Disclaimer: I don't own the To Aru or the Prototype Series. All characters aside from my OCs belong to their respective owners.
District 7 - Public Square - 1 Hour After the Incident
"Do you think I could join Judgment?" I asked Uiharu.
"Eh? W-why would you ask that?"
"I guess you can say that I was inspired by what you, Kuroko, and Misaka did." I got up from the sidewalk, "Besides, I'm probably going to get into trouble like this again so I might as well be authorized to help right?"
"I guess... Becoming a Judgment member is hard though Sieg-san. You'll have to pass thirteen kinds of tryouts and training for four months, and sign nine contracts to join."
"Four months... that's a long time." I doubt that I'd be able to stay out of trouble for four months, fate just hates me after all.
"S-Sorry, but it's standard protocol."
"Alright then, there's no time like the present after all. I'll start tomorrow. Do you mind helping me out with the paperwork Uiharu?"
"N-No problem." she said, writing things down in her planner.
"I think it's time to go home, see you tomorrow everyone!"
Heaven Canceller's Hospital (A.K.A. My Home)
When I got home Jii-chan was already in the lobby looking over some papers with a somewhat cross expression on his face.
"Sieg you're home late, something happen again?"
"A robbery happened when I was hanging out with my friends."
He looked at me rather intently, "You didn't intervene did you?"
"Not this time. I let Judgment and Misaka-san take care of everything this time." I left out the part where I held my Blade at the bandit's neck since it was pretty much after everything was well and done.
"Alright then, as long as you don't get into any unnecessary trouble."
"Um, I actually wanted to join Judgment, so I'm starting the paperwork tomorrow."
He gave me a worried look sighed, "You were always one to try to help people. Just promise me won't get yourself hurt."
"You don't need to worry so much Jii-chan, not much can hurt me anyway." he once again looked rather cross. Whoops, saying something that resembled potentially lethal overconfidence in front of a doctor wasn't the brightest of ideas.
"I know that it's incredibly difficult to injure you Sieg, but you shouldn't be so casual about wading into danger. We live in a city full of people with superhuman powers, any one of them, especially the Level 5s, could have the potential to wound or kill you."
"Trust me I know, Misaka-san already shocked me with fifty thousand volts." Jii-chan gave me another look. For someone who is known to be the most caring and benevolent doctor in the city, he sure knows how to give a mean glare. "It was a misunderstanding, she thought I was a criminal and she tasered me." I summarized quickly. God I hate it when he glares like that.
"So, uh, what are you looking at Jii-chan." I asked trying to change the subject before things got out of hand.
"It's a bunch of reports of espers shorting out after their powers overloaded for some reason."
"Shorting out after an overload? How would that happen?"
"I'm not sure. This is first time I've heard reports of this, but apparently there is something called a Level Upper that is gaining popularity amongst lower level espers."
"Do you think it could be the cause?"
"Perhaps, but more evidence is needed before anyone can draw conclusions. By the way, shouldn't you be finishing your homework?"
Well, crap. He got me there. It's almost 9 o'clock and I have yet to even touch my homework. "Thanks for reminding me." I said before scampering off to my room to do it.
"Don't forget to eat dinner!" He said pointing at the fridge containing the blood packets I needed.
"Oh right, thanks!" I ran back, grabbed them and a straw before running back to my room. After quickly draining them (oddly enough AB+ always tasted the best) I began my homework.
Homework is a tortuous prospect for most students my age. After all, who wants to go over the math and science when you are trying to relish in your adolescent freedom? I myself am sometimes included in this group. Fortunately for me I have the collected knowledge of the several dozen scientists my dad consumed years ago. With backup from their memories any kind of homework involving calculations or memorization is a breeze. That is of course, until I run into my poetry project. There I'm completely on my own, and boy do I suck at it.
