Traces of your Tears
CHAPTER 2:
21st August, 9:34 pm
Sounds of crackling electricity pierced through the silent night, echoing between the maze-like corridors formed by giant cargo crates. Blue sparks arced and danced along the metal, sizzling with furious brilliance and drowning out the illumination of the moon. At the Switchyard of District 17, a battle was unfolding between a certain brown-haired girl with a number for a name, and the strongest of Academy City known as Accelerator.
"Hey, hey, what do you think you're doing?" the albino called out in amusement. He stood on top of a crate, peering down upon the fleeing girl as if he were a cat observing a fascinating mouse. It was only a matter of time before boredom would awaken in the predator and incite him to finish this chasing game. For now though, he looked as if he was thoroughly enjoying himself, a toothy grin spread openly across his pale features.
The girl stopped in her tracks. A slight twist of her neck upwards brought Accelerator into her line of sight.
"Misaka is carrying out her function as required for Experiment 10032, Misaka answers you with the obvious."
"Hmm?" The albino leaned forward, the twisted amusement still glinting in his moonlit crimson eyes. "Are you sure you're still even functional?"
"Misaka is very much functional, Misaka answers the positive while inwardly wondering the reasons behind your question. Misaka had various routine check-ups before the commencement of this experiment, Misaka assures you. These included heart rate, brain wave electroencephalography, blood pressure, fitness-"
"Spare me the boring details!" Accelerator interrupted the girl's monotonous and lengthy reply with a dismissive wave of a hand. "I don't fucking give a damn shit."
"If you do not care then Misaka requests immediate continuation of the experiment at hand, Misaka pleads politely."
Without waiting for his reply, the girl with the green goggles sent a blast of crackling electricity towards the Level 5. Accelerator did not even move a finger nor flinch; as soon as the burst of blue power neared him, it exploded outwards harmlessly, leaving him completely unscathed.
His smirk grew wider as Misaka 10032 spun around on her heels and began to run away again.
Aided by his Esper powers, Accelerator leaped onto another crate, following his prey's movements at the most leisurely pace he could allow while still keeping an eye on her. As the clone rounded a corner down below, an outstretched hand delivered another burst of electricity towards the albino. Once again, the attempt became directed away harmlessly by the intended target.
Hints of annoyance began to pull down at the corners of the strongest's lips.
"You're not doing a very good job of convincing me you're not broken," Accelerator's tone was not dissimilar to that of a customer complaining about a faulty item. "For the last five minutes, you've just been throwing your pathetic electricity at me and running around these crates like a headless chicken."
He clucked his tongue.
"Pointless."
The albino rubbed the insides of his right ear with a slender index finger, staring down at the clone with a growing expression of boredom. He leapt off the crate and the girl stopped her sprint, spinning around to face him calmly as he approached the clone with slow, predatory steps.
"The other copies of you weren't this boring. At least, they still came up with some interesting methods, even though none of them were effective of course. Aren't you supposed to give me a challenge so I can reach Level 6?"
The albino leered, staring at his prey with eyes that could only be described as those of a maniac's. Each footstep fell closer to the girl, but she did not move away nor make a sound.
"Maybe I'll just tear you apart bit by bit and have the scientists re-examine your innards for any defections."
A twisted grin formed and grew across his pale face as the Level 5 spoke.
"I can't afford to have you dolls already malfunctioning before I even start these experiments, can I? Who knows? Maybe if you're lucky, they'll be able to save a few parts that are still working properly and recycle them. How does that sound, you broken piece of junk?"
Throughout those disturbing words, the girl remained stoic, revealing nothing of her inner thoughts.
"Heh, can you even understand what I'm saying?" Only the distance of a meter separated the two figures, and Accelerator stopped his advances with the deformed grin still intact.
A long moment of silence ensued before the girl opened her mouth.
"Tonight the wind is at zero miles per hour."
"Huh?" Momentarily confused by the random statement, Accelerator's expression blanked. Then a sly smile flittered across his lips.
"You really are broken aren't you? You can't even-"
The albino abruptly stopped. His sharp nose angled up into the air, a small frown pulled his white eyebrows together as one of his five senses suddenly sent a warning alarm through his system.
"Wait. What's that smell?"
A long silence lingered; his crimson eyes widened as suspicion abruptly transformed into realisation.
"So that's it," The skinny albino covered his nose with a hand. "You're breaking down the oxygen with electricity to form ozone. If you take away the air, I'll pass out. Is that the idea?"
