Traces of your Tears

CHAPTER 4:

Rays of early afternoon sunlight scattered over the shiny pavement like sparkling diamonds. The neatly rowed streets were deserted apart from the small trees bordering them, the silently rustling leaves upon their branches stretching elegantly across the sky.

A shadow of a girl lingered watchfully just around an alleyway that was formed by two medium-sized structures. Brown eyes peeked out cautiously from behind a brick wall, carefully shifting this way and that. After a long minute, a light sigh that was almost inaudible escaped from between her shadowed lips and the figure finally stepped out fully into the light.

Mikoto began to walk along the street at a leisurely pace, trying to loosen up her tense shoulders. It was difficult to relax. She wasn't sure what she was more edgy about - the possibility of seeing Accelerator again or the fact that she hadn't seen another single soul since her last encounter with him. And she was still without her abilities - a hard truth that only made everything seem a thousand times worse.

Three relatively uneventful nights had passed since that time she had almost strangled the albino with her bare fingers. She had slept in secluded corners of buildings she explored, paranoia that he would come back for retribution keeping her wide awake for long intervals. Sometimes, she had a weird feeling a strange presence was silently watching her from just an arm's reach away, tucked unseen within the deep darkness. In the fitful periods of sleep she managed to have, nightmares haunted her relentlessly.

During daytime, Mikoto explored as much as she could, partly out of curiosity and partly out of the need to keep the nightmares from her mind. Despite being largely disorientated without the usual electromagnetic fields to guide her, she had managed to deduce some basic information about this place they were in, although many things still remained a complete mystery.

The location she was wandering around in was no doubt Academy City. In fact, this was exactly where Accelerator and Mikoto had last faced each other before the strange storm of light - District 17. Even now, a sign hooked up against a tall fence stated as such, and Mikoto trailed her eyes along the letters and numbers as she slowly passed it by.

When Mikoto had first realised this fact, she had immediately raced to the edge of the district. The map of Academy City clearly visualised in her mind, Mikoto envisioned herself crossing to District 9 and then District 7, where the place she called home - the Tokiwadai school dormitories - was located. She wondered if this strange occurrence was happening throughout the city, and hoped that was not the case. Feeling energised at the prospect of seeing friendly faces again and finding out what was going on, her drumming heart had almost leaped to her mouth in shock at what she saw.

Beyond the boundary of the district was a void – just an empty blackness leading to nowhere.

Mikoto had skidded to a stop, raw fear coursing through her system. She stared at the black void with wide eyes, unable to believe what she was seeing, yet knowing perfectly well that this was the terrifying truth. Shivering, she stood frozen for a long moment. Then a sudden boldness mixed with frustration swept through her, and before she could even think about what she was doing, Mikoto was running straight towards the void with gritted teeth.

She wasn't sure what she had been expecting, but she hadn't been prepared for the collision with an invisible barrier. A wave of shocking pain jarred her senses and when she next opened her eyes she was looking up at the grey sky, a few metres away from the edge of District 17 that was marked by an ominous wall of black.

Mikoto had despaired then, knowing that her hopes of escaping the district was crushed by something she couldn't even begin to understand. She followed the boundary but quickly realised that any hopes of escape by this method would be futile. It was also stupid to keep trying to cross, for she had no desire to taste the attacks that the barrier let loose again. Her body was already bruised and tired from the weeks of fighting for her Sisters, and she knew she had to conserve her strength for when she really needed it. The empty void appeared to surround the entire district. Even if she did cross, her rational mind was terrified of being lost within the impenetrable darkness, unable to return, even to this strange world.

'Is somebody playing around with us?'

The sudden thought had floated into her mind many times since that incident, but she had quickly dismissed it every time. It was stupid. What kind of science could make everybody disappear within a district, neutralise all esper abilities and create a huge barrier of nothingness around it? Academy City made many things possible through technology, but this was just beyond ridiculous.

But then… What was this?

'Why Accelerator and me?'

They had seen each other and yet, for the past three days, Mikoto had not met another soul. Despite all the strangeness, this was unarguably District 17 – a place where many of the factories and buildings were self-automated and thus harboured only a small population. Even so, it was only logical that under the normal circumstances she would have run into somebody during the time she had been stuck there. Why was it just the two of them? The only similarities between them that Mikoto could see were that they were both Level 5s and had both been involved in the Sisters Project. Her forehead crinkled with disgust at that thought. She hated the mere fact that she could be grouped with somebody like him.