Here's my attempt at poetry:
The Arctic is cold
Polar bears are white
Penguins are black and white
The South Pole is cold
The snow is white
Everything there is white
"How the heck did I come up with this..." I thought aloud as I cringed at my work. I ended up just gushing out whatever was on my mind at the moment, which happened to be polar bears and penguins. Why the hell was I thinking about polar bears and penguins? Maybe I should just eat some journalist wandering the streets and then try to finish my homework. I guess I need to find something to inspire me. As much as I enjoy being at home in my nice, quiet room, I don't think I'll find what I need here. Changing into a more comfortable black, short-sleeved jacket over a white shirt I opened the window and jumped out onto the roof of the hospital. I'm surprised that the window was this big in the first place since I live in a hospital. I considered going back and leaving a note but I'd probably get back before Jii-chan realized anything.
Probably.
Streets of Academy City
Academy City seemed so different at night. During the day it's always crowded and full of life. With the noisy electronics, cleaning bots, colorful stores, and other things it seems like a utopia. Where I'm walking right now, surrounded by nothing but silent alleyways and shadow covered streets under the moonlight, Academy City feels like a downright dangerous place that you really don't want to be in.
Call me weird but I'm comfortable in situations like these. Aside from Saten and Uiharu I haven't really talked to anyone in school, so being completely alone is rather natural for me. It makes me wonder about how long I'm going to keep up this act. Should I just tell my friends about what I really am? No, they'd probably hate me for it if I do. I'm a monster after all, a walking plague with a human face trying to blend in amongst what is supposed to be its prey. Come to think of it, I've been using the word "friend" a whole lot more too. Dad would probably scold me for it as a sign of weakness, but honestly I've just felt better being able to say that I have some. Sometimes I wish I was just born normally like everyone else. At the very least I may not being having these depressing thoughts. Maybe I should go to therapy-
"Fukou da!" I heard someone yell. Not a phrase you use often here in Japan. It literally means, "Such misfortune!" or "Rotten luck!" but can also be translated as "Just my luck!" in English. I turned towards the direction of the voice to see a spiky haired teenager who looks a little older than me being chased by a bunch of thugs with nose and ear piercings wielding bats and crowbars.
"We'll get you back for humiliating us in front of that electric chick you damn escape artist!"
"I have no idea what you're talking about!"
"Don't play dumb with us punk!"
"I seriously don't know any of you!"
For some reason I always feel compelled to help in these types of situations. Maybe it's a mental illness I have, but hell I don't know. None of the doctors in my head had it or any knowledge of it, so they aren't a help. Oh well, I was itching for a fight anyway. Let's go kick some delinquent ass!
I ran towards the commotion at my usual breakneck speed, thirty to forty miles per hour give or take a few units, before stopping in front of the stampede of piercing-wearing gang members. They stopped in surprise but quickly glared at me. They weren't as intimidating as Jii-chan though.
"A kid?" questioned the leader of the gang, a man with shoulder length black hair. "You need a grade school kid to save you punk?" Hey I don't that childish do I? Maybe I'm a bit short for my age but grade school?
"You better move kid or we'll kick your ass to get to the guy behind you." They're giving orders now? They really don't know who they're messing with.
"I think that's my line dumbass. I don't know why you're chasing this guy but neither does he. Let's just get along before things get ugly."
"What did you say! Get him guys!" These guys have hair trigger tempers don't they? The first to approach was a muscle-bound bald guy who came at me swinging. A side step here, a kick to the back of the leg there, and a quick jab to the face there left him on the floor out cold.
"Grrr, what are you waiting for? Just go at him all at once!" So they actually used the few brain cells they had? Mr. Baseball Cap grabbed me from the behind before I felt the guy whose hair was dyed a dirty blond knee me between the legs.
"How'd you like that ya brat! Hurts don't it!" he sneered. It kinda hurt, but compared to a human male this didn't really hurt much at all. "Meh, not really."
I casually threw a high kick at my assailant's surprised face, knocking out a few teeth as he hit the ground with the same look on his face. I would have punched out Mr. Baseball Cap too, but the teenager from before beat me to the punch (no pun intended) and gave a mean right hook to take his unfortunate victim down instantly. Another one with a bandana came from behind me who was quickly taken care of by an uppercut from the spiky haired teen.
"Are you alright?" he asked, "He kicked you in the you know..."
"Thanks for worrying but I'm pretty good with pain."
He looked dumbstruck, "I get that look a lot."
The remaining members looked equally perplexed, I guess they were wondering how a "grade school" kid was kicking all of their asses into next week.
