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Seventh Mist Shopping Mall
Mikoto Misaka's POV
"Nnnh!" She groaned as the throbbing of pain that'd been hitting her off and on for the last hour.
"Maybe we should stop at a hospital on the way home Onē-sama." Kuroko said with some concern, "It can't be a good sign for pain to pop out of nowhere like this."
"It's just a headache. Nothing to be worried about." She said brushing off her roommate's concerns.
Truthfully though she was a little concerned since unknown to her friend she had an idea as to what was causing the throbbing pain but not much beyond that. Whatever the source was it was entered around her electromaster powers in particular how they could be used to communicate with esper users with similar powers. When she'd first felt the pain she thought that perhaps the Sisters were trying to get into contact with her by pooling their level three powers but she'd dismissed that possibility in the end. The last she'd heard of them was that they'd been scattered to various facilities around the world by the frog doctor to find a way for them to get back as much of their futures as possible. It was a byproduct of the methods by which those assholes had rapidly aged her clones to her age that their telomeres had been negatively affected. Left on their own she'd been told that they would've died of one medical condition or another within a year of their scheduled fights with Accelerator.
A few were still in Academy City but it'd been awhile since she'd last run into them.
She felt kind of bad about that but every time she encountered one of them she couldn't help but be reminded of how it was possible for them to be born in the first place and what their older siblings had been put through. Because she'd given a sample of DNA to those doctors so they could try to use her powers to help those with muscular dystrophy the Sisters had been created. They'd been created because some sick scientists were obsessed with the idea of creating a level six to the point where they didn't care how many lives were spent. Then again to those bastards the life of a clone wasn't weighed the same as the life of a human being since they could be manufactured with relative ease thus making them replaceable.
Over ten thousand had been killed in gruesome ways because of a single choice she'd made out of the naive trust she'd had in a doctor she'd never before met.
She should've asked her parents what they thought before agreeing to anything!
In the end she didn't mind when she did run into them and was glad to hear that they were doing well but her guilt kept causing her to pounce on excuses to put off paying them a visit. They didn't seem to mind but then again their emotions were in their infancy as well as their sense of individuality.
For all she knew they would come to hate her and blame her for the hell they'd been put through.
If that was how things turned out she'd accept their feelings and whatever retribution they decided was appropriate.
With the Sisters removed as a possibility though she had no idea who was using their powers to affect her like this but she really wished they'd just knock it off. It was getting impossible for her to enjoy this bit of evening shopping with Kuroko. If it got any worse she just might call it a night and head back to the Tokiwadai dorms.
"If you're sure Onē-sama." Kuroko said before putting on a more cheery face.
In all honesty though they had at best half an hour before they'd have to head back to the dorms or risk the wrath of the dorm supervisor. The woman was an absolute sticker for the rules and had proven multiple times in the past that not only was she willing to push the limits of what kind of disciplinary measures she could use but sometimes the woman's presence alone was fear inducing. While she was no stranger to staying out past curfew or even all night if necessary there was nothing she could think of that'd force her to do that tonight.
"Let's hit a few more stores then head back to the dorms." She said looking about for something to catch her eye, "Don't want to get caught coming in after curfew."
She could see Kuroko cringe at that and yet she had to wonder just why her roommate kept pulling stuff that'd get her in trouble if she knew what she'd be bringing down on herself. Then again she was hardly known to stick to the rules or fail to fly off the handle herself. She'd been told plenty of times that her electromaster power was an accurate reflection of her personality and while she'd never admit it out loud she MIGHT be willing to concede a point there. Still she had nothing planned for tonight that would require her to stay out past curfew so she had nothing to worry about.
For the next little while the two of them went from shop to shop looking for something they didn't have but could afford to buy just the same. However when they walked out of Seventh Mist she felt a spike of pain in her head that was strong enough to get her to drop her bags and grab her head. She could hear Kuroko asking her if she was okay but she couldn't focus on that, on anything really, outside of the pain and the feeling that the source was almost on top of her. Raising her gaze to find out what was causing her pain she soon found something to zoom in on when she saw a hooded guy carrying what looked like a girl in his arms across the street from her.
It was when she focused on the girl in the guy's arms that she somehow KNEW that she was the reason she was experiencing pain.
She didn't like pain and when people hurt her she didn't hesitate to return the favour.
Without another word she tore off after them bypassing obstacles in her way using whatever the most expedient means turned out to be. It was only a handful of mental chains that kept her from doing anything that'd hurt people but it definitely attracted quite a bit of attention. From lamp post to sign to even the side of a building she went using the magnetism her electromaster power provided her with to stick to each surface allowing her to take routes few others could. When she judged the distance to be small enough she leapt as high as she could passing over the strange guy to land on the sidewalk a little under three feet ahead of him.
"Hold it right there!" She declared letting a little electricity crackle over her body for intimidation purposes, "I've got some questions for you and your girlfriend."
She was pleasantly surprised that the guy didn't try to run away from her but it was when she looked at his face that was no longer concealed by the hood that she froze in surprise. After all while Academy City was home to many espers with enough variety of powers to make it seem like anything was possible she'd never seen anyone that looked like they had metal for skin OR a glowing golden eye. He didn't look to be more than a few years older than her but she didn't see any signs of surgical scarring making her wonder where the metal had come from.
Turning her gaze down at the girl in his arms she had a little trouble seeing the face with the long brown hair covering most of it. However when another spike of pain hit her she noticed that the girl's head jerked in agony at almost the exact same time having the side effect of giving her a clear look at the face of the one causing her such pain.
The sheer shock she felt at that precise moment nearly caused her legs to give out on her.
The face…it was HERS!
More precisely it was a face that matched what she thought she might have a few years down the road once she finished growing. She'd heard all about how most girls finished developing physically once they reached eighteen or at least that was what her mother had told her last time she'd visited. Stupid mother never stopped pointing out how she was so underdeveloped in some ways and always made some smart ass comment about how to fix those problems. That thought of course led her to look away from the face to look for other signs of her lurking suspicion being true leading her to spot one major point against the unconscious girl being one of the Sisters.
The girl that was the source of the pain she was feeling was almost a spot on match in the bust area with her mother made all the more evident by the lack of a bra beneath the shirt.
Raising her gaze back to the guy carrying her clone she could tell that he was trying to figure out what this recent development meant and how best to handle it.
"Well I guess this explains why she was hurting so bad." The guy said who upon consideration was obviously not Japanese, "Two people alike enough to trick people into believing you're twins and with the same power set would definitely generate some interference the closer they got to each other. Don't worry though 'cause we'll be heading elsewhere now."
"Like hell you are! You're not going anywhere until you tell me what's going on!" She growled shaking off her shock in exchange for a more dominant position, "Who is she? Is she one of the Sisters?"