Perhaps "God" was punishing them both for the unnatural creation and massacre of the Sisters. Perhaps they had both died already and this was some personalised version of "Hell" for both of them.

Unable to help herself, Mikoto sniggered softly at the random ideas. She hardly even believed in the existence of a God; not many in Academy City did. It was amazing what kind of illogical conclusions you could draw in the face of desperate situations.

'Although… this desperate situation is illogical in itself…'

Mikoto immediately sobered up at the thought, the silent breeze that brushed against her arm leaving uncomfortable goose bumps along its trail. She continued to follow down the perfectly aligned street, her eyes still roaming around nervously for any signs of movement even as her mind wandered - a multitasking habit she had perfected over the past three days.

It was no use speculating on something that hardly left any answers. Instead, she had to focus on her present survival and gather what clues she could find. Fortunately, it wasn't too difficult to find the necessities even in this supposedly empty place. District 17 was a highly organised industrial section, full of self-automated agricultural buildings and factories that produced various goods for Academy City. Strangely enough, these specialised machines appeared to be fully functioning, even though nobody was apparently around to look after them. The small retail shops scattered around the district that Mikoto had peered into had always been stocked full of goods so far, but not a single shopkeeper had been in sight.

Mikoto's head turned to her left and her eyes fell upon a sign in the distance, its white lettering standing out starkly against the black background.

"Azarel - Quick Stop Clothing Retail"

She stopped, glancing down at her tattered uniform. She noticed how terribly worn her school skirt, blouse and jumper were, pieces of thread hanging off where they were frayed and torn from the rough treatment she had received from Accelerator. Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to obtain something new for her to wear.

Besides, a change of clothing could act as a semi-disguise and might even give her some degree of advantage if she were to face Accelerator again. It was good to be prepared for anything, especially with all the uncertain factors involved.

Her feet moved with renewed strength, determined eyes set on the shop ahead.

XXXXXXX

'Perfect! I'll take this one.'

Mikoto held up a shirt, a genuine, bright grin pulling up her rosy cheeks for the first time in weeks. The navy blue clothing had a large picture of a pale purple bunny on the front, one of its blue eyes squeezed into a cute wink. It held out one of its paws in a victory sign, and Mikoto thought its smiling face couldn't be any more adorable.

'Waaahhh~ It's so cute!'

The shop surprisingly had a lot of goods, considering it was only supposed to be a small retailer for the tiny minority of the city's population who lived in District 17. For the past hour, Mikoto had found herself completely immersed in trying out various clothing. It was difficult not to enjoy yourself when there was nobody to judge you of your tastes; it was a rare chance. She could try on anything she wanted, without having to worry about what other people would think. Nobody was around to see her rejoicing over the cute animal characters she so loved, and she took this opportunity to fully enjoy every moment of it.

An eyebrow twitched when the familiar, exasperated voice of her junior rang in her mind.

'Onee-sama! You really need to abandon your childish tastes! It's a disgrace to your title as the Ace of Tokiwadai..!'

Mikoto sighed, the grin fading as her shoulders drooped. A sudden pang of isolation pierced through her chest. Despite the peace from her junior's usual scoldings, she realised how much she really missed Kuroko and her other friends.

'I wonder what they are doing right now… Do they even know I'm missing…? Or are they all in the same situation as I am?'

She took a pair of black denim shorts, a white singlet top and a pair of comfortable running shoes she had chosen earlier, and stepped into the changing rooms. Although nobody was about, Mikoto didn't want to take any chances getting changed out in the open, especially not when she knew Accelerator could be roaming about nearby.

Standing in front of a tall mirror, Mikoto checked out her new outfit with a satisfied nod. She eyed the blue and purple bruises lining her neck with distaste, and hoped in spite that Accelerator was dealing with the same kind of pain. With a grimace, the girl neatly folded and piled up her battered Tokiwadai uniform together, hesitating when she came to the skirt. A hand fished out some metal coins from the skirt's side pocket, and held them out in front of her, staring with contemplative eyes.

Only three coins.

She had purposefully understocked that day, believing she would not need them during her final showdown with Accelerator. Now she almost wished she had brought more, even though they were of no use without her powers. The metallic coins clanged together harmoniously as she dumped them quickly into her shorts pocket. Although she couldn't use them anymore, just having them there made her feel better.

Mikoto bundled up her old Tokiwadai clothes and school shoes, hiding them in the corner of the shop behind some empty cardboard boxes. She did not want to leave an obvious trail of her presence behind. It was a precautionary act, just in case.