The girl offered no reply, but the silence was answer enough.
The crooked grin returned. "That's very good~! You clever little thing!"
As he let out a bark of delighted laughter, 10032 broke into a run once more, trying to regain some distance between them. A light stomp on the ground with a foot elevated Accelerator high up into the air, and the Level 5 landed atop a crate overlooking the area. He stood there, simply watching the girl's flight with amused eyes.
"I like this turn of events. I guess after 10,000 of you are killed off, you're bound to start getting a little bit crafty, huh?"
Misaka 10032 kept her legs pumping forward, looking back over her shoulder as Accelerator called out to her.
"There's something you forgot to keep in mind though."
The pinprick pupils dilated as they focused on his fleeing prey. His pale lips thinned out, almost splitting his face in half with a diabolic grin that spread from ear to ear.
"Once I catch you, this cute little plan of yours is going to fail spectacularly!"
The esper's body suddenly became a blur of white and black. Within the time it took for the fleeing girl to blink her eyes, he had crossed the space between them and was flying beside her, his skinny figure parallel to the ground. 10032's eyes widened in surprise. Gritting her teeth, she energised her strides, trying to pick up more speed.
Her efforts were in vain; the white blur continued to keep up with her, no matter how fast she ran.
"Why are you so surprised?" Accelerator's voice was thick with humour, grinning at his target right beside him. "All I did was change the kinetic momentum underneath my feet."
Before she could understand what had happened, the girl found herself suddenly airborne, a sharp pain at her side. She landed hard on the concrete ground and tumbled a few times before coming to rest, facedown. A shadow loomed over her, and she immediately struggled to get up. Before she could however, a sharp blow hit her stomach and her arms gave way as she yelped in pain. Her body hit the ground hard and she cringed into herself.
The girl's assailant stood over her fallen form, lips parted in a toothy smile of pleasure at his victim's predicament.
"Do you know how you can hit your opponent without doing any harm to your own hands and feet?"
He chuckled as the clone let out a moan of pain in reply.
"It's easy."
A violent blow was delivered to the victim's gut. Her pupils dilated in agony and she let out a high-pitched cry as the kick belatedly sent waves of fire along her torso. To the girl, the pain seemed worse than before, if that was even possible.
Even so, she struggled to get up again, her arms straining to bear her weight.
"You just have to change the direction of kinetic momentum."
Another kick. This time the girl fell with a scream of anguish, her hands flying to her stomach in a vain effort to ease the horrible pain. Accelerator's smile merely grew wider, looking highly entertained by the girl's suffering.
"Just direct it away the second you touch her."
Another kick. The girl curled up into a tight ball, eyes scrunched closed.
"Of course, the damage she takes does increase by the factor of that."
A violent fit of coughing erupted as the esper's shoe connected with her body once again. The girl writhed as a stream of blood spurted from between her lips, staining the ground with crimson. Grinning like a maniac, Accelerator placed a foot on her back, pinning her brutally against the rough rubble. She squirmed, her body twisting viciously for any means of escape.
The albino laughed gleefully as he watched the girl struggle. She was like a worm to him, wriggling in desperation beneath his fervent hold. The fear his victim was exuding was intoxicating, making him feel invincible. It was moments like this that Accelerator thought he could understand what being God may feel like. He bathed in this feeling of raw power, drinking in his trembling prey's trepidation.
The Level 5 leaned forward and pressed his foot harder into her back. He craned his neck to observe the clone's shifting expressions as the pain intensified. For a long moment he persisted, watching in fascination as the girl's eyes widened and closed, lips parting to produce wordless cries and moans. Her fingers clutched desperately at the small stones scattered on the ground, flailing legs kicking up dust into the air. Accelerator simply observed these small details in turn with sickly blood-red eyes.
He watched as the girl's panicked orbs gradually returned to their usual blank, and her limbs stopped their wild movements, slumping onto the cold ground without resistance. Having realised her attempts were futile, Misaka 10032 became quiet, simply lying facedown beneath Accelerator's foot. The only sign that she was still alive was the sound of her ragged breathing and the rhythmic push of her strained ribs against her assailant's hold.
"Huh?" Accelerator tilted his head questioningly. "Is that it? I guess I should finish this game then."
He lifted his foot off the girl's back. She remained unmoving and silent except for the rattling sounds of agonised breathing. Leaning towards her, a slender, outstretched hand lingered in the air above the girl's body hesitantly.