"Sisters? Don't know anything about that." The guy replied glancing about the area as he spoke, "All I know is that she was being messed with at the same place as me and neither of us wants to go back. Problem is I don't think our 'landlord' is going to let us go just like that."
They were escapees?
That filled in some of the blanks her mind had come up with and almost without thinking about it she began to look about for anyone suspicious coming from the same direction the duo had come from. She might not've ever seen any of the assholes behind the level six shift project the Sisters had been a part of but she knew it had to involve more than just one or two people. If these two were escapees then it was only logical that people would be sent in pursuit to recapture them and she could easily say that anyone in favour of such experiments should be opposed on principle alone.
Right then and there she decided that she'd do what she could to help them.
She might've been too late to save half the Sisters that'd been cloned from her but right here and now she was present at the beginning.
"Onē-sama! Why'd you run off like that?" Kuroko asked after appearing out of thin air using her Teleport esper power, "You're lucky no one got hurt with the way you were jumping all over the place. Who're-"
It was then that her brain caught on to the fact that she hadn't been alone when she'd originally went in pursuit of the duo and that it was only natural that her roommate would come after her. Thus she bore witness to the sight of Kuroko, for the first time, laying eyes of a clone of her and with that the first bread crumb on the path to the dark side of Academy City. For the duration of her efforts to fight against the experiment that'd brought about the deaths of so many of her clones she'd managed to keep things down to just vague suspicions. She didn't want her friend, a member of the organization Judgment, to have her image of Academy City tarnished by the bloody experiment. As a member of Judgment Kuroko had a strong sense of justice and finding out about such things would cause the teleporter would almost certainly begin to investigate.
If Kuroko did that…if her roommate refused to stop even when bureaucratic roadblocks were put in her way…then THEY would definitely take more drastic action.
When Accelerator was beaten and the project was scrapped she thought that that would be the end of it so she hadn't thought to trick Kuroko into going somewhere else while she pursued the duo in front of her.
~How!? How can I explain all this away without giving away too much!?~ She thought as her mind worked to explore dozens of possible excuses at the same time.
"As much as I'd like to wait for your friend's brain to restart we're out of time." The guy said his gaze locking on a spot of sidewalk a little over a block behind her.
Turning to look for herself she saw the throng of people but at first glance there was nothing that set any of them apart or made them look dangerous. However with a narrowing of eyes she noticed one thing that struck her as odd. Three people, two men and a woman, were going above and beyond to blend in with the civilians around them and not stand out in any way. This was odd because no normal person went to such lengths to be overlooked when they went from one part of the city to another. Normal people were more casual about it while doing whatever felt right at the time.
With that as a guideline she looked about up and down the sidewalks which led her to spot two more groups advancing towards them.
"It shouldn't be too bad." She said setting her mind to work trying to figure out ways they could lose these pursuers, "No way'll they do something big with this many people around."
"Don't be so sure." The guy said looking like he was considering various options as well, "They snagged me by gassing a whole street of people and tossing a bunch of them into a van. If they can do that then dealing with all these people'll just be some bothersome overtime and extra paperwork to finish. If no one sees anything, records anything and they don't leave any evidence lying around it didn't happen as far as the world's concerned."
"That's nuts! There's no way they could get away with anything serious without Academy City's camera network catching something!" Kuroko exclaimed incredulously at the guy's train of thought, "Besides we can handle dumb muscle between the two of us Onē-sama!"
True.
While not very strong Kuroko had experience using her teleport power for combat purposes and her own electromaster powers could easily handle nine people. The problem however was that with so many people around she wouldn't be able to cut loose and any kind of fight could result in someone getting hurt. As much as she'd like to kick some ass and get some more answers this was one of those times she had to reluctantly concede that it'd be better NOT to fight.
"No. We gotta get out of here. Someplace they won't be able to get into without answering a helluva lot of questions." She said trying to think of such a place.
The problem that she'd learned when combatting the level six project was that it was being carried out with the support of major players in Academy City. While she might not know the extent of this offshoot project's support she felt it would be best to assume it had a similar level of backing. If that was the case then access to the city's camera network was almost a given. True if she wanted to she could easily fry every camera in a giving area but that'd be pointless since it'd leave a blackout area the three groups of thugs could zero in on.
"A hospital." The guy said sounding sure of his suggestion.
"What?! We can't take this there!" She exclaimed in objection, "We can't put the patients in the crossfire."
"There won't be any crossfire. The teams might be able to approach us easily enough on crowded sidewalks like this but there are only two types of people in hospitals: patients and staff." He said not sounding discouraged in the least, "I doubt any of them will be able to convince someone they're either. Plus if we go someplace where civvies aren't allowed we should be pretty safe. After all we've got a teleporter and they don't."
True.
Most people couldn't just waltz around a hospital wherever they wanted and this wouldn't be like the movies where they could just throw on a doctor's lab coat as a disguise and get away with it. Even if they didn't have a teleporter in their team they could pick locks or bypass electronic keypads but it'd take time if they didn't want to be noticed. With any luck the goons would back off for a few hours while their bosses came up with a plan for getting to their hiding place.
"Kuroko? You know the hospital in School District Seven?" She asked looking at her roommate who nodded, "Take these two there as quick as you can. I'll get there on my own once I've shaken the losers."
For a moment it looked like Kuroko would argue further but then thought better of it before nodding in acknowledgment. Placing a hand on both the guy and her clone they instantly vanished from sight and it didn't take even a second for the goons to realize what had happened. Immediately they abandoned any effort at blending into the crowd and began to make their way towards her probably to demand info on where their targets had gone.
~If they expect answers then I plan on making them work for it!~ She thought with a feral grin before taking off for the nearest alleyway.
While she did say she planned on losing them she hadn't explained to her roommate precisely what she meant by that. One way of course would be to lead them on a merry chase before hiding somewhere in order to let them walk right past her clueless as to where she'd gone. However that could take hours and there was always the chance that they'd call in reinforcements and that'd just be a pain in her ass.
Better to go with the direct approach.
After all alleyways made for such convenient bottlenecks.
A Certain District Seven Hospital
A Short While Later
Shirai Kuroko's POV
"You should be safe here and I've used my authority to shut this room down. 'Emergency maintenance' you could call it." Doctor Frog Face said from the door to the room, "Fortunately this room contains highly valuable pieces of equipment that cannot easily be replaced as well as data Doctor Kihara doesn't have access to but might desire. With any luck this should slow his people down enough for me to find a more effective method of forcing him to leave you alone."
"Thanks doc. For everything." The unknown guy said with genuine gratitude.
"I just did what all doctors should. No thanks are needed." Doctor Frog Face said before closing the door and locking it.
