk and Touma winced.
The kid moaned but didn't move and Touma knelt down to check his head. "Sorry about that. I hope that doesn't leave too bad of a mark."
He was bleeding, but it didn't look all that bad. A little bandaging would probably be enough. Unfortunately, he didn't have the time for that. The ground shook and Touma sighed, leaning the kid in the relative shelter of a nearby doorway and taking off down the street at a sprint, following the sounds of chaos and screaming.
'I have to figure out what the heck is going on here before the whole city tears itself apart!'
It had been so sudden. One minute he was with Index, suffering through yet another tirade about how he hadn't bought enough meat, and the next they were both flat on their backs and his ears were ringing.
What had followed were a series of encounters with espers that seemed to be in ever increasing states of mental collapse, their abilities going haywire and causing destruction on a scale he hadn't seen since, well, the last time something like this had happened.
Never a dull day, at least.
Index had been willing enough to take cover, fortunately, but so far it looked like the only way to stop the out of control espers was to either knock them unconscious or just to wait until they burned themselves out, both of which seemed to involve an awful lot of psychic energy getting hurled at his face.
He paused to catch his breath, crouching behind a parked car. He tugged off the tattered remains of his jacket, still smoking from the blast of concentrated heat that had caught him in the shoulder. He winced in pain, peeling the fabric off of the scalded flesh beneath. That was going to leave a nasty mark if he didn't get it looked at.
An explosion shook the ground and the windows of the car he was crouched behind cracked. He tossed the ruined garment aside and peaked over the hood just in time to see a group of people running in a panic away from what appeared to be a tornado made of fire.
"This really isn't turning out to be my day."
The facility was mammoth, far bigger than she'd been prepared for. Kazari wasn't sure how long she'd been running, but it was long enough that her legs burned and she was gasping for breath. But the pressure in the air had been growing steadily, which could only mean she was getting close.
A set of steel doors, much larger than anything she had passed so far, loomed around a corner and Kazari could practically feel the energy pouring from behind them. Even without any special electrical sensitivity she could tell she was close to the source of the static in the air. She ran to the doors, heedless of the way the air on her neck stood on end. This had to be it. The schematics had shown a large room, and the air here was practically alive with electricity.
She wasted no time and reached out towards the handle. Before she could even make contact electricity snapped off of the metal and scorched her finger. She jumped back with a yelp, her fingers numb from the shock. There was no doubt now; this was the right place. She took a deep breath, reaching out once more, and this time she managed to take hold without getting zapped. Her eyes widened as she watched steam curl up from where her palm made contact with the metal, but she felt only a strange numbness that crept slowly up her arms. Was she doing that?
The lights flickered again, and Kazari pushed her apprehensive feelings aside. She was close now, she just needed to get through the doors. She grit her teeth, screwing her eyes shut, and pulled as hard as she could. More electricity lashed out at her as she pulled, further numbing her arms. The door screeched, but slowly it began to slide open until at last it was open wide enough for her to slip through.
Without so much as a second thought she barreled through the doors and into another hallway, the air actually buzzing in her ears. She ran, her prior exhaustion forgotten. The end of the hall opened up into a large room, and there, in the center, just as she had seen her on the monitor, was Misaka-san.
"Misaka-san!"
Kazari sprinted the rest of the way, tears sparkling in her eyes. The lights were flickering violently and the air itself smelled as though it had been burnt, but she kept her eyes focused on her friend. The pounding in her head had faded somewhat, and the growing fire in her stomach had dissipated as well, leaving her feeling hollow and exhausted. Misaka-san was right in front of her now though - she had to keep going, at least a little longer.
She eyed the machine as she approached, stepping carefully around the debris scattered across the floor. Up close it was far more intimidating than on the monitors. It was all sharp angles and gleaming metal. The thick black cord rising from the top and disappearing into the ceiling gave it an ominous look, and her hands trembled as she approached. Electricity was still surging up, wrapped around it like a helix, though it was quite a bit less than what she'd seen over the monitor. Whatever Misaka - the other Misaka - had done seemed to have affected this machine as well.