'Gekota!'

Her eyes grew as wide as saucers when they caught sight of a dark blue cap upon a mannequin in the corner. Upon its front surface was the face of a smiling green frog - Mikoto's favourite mascot of all time. Without a second thought, she lunged for it, her eyes sparkling like fireworks in joy. Grabbing a black hair elastic from the nearby displays, Mikoto quickly swept her hair into a high ponytail and fixed the cap on her head. She glanced into the mirror again, grinning to herself with hands on hips. Now, she was more than satisfied, and definitely ready for investigation round two.

Mikoto suddenly spun around on her heel, her mind shooting to high alert. Narrowed eyes scanned the streets through the glass window as she ducked into a defensive crouch. Something had moved on the edge of the mirror she had been looking into, reflecting the outside through the transparent glass wall. She stood frozen as the seconds ticked by, eyes quickly darting to the sides in the absolute silence. The streets were completely empty, just as she had left it when she had entered the shop.

Cold sweat dripped down her back.

What was it?

Mikoto relaxed, lengthening her spine to stand tall. She shook her head. Maybe she was just being paranoid again. It was probably only her imagination overworking. Whatever it was, she couldn't let it get to her.

'It might be Accelerator trying to put me on edge,' she considered carefully. Her trembling hands clenched tightly into fists by her sides. The girl wasn't sure what she would do if she saw him again. The boundary between her anger and fears was too fragile, and the balance of her morality swung like a crazy pendulum. Ever since she had let him go, the ultimate question full of doubts and semi-regrets had been throbbing in her head restlessly - was it justice to kill him after all?

Squaring up her shoulders, Mikoto pushed the question away to the back of her mind as she had done about a thousand times already. In the end, she had nothing to be afraid of. While they were stuck in the same confounding situation of lacking esper abilities, Accelerator had proven himself weaker than her during their last encounter. Perhaps his reliance on his powers had been greater, a backfire of being the stronger Level 5.

A confident grin filled with her usual pride slipped back in place.

The only thing Mikoto had to do was take advantage of that and tackle each situation as it arrived. After all, she wasn't called the Ace of Tokiwadai because of her abilities alone.

'Okay, time to find more clues!'

Re-strengthening her resolve, she stepped out of the shop with steely eyes.

XXXXXXX

A stray strand of wind whipped by, and the pale silhouette flinched visibly. He was shadowing his eyes with his hands, jaws clenched against the needles of sunray piercing his vulnerable skin. A large, casual backpack was slung over his shoulder, bulging with the valuables he had obtained while rummaging around the district for the past three days. Their combined weight burdened his muscles, but he forced himself to bear it; they would surely come in handy later.

Right now though, he could only rely on his senses.

Accelerator stood on top of the tall building, looking out over the area with an expression that was a puzzle of pain, delight and serious contemplation. He had spent the entire morning climbing up the flights of stairs leading to the attic, wanting to gain a wider view of District 17. It had been a torturous task for the skinny boy, and he had cursed himself many times along the way. However, his patience was proving to be worth it.

He was overlooking approximately half of the district, its maze of streets stretched out before him like a solution to a conundrum. His predictions had been correct. This strange place definitely had the full layout of Academy City. To his left, he could see District 20, its characteristic sports fields allowing him to confirm its territory even from such a huge distance. Although a taller building blocked his right side, Accelerator knew that direction would eventually lead to District 21. Straight ahead, District 9 stretched out before him. His red eyes scanned onwards further, zoning on what he was really interested in.

District 7.

Right at the centre of it was a gleaming white building, reflecting the sun's rays and shining like a tiny pearl in the far distance.

He felt the invisible presence lingering behind him again, but he ignored it, knowing by experience that it was pointless to turn around. It was the only way to keep his sanity intact.

Accelerator smirked against the beating sunlight, his blood-coloured eyes squinting between his long, pale fingers.

He had everything ready.

There was just one more thing to collect before setting out towards his goal.

XXXXXXX

The late afternoon sunlight artfully sprayed strands of reddish light on the white asphalt, drawing copper-hued lines upon it. Mikoto stood among them, her shadow darkening the red glow as her skin became tinted by stripes of dark orange. On either side of her were rows of windowless buildings - self-automated factories and industrial workshops that she had spent the last two hours exploring without finding anything particularly useful. Her attention was now held elsewhere. Looking up at the painted words on a wall ahead with a frown, her stomach growled as she read: "Fresh Burgers- Open 24 Hours!"