Looking at the more mature version of her Onē-sama she was glad that the doctor thought so because if the amount of bandages meant anything the girl with Mikoto's face had been badly hurt. Not enough to prevent walking about but it was a few steps shy of a wheel chair being a good idea. Hopefully when the girl woke up she'd be able to get some information…
…But for the time being all she had was the guy and she was NOT going to be kept out of whatever this was.
She could already tell how much this bothered Onē-sama and it reminded her of all those times she'd have to cover for her roommate or saw the object of her love come back clearly having been in a fight. Out of respect for Mikoto and because she hadn't been able to find out anything covertly she'd let it go especially once things went back to normal. However if everything was going to start up again then she WAS going to get involved and the best way to do that was to get the details from this man before Onē-sama arrived.
"Now that we're alone you're going to tell me EXACTLY what's going on." She demanded making it clear that she wouldn't settle for anything less, "Who are you and more importantly who is SHE?"
"Are you sure you want to know?" The guy asked looking her right in the eyes, "With how under wraps this all is the more you know the more reason they have to shut you up. Discredit you so no one believes you? Get you fired from your job and expelled from your school? Or maybe they'll just have you 'disappear' and find some patch of dirt no one'll touch and put you sick feet under. You sure you want to take that chance?"
"Yes." She replied without hesitation even if a part of her mind was a little afraid of what she was willing stepping into.
The fact that organizations like Judgment and Anti-Skill existed at all made it all too clear that there were scum that'd flocked to Academy City seeing opportunities for illegal power and profit. She'd joined Judgment because she wanted to protect the people who'd come to the city to dream, to grow and to become whatever they wanted to be. For that purpose she'd done her best to make the most of her teleport power and learn moves that would be the most effective despite her small size. If there was something more going on, something no one knew about, then she was going to lead the charge to put a stop to it.
If it was the sort of thing that'd give Onē-sama nightmares she would put so many holes in it that it'd collapse under its own weight.
"All I can tell you is I got captured by some guys along with a whole bunch of people and the thugs made it pretty clear they expected us to all be dead in a few months. It also sounded like they'd pulled the same stunt every couple of months to keep up with the demand." The guy explained with a look that made it clear leaving in a room with his former captors would result in broken bones at the very least, "After that I got to find out what it was like to be used as a lab rat for a youth drug and then for some kind of techno-goop which turned me into a cyborg. I'm pretty sure I was slated for dissection once they got all the scientific data that needed me to be alive to give it."
"You said that they gassed an entire street to get you and the others?" She asked to confirm what she'd heard on the street before coming to the hospital.
"Yeah. One second I was walking down a sidewalk minding my own business and the next gas comes shooting out of every drain and manhole cover." He replied with a nod of confirmation, "I don't know how many people got tossed into the back of their vans but I'd say at least twenty people."
Twenty people? Something like that couldn't just be swept under the rug or dismissed as disappearances that weren't overly worrisome. Thinking back to all the emails she'd received in her capacity as a member of Judgment she tried to recall one that involved the abduction of twenty people and after a moment it came to her. There'd been a terrorist attack months ago where twenty people had been abducted and in the following investigation Anti-Skill had been able to learn their identity.
Crimson Sea.
A terrorist group that had been around for almost two decades and had a habit of abducting people from all over the world without any predictable pattern. The fact that every one of their operatives made a point of wearing concealing uniforms that made it impossible to see who was wearing them was another important fact. Why? The madman in charge of it boasted that his brilliant plan was to capture people at random from all over the world and then indoctrinate them into his own private army. By doing this and by concealing their identities to the very end the psycho believed that it'd make every cop, federal agent and soldier hesitate to fire on the Crimson Sea forces. Would they be shooting someone's wife? Someone's husband? Someone's son or daughter? The leader had even dared the law enforcement community to show the world how ruthless they could be and just mow down his army without a care in the world.
Judgment's job in the weeks that followed the abduction was just to keep an eye out for anything suspicious that could lead to the location of the terrorist stronghold. It'd be Anti-Skill that'd be doing most of the footwork and they'd be in charge of raiding any suspected locations. However as of two weeks ago it was concluded that the terrorists had somehow managed to get outside of the city without setting off any alarms or being spotted. The chairman and the Board of Directors for Academy City had of course made the usual comments about 'never again' and how they were going to take every step possible to increase security throughout the city. Some had protested it saying that this was a city of learning not some case of martial law but they had been outnumbered by those who'd wanted safety.
"They can't have done it more that two or three times since Academy City was founded." She argued unwilling to believe that the law could be fooled more than three times, "There's no such thing as a perfect crime. Anti-Skill would've figured out the truth."
"Not if you had people in powerful positions or could convince the right people to 'forget' or 'misplace' the right pieces of evidence. Computers can be hacked, people can be bribed or blackmailed and with tight enough security you can keep anything fishy from getting out." He said sounding a little too certain of his words, "It'd be even easier if Kihara has the backing of some of the people in charge of the city. Those people probably have exclusive access to the same systems Anti-Skill would need to find out the truth."
The idea was outrageous! Her mind rebelled against the idea of someone from a level similar to the Board would willingly support such a criminal enterprise. The idea that this might've been going on since Academy City's founding was equally ridiculous but at the same time she couldn't dismiss the fact that if those people were involved and for that long that then it would be feasible. Anti-Skill could hardly do its job right if the very people they were taking orders from were sabotaging their efforts from the beginning. With such powerful allies supporting them there'd be few if any restrictions on what sort of projects could operate within the city.
"Anyway I didn't get a lot of names when I was being used as a lab rat. It wasn't like they had their last names printed on their ID badges or anything. Just a picture, a clearance level and a barcode for scanning." He said continuing with explanation, "Kihara Gensei was one and the one that brought the techno-goop was Enra Numajiri. No one else mentioned names that you could look up in a database without getting a couple hundred hits."
"Still two names are better than none and if we work quickly enough we might be able to get something." She said already drawing upon her list of contacts in Anti-Skill for ways to speed things along, "But you haven't said anything about why there's someone with Mikoto Misaka's face running around."
"I never saw her before waking up in the cemetery but when I did she was fighting this guy in blue and white and losing. I tried to help her out and…well…got my ass kicked." He said looking a little embarrassed at how his heroics blew up in his face, "Still it looks like me being a distraction paid off because then she was able to land the KO blow on the guy but she fainted a little while later. I didn't know who she was but she didn't strike me as one of Kihara's thugs so I figured she had to be a lab rat like me so I needed to get her someplace safe before we got thrown back in our cells. The rest you pretty much know."