Kazari tore her eyes away and closed the distance to Misaka-san, heart in her throat. She looked even worse up close than over the monitor. Her body was smoldering, radiating intense heat. Her head was hanging limply, her hair matted with sweat and her clothes singed and disheveled. This close, she could make out angry red welts on her skin, as well as several dark and angry looking bruises forming beneath her bindings.
She reached out to her, tentatively grasping her by the shoulders and trying to push her more upright. "Misaka-san! Please, you have to get up now! We have to get you out of here!" She shook her, trying to elicit a reaction, but all she got in response was a heavy moan.
Her eyes ran over Misaka-san's injuries again, and her heart beat a little faster. She looked bad. There were adhesive patches not unlike what she'd seen on Saten-san back at the hospital attached to her temples, and in the crook of her elbow there were needles poking into her skin, tubes filled with something she could only guess at feeding directly into her veins.
This wasn't right. She bit her lip and stopped trying to rouse her friend, instead tearing into the bindings with fervor. They were tough, thick leather and plastic fashioned bindings specifically designed to hold an electromaster. Fortunately they weren't locked, though they had been applied tightly enough to bruise.
The mere sight of them made her blood burn hot. This wasn't right. Misaka-san was the strong one, the one that was meant to come to everyone's rescue when things got bad. She wasn't supposed to be hurt and drugged and bound like some animal!
Tears spilled from her eyes and she pulled at the bindings. She managed to get the first one undone and moved quickly to the second, freeing Misaka-san's arms, before getting the one around her neck. She slumped forward, limp.
"Don't worry, Misaka-san! I'll have you out of there in just a minute so please hold on!"
She worked quickly through the remaining bindings, freeing her legs undoing the one around her torso. Misaka-san fell onto her and though Kazari was ready for her she still fell backwards with a yelp under Misaka-san's sudden weight.
The nodes and needles were still attached and Kazari gritted her teeth, anger surging through her. How dare he do this to Misaka-san? She was always so kind and helpful, always there for people when they needed her. She didn't deserve to be treated like this!
She tore the patces from Misaka-san's temples and then quickly and carefully pulled the needles from her arm. Tiny droplets of blood formed where the needles exited her skin and the area around her elbow was already covered in a splotchy purple bruise, further evidence that the one responsible had cared little for her comfort.
As soon as Misaka-san was fully detached from the machine the power in the room seemed to fade, the faint humming she hadn't even been aware of dying away and the last coils of lightning dissipating around the large cable. The constant pressure in her head faded as well, and Kazari let out a breath of relief. That was one problem solved, at least. Now she just needed to get Misaka-san out of here.
Electricity snapped off of Misaka-san's body, biting at Kazari's hands and arms. She flinched but held on, forcing herself to her feet and slinging Misaka-san's arm over her shoulder. Just the act of getting the older girl upright was draining though, and coupled with her exhaustion it was all she could do to keep them both standing.
"S-sorry, Misaka-san," she panted, forcing herself to take a step towards the door, then another and another, "this might t-take a while. I really should have listened to Shirai-san when she suggested I keep up the physical training courses."
With some difficulty she managed to navigate through the debris and pull Misaka-san out into the hallway. Her legs felt like jelly and the pounding in her head was starting to return, but she didn't stop. She was the only one here now, and if she stopped before she got Misaka-san to safety she would never be able to forgive herself. The fatigue and continuous shocks delivered by Misaka-san weren't making it easy though. Already she could barely feel her arms. They were numb up to the shoulder, the only indication that she was carrying Misaka-san at all the tightness of the muscles in her neck..
Her foot caught on the floor and before she could so much as cry out both she and Misaka-san had been sent to the floor in a crumpled heap. The electromaster fell on top of her and knocked the air from Kazari's lungs and she wheezed, stars dancing in front of her eyes.
Kazari was still trying to catch her breath, sucking in ragged mouthfuls of air and sputtering when Misaka-san began to stir. She rolled over slightly and groaned before her eyes fluttered open.
"Uiharu...san?"
