Disclaimer: I do not own Prototype or any of the To Aru series. Aside from my OCs all characters and terms belong to their original owners.
In My Mindscape
"What do you want this time?" I asked my father, a.k.a. Alex Mercer, history's most infamous bioterrorist.
"Is that any way to talk to your father?" he said in a mocking tone.
In case you're wondering why I'm able to have a conversation with my dead father, I wasn't born like a normal person. Apparently I came from the remnants of the mess left behind when Mr. Heller consumed him, thus I am technically a fragment of Alex Mercer himself. Luckily for me, I gained self-awareness.
"I'm still wondering why you would bother with those humans. They're inferior and selfish, hardly worth saving." He must have seen what I did today from the back of my mind.
"I told you Dad, not all humans are like that. You just had bad luck and met some of the worse members of humanity. I mean, look at Aunt Dana, she helped you even after you turned into a monster."
My dad turned his head, "Hmmph, a few exceptions doesn't change the fact that the majority should be exterminated. Besides, she betrayed me in the end like everyone else."
"That was only because you decided to try and infect everyone with Blacklight you know."
At this point he appeared to be almost pouting, something I couldn't help but start to laugh it.
"What are you laughing at?"
"Your face, you're pouting like a kid."
His faced twisted into a scowl at my impudence, "Don't forget I can still try to destroy you in here."
"I know you wouldn't Dad, I'm your only son, so I'm very precious to you aren't I?" I said cheekily, "You don't need to put up your tough guy act around me. I know you're trying to look at the bright side of things." It's fun to tease my Dad a little. He's surprisingly easy to anger.
But I knew fun and games were over once he started to morph his arm into an all too familiar claw. "Alright then, in all seriousness, what did you want to talk about?"
"I'd be careful if I were you, Blackwatch has you under surveillance already. Your little display blew whatever semblance of cover out you had into the open."
I clenched my teeth, "Again! Ugh, wait, how do you know this?"
"While you were walking home the scope of a rifle was being trained on you from the building across the street. I heard the old man was also talking about it while you were sleeping. You should be more aware of things like this you idiot, before you get us killed."
"Well thanks, I guess. I'll keep it in mind." I thought about it a little, "So… you do care! Isn't that sweet?"
"Don't you get the wrong idea," he growled, "I just don't want us to get killed. Got it? Now get going already, it's already morning. If you're late for school the old man and Dana will have your neck and mine."
"Thanks Dad, see you later!"
"Tch, whatever." I saw him turn his back to me before my vision was blurred with light.
My Room – Heaven Canceller's Hospital
I woke up to the sound of my alarm clock beeping. 7:00 A.M. I'd better get up. I changed out of my sleeping clothes (which for someone like me is simply a matter of changing my biomass to resemble a different outfit) into my school uniform. I then went to the bathroom to comb my hair and straighten my tie. As I looked in the mirror, I noticed I had a few streaks of bright red hair the same color as some of Mr. Heller's transformations.
"I wonder if Dad had anything to do with this." I thought to myself as I tried to make my hair relatively presentable. Once I was satisfied, I walked out to the lobby where Jii-chan was already sitting, going through reports, documents, and other papers.
"Good morning, Jii-chan!"
"Good morning, Sieg. Going out with your friends again today?"
"Uh yeah, how did you know?" I'm not really sure if they're my friends yet though, but I'll leave it at that, (not that my dad would want me to have any).
"I just had a feeling. Make sure you eat breakfast and grab your lunch before you head out the door."
"I will, thanks Jii-chan." I quickly drained some blood packets before heading out the door.
"Don't stay out too late again!"
Sakugawa Middle School – Cafeteria
Afterwards, the rest of the morning was surprisingly (but pleasantly) uneventful compared to yesterday. The train ran on time. I wasn't chased by a teleporter. Even the antagonistic teacher was absent. The entire day seemed to be shaping up in my favor. As a result, nothing really worth talking about happened until lunch.
I was slurping a smoothie composed of blood, strawberries, and watermelon in the cafeteria. The three went surprisingly well together. I then saw Saten sit on my left.
"Hey Sieg, what are you drinking?"
"Just a smoothie I made, nothing special. No honorifics?"