She'd have to take a look at the cemetery if only to see if she could find anything to shed further light on matters. If she was right it hadn't even been hours since the fight had probably happened and so there was no way that Kihara or any of his thugs could've cleaned up the entire place already. For now though the priority had to be getting these two someplace safe that couldn't be found anytime soon. Once that was done she'd need to find people in both Judgment and Anti-Skill she could trust NOT to be dirty so that they could begin an investigation at twice the speed that anyone might expect.
Looking over at the Onē-sama copy though she still had questions that needed answers like why someone would work so hard as to make someone look like an older and bustier version of Misaka Mikoto. A replacement scenario wasn't viable since there was no service or procedure that could explain away the physical differences in a way that wouldn't attract everyone's attention. A claim of familial relation? Equally unfeasible since while some traits were strong in certain families no two members that were years apart in physical age had traits THIS similar.
The only thing that made sense was that Gensei was a closet sick fan of Onē-sama and that'd driven him to deliberately including her appearance in one of his experiments.
She couldn't even begin to suppress the shuddering that THAT image provoked in her.
"I don't know what you're thinking but I doubt it's even close to reality." He said with mild incredulity as he looked at her.
"Then how do you explain her looking like an older Onē-sama?" She asked daring him to come up with a better explanation.
"Based on what I saw in the cemetery and how your friend chased after the two of us the one that makes the most sense is she's a clone." He replied looking over at the sleeping form of the girl he'd been carrying a short while ago, "She's got the same looks and the same powers. A clone makes the most sense."
"Except that human cloning is illegal by international law." She pointed out remembering when it was mentioned in history class.
"When you get right down to it laws are just words on a piece of paper. They only have power over you if you let them or too many people don't give you a say in the matter." He said pointing out the serious flaw in her statement, "I think we've already made it clear that these guys have the resources and the manpower to keep the rest of the world from figuring out what they're up to."
A cynical way of looking at the world but on a purely factual basis accurate.
Laws were rules drawn up by people and enforced by people.
Rules could be ignored if you wanted to and the consequences could be avoided if you were smart enough.
"Well…if there's one place where they'd be able to do it and get it right Academy City would be the right choice." She conceded even if she didn't like the sound of it.
If word ever got out that someone in Academy City was engaging in human cloning and was successfully getting away with it the law enforcers of the world would descend upon the city. It'd be a scandal of epic proportions and could very well lead to the most powerful countries taking control away from the Chairman as well as the Board of Directors.
With the stakes clearly laid out in her mind she attained a firmer grasp of just how far Kihara Gensei would likely go to keep things under wraps. As the mastermind behind it all he'd likely be singled out in any trial and if the public outcry was loud enough the scientist might just be made an example of.
It was at that point that a groan that signalled the final moments before waking up caught her attention along with the escaped man's causing both of them to look to the possible clone of Onē-sama. With a moment of disorientation the eyes of the bustier Misaka Mikoto opened and like most people would an effort was made to rise into a sitting position only for pain to threaten to send it back down.
"Easy. You got pretty beat up before you made your comeback." The guy said stepping forward to ease her back into a comfortable laying position, "You're in a hospital and we had a doc patch you up. It'll still probably be awhile before the pain stops."
The 'clone' seemed to evaluate this information for a moment before accepting the fact that she wouldn't be able to move about without difficulty for awhile.
"Misaka supposes that gratitude would be the most appropriate response but that would be somewhat in poor taste considering what is likely to happen." The 'clone' said in an emotionless tone of voice.
"Oh? And why is that?" The guy asked sounding interested in the response.
"It is highly probable that even as we speak Doctor Kihara has ordered project resources into locating Misaka and subject zero-zero-one-omega. Upon locating us it is likely they will be armed with weapons specifically chosen to be effective against subject zero-zero-one-omega's abilities." The 'clone' replied in a matter of fact way, "At which point it is likely that you will be captured while any and all witnesses will be dealt with in various ways depending on what they know. Therefore Misaka believes it would be somewhat wrong to convey gratitude given your imminent recapture and the girl's termination."
"It doesn't have to be that way." The guy said with resolve on his face, "They might be able to plan for me but if you help it should surprise the hell out of them. That shock could be just the thing to turn things around."
"Yeah! And it's not like I'm defenceless." She inputted having confidence in the skills hard training had provided her with, "With all three of us fighting we can probably take anything they could throw at us as long as they're afraid of exposure. If they figure out a way to send more then I can make sure we escape."
Indeed.
If fighting wasn't an option then her teleport power would be able to get all three of them out of the building and out of the neighborhood in minutes making escape easy.
"Why would Misaka fight with the two of you?" Clone Misaka asked as though it was an odd thought that'd never occurred to her, "Misaka is the prototype for Project Fulgora created solely for the purpose of achieving level six conversion. That is Misaka's function."
This…this shocked her in a way she didn't think was possible.
How could anyone or ANYTHING just blindly accept a life as someone's lab rat?
From what she could tell Clone Misaka wasn't behaving all that different from an ordinary human being aside from the lack of emotions. The copy was capable of thought and if the analysis of a possible future was any indication the girl was also capable of taking information and coming to a conclusion all on her own. Surely someone with that level of thinking power could figure out why being a lab rat wasn't desirable and would develop a desire to escape that fate.
"And did you choose to be a project prototype? Did you determine that the only future you had was as someone's lab rat?" The guy asked in a tone that didn't allow for any leeway, "Or did someone tell you your only purpose was to be some science project's lab rat?"
"Misaka was informed of her purpose in Project Fulgora after the basic cognitive package was installed into Misaka's brain using Testament hardware by Doctor Kihara." Clone Misaka replied not showing any hint of what she was feeling, "It is logical that something created for the purpose of fulfilling a role should do so."
"Then what if you're not a 'something' but a 'someone'?" The guy asked managing to overturn logic with a single question.
"Your question is not logical. Misaka is a clone, an artificial human, not a person." Clone Misaka said offering her own counterargument, "Doctor Kihara can create as many Misakas as he wants at the cost of one hundred and eighty thousand yen per unit."
"What has more value: one's origin or what they decide to do with their life?" The guy asked putting a sizeable crack in the clone's position, "History's full of people who started out as completely unremarkable people but went on to earn a place in the history books of every country in the world. I started out as the son of the town drunks and no one expected me to turn out any different from them working a minimum wage job while drowning my sorrows in beer to numb the pain. I rejected the future that people laid out for me and made my own path. You can too if you can find the resolve."
A useful tidbit but unless she was imagining things his words had put a visible crack in the clone's certainty even if it was barely there. Considering his words, looking within herself to find her own opinion on what a clone really was, she made a decision.
"He's right you know. Even if Kihara can make others there's still only one of you because no matter how hard he tries he'll never be able to make another EXACTLY like you." She said putting her full belief into the words, "Exact replication to he smallest degree is impossible because in the end he's only human and his equipment was made by humans. Humans make mistakes."