She suddenly realised how absolutely starving she was. She wasn't sure when she last had a proper meal. With her anxious mind constantly worrying about the horrific experiments since she had discovered their occurrence, Mikoto had often forgotten to eat for days. When she did remember, she could only manage a few nibbles, her churning stomach unable to handle anything more. This was also true of the past three days she had been stuck in District 17; Mikoto had snacked upon a few muesli bars she had looted from a convenience store. Other than that, she had been too busy exploring and seeking an escape to even consider eating properly.

Now though, it was a different story. After all this time, nothing had happened and there was no point in rushing on with the investigation. She was certain that if the other shops had been fully stocked, this one would be packed with what it was advertising.

'I seriously need to recharge my strength,' Mikoto thought, eyes locked hungrily on the sign, 'Nothing's happened yet, but I don't know when I'll need it…'

A few minutes later found Mikoto peering through the glass door of the food shop. The lights were turned on brightly in a welcoming gesture, the small tables freshly clean and set for meals.

Pushing the door open, the girl stepped inside.

"Hello?" she called out, although she already knew there would be no answer.

On the far side of the shop was a counter. Beyond it was a rotating bar that presented an endless row of neatly wrapped burgers. Each had a small paper tag with a label attached to it, dictating what kind of burger it was. Mikoto glanced at each of the typed labels passing by with interest, marvelling at the wide variety offered. Academy City was indeed a place of experimentation, and this was true even with food.

Fried prawn and anchovy; Triple cheese garlic; Fruity mix; Prune & carrot mash beef; Tomato double ham…

The list was really endless.

Mikoto leaned forward over the counter, wanting a closer look at the machinery that so diligently worked the rotating bar without any aid. The other half of the large spinning oval was covered by complex metal parts that prevented Mikoto from seeing the inner workings of the machine, but she could deduce from the network of metal pipes connected from above that the burgers were being constantly replaced by newly wrapped ones. Perhaps they were even releasing new varieties every so often.

Grinning, the girl leaned in further over the counter and grabbed a wrapped package without hesitation.

"Roasted Vege-Chicken burger" the label read. It sounded like it was one of the more "normal" varieties.

Uncaringly, Mikoto sat down at a nearby table, automatically crossing her legs in a manner fit for a Tokiwadai lady as she hastily unwrapped the food. Her stomach clenched at the mouth-watering aroma, at the sight of fresh vegetables and the large slice of roasted chicken elegantly pressed in between two bread-rolls.

She took a large bite in a hurry, sending her taste buds into bliss. The burger was perfectly made; it had just the right amount of mayo sauce, and the beautifully cooked meat was delicately balanced by the crunch of lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers and beetroot. Unable to hold back her hunger any longer, Mikoto continued to gulp everything down at top speed.

With only a few bites left, her eating speed began to slow. Her stomach felt satisfyingly full for the first time in a long while. Chewing thoughtfully, she glanced around, her scrutinising eyes sweeping over the spotless walls, furniture and floor for any further clues she might be able to gather.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. At least, not by the current standards of the situation.

Mikoto popped the final leftover piece of the burger in her mouth as she leaned back on the chair she was sitting on, shoulders drooping lazily. The smooth texture of the chicken along with the crunching of vegetables between her jaws soothed her in a weird way. She swallowed the last mouthful and stood up, taking the burger wrapping between her fingers. Even though there was nobody around, Mikoto didn't want to make a mess. Apart from being the good citizen she believed she was, she again, didn't want to leave an obvious trail around if it could be helped. Just in case.

As she was about to toss the wrapping into the trash bin, small printed words on the corner of the thin paper caught her attention. Eyebrows knitting together into a small frown, Mikoto flattened the scrunched up wrapping between her hands, her pupils trailing along the tiny letters.

"Produce of Academy City, Districts 4 & 17. Product Contents: 484-engineered yeast3B2, space carrots, genetically improved lettuce#3, genetically modified tomatoes#32…"

It was all nonsensical information really, of no consequence or help to her. The words soon began to ramble on about the top quality produce of Academy City, their tone noticeably becoming more patriotic. Mikoto's eyes continued along their trail, forced to read to the end just because of the growing curiosity.

"…used cloned chickens, genetically perfected by top science and created to fulfil our customers' high expectations..."

Mikoto's eyes grew wide.

