Disclaimer: I don't own Prototype or the To Aru series. All characters aside from my OCs belong to their respective owners.
Class 7-A - Sakugawa Middle School
I soon found myself suffocated by a barrage of questions from my classmates.
"Are you a foreigner?"
"I guess, my Dad was American but I grew up here in Academy City."
"Was?"
"He, er, died not long after I was born."
"What about your mom?"
"Never met her."
"Where did you learn to speak Japanese?"
"My Dad was a scientist, so he had to speak a lot of different languages since he wasn't given a translator."
"Do you have an esper power?"
"Yes, I haven't actually had a system scan yet so I'm right now listed as a Level 0."
To be honest, most of these answers are lies or half-lies, or in Mr. Heller's words, utter bullshit I have to make up in order to hide my origins and the nature of my powers. After all, who would want to be classmates with a walking biological weapon? The only completely true answers I gave in that entire conversation were my first and last ones. All of these questions are getting really tiring though.
"Now class, we can ask more questions from our new transfer student later. It's time for the lesson."
I breathed a sigh of relief, Daigo-sensei saved me from hours of interrogation by my classmates.
"Let's see, Sieg-kun you'll sit behind Saten-san. Since she sits behind you why don't you show him to his seat Uiharu-san."
Uiharu led me to the back corner of the room by the windows where I sat behind a long haired girl with a flower hairpiece. As I sat down, Daigo-sensei began talking about algebra and English. Although I like how Daigo-sensei is kind and considerate, lessons like these can't hold my attention very well. Algebra, like most math classes, is mind-numbingly boring and I can already speak English, so I couldn't really bring myself to pay my full attention to that either. I was wise enough to stay awake, but I can't say I was enjoying the lesson though.
Nothing really interesting or noteworthy happened the rest of the school day until the last period of the day. I had a different teacher to instruct us in genetics and the makings of an esper. I can't remember his name, but he was dressed in a lab coat and wore silver glasses that always seemed to reflect the light so that you couldn't see his eyes. This was something I was interested in, I guess it's what happens when you have the memories of dozens of scientists in your head. However, the teacher was very monotonous and droned on and on in his robotic sounding voice, so I ended up just reading ahead.
"Mercer-san," he said in he dreadfully monotone voice, "since you're not clearly not paying attention, would you like to give us a brief summary of the Level Ranking system?"
Okay, he's getting on my nerves now. First, he used my last name, which I specifically requested they refrain from using (I really don't want people putting two and two together and connecting me to my dad). Second, I was paying attention, I just decided to read ahead because he was so slow. Plus he really didn't know how to keep the attention of his students, half the class was on the brink of falling asleep. Ah well, he insisted. I'd better give him the textbook definition in order to please him.
"Yes sensei. The Level Ranking system is used to gauge and rank the powers of espers. Level 0 is where sixty percent of the esper population of Academy City is, in which powers are insignificant or completely non-existent." Saten looked rather uncomfortable in her seat as I said those words.
"Level 1 is where espers capable of doing minor things such as bending a spoon or levitating a paper cup, or in other words significant but weak powers. Level 2 is a small step up from Level 1, but still not considered useful enough for everyday work. Level 3 is the dividing line in which powers are considered significant and convenient for everyday use. Here espers also tended to begin to be considered elite." I continued.
"Level 4 is the point where intelligent use of such powers can give an esper the tactical value of a military force. Level 5 is considered the highest possible, where the espers in question are considered to have super powers and are treated as celebrities. This is exceptionally rare and there are only seven confirmed cases in Academy City with the identity of the rank 6th Level 5 being unknown." I concluded.
The teacher gave me a rather stern glare as he turned back to the board, as if he was attempting to scare me into submission. The bell finally rang, much to the cheers of my classmates as they packed their things and prepared to leave. Aside from the commute and the rude teacher the day ended up going by pretty smoothly. "Sieg-san!" I heard an energetic and tomboyish voice say as I entered the schoolyard.
I turned around, it was Saten dragging Uiharu behind her. "Say, what do you plan on doing?"
"Me? I was just going to go home and help my Jii-chan out in the hospital he runs." I replied.
"Well, we don't have much to do. Could we check it out?" said Saten.