Kazari's heart leapt into her throat and she looked at Misaka-san. "Misaka-san! You're awake! Are you okay? Do you feel hurt anywhere?" She scrambled out from under her friend and gingerly pulled her to her feet. Misaka-san hissed in pain at the contact and Kazari nearly dropped her in a panic.
"Please be careful. You look like you might need to get to the hospital as soon as we get you out of here."
"Out of... where?" Mikoto's confused expression sent a jolt of panic through Kazari. Had she forgotten what had happened? An injured Misaka-san was bad enough, but if whatever had been done to her had also affected her memory then Kazari wasn't sure what she was going to do.
Misaka-san's legs trembled and she leaned heavily on Kazari. She looked around, brow furrowed, then bit back a curse, hand flying to the side of her head.
"Dammit. I let him trick me. Again." Her voice was low, practically a growl, and Kazari yelped when the electricity begin to move around them again, snapping at her.
"Misaka-san! Please calm down!" She wasn't sure if she'd be able to hold Misaka-san up if this continued.
With visible effort Misaka-san reined the power back in, breathing heavily. Her eyes were still slightly unfocused, but there was awareness enough in them to tell Kazari that she was still listening.
"What… what are you doing here, Uiharu-san?" Misaka-san asked, panting. "How did you find me? Who else is here?"
"W-well," Kazari began, voice shaking. She wasn't really sure how much she should go over at the moment. The priority was still getting Misaka-san out as soon as she could. She started walking, pulling Misaka-san with her step by step. "I had some help finding you, b-but now it's just me."
Misaka-san looked as though she wanted to say something but Kazari shook her head. "That's not important right now though! What matters is getting you out of here, Misaka-san. We need to get you to a doctor as soon as possible, and to make sure things on the surface have calmed down."
"The surface?" Misaka-san asked in a weary voice, stopping. Kazari could have smacked herself. She should have known better than to say anything else.
"Um… there's been an incident on the surface," she said. "Just… d-don't worry about that now."
Misaka-san didn't move, one hand clutching the side of her head as she grit her teeth. "So what I was feeling was…"
Kazari wanted to say something, but she had no idea what to do other than continue to try and pull Misaka-san along with her. She had no clue what Misaka-san had experienced, strapped to that machine, but it seemed like she had at least some inkling of what had been transpiring on the surface.
"All those people… the whole city." She sagged and Kazari struggled to keep her upright until she managed to find her feet again. The numbing tingle of electricity, like a million tiny needles pricking her skin, was still present where she touched Misaka-san, but the shocks had slowed. Misaka-san's face was tight, and every muscle in her body was taut. Whatever had been done to her must have still been messing with her system, and the effort of containing it was getting to her. "Dammit… how could I be so stupid? This is all my fault."
"That's not true, Misaka-san!" Kazari pulled her back up, doing her best to keep them moving. "I know… I know you wouldn't have done anything to hurt anybody, no matter what!"
"Yeah. That doesn't sound like me, does it?" Her voice was dull, almost flat in a way that sent a shudder through Kazari's body. That was not what Misaka-san was supposed to sound like.
"But you know, even if I didn't want it to happen, it did." She hobbled along beside her, the tension in her body visible. "I got involved with something I shouldn't have. I made Kuroko worry about me. I even… I even attacked Saten-san. And now who knows how many more people are suffering because of me? Because I was too stupid and reckless. I thought there was no way I could make a mistake like this - not again."
She let out a humorless laugh that turned into a cough and Kazari stopped, rubbing her back as her body was racked with tremors. "I think… I think I probably deserved this, you know? I wanted to get stronger, strong enough to protect everyone, but in the end I just had to be rescued. Again. I really am pathetic."
"Don't say that!"
Kazari's voice reverberated off of the hallway's metal walls, echoing down the corridor, and Misaka-san looked up at her with surprise on her face. Kazari flushed. She hadn't meant to shout, but at the very least it seemed to have gotten Misaka-san's attention.
She took a deep breath. "T-that's not true, Misaka-san. And I k-know Shirai-san and Saten-san wouldn't want to hear you saying that either. You're not pathetic. You're one of the most amazing people I've ever met. You're kind and honest and you'd do anything for your friends. You're an incredible person, a-and I look up to you, so please don't say something so terrible about yourself, Misaka-san."