"I'm feeling generous so I'll let you choose: how would you like to kick the bucket today, hmm?"
Eager eyes ran up and down over her prone form as the albino licked his lips hungrily. Only the clone's strained breathing could be heard in reply. A fist clenched around some loose stones on the ground, as if a new resolve was beginning to settle within the girl.
"Ah, maybe you're not done yet? But I'm getting bored of this game, so I think I'll just finish you off."
The albino's leg swung back like a catapult, ready to unleash the final, fatal blow on the prone girl before him. As his foot shot forwards to deliver its destruction, the girl squeezed her eyelids together, waiting for the inevitable eruption of pain and darkness to arrive.
"Accelerator!"
Misaka 10032's eyes flew open at the familiar voice and her assailant's leg froze in mid-kick. A slight frown marring his forehead, Accelerator turned to identify the source of the shout. His red eyes locked on the newcomer, widening as they were met with another vision of his target. Beside him on the ground, the clone had turned her head as well, gazing at the person before them with surprise.
She had the same face, the same hair, the same clothing… As them. But her expression alone was enough for Accelerator to realise the truth. This was no clone.
It was her. The Original of these 20,000 mass produced "Sisters", Misaka Mikoto, the third ranked Level 5 of Academy City.
The Railgun.
"Step away from her," the Original's voice was quiet, but it rang across the space between them commandingly.
Accelerator did not comply, simply standing still with a stony expression, eyes fixed on that physical figure he had come to know so well over the months. Although they shared the same appearance, his first meeting with the Original herself had felt different, and that feeling suddenly became renewed like some bizarre déjà vu. It wasn't just the power difference between the Level 5 Railgun and the Level 3 clones. That face he knew so well, the face that usually held nothing but a void kept wavering and shifting in a turmoil of emotions on this particular individual. It mystified and piqued his curiosity in some strange way he couldn't quite put a finger on.
"I said, step away from her!" The Railgun's tones grew rough. Her eyebrows were knitted together into a menacing frown, brown eyes beneath them glaring at the albino murderously.
"Tch." A small grin tugged at a corner of Accelerator's lips. "What's up with ya, third-rate?"
"Stop… Misaka… calls out to you both."
Bloodied and bruised, the fallen Sister muttered from where she lay. Her head feebly rose to look directly at Mikoto. She inhaled deeply, steadying her breathing before speaking again.
"Onee-sama… should not have interfered with the experiment… that was just about to conclude… Misaka chastises… the Original."
Mikoto's gaze flickered to the fallen girl briefly, lips thinning ever so slightly. Then her eyes turned back to Accelerator, completely ignoring the Sister's speech as she slowly walked forwards.
"Just leave her be! Your fight's with me now."
The albino's lopsided grin grew bigger at hearing the electromaster's declaration.
"What's with the suicide wish? Didn't our meeting last time teach you anything? I'm only grouped with you as a Level 5 because that's the highest level in Academy City. It's the same as eyesight tests that only go up to 20/20. I have no choice but to be grouped together with a weakling like you!"
The Railgun said nothing, but the edges of her determined eyes tightened.
"Misaka… doesn't understand…" 10032 breathed. Her widened eyes were brimming with uncertainty and pain. "Misaka is just… an artificial body created for this experiment… She can be recreated with just a push… of a button at the cost of 180,000 yen-"
"Who cares about that?!" Mikoto interrupted her harshly. Steely eyes continued to focus on Accelerator.
"There's only one of you, got that?! And I won't forgive anyone... Anyone who thinks otherwise!"
The fallen girl stared at her Onee-sama with an open mouth. Something stirred deep within her chest, but she failed to identify what it was. It unsettled her, but at the same time, made her warm inside.
A cold laugh pierced the night, chilling the air.
"You're not just dull and weak, you're incredibly thick too, aren't ya?" Accelerator sniggered, leering at the other Level 5. "You really think you can win?"
The fire in the Railgun's eyes flared brilliantly in response.
"Yes…" Tightly clenched fists shook with emotion. "I'll win and end all of this tonight!"
The albino snorted, clearly amused. A sadistic grin spread from ear to ear as his blood-coloured eyes locked on his next target.
"Alright then. Do try to make this entertaining… Miss Railgun."