"Wait Saten-san! I have files I need to sort through for Judgment duty and I need to track any reported crimes!" Uiharu cried rather weakly.
"Aw come on, don't be a bore Uiharu."
"Uiharu-san, you said work at the Judgment office here right? "
"Uh yes, I work as backup at the 177th Branch Office."
"I always wanted to check it out but I'm always busy running errands. Say, how about you come with me to my Jii-chan's hospital today, and then you can show me the Judgment office tomorrow." I said with the hope that she would say yes.
Judgment is the student run disciplinary squad against crime in Academy City. They basically patrol the streets and help arrest criminals for Anti-Skill, Academy City's volunteer police force, to take into custody. They're pretty much the city's real-life super heroes in a way. I kind of want to join them, it'd be better to do something productive with my powers besides being a killing machine.
"Actually, I have an appointment with Shirai-san tomorrow." said Uiharu in an almost apologetic manner.
"Shirai-san? You mean the Judgment girl who was chasing me today?" I asked, somewhat shocked.
"Yeah, she's going to introduce me to Misaka Mikoto, the ranked 3rd Level 5 and Ace of Tokiwadai!" she said with twinkling eyes. I guess she really likes meeting celebrities.
"Well, we're not going to accomplish much by standing around here. I guess we should get going then."
"Everyone," a feminine voice sounded over the many speakers around the city, "the electrical issues caused by last night's power surge have been fixed. The train is now fully operational. Please enjoy the rest of your day!" the voice said cheerfully.
That was good to hear, this meant that mad dash wasn't necessary to actually make it home in less than an hour. The way I figured, I'd spend the rest of the day showing Saten and Uiharu the hospital before eating dinner and finishing my homework. It'd be peaceful, quiet, and fun. After such a hectic day it'd be nice to just relax and kick back after all I've been through today.
Of course, for a trouble magnet like me fate had other plans.
Academy City Monorail
About halfway through the train ride we were all thrown about as the train abruptly stopped.
"Why did the train stop?" grumbled Saten as she rubbed her head where she hit it.
Several men wearing balaclavas (or in layman's terms ski masks) came out wielding rifles, pistols, and other fire arms. So much for a relaxing end of the day. What is it this time, insurgents? Terrorists? Skill-Out?
"Listen up," said the one in front, "we've taken over dis train. If ya don't want to get hurt, you're gonna put all of your valuables and wallets In our bags ya hear me?" So this isn't a terrorist attack, but a holdup. Okay then, that made things easy. They'd be looking for possessions, not for lives or for ransom. A stocky man came over with a burlap bag , stuffing in wallets, necklaces, rings, and other things that looked pricey into it while pointing a magnum at everyone.
Eventually, he walked over to me, still clutching that gun. It was clear he was an amateur, he hasn't even released the safety latch yet.
"Whatcha waiting for kid, gimme your money!" he spat at me, shooting spit in all directions. Someone needed to take some language classes...and a breath mint.
"Sorry, I don't have anything valuable on me for you to take." For once, this was actually true, I never carried my wallet around on a school day and I don't have a phone.
"Don't play tough guy with me, I'll show you!" He pulled the trigger. He pulled it again. A third time. "Wha? Why da fuck doesn't this thing work Yamada!" he sputtered at his compatriot by the door.
I couldn't help but bend over and laugh at the man's stupidity. If you're going to holdup a train, at least know how to use your gun!
"What's so funny kid!"
"Come on, at least know how to use your gun! You have to release the safety if you're going to fire it you know! What kind of robber are you!" I said to mock him, it seemed to work rather well as what I could see of his face turned red as he stamped the floor.
"Uh Sieg-san, maybe you should calm down. They're pointing guns at us." said Uiharu worriedly.
"Should I really feel threatened by robbers who can't even use their own guns?"
"Uh, yes. Of course you should! You just taught him how to use it too!" exclaimed Saten angrily.
There were murmurs among the train goers as they wondered at my outbursts.
"Why is the kid talking to them like that?
"Does he value his life? He's gonna get us all killed.." among other things.
I whispered to Uiharu, "I'm going to make a distraction, call Anti-Skill and Judgment."