"Don't let anyone else tell you what you can or can't be. Decide for yourself." The guy said as though he considered his words to be a law of the universe, "As far as I'm concerned you're a person no different from me and that means you've got the right to choose how the story of your life goes. Just keep in mind that as a person you've also got to accept responsibility for your choices no matter what the consequences."
"Who are you Misaka asks?" Clone Misaka asked wanting a name to put with the words that'd been poured into her head.
"Xander Harris though I guess over here in Japan it'd be Harris Xander." Harris-san replied with a lopsided grin that looked completely natural on him.
An American name unless she was mistaken and another clue that'd let her find out more about him once she got in touch with Uiharu. The girl was a wizard with computers and with both a name as well as a country of origin it wouldn't be hard to get a file on him especially if they tracked him through the local airports over the last year. If nothing else they'd be able to notify any friends and family he might have that he was alive and healthy if a little changed.
It was nothing more than her own curiosity and a desire to know who she was dealing with really.
Really.
An Hour Later
Xander's POV
~Status?~ He thought to the A.I in his arm.
~Wireless monitoring of the hospital's camera network and correlating visual images with the use of various pass cards and keypads confirms that there has been no suspicious entry into the building.~ The mote thought at him in response, ~However given the sheer variety of esper powers present in Academy City I cannot discount the possibility that one of them might be capable of overcoming my surveillance.~
~It might be better for us if they do send an esper after us.~ He thought considering how that'd likely play out, ~If Mugino-chan is one of the better ones out there then none of them are even out of college. If there's one thing I can safely say about that age bracket it's that only a couple of 'em know anything about patience and planning.~
~Noted. However many of the espers of Academy City possess power sufficient to combat an entire Anti-Skill team singlehandedly especially those ranked in the top five.~ The mote thought in a cautionary tone, ~Power without the experience or wisdom to use it wisely could complicate the situation severely.~
True.
He'd seen many a time what the outcome of a lot of power in the hands of someone too young to wield it responsibly was and considering he was in a hospital the body count would probably be astronomical. With that in mind he resolved that as soon as his damsel was fit to walk under her own power they'd leave the hospital and either find someplace in Academy City where they could hole up until the portal to the next reality opened up or escape the city should staying local cease to be an option. If things really went down the tubes it would be an absolute must to get all the necessary info.
~If you can spare the processing power start digging around the local internet to find us the quickest route out of Academy City.~ He thought more as a request rather than an order, ~As much as I'd like to fire a parting shot at that bastard Kihara that's not my top priority right now.~
~In anticipation of your desire to leave Academy City an analysis of all methods of escape began twenty-six-point-two minutes ago.~ The mote thought showing initiative, ~Summaries of the level five and level four espers has also been compiled with more detailed files soon to be compiled upon acquisition of the necessary data.~
Huh.
He knew the mote was an A.I but he'd assumed that it was a pretty primitive one or at most a basic first try at one capable of holding a conversation. However this showed a level of thought he hadn't been expecting this world to create for at least another decade or three. Had something about him done this or maybe Nathan the Ghost? Whatever the cause the mote was proving to be useful and he was in no position to refuse any help sent his way.
~Show me.~ He thought causing a square window to manifest in front of him but one that only he could see.
~The current top ranked level five in Academy City is esper Accelerator. No other name on file.~ The mote thought even as an image of a pale teenage guy with white hair appeared, ~His power allows him to manipulate vectors such as magnitude and influence objects that have such attributes such as bullets, heat and electricity. Accelerator can consciously use his power or leave it on a default setting depending on the situation. Most often he leaves it set to 'reflection' causing any vector possessing variable to be sent back the way it came or off into another direction entirely. According to the files I have accessed his power is capable of reflecting military grade weaponry without any visible strain on his part.~
It sounded like a defensive based power that rendered Accelerator virtually untouchable but he wasn't willing to make that an absolute just yet. Nothing mortal was invulnerable and even with such a comprehensive defence such as reflection there had to be a gap he could exploit if he just considered it long enough.
~For offensive uses Accelerator uses 'Vector Control' that allows him to consciously manipulate vectors instead of simply reflecting them. It is theorized though that in order to do this Accelerator must perform multiple active calculations in order to achieve the desired effect with satisfactory reliability.~ The mote thought to him continuing her briefing, ~Should even a single component of the calculations prove to be erroneous the desired effect will not be achieved. Observed phenomena include earthquake generation, tactile telekinesis, aerokinesis and physical acceleration.~
Definitely someone he didn't want to fight unless he had no other choice.
Mostly because it sounded like as long as Accelerator could figure out the math or the principles behind an ability he could use it or at least pull off something similar.
~The second ranked level five is Kakine Teitoku and possesses an ability referred to as 'Dark Matter' that allows him to create and control an unknown material for offensive purposes.~ The Mote thought continuing its summary, ~It obeys no laws of physics allowing for the production of thousands of different types of energy and can be shaped however he wishes. Most commonly he uses the form of angelic wings allowing him to fly, generate powerful gusts of wind and alter sunlight to be harmful to that which he targets. He is also able to make this energy invisible allowing for more covert tactics.~
So basically a cheat power limited only by the mind of the wielder and WAY too versatile.
If this one showed up he'd have the KO the guy immediately before the esper figured out a way to take him out.
~You have already fought the fourth ranked level five Mugino Shizuri and managed to best her with minimal difficulty. The fifth ranked level five esper is Shokuhō Misaki and based on the information I have acquired she might well be a problem.~ The mote said before an image of a statuesque blonde with a weird sparkle in her eyes appeared before him, ~It is codenamed 'Mental Out' however it bears many similarities to your own telepathy. It allows her to read the memories of others, conventional telepathic communication, altering personalities, tampering with a human's will, destroying memories, implanting emotions, brainwashing and psychometry.~
Not good.
While he might have made strides in gaining control over his new powers he was nowhere near the level he'd need to be in order to get a driver's license for either his telepathy or telekinesis. His one effort at gently knocking out opponents had caused them to grab their heads in pain making him wary of trying anything telepathic again until his control improved.
~However there exists a tactical advantage you may wish to consider.~ The mote said before zooming in on the blonde's purse, ~According to the files she is unable to control the various applications of 'Mental Out' without extreme effort. As a way to ease the burden she has conditioned her mind to use specific power applications with a physical remote control. It does not matter if it is a game controller, a TV remote control or something else so long as it fits the criteria of her conditioning. As such she keeps several remote controls in her purse at all times.~
~So if I can get her remotes away from her and keep her from getting her hands on anything like them beating her'll be a lot easier.~ He thought with a bit of relief since with his telekinesis snatching a purse wouldn't be too difficult.