Her alias was hissed out in a derogatory manner, a clear effort to mock and injure her pride. With that sadistic grin still pasted on his ghostly features, Accelerator moved to step forward. But as he did so, he felt something nearing his leg. Distractedly glancing down, he saw the fallen clone's outstretched hand reaching for him shakily, mustering all of her remaining strength to stop any advances on her Onee-sama.
"Misaka… advises you… to not fight the Original… In doing so… anomalies may rise… Misaka warns- Argggh!"
A brutal kick to the clone's face sent her flying backwards, screaming. She rolled a few times on the ground before coming to rest facedown, completely limp and motionless. His pale face distorted with rage, Accelerator rounded on her, stalking up to the silent body.
"Just shut the fuck up, you noisy doll! I can do what the fuck I want-"
"STOP HURTING HER DAMMIT!"
Accelerator's head turned, eyes growing large with surprise at the sight that greeted him.
Her lips were parted in a roar of anguish, her previously controlled anger now contorted into an expression of pure hatred. Blue tendrils of raw power danced in fury around the electromaster, whipping her brown hair about wildly.
Brown eyes burning with unquenchable flames, the Railgun lunged forwards without a trace of hesitation, heading straight towards Accelerator…
And her doom.
XXXXXXX
21st August, 9:38 pm
Misaka Mikoto.
This was the only person within the troubled mind of a certain spikey-haired boy.
After spending a frozen eternity upon that iron bridge, Touma had somehow managed to regain movement in his stiff limbs. He was now slowly walking along the empty street, his heavy feet dragging behind him reluctantly. He had no idea where he was going, but his thoughts were too occupied to even care about this lack of a destination.
The bright sparkle of a tear continued to play in his mind, mocking and disturbing him.
No matter how much he tried to understand, to make sense of everything that had happened, Touma simply couldn't. He felt as if a major piece of a puzzle was missing, preventing him from forming the larger picture. Although he tried his best to ignore the nagging gut-feeling that this was somehow important, the unpleasant recognition of incomprehension continued to persist.
A frustrated sigh whooshed out from his lungs, his breath condensing in the cold air. His brain begged him to take a break from musing over this issue. But one thought pushed aside was quickly replaced by another, and all revolved around a single individual: Misaka Mikoto.
"There are a total of seven Level 5s in Academy City, but based on the results from the Tree Diagram simulations, it has become clear that only one of them holds the potential to reach the as-yet unseen Level 6."
Words from the report he had read earlier floated around in his bewildered thoughts.
"Through the standard curriculum, it would require 250 years for the subject to reach Level 6."
Level 6… just what did that even mean?
They say that a Level 5 has enough power to stand against a military force on their own, so just what kind of monster would a Level 6 be?
"We thus abandoned this course of action and considered advancing his ability growth through live combat."
Was this Level 6 so important that these scientists were willing to sacrifice other people's lives to attain it? Or did they simply not care from the very start? To even consider killing someone 128 times was absurd, downright sick and twisted to the very core…
Wait.
Touma's footsteps faltered to a stop under a flickering street lamp.
"Based on the simulations, we have concluded that by preparing 128 kinds of battlefields, and killing the Railgun 128 times, the subject would shift to Level 6."
He stared down at his flickering shadow on the pavement beneath his feet.
Kill?
He only realised now how inappropriate that word was in referring to somebody who was supposedly cooperating with the project.
But… hadn't Misaka said she donated her DNA willingly? So he was right, wasn't he? She had known about this project and gave them their full consent…
"However, as it proved impossible to procure multiple Railguns… We have decided to use the Sisters, originally from the suspended Radio Noise Project, as replacements. By using 20,000 Sisters in various combat scenarios, we may achieve a Level 6 Shift."
His fingers curled in, forming tight fists. To agree to something so twisted…
"Created in tanks full of chemicals. By scientists. I don't really think of them as humans."
That was what she had said, without a single care in the world. It was unforgivable.
Still, something didn't seem quite right, something didn't add up. The sparkle of a falling teardrop as she had turned away still refused to leave his mind. What did it mean? Was it regret? Was it guilt? Did the girl finally realise what horrors she had allowed? Or was it…?
"Do what you want. By the time you try to do anything anyway… it'll be over."
His pulse quickened. What would be over?
"You can't stop the experiments. No one can. There is just no way to do so…"
Was it just his memory failing him, or had her voice really trembled and shaken so terribly? He had been so caught up in the moment of his anger that he had failed to grasp these little details that now seemed to be of utter significance.