I glared straight at them. "Do you want to keep this going or are you going to turn around and leave?"
It was my turn to be surprised when they all pulled out handguns from their back pockets. Wow, this might actually hurt for once.
"Fuck you!" the leader screamed as they all opened fire. Unfortunately for my compatriot here, he couldn't take bullets. Luckily for him, I could.
I pushed him away and stood with my arms wide to block the barrage of bullets. It wasn't my first time eating lead, but I couldn't help but recoil as the sensation of sharp, burning pain erupted all over. I took shots to the head, legs, arms, and chest before being knocked to the ground by the force of the rounds.
"How'd you like that shitty brat!" I heard from the gang leader as he gloated over my "dead body".
"Oi! Are you alright! Say something!" said the teenager as he shook me. I didn't respond because I was still feeling groggy from the experience. Having three entire magazines of .30 caliber rounds in your body tends to do that to you.
"He's dead you idiot! That's what he gets for messing with us!"
"So you shot him? What kind of retarded justification is that you bastard!"
"Hey, we're living the tough life here you fucker. We're not the ones who got off easy with the Railgun!"
If you'd like to learn a way to piss me off, live a normal life and call it tough. Allow me to demonstrate what I do to people who do so.
"You think your life is tough!" I growled as I got up off the floor fully alert once more. "You have no idea what I've been through!" I felt myself give a very sadistic smile as I got an idea to scare the living daylights out of them. I put my hand in front of my mouth as I coughed up all of their bullets and threw them at the ground in front of me.
"I think these are yours." I was having fun now, the look on their faces was priceless. They began to back away slowly in fear.
"W-what kind of monster are you?"
"The worst kind, the one from your nightmares!" I morphed my arm into a claw and lunged at them, stopping short as they quickly fled screaming bloody murder. At this point I was doubling over in laughter at the sight. It's pretty funny to watch some guys gloating over their victory before you send them away in utter terror. I stopped as I remembered that there was someone behind me who looked somewhere between shocked and horrified at my behavior.
Yeah, sorry you had to see (er read) that. I know I said earlier I can be a real jerk in a brawl, but sometimes I just become downright psychotic. It's not something I'm proud of.
"Oh, uh, sorry about that. I tend to get carried away with these things." I said while regaining my composure. I began to put out my hand before realizing that it was still a claw. I quickly changed it back before doing so again. "I'm Sieg." Real smooth of me there.
He blinked a couple of times before saying, "Kamijou Touma." and shaking my hand.
"You're an esper?"
"Yeah." I lied, "Thanks for your concern though."
"I'm going to call the hospital about-"
"You don't need to." I interjected, "I'm already patching myself up see?" As I pointed at the bullet holes they were already fading.
"Um, okay..." he said somewhat unnerved.
"I should be asking if you're alright, since you don't heal as fast as I do. Did anything hit you?"
He shook his head and sighed. "Just my luck. I attract all of the weird people."
I need to work on my social skills.
"Well, that's that. See you around Touma." I said before quickly leaving before things became more awkward than they already were.
As I began making my way home I couldn't help but get the feeling that I was being watched. At first I tried to shake it off as paranoia, but the feeling just kept coming back. It's only after I began to hear muttering from the rooftops above me did I realize that it wasn't just a feeling.
"Watchman to Checkmate. Hercules has shown signs of violent behavior and possible psychosis. Requesting further orders."
I haven't been called Hercules in a long while. It's their codename/call sign for me in the States since the codename for my dad was Zeus (considering how powerful he was it wasn't that far off). Only a handful of organizations on the planet call me that (or heck acknowledge I exist). I have a feeling I know exactly which one the man above me belongs to. I hugged the wall to avoid being sighted before I began to climb it as stealthily as I could. As I reached the top I was behind a man wearing black military armor and surrounded by reconnaissance equipment. Yup, Blackwatch alright. So Dad's usual paranoia wasn't so unfounded after all. I'd be happy to give my stalker a warm welcome though.
"Nice night isn't it Mr. Blackwatch soldier. Care to tell me what you're doing by stalking me across town?" I said in English.
He jumped, startled at the sight of me. "Hercules! H-how did you know I was here?"