"Aw come on, don't be so formal. After what happened yesterday we're friends aren't we?" She thinks of me as a friend, that's nice I guess. She eyed my drink, "Can I have a sip?" I almost spat my drink all over the place. I can't let her drink this! It has human blood in it for crying out loud!
"I can't, it has, uh, my medicine in it." I quickly said in an attempt to make an excuse.
"Really now? What are you sick with? Academy City has some of the world's best doctors you know." Don't I know it? I live with the best one in town, heck probably the world. Think Sieg, think!
"I have a blood disease that causes me to have anemia." I tried to say as calmly as I could, "The medicine helps me keep my blood cell count up."
"Hmmm," she squinted at me, still unconvinced. Buy it! Buy it!
"Alright then," phew, I was worried for a moment, "are you still going to hang out with us this afternoon? I'm going to get the new Hitotsui Hajime album."
"You can count on it!" I said with a smile, remembering that she called me a friend. Come to think of it, did I have any friends outside of family before I came here?
"That's great to hear, Uiharu is so shy, it'd be great if she more friends. Say, the System Scan is next period. What do you think you're going to get?"
"If I'm lucky, I'd be Level 2." I replied. To be honest, I'd place my "Esper" powers around the strength of a Level 3, since I've done some actual fighting with them before. I don't think I should tell Saten that though.
"What you did on the train was pretty impressive, so there is no need to be modest. You called yourself a Shapeshifter. Can you do anything else?"
"Yeah, but they're all pretty freaky," I admitted, "I've turned my arms into claws, whips, and stuff like that. They're pretty much only good for fighting people." I paused in my thoughts for a second as I said that. I just told her several of my powers! What do I do if she goes on the Internet and puts two and two together!
"Well, at least you have powers. I'm a Level 0 you know, an incompetent." She glanced sadly at the floor, "It must be cool to have them right?"
I gave her a small frown, "To be honest, it isn't always very fun." She gave me a surprised look.
"You see, I didn't get my powers through the Power Curriculum. As a result, a lot of people tried to hunt me down for them." Here I go again with the lies and half-lies. "It wasn't until I was taken here and found by my Jii-chan did things start to look up for me."
"Oh, I didn't know." She looked rather embarrassed and depressed at her earlier statement. Damn, I ruined her mood! I put my hand on her shoulder to try and reassure her.
"Don't worry about it Saten. I'm just pouring my life story out here. You don't need to be so worried about it. I'm just saying that it isn't all about the powers. I bet you'll get further than me when we grow up."
Her face looked bemused as I continued, "I have no social skills or luck with people. To be honest, you're the first real friend I've had in a long time. So, um, thank you!" I just said my dad's taboo word again. He must think I'm losing it. Her look of shock turned into a small smile. That's good. I managed to perk her up a bit.
"Okay then, see you next class!" she got up to throw out the scraps of her lunch.
Not long after I heard a voice over the loudspeakers, "All students report to the track field in physical education clothing. The System Scan with commence shortly." With that I cleaned up and went to the bathroom to change. It's time to see how my powers hold up in the Esper Rankings!
Sakugawa Middle School – Track Field
When I made it to the field I began to stretch a little. It was kind of pointless, since I technically don't produce lactic acid and I don't have any tendons or muscles to pull. It just helps me relax before physical tests like this. The tests were conducted in alphabetical order. As a result, I was called about halfway in because of my last name.
"Mercer, Sieg" called a somewhat monotone female voice over the loud speaker. "Proceed to the left end of the field."
I walked over there where I was greeted by a middle-aged woman slightly shorter than me. She had the appearance of a loving grandmother, her voice full of kindness and warmth.
"My name is Oyafune Monaka. I'm on the Board of Directors here in Academy City." She's on the Board of Directors! That means she's at the top of Academy City's politics! What could she be here for?
"I'll be proctoring your System Scan today. This is your first one isn't it?" I nodded politely.
"You can relax. I'm not scheming or anything. You children are the future of this city and the world. I just found your profile as a gemstone esper interesting and wished to see your abilities for myself. I wish you luck young man."
Jii-chan warned me about the politicians in this city, as a lot of them are very shady and may even be conducting illegal experiments. I don't know why, but something about this lady tells me I can trust her.