"I trust you to look after my Sisters…"
The flickering shadow extending from his feet swayed chaotically, as if it so desperately yearned to unite with the darkness that lay just out of its reach.
"There's another experiment tonight."
His eyes stared into that pool of black without blinking, drawn in by its supple and hypnotising movements.
"Don't look for me again. You won't be able to find me anyway…"
What if…? Touma's eyes widened.
Those careless smiles, those imprudent smirks, those cold, irredeemable words spoken so heartlessly…
What if…?
A teardrop, glinting so serenely as it fell in the darkness…
His fists shook. No… No way… It couldn't be…
"Good bye, you idiot."
A sudden explosion rocked the area, and Touma whipped his head up in time to see a bright flash of orange and yellow light somewhere far ahead. The terrifying sound had almost made him jump out of his skin. As the brilliant warm hues died away, thick black smoke arose steadily into the windless night air.
His mind suddenly felt blank.
A fire…?
For a long moment, he simply stood, watching the slow trail of ebony wisps ascend to the sky.
"There's another experiment tonight."
"Don't look for me again. You won't be able to find me anyway…"
"Goodbye, you idiot."
And suddenly, all of the bewildering jumble, the mess and the chaos that had tormented him clicked together into a picture. It was still incomplete and vague, but it was now somewhat comprehensible.
Comprehensible enough to send a shocking chill through his body.
"No!"
With that cry of denial, Touma broke into a fast run, his dread-filled eyes completely focused upon that single destination in the distance, marked only by a smoky trace in a world that was consumed by darkness.
XXXXXXX
"Guah!"
Mikoto's eyes grew wide as a wave of pain hit her, sending her flying backwards. The iron sand sword that the electromaster had created during her rage-fuelled advance dissipated into the dust it had been born from. The airborne girl hit the ground violently, her right side sliding painfully against the jagged stones before coming to an abrupt rest.
Immediately, she struggled to stand up, huge eyes hazy with pain and terror. Panic seized her mind, spreading like wildfire. Her basic instincts kicked in, demanding her to flee, to strike back, to do anything to stop the horrible pain. Electricity was already sparking from her hair, ready to lash out again at her opponent, to hurt, to maim, to kill…
No.
In a moment of clarity, her true purpose of being there came flooding back. Lying so helplessly on the ground, beaten and bruised from the very first move, unable to do anything against the unstoppable force that was Accelerator... This was how it was supposed to be. She couldn't afford to give into the pain-fuelled instincts that guided her own self-preservations.
After all, Mikoto wasn't here to win the battle, she was here to win the war. And to win the war, she had to first accept the punishment she sorely deserved.
Accelerator had been completely right. There was simply no way she could win a fight against him. Even though they were both grouped under the same category of "Level 5", their power difference was not dissimilar to the distance between stars.
"Based on the simulations, we have concluded that by preparing 128 kinds of battlefields, and killing the Railgun 128 times, the subject would shift to Level 6."
Mikoto let her electricity fade away, her form crumpling flat onto the ground once more. Her fists clenched tightly around some loose stones and dirt, grabbing them blindly through unshed tears. It was easy to let the panic take control of her body, because the fear she felt was very much real.
"From a simulated combat with Accelerator, it has been predicted that Railgun would be killed after 185 moves."
The scientists were willing to believe and follow whatever a machine told them. They were so logical they had no room for compassion or feeling, leaving them as cold and indifferent as those computers they so heavily relied upon. This uncaring attitude made them dangerous and brutal as Mikoto had the misfortune to discover. But it also made them weak, for their powers of logic failed to keep their minds open. What had been the original cause of this entire nightmare was to become Misaka Mikoto's greatest weapon.
She would fool them all.
Mikoto crawled away slowly, focusing beyond the layer of panic on each lift of the trembling arm to gain distance. Her jaws were clenched tightly, partly to keep the pain at bay and partly to keep herself concentrating on the task at hand and not let any of her powers slip. She had a show to put on, an important part to play. And it was for 20,000 people - 10,031 whose deaths were already upon her shoulders, and 9,969 who would be saved if she carried out her act successfully.
"What the fuck are you doing?"
Mikoto's palpitating heart skipped a beat. Slowly, she turned her head to find Accelerator approaching her with slow, tantalising steps. She didn't even need to act fearful. The trepidation came naturally; a single glance at those deadly red eyes filled with bloodlust was more than enough.