"You're awfully loud you know? You ought to whisper when you're speaking into that walkie-talkie of yours."
I couldn't see his face behind that mask of his but the rest of him seemed to be scared stiff. I decided to break the ice a little.
"Listen, just tell your boss them I'm just trying to live a relatively normal life. Infecting the populace here is not my goal." he looked unconvinced, probably because of my display earlier.
"Yes I have my occasional lapses, but I haven't eaten anyone in years." he continued to remain unresponsive. Ugh, it's so hard to talk to people when they're frozen in fear.
Picking up his communication's device, "Hey, is this walkie-talkie connected to your home base?" I asked politely to avoid giving him a heart attack. He nodded quickly. Well that simplifies things.
I pushed the button, "Hello Checkmate, this is Hercules. Do you copy?" I said in an annoyingly cheery voice.
"Hercules! What the hell are you doing on this frequency?!"
"I heard your little scout talking to you on my way home. For special ops units you guys are awfully loud."
"Get to the damn point, I don't want to have a fucking virus wasting my time." Well he's certainly an eloquent one.
"I just want you to listen to me for one minute. I'm not my dad. Therefore I'm not going to be infecting anything or anyone. I just want to live as normal a life as possible by blending in here in a city full of superhumans."
"What in your damn mind do you think will make me believe you?" The tough minded and enthusiastic type who looks at things in black and white is a pretty good way to describe the man on the other side of this communication line. Well, I guess I'll have to start listing out reasons.
"Let's see, I'm trying out for the city's student law enforcement force. I haven't eaten anyone in years. I also haven't killed anyone who hasn't given me a reason to either. Is that good enough for you?"
"I want concrete evidence." This guy is a rather tough nut to crack.
"I'm living in a city full of people with super powers. If I wanted to take over the city I would probably be vaporized by the top seven in minutes. Ever think of that?" I replied hoping that he has knowledge of what a Level 5 can pull off.
"I don't give a fuck! It's my job to make sure monsters like you are contained!" Look at the entirety of your organization hypocrite.
"If that's still not enough for you, let's make a deal." I continued while rubbing my temples, "As long as you don't fire any shots, you'll never hear from me again. This includes threatening, harming, or touching me, my friends, or my family."
"What do you plan on doing if we ignore you?" God damn it he's persistent about the "we must be enemies" mentality.
I dropped the cheery tone, "Then I can guarantee you that I'll start tearing your organization apart from the inside out for as long as I deem necessary."
I could hear him mulling over it, probably with a scowl on his face. Finally he replied, "Deal. But if you try anything I won't hesitate to send a strike force to take you out."
"Don't worry I know. How well did that work for you against my dad and Mr. Heller?" I casually responded as he growled loudly, "You little..."
"By the way I'd appreciate it if you'd at least call me by my real name you know, since you called Mr. Heller by his. Call me Sieg, or Mercer if you really can't stand treating me as an intelligent being. This is Sieg Mercer, over and out." I released the button and tossed the device back to the still trembling Watchman.
"You can go." I told the quivering mess on the floor as I walked towards the edge of the building.
"You're letting me leave?" asked Watchman, "Why?"
"I told you and your boss, I'm not my dad. I don't plan on murdering anyone unless they really piss me off. As long as you keep off my back, I'll keep off yours. Capiche?" he nodded again.
"Good, because I'm pooped. Good night." I concluded as I turned and hopped off the building before leaving for home.
In Front of Heaven's Canceller's Hospital
I ended up sprinting the rest of the way home, unwilling to really do anything for the rest of the night. I still don't have much of an idea about what to write for my poetry assignment, but I really didn't feel like getting into another fight or argument. Climbing up the side of the hospital quietly to avoid waking anyone up, I entered my room through my window. As I planted my feet firmly inside someone flicked on the light. I looked up to see Jii-chan standing there. Sigh, busted again.
"Out for an enthusiastic walk Sieg?"
"Er, yeah. How'd you know?"
"I've been your guardian for years Sieg. I know by now that gunfire and violence seem to follow you wherever you go."
"Oh. Right." was all I could say as I realized how much of a racket my activities made.