Uiharu's face looked shocked as I continued, "Hey, if you can't use your gun at least throw a punch or something. Here, I let you throw one right here." as I pointed to my left cheek.
"Why you little shit! I'll show you!" said the man as he threw a wild punch at my face,. It connected, landing squarely on my cheek and knocking me into the wall."That oughta shut you up."
"All his hero act did was get him punched in the face!"
"He's done it now!"
"What the hell was that for kid!"
Of course, I barely felt it. A punch from this guy felt more like getting pinched than anything. If I had a grandmother I bet she could punch harder than this guy.
"You call that a punch?" The smug look on the robber's face evaporated as I got up and gave him my best slasher smile.
"Say, do you know what city we're in?" I asked with a sickeningly sweet tone.
"What do ya take me for a dumbass? We're in Academy City..." he trailed off as he realized what he was dealing with.
"You're an esper?"
I nodded slowly in response.
"What, what level are you?" he stammered. Hey proper enunciation and sentence structure, that's a first for this guy.
I'm technically not am not a ranked esper yet (I don't know my ability, if there is one, at the moment), but I'm pretty sure my Blacklight powers should be more than sufficient to pose as one.
"Can't say I've had a level scan yet. But I sure as hell don't need one to deal with scum like you!"
When I'm about to get into a brawl, something in me clicks. As you can probably tell by the way I'm talking, I can be a real jerkass when I want to be. It's kind of like an on and off switch for my personality. Personally, I think it's just how I psych myself up for the fight.
I got into the boxing stance Mr. Heller taught me, with my fists in front of my face and leaning forward slightly. The man began to panic and pointed his gun at me once more. Unfortunately for him, he was too slow.
"THIS IS A PUNCH!" I yelled as I threw a lightning quick jab to the gut. Superhuman speed and strength are two of the perks of being made of the Blacklight virus. His eyes bulged as my knuckles made contact with his solar plexus. He seemed to have trouble breathing before he doubled over, looking ready to vomit. I kicked him in the temple afterward to knock him out. He's lucky that I didn't use my full strength, or he'd have a hole in his head and chest if I did.
"Get the kid!" said the robber named Yamada. The other two were actually smart enough to remove the safeties first. The one with an assault rifle took aim and fired straight at me. I dove to the floor, being sure to stay in the middle of the aisle so that no one else would be in the line of fire. The other one rushed me with a submachine gun. Big mistake. I swept his legs out from under him as he approached, followed by an elbow drop to the stomach. The man coughed and went limp. Two left.
"God damn it, why is so hard to deal with this brat!" yelled Yamada in rage. They drew a bead on me with their rifles and prepared to fire. Okay then I'll just dodge... oh crap. There was an old lady and her two grandchildren behind me. Well, if I have to show off my "esper" power, there won't be a better time than this. I quickly gathered biomass in my arms and began to morph them into two shields. They were using relatively small caliber weaponry, so I should be able to get away with rushing it and them thinner than usual out of necessity.
"Get down!" I yelled to the group behind me as I raised my arms which were now large slabs of crescent shaped biomass. They opened fire, but their bullets harmlessly bounced off. I felt the impact sure, but it was definitely dulled by the extra layers I put on my arms. Amidst the gunfire I looked to the side and saw Uiharu taking advantage of the confusion by putting a com link in her ear, her voice drowned out by the constant sound of my assailant's fire arms. As I did a bullet broke through my left shield and grazed my cheek. Okay, maybe making a half assed shield wasn't such a good idea after all.
Luckily for me, the sound of gunfire was soon replaced with a faint clicking sound. They're out of ammo! This is my chance! I changed my arms back to normal and rushed at the robber who struggled to reload his rifle. I tackled him, pulling the rifle from his grip and breaking it in half over my knee. I then followed with an uppercut to the jaw of my shocked victim, knocking the wind out of him. Whew, just one to go.
"Oh fuck you!" screamed Yamada as he grabbed a nearby elementary school girl and put the gun to her head. "What are you going to do now Hero Boy? You take one step closer, and I'm blowing her brains out! You hear me!" Tch, I was careless to just let him grab someone. What to do? Fortunately that was answered for me as I saw Saten reach for the fire extinguisher and began to quietly sneak up behind him. I needed to provide another distraction so that Saten could get close enough. I began to speak with a mocking tone once more.