He cocked his head to the side questioningly as she stared back at him wordlessly with dilated pupils.
"Don't tell me…" The albino suddenly stopped in his tracks. His bemused expression contorted into disgust. "Is that it?"
"Pl-please…" Mikoto whimpered. "Don't… P-please…" Her teeth clattered together of their own accord, her words stumbling out.
Accelerator frowned, glaring at Mikoto like she was nothing more than an annoying insect. She flinched visibly under his stare.
"Aren't you supposed to be the Original or whatever? The blueprint of these dolls? Aren't you meant to be much stronger than them?"
'That's right…' A part of the electromaster's mind still under strict self-control encouraged the albino on, 'Keep thinking along those lines…'
He took another step forward towards her, his white eyebrows pushed together in puzzlement.
"I know our power difference is significant, but you're still a fucking Level 5, aren't ya?"
'...And convince those scientists that their plan was completely wrong from the very start…'
"So why are you lying there eating dirt already?"
'...185 moves… If I can make them think I don't even have that much value...'
"You're even more pathetic than the manufactured dolls of yourself."
'...If I can do nothing but cough up blood… And attempt to run away from the very first move…'
"Is our power difference seriously this big? You're proving to be a big disappointment, third-rate."
'...Then wouldn't they think, 'these machines can be wrong'?'
"What were those bloody scientists thinking making clones of a weakling like you?"
'...They would think that they had been wrong to use me as the basis for cloning… And then…'
"Shit, I knew this fucking plan wasn't gonna work. Like hell this was gonna make me a Level 6."
'...They would have no choice but to abandon the project…'
"They fucking made me waste my time!"
'...And I'll be of some worth after all…'
Anger twisted Accelerator's features into a snarl. Mikoto let whimpers push past her lips as cold sweat ran down her forehead. Mentally, she braced herself for the punishment that would inevitably arrive. Deep inside, a selfish part of her prayed the pain would be bearable, that the end would be swift. But she knew there would be no easy way out, not for her. Her fate had been sealed years ago, on that day she had given away her DNA. And ever since she had begun her journey down this one-way road of no return, Mikoto had accepted that a cruel and terrible death awaited her. But she also believed with all her heart that she deserved that kind of agony 20,000 times over, and would gladly welcome it, if it meant she could save all of her Sisters.
She would make her existence worthwhile by proving to the scientists just how worthless she was.
That was her ultimate goal- to win, by losing miserably.
Mikoto had seen images of herself broken and dying over and over, and now as her final moments approached, her mind's eye visualised her death one last time. A crimson pool spreading rapidly beneath her twisted body, deformed beyond recognition. Soulless, dull eyes staring at nothing, a gaping mouth frozen forever in a soundless scream… Splinters of bone protruding out like thorns from the unnatural angles of her limbs, torn muscle and flesh scattered around like dust…
"What the fuck. I'll kill those fucking bastards for tricking me into this," Accelerator spat. His angered eyes locked on the electromaster's trembling form, and he began his slow advance on his prey once more. "But first, I'll put you out of your misery."
Mikoto squeezed her eyelids shut. Frost was spreading across her mind, its fingers as cold as ice. Everything felt numb as she retreated deep inside herself, separating her quieting thoughts from her physical self. A sense of calm washed over her, a gentle acceptance of what was to come. It was almost surreal, this sudden feeling of peace as she awaited her punishment. Although her eyes were still closed, her taut facial muscles relaxed, making her look as if she was simply asleep. Her pale skin was bathed by the moonlight, the pearly colour marred only by streaks of dirt and flecks of dust. The corners of her bluish lips curved gently upwards, a smile of victory blossoming as she waited patiently for her wish to be granted.
The wish that her Sisters would be saved.
A terrifying sound of an explosion rang in Mikoto's ears and she felt a shock wave slam into her body. She hardly felt the pain however, as she sailed through the air and landed a couple of metres away. She lay there sprawled and unmoving, calmly anticipating the next attack.
But seconds crawled by, and none came.
In the midst of her tranquility, the electromaster felt that something was amiss. Slowly, she opened her eyes and carefully lifted her head. Pain she had managed to evade previously suddenly rushed back as she reconnected with her physical being. Gritting her teeth, she pushed the nauseous feeling away, forcing her trembling arms to bear the weight of her upper body in order to see what was going on.
She blinked.