"You see, this is what I meant earlier. You constantly get into fights like these. You know I haven't a clue on how to treat you outside of giving you biomass to eat. What's going to happen when you bite off more than you can chew?"
Damn it, he loves to throw the big questions at me. At this point I really couldn't come up with a response. I just looked down rather ashamed. Getting scolded by your kindly grandfather in all but blood hurts pretty badly.
"Just finish your homework and go to bed Sieg. It's late." he turned and walked back down the hallway.
I did as I was told and once again began my dreaded poetry assignment. I think that this one is actually somewhat passable.
My grandfather is incredibly kind,
As a doctor, he helps others who are in a bind
He picked me up of the streets,
And is the kindest man you'll ever meet
He'll save you no matter what.
No ifs, ands, or buts
He's Doctor Heaven Canceller,
and there's no one I know who is truer
Quite frankly it looks like the work of someone in grade school. I know I won't be winning any awards with this, but at least it's better than my first one (still wondering why I was thinking of polar bears). Afterwards I put everything away before changing again and going to bed.
In My Mindscape
I was woken up not long after by the blindingly white light emitted by my mindscape. My dad wants to talk to me again. Joy.
Sure enough I found him not far with with his back turned to me as usual.
"Two nights in a row Dad. That's a new record for you. Are you finally showing me your good side?"
"You're too soft kid." Don't tell me he's going to lecture me on morality again. "You could have killed all of them a dozen times over. Why didn't you?"
"I've told you for the past five years Dad, I'm not going to be you. I have a code of ethics, which you seemed to lack by the end."
"So you're going to let the humans walk all over you?"
"Are you kidding me? I gave a threat to all of Blackwatch for crying out loud. I'm not going to be a pushover Dad, but I refuse to act like a monster."
"What about your little show at the end of the fight?" Two can play at this game Dad.
"Just having a little fun. You can't tell me you didn't enjoy killing the smug faced snakes over at GENTEK and Blackwatch, Karen Parker especially."
I think I struck a nerve with that comment as he suddenly became stiff at the mention of his old girlfriend. "They'll never bother me again either, I can't say the same for your prey." he recovered.
"I'm pretty sure you heard me talking to Blackwatch. I won't raise a finger to them for as long as they don't pull anything."
"Has Blackwatch ever kept its word?" Geez, he has a point there.
"A couple of them. Cross did a pretty good job until he got eaten." The man I'm referring to was Robert Cross, one of the few decent members amongst the psychopathic legion that is Blackwatch who helped my dad cleanse New York of the first infection (but he did try to get my dad killed on the way too). Unfortunately he got eaten by the Ultimate Hunter, which was then disposed of by my dad.
"It took the threat of Manhattan getting nuked for him to wake up and smell the coffee. What kind of threat do you think will get them to do the same?"
After thinking over it for a while I ended up answering, "Nothing but me I guess. I'm not sure I'm quite enough yet but you and Mr. Heller certainly did a bang up job of scaring the crap out of them fourteen years ago."
He almost seemed to smirk at the thought, "You could too, if you'd act like what you actually are for longer than a few minutes."
"You're annoyingly determined when it comes to this whole enemy of humanity thing you know that?" I said scratching my head, "I'm not losing what little humanity I have just to be like you okay?"
"Hmph, whatever. You'll realize it sooner or later, that you can't continue acting as a human for much longer. It's morning. Get up." My vision was then clouded by pure white.
Hello again guys. It's been a while since I've had a bit of a writer's block about where to go with the plot. I thought I'd introduce Blackwatch into the plot somewhere along the way, so I thought that now would be a good spot. I've also been working on Sieg's characterization, trying to making him personable but not totally normal. Anyway the next arc is going to focus on Sieg joining Judgment, which may happen sooner than expected.
I hope you enjoyed the fourth chapter of this fanfiction. I'm going to ask you guys again to review as much as possible. But please make it a bit more in depth than, "Yay." or "Good Job." I need constructive criticism to make this story great, and only you guys can give it to me. What did you like? What didn't you like? If you can't make it sound nice just spit it out bluntly, I won't mind. That's it for this chapter, thanks for reading and keep reviewing.
P.S. Don't forget to favorite and comment this fiction, I'll be updating it fairly regularly for at least until school starts.