"Thank you Monaka-san, I'll do my best." I replied as politely as I could.
"It seems that your profile does not list your abilities. How should we quantify your power?"
"I can increase my strength, so if there's something that measures impacts I can strike it."
"That's an excellent way of measuring it." She brought up her walkie-talkie. "I am requesting a G-Force Sensor for Sieg-kun's System Scan."
They brought a large machine that resembled a sideways punching bag with a bunch of sensors attached. "Sieg-kun, please use your ability on this bag. Your level will be determined from the force provided."
"Yes ma'am." I then quickly began to morph my arm so that it became larger and stronger, using what Dad called the Muscle Mass ability. After a second my arm was now pitch black and heavily muscled, looking somewhat misplaced on my otherwise slim and pale frame.
"Here I go!" I stepped forward and punched it as hard as I could, sending waves of force through the material and causing it to shudder and ripple slightly as it slid backwards along the axis it hung from.
"A most interesting power you have there, Sieg-kun." As she said that I realized that she hasn't called me Mercer-san at all like the other adults.
"Eh, how did you know that...?"
"You don't like to use your last name?" she finished, "I'm friends with the doctor taking care of you. We've known each other since this city was founded. He's told me all about you." I'm pretty sure he didn't tell her ALL about me. At least, I hope he didn't.
"I see…" Jii-chan never told me that he had friends like this on the council. I guess he has depths that even I don't know of.
"Let's see your score." she walked over to the side of the machine. "50.232 gigajoules, you've done a very impressive job young man. That's enough force to take down a small building if you were to attack the supports."
"Um, thank you." To think I could punch with more force than ten tons of TNT exploding was somewhat startling. I thought it'd be a fraction of that. I guess I don't know my own strength.
"That said, your overall rating is Level 4. Magnificent work, I hope to see more from you next time." She said with a warm smile before a man dressed in a guard's uniform came up to her.
"Director Monaka, you are needed for a meeting."
"I understand. Allow me to congratulate you once more Sieg-kun. Please continue your hard work and strive for even greater heights." She turned and left with poise. The bell rang immediately after, "All students, please return to the changing rooms and proceed to your next class." I ended up doing just that.
Sakugawa Middle School – Courtyard, Afterschool
Saten slipped me a note during the last period of class to meet her afterschool in the courtyard. After getting everything I needed from my locker I headed out the main entrance. I saw Saten walking towards Uiharu, so I ran to catch up. Uiharu seemed to be preoccupied with a handheld device as Saten walked up behind her…
"U - i - ha - ru!" I felt my face turn red as Saten flipped Uiharu's skirt for the whole student body to see. How can someone be so shameless!
"Oh, today you're sporting light pink polka dots, huh?"
Uiharu's face soon turned the same shade as mine when she realized what happened. "Kyaaaaaaaaaah!" she cried. "W-What do you think you're doing Saten-san!" she scolded in a flustered panic.
Saten looked absolutely casual with her hands raised, "Oh, such formality with a classmate. As polite and formal as ever I see. Here, once more just to deepen our friendship!"
Uiharu screamed again as I walked over. "Um, Saten-san, are you sure that's a good habit to have? Especially when doing it in front of everyone else…"
"Not you too Sieg, geez why is everyone so formal. Say, you want me to pull down your pants Sieg?"
"What? No! Saten that's just wrong!" Considering the fact that my clothes are simply a manifestation of my biomass, she probably couldn't, but that probably wouldn't stop her from trying.
"There we go see!" she smirked, "You're blushing Sieg, don't be so uptight!" Uiharu and I sighed at the shameful behavior of our friend as we walked out of the schoolyard.
Streets of Academy City - School District 7
Uiharu sighed again as she sat down on a bench. "You are awful." She said to Saten.
"Sorry, sorry I got carried away there."
"No kidding." I added.
"Want to see my panties to get even?"
"No thank you!" said Uiharu and I at the same time.
"Geez Saten-san…" said Uiharu, pouting and looking away.
"Oh, come to think of it, how'd it go?"
"How did what go?"
"Isn't that obvious? I'm talking about your System Scans."