Everything was grey and black. Ash entered her eyes and nostrils, forcing her to squint and cover her mouth and nose with a hand. Something had obviously exploded nearby, leaving an acidic, burning smell hovering in the air. Mikoto coughed, her lungs constricting painfully as she struggled to breathe.
Her stinging eyes immediately tried to seek out Accelerator in the smoke, wondering what had just occurred. She could not conclude upon a plausible explanation as none of them made any sense. Accelerator making a mistake seemed impossible; somebody else stumbling upon this experiment and attacking the albino was unthinkable… Unless...
Blinking away the dust, her watery eyes focused upon a figure that was revealing itself as a part of the thick smoke began to clear away. Half sitting up, with dried blood painted down one side of her face, Misaka 10032 was staring right back at Mikoto. Something shined anew in those usually blank eyes, and in the darkness, they were like two glittering stars full of promises and hope.
Mikoto's eyes widened as a sudden understanding dawned.
It had been her.
Although 10032 did not speak, her eyes were desperately telling Mikoto to seize this chance and flee, to use the distraction the clone had created and save herself.
Mikoto's mouth opened and closed silently, unable to produce words to match her torrent of feelings. Her throat burned and her eyes stung, but this time, it had nothing to do with the smoke or the ash.
She knew, because her heart was burning as well.
"You shitty piece of trash," the familiar, rough voice echoed out from deep within the smoke.
Her pulse racing to a maximum, Mikoto whipped her head around to the sound as the skinny Level 5 emerged from the black and grey ashes. There was neither a scratch nor a speck of dust on him. He still looked fresh, as if he had just taken a stroll in a park rather than having stepped on a hidden landmine.
He didn't even look shaken, just completely annoyed.
"The fuck do you think you're playing at?!" He snarled at the clone, his expression contorting into a grotesque image of anger. "Do you want to die first then, is that it?"
10032 shifted her calm gaze to Accelerator. When she spoke, her voice was riddled with pain but still somehow even and steady.
"Misaka requests that experiment 10032 be resumed now, Misaka pleads with the target to refocus his attentions on the task at hand-"
"This experiment is fucking OVER!"
Before the Sister could even blink, Accelerator turned into a blur. The heavy smoke cleared away suddenly, expanding outwards into the night and leaving everyone with a better view of each other under the moonlight.
Even so, 10032 hardly saw it coming.
A crimson fountain erupted as an arm was torn away, as easy as ripping paper. The severed limb was thrown carelessly, discarded onto the ground with an audible thud. Before the pain could even be realised, the opposite leg followed suit, ripped away violently from the middle of the thigh. The splintered end of a white femur was revealed, spurting the deep red liquid from its surrounding mess of mangled muscles.
As the pain finally hit, a terrible scream wrenched from the girl's throat, but it was quickly cut off when a hand brutally clasped around it, choking off her air supply. She gurgled, widened brown eyes staring into those cold ones of a killer.
There was nothing within them.
Empty.
Remorseless.
CRACK!
Mikoto sat frozen, unable to comprehend what was happening. Her dilated pupils followed the trajectory of the Sister's mutilated body as it was tossed away like a ragged doll. The clone hit the ground, her head lolling freely to the side as the weirdly-angled neck failed to provide any kind of support. A pool of dark red spread rapidly beneath the still and silent body, flowing in rivulets between the loose stones of the switchyard.
"No… "
Only a single word of denial could be whispered, her mind and body completely frozen with shock. Mikoto wanted to reject what had just happened, but the hard proof was lying there right before her terrified eyes. Bile rose, burning her throat painfully.
"No…"
A swarm of thoughts overwhelmed her. That this simply couldn't be real, that another Sister had died because of her, that she had failed yet again to protect them, that she was so utterly useless in the face of this nightmare…
Then everything swirled into one pure emotion, a hatred directed at the one person, no, the monster who had participated in these sick experiments so willingly and with apparent joy. The trembling fire spread through every fibre of her being, her vision colouring a bright crimson as her traumatised eyes zoned on Accelerator. The intense hatred grew and grew until it exploded outwards in the form of hot-scalding rage, expressed by a wordless scream of heart-wrenching agony.
Nothing mattered anymore.
Nothing. Except for this uncontrollable thirst for vengeance.
The Railgun suddenly broke free of the invisible chains and sped towards Accelerator. Her wild eyes looked deranged, the wordless cry of anguish still emanating from her parted lips as she charged in a frenzy. Electricity crackled around her ominously, its volatile blue tendrils streaking behind her like bizarre wings.
