Author's note: Thank you for reading this far. As I'm sure you've noticed, this story will mainly focus on the scientific side. Touma and Index will also make an appearance later on in the story. If you'd like to tell me about something you liked, or something you think I could improve on, be sure to leave a review or send me a message.

Thank you "Me Myself I" and "NoNameAvailable Bis" for your kind reviews.

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Ruiko and Uiharu walked home together in comfortable silence. Kuroko had alerted the Anti-skill about the attack on Misaka-san. Guards had been posted at the hospital, and Kuroko promised to keep her Onee-sama company; she'd maintained that Uiharu and Ruiko should go home and get some rest.

And truth be told, there was nothing Uiharu would like more than to sink into her bed and sleep. The bizarre events of the day were catching up to her. She felt weary and dull.

Why would anyone want to attack Misaka-san?

She was such a nice person. Uiharu didn't understand how such a person could have any enemies at all.

But now that people had attacked Misaka-san, Uiharu intended to bring them to justice. Although she might be a level 1 esper, she was a member of Judgment. She had an idea of where she could start searching, using her hacking skills to find out about ownership of illegal weapons. Of course, this information wasn't publicly accessible, but Uiharu knew ways to get in some of the underground systems. In fact, that was the only way she could possibly be of any help to Misaka-san. Uiharu clenched her fist in resolve.

Uiharu bid farewell to Ruiko at the next intersection, each headed toward their respective homes. They promised to meet each other at the hospital early tomorrow morning, and went their way.

Uiharu let her feet take her home on autopilot, deep in thought about ways she could identify and locate the culprits.

I need to recheck the security camera footage for the gunmen before they arrived at the diner. Maybe I can find them before they put their sunglasses and hats on.

Uiharu was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice the black car with tinted windows come to a stop beside her. However, she did notice when the doors opened and three men came out, crowding around her. They wore casual clothes, sunglasses, and hats, and radiated hostility. Uiharu's eyes widened in horror.

"Hey, you're Railgun's friend, aren't you?" A low, authoritative tone.

"W-what?"

"You were with her at the diner today. Don't lie." The same man spoke.

Could they… could they be the gunmen they were looking for?

"I don't kno-" Uiharu started, but suddenly the man in front of her punched her in the stomach. The pain was incredible. Uiharu doubled over, clutching herself and gasped, trying to breathe. She heard jeers and laughs around her. The spokesman stepped forward and struck the side of her head so hard that she fell.

She was unconscious before she hit the ground.

The men shoved the girl into the car and left quickly before anyone could see them and alert Anti-skill.

Uiharu's bag lay abandoned on the pavement.

.

Uiharu woke up to a blinding pain in her left temple. A small gasp escaped her lips, and she tried to assess the damage with her hand. But she found that she could not move her arms from behind her back. Uiharu was bound to a chair, her hands and feet secured by ropes. A quick glance around told her she was in an old, spacious warehouse, probably deserted long ago by the look of the rusty walls and dirty floor. There was no one in sight, or any sign of her captors. Aside from the pain in her head, her stomach hurt, and she could feel a stinging sensation in her right arm.

Probably scraped it when I fell.

She wasn't scared for some reason. Perhaps she was in shock. A small part of her mind kept telling her she should be terrified, but she didn't feel fear.

They could have killed me already if they'd wanted to.

That meant, either they wanted her to tell them something, or ransom her… or, Uiharu realized, she was bait for their real prey.

Misaka-san.

Knowing her friends, Uiharu was sure Misaka-san, Shirai-san, and Saten-san would come flying to the rescue the moment they realized Uiharu was being held captive. But it was an obvious trap. Now, Uiharu feared for the fate of her friends rather than herself.

But who would go through all this just to take down Misaka-san?

Her answer came in the form of a group of five men swaggering in through a side door of the warehouse, dressed similarly to the men who had captured her.

"Hey, looks like the girl's awake."

"She is, huh."

The men grouped in front of her, sneering. A dark haired man leaned forward and spoke in Uiharu's face.

"Hey, we don't want to hurt ya. We're just looking for justice, kay? Tell us what you know, we'll let you go."

The man glared into Uiharu's eyes.

"But if you lie, there's no saying what's going to happen to ya. Got it?"

He turned around and reached for something in another man's hand. When he swung back around, he was brandishing an aluminum baseball bat. Uiharu gulped, realizing how dire her situation was. Fear started spreading through her body.

These people are serious. They're insane, but serious.

She started to tremble, and tears welled in her eyes.

"Hey now, don't cry. You tell us everything you know about the Railgun and her little accomplice, and you don't have to go through any pain." The man whispered in a sinister tone, tapping the bat against his thigh.