"Oh… An absolute disaster. Level 1 same as always. The same level as I've been since grade school. My homeroom teacher even said, "Are those flowers on your head just for show? Use the full blooming power of those flowers to make your own power level blossom too!" I guess her teacher was making a pun on Uiharu's full name which means Early Spring Decorations when translated directly from Japanese, referring to her flower hair band.
"How did your System Scan go Sieg?"
"Um," I really didn't want to hurt their feelings, but I also didn't want to lie to them either. "She called me a Level 4." I said finally. Both stared dumbfounded at my statement.
"Whaaaa," squealed Uiharu, "you're part of the elite on your first try Sieg-kun!" her eyes were twinkling in admiration.
"It's nothing, really…I just got lucky is all." It's not like I wanted this power, I just had the fortune (and misfortune) of being born from arguably one of the most powerful biological weapons in history. Saten was pouting a little with her arms crossed, she wasn't envious of me, was she? Maybe I should try to resolve this.
"Saten…" I began but she beat me to the punch.
"Great job Sieg!" she congratulated me with a peace sign and a smile.
"Huh?" It was my turn to be dumbfounded. I expected her to be angry or sad, not for her to applaud me!
"Just promise me that you won't be stuck up like some of the girls over at Tokiwadai alright!" So that's what she's worried about.
"Don't worry, I won't." I replied as I gave her a small smile. Uiharu looked happy too, and was writing something down in her digital planner. I wonder what she's writing about.
"You don't need to worry about me either. As long as I enjoy every day, everything is okay!" she said with universal OK pose.
"Hey Uiharu, listen to this," she then said, holding an earbud up for Uiharu.
"It's Hitotsui Hajime! Is this…?" said Uiharu.
"I downloaded a pre-release song of his from the album that goes on sale today."
"You buy the CD even after you download it?" said Uiharu, confused.
"It's winning these kickoff limited release 100-name-drawing premium goods that make you a true fan, you know! And so, let's go there, together, to buy it!" If that's the case for a true fan I'd think that being a normal one is too expensive.
"But I have to go see Shirai-san today remember?"
"Shirai? You mean Shirai Kuroko from Judgment?" She did mention that yesterday. I don't think I'll ever forget the Level 4 Teleporter's face as she pursued me all the way from that fateful alleyway to my first-period classroom.
"My fondest wish to meet Misaka-san is coming true!" she said with the same twinkle in her eye as before. "She's one of the only seven Level 5s in Academy City, the Ace of Tokiwadai, Misaka Mikoto-san!"
Saten looked rather disgruntled as Uiharu continued her description, "The Ace of Tokiwadai? I bet she's just another one of those jerkwads who flaunt their abilities while looking down on you."
"That's not true."
"I mean, those people all treat everyone below them with contempt. They disgust me. What's worse, she's also the ojou-sama of Tokiwadai-"
"Isn't it great that she's an ojou-sama!" interjected Uiharu. "No, it's even better because she's an ojou-sama!
"Hey, you're just starry eyed over seeing a celebrity, aren't you?" said Saten questioningly. At this point I'm thoroughly convinced of that statement.
"Th-that's not true! And by the way, it has nothing to do with the fact that I'm from Nishi-Kasai." she denied awfully specifically, "Say, considering the occasion, Saten-san why don't you come along?" finished Uiharu at the speed of a race car engine.
"Eh, I-I don't really…"
"Saten, why don't you go with her?" I said, "You have the money right?"
"Yeah, but… "
"Then just hand it to me. I'll get it for you and run back."
"The music store is almost a mile from here though!"
"Tell you what, if I'm not back to meet you in fifteen minutes, I'll pay you back for the CD."
"There's no way you're that fast!" she began before realizing who she was talking to. "Are you really sure you'll be able to make it back, because that's two thousand yen we're talking about."
"I'm positive!" I know I could if everything went smoothly and I ran at full speed.
"Alright, thanks Sieg!"
"It's perfect then!" cried Uiharu, "You don't get a chance like this very often!"
"Hold on, Uiharu! Wait a second!" cried Saten as Uiharu began to pull her around the corner.
"Well, that's my cue." I said to myself as I shifted some biomass to my legs and took off for the music store, leaving dust and a lot of surprised people in my wake.