"Hey Mr. Yamada, how does it feel to watch your big heist end in failure?"
"Don't talk to me like that you shitty brat, it's all your fault!"
"Come to think of it, it is isn't it. All of your buddies were taken out by a shitty brat weren't they? Look at you, cowering in the corner at the sight of me."
"Shut up, shut up, you stupid espers always look down on us Level 0s!"
He certainly sounds like someone from a Skill-Out gang.
"This city does nothing but care for the fucking rich and wealthy espers. We're trying to bring about equality and justice in this damned place. But people like you keep getting in the way!"
He's definitely part of a Skill-Out gang.
This was exactly what I wanted. What better distraction is there than a long winded rant/monologue by the person in question?
"All of you espers are the problem. Without you, there would be peace and we Level 0s wouldn't be treated so damn poorly. Without you I wouldn't have to be doing this-" he stopped as he fell over unconscious. Saten had clubbed him over the head with the fire extinguisher, hopefully he wouldn't have anything worse than a concussion.
The young girl that was held captive ran over to Saten, "Thank you for saving me onee-chan." she cried with tears of joy.
"You're welcome." replied Saten as she comforted the rather shaken young girl.
"That was amazing Sieg-san, and scary. You could have gotten hurt!" pouted Uiharu at my recklessness.
"Don't worry so much, I'm not one to get hurt easily. Even when I do, I heal quickly." I replied rather casually, "As long as I have enough biomass, I can heal from almost anything, even being shot through the head."
"Eh, biomass?" asked Uiharu. Shoot, I let that slip, how am I going to explain that?
Fortunately the conversation was cut short when a certain Level 4 teleporter warped in.
"I'm from Judgment, I've received a report of a crime taking place here. Cease resistance and- eh"
Kuroko looked rather bemused at the scene.
"Um, can someone please tell me what happened here?"
The young girl in Saten's arms jumped up, "These bad people came in saying that they'll shoot us if we didn't give him our money. Onii-chan beat them up." she pointed at me. "The last one grabbed me, but the nice onee-chan saved me." she said with a smile.
"How exactly did you go about this you two?" said Kuroko questioningly.
"I used my esper powers to subdue the first three men. However, the last one, named Yamada by one of the other robbers, grabbed this young girl. Yamada began ranting in the face of defeat, allowing Saten-san to knock him out with the fire extinguisher." I quickly summarized.
"These powers of yours, what do they entail?" Well the questions I'm being asked just shifted from bad to worse.
"Oh, I don't really have a name for it yet. It gives me extra strength and speed and the ability to change my limbs into different shapes. I also heal quickly." I said, giving as vague an answer as possible to avoid arousing suspicion.
"Is this true, Uiharu?"
"Yes. Everyone in the car can corroborate the story as well."
She gave me a someone disbelieving look before saying, "You guys did a number on them, I'll have to call an ambulance to take them to the hospital. Anti-Skill will be here in a minute to pick these guys up as well. I suppose we should give everyone their belongings back in the meantime."
And so we went to work, giving back every last thing that was taken by the robbers. It was rather amusing to see the people on the train showering praise upon me when about ten minutes ago they were jeering. I guess actions spoke louder than words this time.
By the time we managed to get off the train, it was already 7:30. Well, there goes all of the plans we arranged. It was too late to do much, and I had files to sort and homework to do.
"Look at how late it is already!" cried Saten, "I guess we'll have to come here another time."
"That's alright, I think we've had our fill of excitement for the day." In my opinion, that was enough excitement for the entire week.
"Say, speaking of which, where did you learn moves like that Sieg-san?" asked Uiharu.
"My Dad had a U.S. Marine for a friend, he taught me how to defend myself." Another half-lie, since my dad and Mr. Heller were NOT friends at all.
"Is that so? Well, we'll see you at school tomorrow Sieg-kun. Don't be late!" As the duo began to leave for the next train.
I waved goodbye as they left before turning around to go home. Man, what a day. I wonder if my dad went through days like this when he was around. I could always ask him later. I turned the corner and walked through the gates into the hospital.