Her voice had fallen to nearly a whisper by the end, and she found she couldn't quite meet Misaka-san's gaze. She felt her eyes boring into her, and for a long moment neither of them spoke. Misaka-san shifted, relieving some of the pressure on Kazari's shoulders, and when she spoke again it was soft, barely audible.
"People are always telling me how incredible I am. They always hold me up as someone amazing, capable of anything. And you know, part of me believes that. Or did. But in the end I never really felt like I was anything special." There was a touch of bitterness in her voice and Kazari watched the muscles in her face tighten. "I just keep making the same mistakes over and over, and the people around me get hurt. How amazing can someone like that be?"
Kazari bit her lip. What would Shirai-san say to that? Or Saten-san? Both of them had always been able to handle situations like this better than her. But she wasn't them, and she wasn't sure. All she could do was her best.
"Maybe that's true," she said at last. "I do think you've m-made mistakes, Misaka-san. You didn't trust us enough to let us help you. You pushed us all away to the point that we didn't even know what you were doing. A-and you hurt Saten-san. A part of me really wanted to yell at you, to make you tell me why."
Misaka-san flinched and opened her mouth but Kazari cut her off. "But I'm not going to! You made a mistake, and maybe Saten-san will want to yell at you herself when she can, but right now me getting mad wouldn't do either of you any good. You made a mistake, and the Misaka-san I know would do anything to make up for it. She wouldn't sit back and pity herself, she'd do what needs to be done! And this time, we're going to do it together, because I'm your friend and I'm going to be here for you!"
She was breathing heavily by the time she finished and when the reality of what she had just said caught up with her she blushed. "S-sorry. I shouldn't have shouted, but I meant it. W-whether you like it or not I'm here to help you, Misaka-san. That's what it means to be someone's friend."
When she finally looked up again Misaka-san was staring at her, an unreadable expression on her face. Kazari's blush deepened and her heart pounded in her chest. Had she crossed the line? She knew it needed to be said, but she wasn't entirely sure how Misaka-san would react. She'd never dreamed she would be yelling at Misaka-san.
Finally she smiled. It was small, so small that at first Kazari thought she might be seeing things, but it was there.
"Sorry, Uiharu-san. I guess I made you worry." She stood up a little straighter, leaning less heavily on Kazari's shoulder. "But maybe you're right. Saten-san told me something like that. It feels like a long time ago now, but I guess I broke that promise. I'll have to apologize to her for that too."
She pushed herself up until she was standing on her own feet. At first she wobbled a bit, but when Kazari moved to help her stand she waved her off. After a moment she steadied herself and let out a long, slow breath. The energy around her was still sparking, but it seemed less chaotic than it had been even minutes ago.
"I always admired you too, you know. You and Kuroko. You're a real team, covering for each other, each acting as the support when the other needs it. Saten-san too. She always does what she can." Her smile was slightly sad now, and Kazari bit her lip. "I always just charged forward. I always thought that my power would be enough to get me through anything, but then it just wasn't enough. I should have remembered what Saten-san said, back then. I'm sorry, Uiharu-san."
The apology left Kazari near tears but she swallowed the emotion and shook her head. "It's okay, Misaka-san. There's nothing wrong with wanting to rely on your own power. But you have to remember sometimes that we're here for you too. We're a team, just like me and Shirai-san. So try and trust us, okay?"
Some of the sadness faded from Misaka-san's smile. "That's something I'll have to learn how to do, I guess. Thanks, Uiharu-san. I think I needed that. I'm really lucky to have a friend like you, you know?"
"T-t-that's-!"
Misaka-san let out a light laugh and Kazari snapped her mouth shut, face beet red. "That's the Uiharu-san I know. Alright. Let's get out of here. I think I'm ready to be done with this whole mess."
Kazari nodded and began to walk before stopping short, a sudden thought hitting her. "Ah!"
Misaka-san paused beside her. "What's wrong?"
"I just remembered! When I was looking for you I got some help from a woman. A blonde woman, a doctor I think."
Misaka-san's brow furrowed. "That sounds like Kamui-sensei. Is she alright? Where did you see her?"