The music store was pretty easy to find with thermal vision, just find whichever building had the biggest line in front of it. By the time I got there, there were already thirty people on line. This Hajime guy must be pretty popular to have this many fans already waiting on line."
It took about eight minutes before I managed to get to the register. The shop owner gave me a strange look at first.
"You want the Hitotsui Hajime album?"
"Yes."
There were also a lot of fujoshis on line who began making remarks about me being in love with the guy.
"I'm not in love with the guy! I'm just buying this for a friend!" I yelled back angrily.
The shop owner smirked, "So this is for your girlfriend, eh?"
I felt my face flush red again, "She's not my girlfriend! She's just a friend. Who is a girl." Did I just say the word friend three times in less than a minute? My dad is probably screaming right now.
"Wahaha! That's what they all say. Hope she likes it, it's the last special edition copy!"
The girls behind me began to glare daggers at me as I received the CD. "Thanks mister!" I yelled as I sprinted out the door, the glares of those girls following me.
Damn, only five minutes left now! Time to cheat a little! Turning into an alleyway, I dashed up a wall onto the roof of the building. I surveyed my surroundings, looking for Saten and Uiharu. I spotted Uiharu and Saten with my thermal vision, her hair band being a dead giveaway amongst the rest of the people around her. The problem was that she was over a mile away!
I began running and jumping across the rooftops, looking for a good perch to attempt a leap from. I found it in the form of a water tower that rested on the roof of a pub. I jumped on top of it before leaping off in their direction. Just as I did yesterday, I thinned the amount of biomass in my body, spreading out the rest so that I could glide through the air. Only two minutes!
I began expelling some biomass from my feet as if I had rocket boots to go faster. I managed to cover several blocks in under a minute. Even at my current speed through, it would be a tough prospect to get there in time. In fact, there might not even be enough time to find a soft landing spot! Wait, there they are! I spotted them talking with a brown haired girl and a pink haired girl who was clearly Kuroko. Only five seconds! I just tucked my arms and dived for the ground.
5… Come on…
4… I began to lean backward in order to land feet first…
3… Almost there…
2… Getting ready…
1… I braced myself for the landing…
I landed with a resounding crash next to the group, startling everyone nearby.
"What was that!" was basically what everyone on the street was saying.
"Phew! Right on time!" I said as I dusted myself off. "Here's the CD you wanted Saten, I told you I'd get it in fifteen minutes! It was the last one too."
"Yataa! I got the limited-edition album!" Saten cried, holding up the CD triumphantly. "Thanks Sieg!"
"It's you! The kid from yesterday!" said Kuroko, pointing at me.
"Hey, I'm the same age as you…"
The brown haired girl then began to crackle with electricity, "Didn't you arrest this guy yesterday? I'll knock him out! Call Anti-Skill!"
"Wait, what?" was the last thing I said before I was struck by a surge of lightning from the girl.
"Argggggh!" I heard myself yell as the current coursed through my body, paralyzing or frying pretty much everything it passed through.
I hit the ground, "So this is what it's like be put in the electric chair or maybe even a chicken fryer." I thought to myself as I struggled to regain control of my limbs.
"Wait, what are you doing Misaka-san?!" asked Uiharu.
"He didn't do anything to you!" I heard Saten say.
"Kuroko was chasing this guy yesterday!"
"Ah, Onee-sama, it was a misunderstanding. He was just trying to get to school…" said Kuroko as she laughed nervously.
"Eh, oh, um…" Misaka stammered in a rather undignified manner, "maybe we should call him an ambulance. I think I overdid it."
When I could finally feel my arms and legs working again I pulled myself off the floor, "You don't need to. I'll be fine." I began shaking it off, "That wasn't the worst pain I've ever experienced, but I can say that it hurt!" I could have sworn I coughed up a cloud of smoke right afterward.
"You should have told me this earlier Kuroko! I shocked someone with fifty thousand volts because of that!" growled Misaka as she used her knuckles to grind her number one fan's temples.
Fifty-thousand volts! That's enough to kill someone!
"Forgive me, Onee-sama!" so much for being an oujou-sama.
"So, um, yeah. Let's start over." Misaka began. "I'm Misaka Mikoto, nice to meet you." She put out her hand.