Uiharu nodded weakly. She didn't want to betray her friends, but there was nothing she could do.

I'm sorry Misaka-san, Shirai-san.

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The next morning found Uiharu unharmed other than the first blows to her head and stomach. She was drained, having slept fitfully on the cold, hard chair. She had been forced to tell her captors about Misaka-san and Shirai-san's abilities; Electricity, magnetics, even the satetsuken or sword of iron dust, and teleportation. It seemed to her they already knew about these things, regarding the way they had asked her. Perhaps they were confirming previously held knowledge.

However, Uiharu had managed to pick up bits and pieces of information herself, by pretending to be asleep and listening on the conversations she could barely hear.

"This is perfect. Based on the knowledge we have of the Railgun, we can trap her here and take her down."

"Yeah. Let's teach her the true meaning of justice."

"She's going to pay for what she did to Therestina."

Uiharu almost gasped aloud.

Therestina? From the Level Upper experiment? That means… that these men must have been her henchmen, from MARS. Revenge against the Railgun must be because Misaka-san defeated their boss and landed her in jail.

Uiharu thought back to the days following the end of the Level Upper incident. With the leader under arrest and ample evidence of corruption in MARS, the group had been disbanded. Uiharu had helped Judgment track down some of the higher-ups who were suspected to have been part of the crime. However, some had vanished into thin air, and not even Uiharu could find them through the various networks she had access to.

They must have been behind the attack on the diner yesterday.

Uiharu continued to observe and listen quietly, hoping to gather as much information as she could, in order to help her friends when they came.

.

At the hospital, Ruiko, Mikoto, and Kuroko were anxiously waiting for Uiharu to arrive. It was already an hour past the time Ruiko and Uiharu had agreed on last night.

Mikoto glanced worriedly at the clock.

"Maybe she had to do some Judgment work?" she offered.

"In that case, I would have been notified as well, Onee-sama." Kuroko replied. "Saten-san, have you tried calling Uiharu-san?"

"Hai, but the phone just keeps ringing." Ruiko's forehead was creased in worry for her friend. "It's not like her to lose her phone somewhere."

Mikoto frowned and stared at the ceiling. And froze.

What if… what if those gunmen…

"Onee-sama? Is something the matter?"

Mikoto turned toward Kuroko. The pink haired girl was looking at her in concern.

If it is those people, we need to go save Uiharu as soon as possible.

She glanced at Kuroko again. She was patiently waiting for Mikoto to speak, knowing that Mikoto would tell her when she was ready to. Ruiko was on her phone again, biting her lip anxiously, listening to the ringing sound repeat over and over.

I can't involve my friends, and risk them getting hurt or even killed.

Mikoto clenched her fists, ignoring the twinge of pain in her left shoulder.

If Uiharu-san was actually captured by those gunmen… I need to save her.

Mikoto closed her eyes and considered how she could escape the hospital unnoticed and start looking for her friend.

Then.

Her phone pinged.

A message? That's rare.

She reached for her phone and opened it. Read the message. And gasped.

We have your little friend. If you want to see her alive again, come to the fifth warehouse on Denkimachi street. Don't tell the Anti-skill if you want the girl to live.

Kuroko and Ruiko started at her horrified intake of breath.

"What is it, Misaka-san?"

"Onee-sama?"

Mikoto gazed at each girl carefully. Kuroko was staring at her in worry, probably wondering whether Mikoto was going to run off again. It would hurt Kuroko, but Mikoto knew she wouldn't stop her. She would wait for her Onee-sama to trust in her when the time came.

Oh the other hand, Saten-san was looking at her in… determination?

Misaka-san, what do you see? Mikoto remembered the time when Saten-san had brought her to her senses during the Sister's incident. Ruiko's wore the same, caring expression as she had back then, her dark eyes full of sincere, gentle compassion for her friend.

Mikoto suddenly realized that she could not leave her friends behind again. She could burden this herself, but in the long run it would not only hurt her, but her friends as well. Mikoto laughed weakly.

I'm an idiot…I don't deserve friends like these…

But looking into Ruiko's earnest eyes, Mikoto realized something.

She really wants to help.

The revelation wasn't an astounding insight, but Mikoto realized she had always harbored the possibility that maybe her friends were only her friends because Mikoto was a level 5. She always had the fear that if her ability ceased to function, everyone would leave her.

Looking again into Ruiko's eyes, Mikoto realized that this wasn't the case.

She really, really wants to help me. Not the Railgun of Tokiwadai, but me, Misaka Mikoto.

Realizing this, Mikoto's heart fluttered, and a peace came over her mind. They would solve this incident together, as a group.

Saten-san, thank you.Mikoto smiled.

And so she shared the contents of the text message with Kuroko and Ruiko.