"We are artificial bodies with artificial hearts…"

"At the cost of 180,000 yen each…"

"We are nothing more than laboratory animals…"

"For experimentation…"

Mikoto clutched her forehead with a hand, jaws grinding together at the loud echoing voices. Why was she so shocked? They were cloning humans to be butchered. Why wouldn't they be cloning animals for food?

A crimson fountain erupted as an arm was torn away…

…the opposite leg following suit, ripped away violently…

"Misaka was born for this purpose…"

Her pupils dilated, and her hands furiously began ripping the wrapping into shreds. She tore through the disgusting sentences describing the cloning process apart until they were little more than insignificant flecks of dust, and threw them angrily into the bin.

…the splintered end of a white femur…

…spurting the deep red liquid from its surrounding mess of mangled muscles…

"It's like they were born just to be killed by me!"

The room was suddenly too small, the stale air stifling.

She had to get out.

…a terrible scream, wrenched from the girl's throat…

…she gurgled, widened brown eyes staring…

"They are just a bunch of dolls for me to break, you have a problem with that?"

Mikoto ran in a daze, hardly realising her feet had taken her outside. It was still too claustrophobic, her deflated lungs refusing to take in any air. The terrible churning of her stomach made her hunch over, and she swayed sideways dangerously, collapsing against a metal fence with a thud.

…tossed away like a ragged doll…

"…created to fulfil our customer's high expectations..."

The world was spinning. She slid down, falling onto her knees as she desperately hugged herself. A sickening sensation rose up to her throat and she felt as if she was choking.

…the weirdly-angled neck…

"…created to fulfil our customer's high expectations..."

Cringing forward, her fingernails clawed at the concrete ground. A couple broke with a snap, leaving thin trails of crimson liquid, but she never even noticed this pain. The unmistakable feeling of overwhelming anger and desperation bubbled, threatening to explode out of her.

…a pool of dark red spread rapidly…

"…created to fulfil—"

Mikoto threw up suddenly, expelling out everything she had just consumed. She retched again and again until she could expel no more, although her sick stomach continued to twist madly as if throwing a tantrum. Long after the vomiting stopped, she remained in that position – her weak legs folded beneath her body, the Gekota cap upon her drooped head darkening her pained expression, and her tightly-clenched, bruised fists grinding against the rough concrete surface. A thin sheet of sweat covered her like second skin, making the panting girl shiver with each small breeze that coldly brushed past.

She felt completely exhausted.

And yet, the rage was still there, crackling recklessly within her and begging to be let loose. This place was a curse… No, the entire Academy City was a curse. The place she had called home with pride, and had protected with all her might for years… Had only betrayed her in return.

She slowly stood up, her fingers curling around the thin cylindrical bars of the fence into a death grip. She felt the need to destroy something, to wreck and hurt those who had taken advantage of her weaknesses and had stripped her of her innocence. She could destroy the entire city in her rage, and nothing and nobody would be able to stop her. This city was a living nightmare for everyone whom it could exploit.

'I'll burn it to the ground! Turn everything into ashes! Destroy it all!'

But the electricity never came forth.

Mikoto shuddered and shook against the imploding anger that raged to be released through her powers. Her heavy head ached horribly and she felt as if her burning brain was going to blow up. Every nerve in her body was screaming for release, every cell bloated with excess energy that had nowhere to escape. The steel bars in her fists began to bend from the sheer force she was punishing them with, but the electromaster hardly noticed.

'Why? Why? Why?! Why?! Why?!'

The word replayed over and over without any answers, growing desperate with each second ticking by.

"Hello? Are you okay?"

Something lightly brushed against Mikoto's shoulder. She immediately jerked around, an angry growl pulling her lips apart to reveal tightly gritted teeth. Her hand found the front of their clothing, and she roughly grabbed the fabric and pinned them against the fence. The person let out a pained yelp, but Mikoto did not care, her anguished eyes rounding on the being that had dared to come close to her. Her vision was blurry and she couldn't see clearly, but it didn't matter.

She had found the one responsible at last. The one responsible for all of these nightmares.

The prey in her iron grip struggled.

"Please let me go! Please let me go! I swear I didn't mean to startle you! Please!"

The panicky, high-pitched voice threw Mikoto off her progressive trail of rage, confusing her. The uncontrollable demonic fire that had been rapidly spreading within her abruptly died out, and she hesitated. She blinked slowly, and the foggy blurriness gradually cleared from her vision.

The figure before her swam into view properly, and it took Mikoto a few seconds to fully register what she was really seeing.

Pinned between the fence and her fierce grasp was a young girl, staring back at her with terrified golden eyes.