I sighed, before cracking a small smile. It wasn't much of an apology, but it was something. "Mercer Sieg," I introduced myself, "but just call me Sieg. I'm their classmate, though I rushed here trying to get Saten her CD on time."
"You had to fall from the sky to do it?"
"Er, yes." Misaka gave me a puzzled look before Kuroko continued,
"Now that introductions have been made… though I can't say without incident now, although the timetable has been thrown off somewhat, I've neatly arranged a schedule for today—"
Kuroko was then knocked on the head by an angry Misaka, the former clutching her head in pain.
"Sheesh. Well, standing around here isn't going to get us anywhere. How about we first go to the game center?"
"The game center?" questioned Saten. That certainly wasn't oujou-sama like.
"Come on, Kuroko. We're going." Misaka said to us, cracking a small smile.
After we finished playing at the arcade, (I found it rather noisy and overly flashy, but it was nevertheless fun). We ended up taking the monorail, with Kuroko complaining that Misaka wasn't doing enough "lady-like" activities all along the way. Misaka retorted that activities like tea ceremonies and playing the harp weren't things that suited her.
We grabbed some flyers as we walked down the street from the station.
"She's not really oujou-sama like is she?" whispered Saten.
"She doesn't look down on us either." Uiharu replied.
"I guess the rumors were wrong." I said. "But her shocking power definitely wasn't a lie." I added quietly.
"What's that?" asked Saten as she looked at the flyer Uiharu picked up.
"It looks like there's a new crepe stand. It says the first one hundred customers get a free Gekota mascot present."
"What a chintzy-looking character. Who would go for something like that these days-" Saten bumped into Misaka, who had stopped to read the same flyer.
"Excuse me…"
"Misaka-san?"
"What's the matter Onee-sama? Ah, are you interested in the crepe stand, or perhaps…are you interested in any free giveaway you can find?"
"W-What are you talking about?! I don't care about any Gekota! I mean he's a frog, an amphibian, in what world are girls thrilled to get a prize like…"
"Uh…" said Uiharu as we all looked at the small Gekota keychain hanging from Misaka's schoolbag. Well, her mature, refined oujou-sama image went out the window for me.
Kuroko hid her laughter while Uiharu, Saten, and I could only stare. We soon got over it and continued onward to a plaza. Kuroko, Uiharu, and I secured a bench while Misaka and Saten went to go buy crepes for us, (though I suspect that Misaka is doing it for another reason). In the meantime simply watched the kids run around and eat crepes with smiles on their faces while Kuroko started messing with Uiharu's hair band. It must be nice to be so innocent and young. Man I'm making myself sound old.
Eventually they bought the crepes, with Misaka prancing around holding up the Gekota keychain. Her good mood was interrupted when Kuroko began to chase her, asking her Onee-sama to take a bite out of her natto bean and fresh cream crepe. Who would eat that anyway?
"Here." I looked up and saw Saten handing me a crepe. "I didn't know what to get you, so I just asked for vanilla ice cream, chocolate, and marshmallows."
"Hey, thanks! You didn't have to though."
"Don't mention it. Think of it as my way of thanking you for getting me the CD."
I bit into it, it tasted great! The warm, soft texture of the crepe gave way to the cold and sweet ice cream before I tasted the bittersweet dark chocolate. The bite ended as I my teeth met the fluffy and creamy marshmallow. Don't roll your eyes at me! Just because I won't get much nutrition out of this doesn't mean I can't enjoy it!
"Thanks Saten! It's perfect!"
"That's good to hear."
"It's nice isn't it," said Uiharu next to us, "about Misaka-san. She doesn't really give off the ojou-sama vibe and she's much more approachable than I expected." Somehow it doesn't surprise me that Uiharu is still fantasizing about Misaka.
"I don't know…" muttered Saten watching the antics of Misaka and Kuroko.
Misaka walked up to Saten before presenting her crepe. "Here." she said.
"Eh?"
"Want a taste? Have a bite, as thanks for earlier." I'm not sure what she meant by that, but it probably had to do with Gekota.
"Onee-sama!" whined Kuroko. "Onee-sama, do you mean that even though I am right here, you would prefer an indirect kiss from Saten-san!"