Accelerator turned his head, greeted by a sight that flickered surprise on his pale features which quickly transformed into a flash of confused recognition.
For Mikoto, she hungered for only one thing, and nothing else could satisfy her.
Her arms stretched out towards her prey, lips curled into a snarl and exposing her canines. Her fingers flexed inwards, itching to close in around his neck and snap it like a twig, just as he had done…
A bright light suddenly flashed before her eyes, blinding her completely. Confused, the Railgun faltered in her wild advance, hands flying back to claw at her incapacitated eyes. The whiteness behind her eyelids faded to black, leaving her disorientated and dizzy. A great wind tugged at her form, and the electromaster struggled against its power, limbs flailing sluggishly. Her stomach churned as a horrible feeling of nausea burned up her throat and left an acidic taste on her tongue. Blind eyes watered, unwanted tears leaking down her cheeks as her hair blew about wildly in tandem with the screaming wind in her ears…
Everything was spinning, spinning, spinning…
In the chaos, Mikoto thought she heard somebody cry out her name from a distance. She tried to reach out towards the sound, to hold onto this last thread of certainty, but its echoes faded away too fast, slipping out of her grasp.
Distant memories flashed by rapidly, each image representing all that had shaped her to become who she was now. Her family, her friends, her Sisters… Her heart constricted as they were brought to the forefront of her bewildered mind. It was a pang of joy and sorrow mingled with love, each bittersweet memory awakening her soul anew.
'Am I… Dying? Is this what death is?'
The howling world was dark. She was dimly aware of how weak she felt, her body sapped of strength and spiraling about in an unknown void.
'If I die I'll never get to see them again…'
Everything was still spinning, the darkness that was her vision seemingly growing darker and darker. There was no sense of time, no sense of being. She felt as if she was floating away, dispersing into small, insignificant particles and into the nothingness that consumed everything.
'I... I don't want to die…'
With that final thought, the darkness seeped into her mind and Mikoto knew no more.
XXXXXXX
His breath was coming out in quick pants, but Touma kept up his pace, knowing his destination was near and that every second passing was precious time lost. The rising smoke ahead waved at him frantically, signalling him to hurry. He focused his eyes on the black wisps, trying not to think too hard about what he might eventually discover there, and praying to any God that would listen that he was not too late.
His feet swiftly carried him closer to the switchyard in District 17, fuelled by his determined and racing heart. He found himself upon a small footbridge, and became alarmed by the fact that the smoke seemed to be fast disappearing suddenly. Only a few trails remained, rising fast into the open night sky. Then they too faded, vanishing away into nothing.
Cursing under his breath, Touma rushed to the edge, realising that the source of the smoke had originated from down below. He leaned over the railing to peer beyond the cargo crates with narrowed eyes. It was too dark to see anything clearly. He thought he could observe some movement in the distance, but that was all he could discern. Knowing he was running out of time, he moved to get down closer, spotting the stairs nearby.
Before he could even take another step however, he heard it.
It was the most terrible scream, full of so much rage and anguish it hurt just to hear it. An icy shiver ran down his spine, and his chest throbbed painfully in response to the sound. Touma fought the desperate urge to block his ears and drown it out. Instead, he quickly focused his eyes back to that blanket of black, trying to locate where it had come from.
He received his answer as a bright light suddenly expanded from a single point up ahead, revealing everything nearby. His eyes widened as he saw a familiar figure in Tokiwadai uniform staggering, obviously blinded by the abrupt flash of light. In front of her was a skinny albino, and even from the distance, Touma could discern his surprised expression illuminated in the whiteness.
He watched transfixed as the light continued to grow, consuming the two figures. A powerful wind began to twirl around them and something akin to a tornado formed, tossing the bodies swirling into the air as the boy looked on helplessly. Touma gripped onto the cold railings, the wind threatening to blow him away like a leaf also. He stubbornly kept his eyelids parted against the raging wind and tried to work out what was happening. The whirlwind grew taller, sucking everything in its clutches up towards the night stars. The two people caught within it quickly turned into two black specks in the pool of spinning light, moving higher and higher into the unreachable distance.
A single name was upon his lips, a cry of desperation and apology, of a realisation too late.
"MISAKAAAAAA!"
Then the tornado and the light suddenly vanished, leaving nothing but darkness behind.