Heaven Canceller's Hospital - Lobby
"Oh, Sieg-kun, you're home late, I remember you were supposed to help sort the files today." greeted Doctor Heaven Canceller, informally my Jii-chan.
"Sorry about that, a lot happened on the way home." an understatement, but a nonetheless accurate one.
"Would it have to do with the four men that came in today who were muttering about a "damned brat" who ruined their holdup today." he asked with a questioning look in his eye.
"Oh, heh." I laughed nervously, "about that..."
"Look Sieg," he said dropping formalities, "I understand you want to help people. Still pulling things like this is a surefire way to catch the attention of certain people. Including the organizations that chased your father."
The organizations he's referring to are Gentek and Blackwatch, two organizations who hunted my father throughout his life. Gentek was a genetics institution that my father worked at when he was human. There he developed the Blacklight virus, and as a result he was hunted down for his knowledge and the virus itself. Though as an act of spite he released it before he died, thus leading to two of the worst biological disasters in modern history, both caused by my father Alex Mercer.
Blackwatch on the other hand was a military organization created to combat the virus. Unfortunately, most of the organization was composed of trigger-happy sociopaths, giddy mad scientists, and sadistic psychopaths. Thus Blackwatch was full of corruption to the point that my father (or at least the virus that took his form) had to stop the first epidemic practically single-handedly before starting the second one when he found that humanity wasn't worth saving. Both want me as I am one of the only three perfect Blackight beings on the planet, the others being Mr. Heller and the missing Pariah.
"But Jii-chan I couldn't just let them rob everyone..."
"Yes, but that's the job of Judgment and Anti-Skill. You have no responsibility to do so and the fact that you did put you in a lot of danger you know."
Ugh, he has a point.
"That's not to say I'm not proud of what you did." I felt myself perk up a little.
"But be careful. You're my grandson in all but blood. I don't want to see you getting hurt or worse."
"Alright Jii-chan. I promise to be more careful." Though somehow I have the feeling that I'll have to break this promise in the future.
"As long as you understand. It's getting late, the blood packets you need are in the refrigerator, you know where to find them."
You read that right. Blood packets. No I am not a vampire. I don't get much nourishment from food, so I have to consume living organisms or their fluids (hence the name biomass) to sustain myself. So Jii-chan manages to sneak the almost expired blood bags out for me to consume instead. I can't say they taste very good, but it's either that or going out into the city at night and eating any unfortunate pedestrian to cross my path. Since I'm not really keen on eating people, it was a pretty easy choice.
I didn't do much else that night, finished homework, got changed, went to bed. But of course, there was something to interrupt me every time, even during sleep.
My Mindscape
Instead of blissful sleep I found myself in a circular room of almost pure white. The surfaces of the walls and ceiling seem to move as if small silver waves were running across them. This isn't my first time here. I've been here at least one night a month for the past five years of my life, and there's only one reason why I would be here.
"So you're here kid."
A turned around to see a man wearing a brown hoodie, black leather jacket, and a white shirt. His jeans were stained with mud and splotches of red, probably blood. His arms were at his sides, but tensed and seemingly ready to pounce. While his face was obscured under his hood, you could see that he was expecting me by the small grin on his face, like a predator waiting for its prey.
"Thanks for interrupting my sleep, Dad."
Everyone, say hello to Codename Zeus, the first Prototype, the physical incarnation of the Blacklight Virus itself, my father Alex Mercer.
Well that was my second chapter. I'm kind of disappointed with how I constructed a lot of the dialogue, since I feel that I inserted way too much cussing over actual character. It was kinda tough for me to think of a situation where I could have Sieg show off, but keep Uiharu and Saten important. It was also hard for me to think of things that Heaven Canceller would say, since his only major appearances in the story are talking with Crowley or treating Accelerator or Touma. I decided to keep make him the kindly but firm and wise grandfather archetype. I wanted to keep Alex Mercer in the story through more than just passing mention, so I decided to insert him here at the end. What better way to insert a dead character than in the subconscious? I'm also thinking of shipping Sieg with either Saten or Uiharu, but I am having trouble deciding. What do you guys think?
Anyway, that's it for now, please critique and give positive criticism through a review. As many authors from fanfiction you've read have told you, it's the lifeblood of an author and the driving force for writing a good story.