Kuroko began thrashing about, complaining about the fact that she wouldn't get Misaka's first kiss.
"You know, I don't think I can keep up with your friends Uiharu." said Saten.
"I can't agree with you any more." I said.
Uiharu began to giggle but then looked over our shoulders with a questioning look on her face.
"What's wrong Uiharu?" I asked.
"Oh, it's nothing. I just noticed that bank. Why would the security shutters be down in the middle of the day?"
We all stopped and looked at the bank, wondering that ourselves. The shutters then suddenly buckled before being blasted off theirs hinges by an explosion. People screamed and began to run away from the plaza. Kuroko, seeing this, ate the rest of her crepe in one bite before pulling out her Judgment band.
She went from comical to serious in an instant as she began taking charge of the situation, "Uiharu, contact Anti-Skill and see if anyone is hurt! Please hurry!"
"R-right!"
"Kuroko!"
"No you don't, Onee-sama. Maintaining the peace in Academy City is a job for those of us in Judgment. This time, please be sure to behave yourself." Misaka then begrudgingly stood by. I wanted to help too, but I remembered Jii-chan's words from last night and stood by as well.
All the while Uiharu was speaking into her com link, "Yes, that's correct. A bank robbery is in progress across from the public square on the edge of District 7. Requesting Anti-Skill to this location."
A trio of men all wearing the same black coats and white masks emerged from the bank, carrying bags of money.
"Come on, get the lead out!" the one in front yelled. "Move it or—"
"Hold it!" said Kuroko, standing in their path. "I'm from Judgment! You're under arrest for destruction of property and bank robbery!"
The bandits stared blankly at Kuroko before looking at each other and bursting into laughter.
"What's with this little brat?"
"Is Judgment short on staff?"
"Hey oujo-chan, go find somewhere else to be," said the stocky one, "or you might get hurt!" The idiots are underestimating someone just because of her age. Don't they know that all of the city's most powerful espers are teenagers?
Kuroko casually sidestepped the blow before kicking the bandit's foot, "With a flunky line like that…" she then threw him with his own weight as a catalyst, leaving the poor sap in a heap on the ground. "…you're marked for death."
"Amazing!" said Saten.
"That's Kuroko for you." said Misaka.
Our heads turned to the sound of Uiharu yelling while pulling on what appeared to be a tour guide's arm, "No you can't! If you leave the square now…"
"—But!"
"What's wrong?" asked Misaka.
"Well you see—"
"—We're missing one of our boys! He said he left something on the bus a moment ago."
"—Okay, Uiharu-san and I will—"
"—I'm coming too!" said Saten.
"Let me join! I won't sit on the side while people are in trouble!" I added.
"Let's split up and search for him!"
We scattered, with Saten looking in the bushes near the plaza, Misaka searching on the bus, the tour guide looking in the area in front of the bus, while I searched the perimeter around the plaza.
"Geez, where did he go?" asked Misaka. "Maybe we should look around the square again."
We turned at the sound of a struggle, in which the third bandit cried, "Wah! What are you doing! Let me go!"
"No!" yelled Saten as the bandit tried to take the missing boy hostage.
"Damn it!" the bandit then kicked Saten in the face, knocking both her and the boy away.
"Saten!" I yelled dashing over as fast as I could. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah…" she said rubbing the spot where the man's foot had struck.
Kuroko had already finished subduing the second bandit with the iron nails she used on me used on me yesterday. She was about to act on the last one when her beloved Onee-sama yelled, "Kuroko!"
Misaka emerged from the smoke with her head down. If looks could kill, the one on her face would have left those three bandits dead instantly.
"From here on, this fight is now personal. I hate to do this, but I have to get involved." Arcs of electricity crackled around her once more as she looked ready to electrocute them all into submission. I wanted to get some revenge of my own, but with the aura Misaka was giving off, I'm sure I would have just gotten in her way if I intervened.
The bandit pinned by Kuroko's nails seemed to have come to a realization, "I just remembered! There's this terrifying teleporter in Judgment who will tear apart your body and soul if she catches you."
"Who are you talking about?" asked Kuroko with a glare.
The remaining bandit then made a U-turn with his car before heading straight for Misaka.