"She was back that way, with a man. I think she called him Corrin." She pointed back down the hallway and Misaka-san bristled. Kazari chewed on her bottom lip anxiously. "She looked like she was in bad shape. She was tied to a chair and her face was pretty bruised. I completely forgot about her until just now."
Misaka-san's hands clenched into fists and the electricity that had been running along her skin leapt outward. "Corrin. Damn him."
Kazari flinched as the lightning grew in intensity until Misaka-san took a deep breath, managing to get the power back under control. "Sorry, Uiharu-san. I need to make one stop before I leave. I can't leave Kamui-sensei at the mercy of that monster, especially once he finds out I'm gone. Go on ahead and I'll catch up, okay?"
It wasn't an unreasonable request. Realistically, what could Kazari hope to do to help Misaka-san if they got into a fight? She was feeling better, but without the effects of the Power Pox enhancing her ability there was no chance she could use it in a fight, and she wasn't nearly skilled enough in hand-to-hand combat to be of use there.
But still, she had come this far. She wasn't about to just walk away and hope that everything turned out okay.
She steadied her resolve and stepped up next to Misaka-san. "No, Misaka-san. We're a team, and I'm coming with you." Her voice began to waver but she pushed on. "A-and if you don't like that, t-then you'll just have to shock me until I can't follow you!"
The surprise on Misaka-san's face would have been humorous in any other situation, but all Kazari felt was the pounding of her own heart and the adrenaline pouring into her system.
Misaka-san's surprise melted into the first genuine smile Kazari had seen from her in what felt like weeks, and she shook her head with a sigh.
"You guys really are something else, you know that? I don't know how I managed to get such stubborn friends." She shrugged. "Alright then. If we're a team, then I guess together is the only way to do this. Let's go, Uiharu-san."
"Y-yes!"
Misaka-san took off down the corridor, limping but moving under her own power, and Kazari moved to keep pace next to her, feeling genuinely hopeful for the first time since this whole mess started.
Corrin cursed under his breath. How very appropriate that just at the moment that Misaka was producing enough electrical energy to power the entire city he should lose power. The irony was not lost on him, but he failed to see the amusement in it. His fingers were a blur, moving over the console with practiced motions as he attempted to bring the grid back online.
He chewed on the inside of his cheeks as he worked, teeth digging into the soft flesh. If he was without power for too long then the entire experiment might be jeopardized. That couldn't be allowed to happen. He'd come too far, worked too hard to fall victim to something as mundane as technical difficulties.
But getting the system back up and running was taking longer than expected. The backup power was enough to give him a bare bones system to work with, but he'd thus far been unable to bring the main generator back online. He'd have to divert more power to the backups, which would involve shutting down some of the monitoring equipment on the surface. Unfortunate, but necessary.
A light chuckle pulled him from his thoughts. "Looks like you're having some trouble there, Corrin. Things not going as smoothly as you'd hoped? I can't say I'm all that surprised; you never did seem like the type to have a good handle on things. It's just like you to let things fall apart at the last minute, isn't it?"
The muscles in his face tightened and he set his jaw, fixing a smile in place before turning to face his increasingly aggravating prisoner. "Doctor Kamui. If you would mind terribly shutting up, I would greatly appreciate it. Your attempts to provoke me are painfully transparent. I would appreciate it if you wouldn't insult my intelligence with such amateurish attempts at manipulation. It's unbecoming a woman of your learned background."
Kamui growled and pulled at her bindings. "I'll insult more than your intelligence, you sick son of bitch. Why don't you let me go and I'll show you some of the things we learn in med school."
Corrin sighed and shook his head. Women. Always resorting to base insults when things didn't go their way.
He ran another process through the computer and there was a distant hum from deep within the facility. He smiled and turned back to Kamui. "There, you see? Setbacks are always a part of science. It is up to those of us that seek true greatness not to let them hinder progress."
Kamui laughed, a harsh, grating sound on his ears. "And what about that? Just another setback, I suppose?"
She jerked her head towards the monitor and Corrin followed her gaze. He froze when he saw what she was looking at, the blood in his veins turning to ice in an instant.