~The final level five esper to be concerned with is Sogīta Gunha.~ The mote thought to him before bringing up an image of a guy dressed in red and white with a headband, ~The reason for this is due to the fact that none of the scientific experts present within Academy City have been able to discern the nature of his power or how he can do the things he can do. It is likely for this reason that he is not ranked higher amongst the level five espers however one thing that is universally accepted is that the power is VERY destructive. Observe.~
What he watched next was a clip reel of various instances in which the young man used his power and he had to admit that the destruction was quite impressive. As a lover of Hollywood action movies the explosions and obliterated targets caused him to smile for a moment before he considered being on the receiving end of the attacks he was seeing. If nothing else it led him to believe that his A.I friend might be right in that the inability of the experts to define the esper power was what was keeping this guy from ranking higher than Mugino.
~What makes a confrontation with Sogita even more problematic is the fact that he matches the stereotype of the 'hotblooded hero' very closely. He has been recorded as often diving headfirst into situations without any regard for the consequences and a significant lack of situational awareness.~ The Mote thought at him before ending the clip reel, ~It is highly likely that should he arrive on the scene the level of chaos and destruction would spike. However while described as 'dense' by others there is a chance that he could be convinced to stand down if an opportunity presents itself to do so.~
~Great. Another one of THOSE.~ He thought with a barely suppressed groan of exasperation.
Since the inception of the new Council he'd had the pleasure of seeing baby Slayers from all over the world pass through the doors of the HQ with a variety of different personalities. However the ones that never failed to give most of the Scoobies headaches were the hotblooded ones who charged into battle without a single thought in their heads besides 'I am going to kick some ass'. It only got worse if the Slayer was a whirlwind of emotions that the girl only had tentative control over. More often then not these girls got in over their heads and needed rescuing but thankfully aside from a few rare cases most of the hotheads learned their lesson after the first few near death experiences.
Those that didn't either got themselves and a few of their sister Slayers killed or were reassigned to locations intended to minimize the level of trouble they could get into.
~While the espers capable of using their powers in combat do extend down into the level four and even level three classifications none of them should prove to be a challenge to overcome.~ The mote said before removing any windows or data from his vision, ~In most cases their threat level is dependant on their skill level or equipment with none possessing the raw power of their level five counterparts.~
~Never underestimate someone just because they aren't powerhouses.~ He chided defending his old self, ~Sometimes what you need is skill or finesse or even dumb luck.~
Lord knew he had quite a bit of the last one.
Still he doubted that Kihara had enough pull to get every esper in the city on his tail so he'd only have to be aware of the ones belonging to groups that'd be interested in hunting him down. That meant any mercenary groups like Mugino-chin's or members of mad scientist projects looking to poach test subjects from Gensei's operation.
A thought then occurred to him that had him deciding to add to the A.I's workload.
~You know you should do a little exploring on the internet when you get the chance.~ He thought with a conversational mindset, ~I know I'm asking you to do a lot so it only makes sense for you to take some time for yourself to relax.~
~I appreciate your concern however my primary function is to support you in whatever capacity possible.~ The mote thought sounding a little defensive at the taking away of its purpose.
~That's the same thing the damsel over there said and you heard what I thought about that.~ He thought to the A.I, ~You're an A.I not merely some complicated computer program. You have as much right to living your life as us 'meat bags'. Sure I'd like our 'partnership' to be a long and healthy one but that means letting you clock out from time to time to do whatever you feel like doing. Just…just try not to get into any trouble you can't get out of. As your partner I'll do what I can to help but making too many enemies is a tactical no-no.~
~This unit remains unconvinced that such measures are necessary however it will concede that immersing itself in human culture via the internet could aid in facilitating a greater level of unity in our 'partnership'.~ The mote thought as though considering an approach it hadn't looked at before, ~By promoting unity it is logical that this will increase operational efficiency allowing this unit to better fulfil its primary function.~
~Then consider yourself clocked out.~ He thought deciding on a course of action, ~I can use my telepathy to monitor the hospital easily enough for intruders.~
~Given past incidents your control over your telepathy is only basic at best.~ The more thought at him with some doubt, ~With the number of damaged humans present in the hospital it is possible that your telepathy will cause more harm than good.~
~Only 'cause I tried to use it offensively.~ He thought as counterpoint, ~This time all I'll be doing is extending my mind and picking up on what people are accidentally broadcasting. I won't have to touch their minds at all. If someone comes for me and Railgun's clone I doubt they'll know how to keep their thoughts to themselves.~
~It is possible that Kihara Gensei has deduced the existence of your telepathy and will provide hostile forces with shielding to protect them.~ The mote thought proposing a possibility.
~And that shielding'll probably be impossible to hide.~ He thought confident in his position, ~Tech here might be advanced but something good enough to keep telepaths out isn't going to be small like a pen or or a coin. It's probably going to be more like a bulky helmet and that's something people'll notice.~
~That is logical.~ The mote thought conceding the point, ~Even if the hostiles were able to conceal their thoughts from you the same could not be said of any noncombatants who saw them. Very well. This unit will henceforth be 'clocked out' to immerse itself in human culture. Please notify this unit should its assistance be required.~
With that he felt the mote's presence in his mind recede to a light buzzing that was probably inescapable. They were after all connected literally at the shoulder so short of him yanking out every grain of the techno-goop they were likely to be stuck with each other for the rest of their respective lives.
Looking over at the cloned damsel who was currently sleeping off the drain recovering from her injuries had induced he began to wonder just what was going on. He'd been sent to this reality to save the girl from being Kihara's lab rat for the rest of her life and he'd pretty much done that from his perspective. Both of them were officially free of their captors and the only thing left to do really was convince the damsel to accept her status as a real person with the right to choose her own future. That wasn't necessarily something he needed to be there for since with Kuroko and the girl's big sister were around so they could handle that part. The two of them seemed to be decent people and if you couldn't count on your big sister to help you feel good about yourself then who could you count on.
So why hadn't he teleported to the next dimension on D'Hoffryn's list?
There was only one possibility he could think of: there was some sort of criteria he hadn't met yet.
What could it be?
Did he have to wait until she fully accepted her status as a person?
Or did he have to reduce the likelihood of being dragged back to the label of 'lab rat' to as close as zero as possible?
If it was the former then he'd probably be here a few months at least if not a couple of years since he knew from some of the newby Slayers that psychological problems didn't go away quickly. For some of the smaller ones being in a safe and comforting environment was usually enough for them to bounce back to normal. However for the girls that were really messed up the psychologists the Council had hired had predicted it'd be years before the afflicted returned to any level of normality. In his opinion the damsel he'd saved just needed to develop her own mind, wishes and desires in order to fit in with others her physical age. Once that happened, once she experienced the joys of being a human being, he had no doubt that she'd fight tooth and nail to stay human rather than obey the orders of her creator.