"In addition," the pinned bandit continued, "the heart and soul of that teleporter is held captive by the strongest electromaster!
"Yes," said Kuroko with a confident smile, "That girl there is the cream of the twenty three million people in Academy City." Misaka flipped an arcade coin she had gotten earlier at the game center into the air.
"The third-ranked among the seven Level 5s…"
The car advanced forwards at upwards of sixty miles per hour and only getting faster to try and run Misaka over.
However, it wasn't fast enough.
Misaka's electricity gathered into her thumb as she flicked the coin, accelerating it to three times the speed of sound, leaving a bright orange trail in its wake from the friction caused by the coin as it sailed through the air. The coin struck the car dead on, flinging the vehicle fifteen feet in the air and landed it nose first on the pavement meters behind Misaka. She brushed aside some of the hair that was in front of her face as she continued to look forward, making it appear as though she was observing the damage done by her signature move.
"The Railgun, Misaka Mikoto, my Onee-sama, the pride of Tokiwadai Middle School, the ultimate, unstoppable Electric Princess!"
"In- Incredible!" said Saten and Uiharu simultaneously, marveling at Misaka's power.
"So that's the power of a Level 5 huh?" I said to myself quietly. I felt movement from behind me and my eyes darted to the remains of the car that attempted to run over Misaka.
The bandit had crawled out of the car and pulled a pistol from his holster, "This brat…" I morphed my arm into a massive blade almost as long as I was tall. I then moved too quickly for him to see.
"Who do you think you're pointing that gun at?" I asked as I put the blade near his head. Terrified, he dropped the gun and surrendered.
Misaka walked over, "That wasn't necessary, but thanks. I have a natural radar so I would've destroyed the bullet before it arrived."
"It's better to be safe than sorry." I replied, "I wouldn't take my chances with a gun if at all possible."
"You have a point there." She glanced at my blade, "So that's your esper ability?"
"Yeah, I can shapeshift parts of my body into things like this. Pretty scary isn't it." Another half-lie, but what she doesn't know can't hurt her in this case.
"Maybe, but it's clear that you can use them the right way."
"Thanks... it means a lot coming from you."
"Hey, we're friends aren't we?" Friends huh, I guess Dad has been trying to rub off on me, since that word just felt so alien up to this point. Though I guess the number of times I've heard and used it today is making it a bit easier.
"Yeah, we're friends."
District 7 – Public Square, 1 Hour After The Incident
"Are you sure you're okay Saten?" I asked for probably the fifth time. "You don't know what kind of things could have been on that guy's boot? You can't risk an infection!" I mentally chuckled as I realized what I just said, the embodiment of the world's most deadly virus worrying about germs. Oh the irony.
"I told you I'm fine!" Saten said. "You're not my mother you know." she sighed.
"That was handled pretty well, Saten-san." said a certain Electric Princess as she walked over to us.
"Huh?" said Saten, confused.
"It was awfully heroic of you."
"You too, Misaka-san-" The touching moment was ruined by the Level 4 teleporter.
"Onee-sama!"
"Hey, Kuroko! Stop clinging to me!"
"Saten-san!" called Uiharu as she ran over, "Are you hurt badly?"
"I'm fine, I'm fine."
"Really?"
"Especially with Sieg here, he basically told the medics how to do their jobs." she said laughing.
"Hey when you live with a doctor, you pick up a few things." I said, feeling myself smile as well.
Though there was a question I had to ask.
"Say Uiharu," I began.
"Yes Sieg-san?"
"Do you think I could join Judgment?"
Yay! Another chapter finished. I began writing this chapter today because I was surprised that my second fanfiction had surpassed my first in terms of number of words. As you can probably tell, I based this on the second half of To Aru Kagaku no Railgun's first episode. I decided to not have Sieg fight here, as I felt that it would detract from the stage time of Misaka and Kuroko. I promise to allow him to show off in later chapters though. I've decided to go through with the Saten x Sieg ship since it just felt right to me. Plus I'm already imagining scenarios as I'm writing this, so there's that too. There are some minor changes to events in the story shown in the anime, but you can probably spot them.
As always, please review and favorite this story if you like it. Even if you don't, please review anyway so I can make this story better. It helps to inspire me and make this story great. Thanks for reading!