The monitors were back up, the picture clear as crystal. And there, on the main screen, was his magnum opus, the culmination of years of work, sitting empty. His darling Railgun, his precious battery, was nowhere to be seen, and without her the machine was lying cold and dead. Not a trace of the boiling power that had surged through it mere minutes ago remained.
His hands shook and he tasted blood, staring with wide eyes at the monitor. No. No, the experiment was not yet finished. They had only just begun Academy City's glorious metamorphosis. It couldn't stop now! If the channeling process remained interrupted for long there was a chance that he would be found and shut down, or worse; he had never tested on the same esper twice. There was no saying that the process could even be repeated once someone recovered from the AIM overlay.
His heart thundered in his ears and red began to creep into his vision. The shackles that had bound Misaka had been opened from the outside. There was no sign that they had been forced, no visible damage to the machine. He had checked those restraints dozens of times. They could not, absolutely could not be opened by the one they bound. Not even Misaka could have done it, especially not in the condition she was in.
No, there was someone else here, someone that knew enough of his plans to try and rescue Misaka. That they had managed to find him was odd enough - Misaka's destruction of the surface facility should have been enough to throw off any would-be pursuers for long enough to complete the experiment, and navigating the underground halls without knowing where you were going would be next to impossible. But someone had, and now they had taken Misaka.
"Looks like things are starting to fall apart, Corrin." Kamui's voice was full of smug satisfaction and his gut twisted, the ice in his veins melting as his rage began to boil. "Guess you just weren't cut out for this line of- ah!"
The sting in his knuckles was a balm and restored some semblance of clarity to the chaos roiling in his mind. Kamui crashed to the floor, still bound to the chair, and moaned. Blood seeped from a gash on her head and he watched with detached fascination as it trickled down her forehead and dripped onto the floor.
It wasn't too late. He broke his gaze and strode with purpose from the room. No, there was still a chance that he could fix this. There were backups - they weren't ideal, but they would serve. There was no time to go chasing Misaka down - not even he knew these tunnels well enough to guess which direction she might have fled with her savior - but perhaps he didn't need her. The experiment was far enough along now.
The door was ajar and the air smelled harshly of ozone but he barely even noticed. He was beside the machine in an instant, working furiously at the controls. A smile twisted onto his face. Just as he'd hoped. The sensory equipment had survived the onslaught, the majority of Misaka's energy having been pushed up through the umbilical. Combining this data with what he had already gathered, he could create a facsimile of Misaka's ability that would serve in her place, at least well enough to complete the experiment.
A raspy laugh escaped him as he worked. It wouldn't take long. Misaka might have thought she'd beaten him, but in reality all she'd done was delay the inevitable. Nothing was going to stop him from forcing Academy City to achieve perfection.
Nothing.
A/N: This chapter was a long time coming, but it's finally done! For whatever reason it really was a struggle. I think that perhaps the closer I get to the end the harder it's getting. And we're quite close to the end now. It is perhaps a little underwhelming in some ways, but to be honest I'm quite pleased. I wanted it to feel like an arc from the series, and I think it does, overall.
I'm curious how people feel about the amount of Kazari screen time in these last two chapters. I really wanted to have her play a prominent role in the conclusion, as I find her to be all too often delegated to the sidelines simply because she's not a powerful esper. This is true of the series as well as of fanfiction, and so I wished to remedy that a bit. It helps that she's one of my favorite characters too, and I wanted to see her be a little more active.
Touma finally makes his appearance in this chapter, though his role may not be as large as some of you hoped. As a character in Railgun, I don't hate him. I don't like him in Index, but as someone that just shows up from time to time I don't mind him. The trouble with him in this story is that to bring him in would necessitate making the story about him, or at least, about him and Mikoto. That's not what it's about though. It's about Mikoto and her friends. It's quite likely that Touma would be involved given the scale of events here, but he doesn't have to be the solution.
As always, I appreciate any and all feedback. Tell me what you thought! I love reviews and I'll try to get back to anyone that leaves me one. It's been a pleasure having you all with me for this journey, and I hope you'll stick around until the end!