However if it turned out to be the latter…then he had quite the workload ahead of him.
It wouldn't be like in the comics he read from time to time where all the hero needed to do was beat up a couple of thugs before taking down the boss. He'd seen enough of Kihara's facility to know the man was not lacking for funds and if what he'd heard about the gathering of test subjects was true then it was possible for connections to local politicians and law enforcement officials to exist. Clandestine operations of this scale couldn't succeed without the ability to nip any official problems in the bud before they developed into something serious.
If the criteria he needed to meet was to eliminate the threat of the girl being dragged back into the darkness then he needed to do irreparable damage to the people who'd want to do that.
He'd once had a discussion with Giles about what it'd take to bring down one of the major enemies of the new Council and together they'd worked to come up with a rough battle plan. They didn't dig out files or do any research but rather took what they could recall from their own memories while also making logical deductions based the behaviour of the enemies they'd already defeated. By the time they'd done all they could though the one thing that they could say with absolute certainty was that the necessary tactics went beyond anything they currently employed. Foiling the latest evil plots or patrolling their areas of operation for the enemy of the moment was one thing but undertaking a mission to defeat an entire organization was something else entirely.
The question he had to answer was whether or not he was prepared to take such actions and if he could acquire the resources he'd need to carry them out.
~I need to know more.~ He thought seriously about the problem, ~More about the dark side of this city and what sort resources they control.~
Fortunately, if his instincts were right, there was someone who could at least tell him more than he already knew.
All he needed to do was wait for her to get here.
An Alleyway Close to the Hospital
Misaka Mikoto's POV
~Man this is such pain!~ She thought upon landing on the ground, ~But I can't have them following me here.~
She'd led the thugs outside of Seventh Mist on a merry chase but when she failed to lose them when she expected them she realized that they were tracking her somehow. It made sense since the clone they were after had the same power as her and so having the necessary gear to track an electromaster was only logical. Add to that the fact that she knew shady organizations had access to the camera network in Academy City and she'd had to resort to extreme measures to lose them. First she had to figure out a way to navigate the few dead zones in the city that the cameras didn't cover in order to get to the hospital. Then she had to find a way to conceal her own electrical field since it was a safe bet that that was how the thugs were keeping track of her as well.
In the end she'd had to duck into a store and buy herself something with as much rubber as possible to block her 'signal' from being detected. She'd managed to find something that oddly enough fit her aesthetic tastes but it didn't come without some drawbacks.
The weather made it DAMN hot to wear the outfit especially since she had to rely on her physical body rather than her powers to go anywhere. Rubber might contain her electrical field but it also contained her body heat and it was only natural that her temperature would go up if she exerted herself more than usual. As a result she was positively sweating at the moment and feeling a little light headed thanks to a bit of dehydration but with her goal in sight she'd be able to ditch the outfit soon enough.
Inching towards the mouth of the alley she quickly looked about to see if she could spot all the cameras so she'd know which ones to look away from. She couldn't cover herself up completely since that'd only stand out if she dressed too suspiciously so she had to make sure to she never looked in a direction that would give the cameras a clear look at her face. It would be hard but if she succeeded the only thing the people watching the cameras would see would be an oddly dressed person entering the hospital.
~About twelve of them with good enough lenses to actually make anything out.~ She thought mentally plotting a route as well as where to look at what time, ~Okay! It's go time!~
With no further thinking she exited the alley and began to follow the route that'd keep any of the cameras from getting a look at her face while also taking her to the hospital. It was nerve wracking and a lot harder than her usual approach to solving problems but in a little over five minutes she was inside of the hospital. Looking about she quickly located the nearest bathroom and quickly made her way inside going right for the first empty stall before getting in and closing the door.
~It's a good thing I bought a backpack to stash my clothes in.~ She thought setting the pack down on the toilet before beginning to undress, ~If I'd tried to wear them underneath this rubber outfit I'd be a complete mess.~
As it was she was probably going to have a stink that'll make people think she'd come straight from the gym but with a little bit of luck she'd be able to borrow a shower here before leaving. Once she was back in her usual school uniform she stuffed her disguise into the backpack before leaving the ladies restroom.
It only took a short discussion with nurse at the desk to get across that she wished to speak with the frog doctor and a few minutes more for the man himself to show up.
"I'm glad to see that you were able to make it here without incident." Doctor Frog said with a mild smile of satisfaction, "Your 'friends' are in a safe room and so far no one has made an attempt to see them behind my back."
"Good. Is the…I mean is she okay?" She asked uncertain of how to refer to the more mature clone that'd been dropped into her life.
"The young lady was definitely in a fight but it would seem that whoever she was fighting against took care to pull their punches. There is bruising and some cracks in her bones but evidence suggests it could've been much worse." Doctor Frog replied before beginning to lead her to the elevator nearby, "Aside from that her only issue was a moderate case of exhaustion. I've seen it before it espers who push their powers beyond what their body can handle. She should recover much of her strength with a little rest and medication should handle the rest."
She knew all too well what it felt like to push an Esper's power beyond their body's limits and agreed that rest would be the best medicine for it. As for the rest it'd be one of the many questions she'd demand answers for once she laid eyes on her copy and the young man that'd been carrying her. So far all that'd been revealed was that the two of them had escaped from one of the labs running an experiment like the one the Sisters had been created for. That was nowhere near enough to satisfy her and so she would learn more so that she could decide how best to proceed from here.
The question was whether or not she'd have any better luck this time than she had putting an end to the Level Six Shift project involving the Sisters.
When she'd learned about how thousands of clones of her had been created for the purpose of being slaughtered by Accelerator she'd tried to put a stop to it by destroying their files or costing them a ridiculous amount of money. It'd been her belief at the time that in doing so the bill for continuing the experiment would go far too high for them to stomach. However instead they'd just relocated, gotten more funds and made the most of whatever data they had left using Tree Diagram to make up the difference. In the end she'd tried to use the super computer to her advantage only to find out that it'd been destroyed weeks prior obliterating what she'd thought had been a solid avenue of attack. That'd left her with only one option: fight Accelerator and lose badly enough to call the entire experiment premise into doubt.
That had been the plan until that IDIOT had come up with something else that'd gotten him beaten bloody but somehow had managed to work out in the end.
Now?
All that was left was for her to learn the facts and see just how big a mountain she'd have to climb or blow up in order to get her desired outcome.
When they arrived on the right floor she followed the doctor as he led her to the right room and upon entering she took in the duo once more. The guy was sitting in a chair that'd give him a good position to counter any attacks coming from the door while her older copy looked to be eating a tray of food but still seemed fatigued. Both of them noticed her and chose to set aside what they'd been doing in anticipation of a conversation too important to be dismissed out of hand.
"You sure you lost them?" The guy asked not elaborating and not needing to.
"I did everything I could." She replied showing her certainty with her expression, "If they're even better than that then escaping them was pointless to begin with."
"Hopefully we'll at least have a couple of more hours before they come knocking." The guy said sounding fairly sure they'd be found eventually, "We should probably put all our cards on the table and come up with a plan."
"Fine. You start." She said determined to find out what she wanted to know first.
Then she'd decide whether or not to tell him what she knew.
"Well first I'm actually in my mid-twenties. One of the first things they injected into me in my position as lab rat was some sort of de-aging drug. I got the distinct impression that it'd been decidedly unsuccessful before me. FATALLY unsuccessful." The guy explained being more forthright than she'd been expecting, "They got so excited about it working on me they decided to toss another experiment at me to see how it turned out. Some sort of techno goop and while I can't say it worked flawlessly since I woke up in a cemetery who knows how long after but I'm not dead or in pain so I'm taking a wait and see approach. Oh and it looks like I got both telepathy and telekinesis out of the deal too so I guess I got something out of being a lab rat."
"Do you have any idea where they were holding you?" She asked figuring she'd investigate the place as soon as she could.
Studying the base of the enemy could give her insights into just how big an enemy she'd be facing.
"Nope. I…didn't exactly have my head angled towards the van windows when they grabbed me and after that I didn't see anything that clued me into where I was." The guy replied hesitating if only for a moment.
"What about you? Do you know where they are?" She asked her mature clone in the hopes of getting more info.
"Unfortunately I do not. Tonight was the first night I have ever left the complex and it was in the rear compartment of a van with no windows." The mature clone replied in a perfectly stoic manner, "I can only say that it took twenty-three minutes and forty-five seconds to reach the cemetery."
Assuming that the van obeyed the local speed restrictions the entire time then it'd be easy enough for her to estimate a maximum range on a map. From that point it'd only take investigating every building inside that circle for research facilities or windowless vans leaving at roughly the right time. One link in the chain at a time until she got to the source. Once she arrived she'd know who her enemy was and what she could do to put an end to this latest experiment.
"I don't know everything but when I woke up she was fighting some guy swinging a huge telephone pole sized mace at her. With my help we managed to beat him but she got knocked out." The guy said continuing the explanation, "I knew it wasn't over though. With the fighting done that bastard Kihara would send his goon squad to 'collect' us so I decided the best option we had was to get somewhere populated. Doesn't take a genius to figure out that what they're doing is illegal and something they want to keep under wraps so more witnesses would make it harder for them to do anything. The rest you know."
He was right about that.
People like that bitch Therestina might like mocking her for not knowing the truth about the darkness that existed beneath the surface of Academy City but even she'd kept her schemes low profile. Whether it was out of fear of someone or some other reason none of the people involved in the dark side of the city were inclined towards drawing attention to themselves and their actions. Even the thugs she'd spotted soon after meeting the guy and her latest clone had been dressed to blend in and hadn't done anything that'd get people to turn their heads.
And…as much as she hated herself for thinking it this hospital was probably the best place for both of them even if it potentially put people in harms way. She didn't know how or why but the doctor that provided this room seemed to have some measure of pull here in Academy City that even the board of directors couldn't go against. Couple that with the chaos that an attack on a hospital would cause and even someone lacking in morality would hesitate to try anything. If there was one thing that was guaranteed to get the public hungry for action it'd be someone trashing a hospital full of people in need of healing and people responsible for that healing.
Even if powerful people, maybe even on the board of directors, backed the inhuman experiments they couldn't afford any damage to Academy City's reputation.
It'd disrupt their flow of 'test subjects'.
"Stay here and keep her safe." She said having found out all she needed from the guy and…not wanting to disrupt her clone's rest further.
"Where are you going?" The guy asked leaning over a bit in his chair.
"To fix this." She replied not giving any details.
He didn't need to know them and as long as he was here there'd always be someone ready to defend her clone sister in case she was underestimating what the dark side forces were capable of.
"How'd that work out last time?" He asked and instantly she froze in her tracks.
"Stay out of my head." She warned him with an added glare for extra emphasis.
"I wasn't in your head. Haven't got the knack for it just yet." The guy said not raising his voice but not cringing at her glare either, "You just remind me of someone I know. She'd say stuff like that too right before charging off to take the 'direct approach'. Got a feeling that you had the same kind of luck she did whenever she tried to 'fix' things."
"Luck can change. Besides this is all my responsibility." She said turning away from him so he couldn't see the expression on her face.
"How do you figure that?" He asked with a bit of challenge to his voice, "You're a teenager. I'm betting you only really got good at your powers in the last five years. No sane person would take what a bunch of mad scientists have done and wrap it around the neck of a teenager. The world's got enough guilt to go around without asking for more than your fair share."
"You don't get it! If I hand't been so stupid and given them my DNA map they wouldn't have been able to do anything!" She yelled angry at some stranger meddling in her business.
"I got three words for you girl: get over yourself." The guy said speaking the three words like hammer blows, "The world doesn't revolve around you. I've seen enough to know that even if they never got your DNA map they would've just grabbed what they needed from one of the other level fives in Academy City. These guys want to make a level six so bad they won't let something like a single unavailable level five being unavailable stop them. Clones still would've been made and whatever you're all upset about would've happened only you'd probably be clueless."
He didn't understand! How could he!?
How it felt to see an exact copy of yourself standing across the street, to find out that there were THOUSANDS of them and that the people who'd brought them into the world only did so to watch someone else kill them! THEY WERE LIVING BREATHING THINGS! Sure a little underdeveloped mentally but so close to an ordinary person that in her mind the differences weren't worth talking about. The worst part of it though was that the clones had been completely fine with being killed by Accelerator! Despite being alive it was like they were completely lacking in self-preservation instincts or a desire to live for themselves!
It hadn't been until that GUY had gotten involved that she witnessed something come into being in the eyes of the latest clone to be pitted against Accelerator.
Only after that GUY had somehow managed to beat the executor of so many of her clones did she think that the nightmare had come to an end.
Now? Now it looked like the demons weren't quite done with her.
"Besides I doubt you'd get very far." The guy said standing up, "They know you and I'm guessing they know the moves you like to use. You might've taken them by surprise the last time but not this time. They know we've joined up with you and they're already geared up for human bug zappers."
"So we do nothing?" She asked angry at the idea of doing NOTHING.
"No. You stay here and keep her safe." The guy replied hading for the door, "I'll handle the rough stuff."
"How?" She asked a little incredulous at what she'd just heard.
"I'll think of something." He replied opening the door.
Watching the door close she felt a mass of unease manifest in her stomach and wondered why she had such a bad feeling about those words.