Another (probably evil) scientist

[ACMI: Stillness of Light]

Mitsuari escorted GV through the desks at the enterance to the Celestaquarium. She showed their tickets and they were allowed into the exibits themselves.

From what had looked from the outside like a high-rise building that would probably be filled with offices and apartments was revealed to be an exquisite show of wealth and a fondness for sea creatures.

Schools of fish swam in tanks that must take up three floors each. There were great slow-moving beasts like Sea cows and clear-bottomed ponds full of Koi that could be seen from above and below.

Mitsuari was leading him through the exibits until they got to one corner that just seemed to be set aside for toilets. She checked her phone and went up to a blank stretch of wall next to the toilets and leaned against it. She tapped her knuckles against the wall softly and GV heard a click as a secret door opened to reveal an elevator. It wasn't very big but at his employer's direction they both fit themselves into the small elevator car before the doors shut.

As they rode down, GV felt around with his power. The elevator car was bugged and booby trapped. Whoever they were going to meet took their security seriously, and GV couldn't even ask about it without letting it be heard. He just waited with a sigh before the elevator let out a soft ding. The doors opened.

The room they were in now contained a large tank, much like the ones above in the Celestaquarium's public-facing display. Within the tank swam a killer whale. The rest of the room contained things that would be fairly normal for some higher up in Academy City to own, it was largely minimal though as if whoever stayed here didn't care that much about the space itself.

The space was devoid of human life other than them, at least from what GV could tell. Lumen hadn't come with him on this mission, mostly to make sure she stayed with Joule while she was recovering. That meant he couldn't tell if any Esper was at work.

Mitsuari stepped forward though, taking the lead.

"You invited me here. I am Mitsuari Ayu. Mental Stinger."

There was a moment of silence before a voice boomed through the small space. There was an artificial note to it, not a text-to-speech system, it sounded like a human voice but with a correction to it. Something like an Auto-tune sort of efect.

"Greetings Mitsuari Ayu."

A man's voice. Their contact?

"Does your partner mind giving an introduction too?"

GV looked up, he couldn't see who was talking but the killer whale had stopped swiming around aimlessly. Maybe...

"I am GV. Electromaster, level 4. Hired as a part-time bodyguard to Mitsuari Ayu."

"I see."

Yes, GV could see it now. The killer whale wasn't normal. A cyborg maybe? Its jaw was moving slightly when the man talked. Maybe set up because he knew he was meeting a telepath?

"Well then, while my name was on the invitation, let me introduce myself."

The killer whale swam closer to the edge of the tank and raised a flipper to its... chest? Torso?

"I am Shundou Toshizou. Ex-chief of research at the Clone Dolly Workshop's third laboratory, Ideal."

Ideal... that had come up a few times before. One of which being the incident where GV had met Mitsuari in the first place.

Said girl looked shocked, though not for the reason GV would have guessed.

"Why are you a killer whale?"

"It was my favourite of the options I had access to." The scientist mentioned in an off-hand sort of way.

GV was focused more on the how though.

"Did you put your brain into its body?" GV asked. The scientist just gave a partial answer ot that.

"Something along those lines, but really, don't you have something more specific you wanted to ask me, Mitsuari?"

GV's boss nodded, taking a breath.

"Was what you said true, that you'd give me the manpower I'd need to take her down?"

"Of course." The Killer whale answered simply "A FIVE_Over OS Modelcase_'MENTAL_OUT' and underlings to carry out a plan of your devising, so long as it produces the ending I desire too."

Mitsuari takes a breath, a smile on her face.

GV however looked up at the killer whale "What ending do you desire?"

He knew the rough outline of Mitsuari's plan. It was cruel in a way but not harmful. Not... well. It wasn't more than Shokuhou deserved. That said, depending on what Shundou wanted.

"I want a chance to test out my theories." The researcher explained "And to complete the true Modelcase_'MENTAL_OUT'. The version I intend to give your employer is the closest we have right now, but I want to finish it in truth."

"What is a FIVE_Over?" GV continued to ask "I've heard it mentioned but..."

The researcher was generous enough to fill him in.

"It's a machine designed to replicate the ability of a level 5. For example, FIVE_Over Modelcase_'RAILGUN' was designed to replicate Railgun's namesake ability and to surpass it if it could."

So this would be a machine designed to replicate Mental Out, hmm? Well, his motives sounded clear enough. Well, clear enough for what scientists in this city were like. His big plan wasn't to torture orphans to harvest their brain chemicals or anything like that at least.

Mitsuari finally nodded.

"Very well, I accept your offer of help."

Author notes:

Keep in mind that this and the previous chapter are setting up an arc that takes place a long time after this. If you know, you know.

That said, repeating what I said last chapter I haven't read this arc myself and thus don't know how Shundou Toshizou is meant to be able to talk. I tried to be vague to avoid touching the problem but that could have been wrong in its own ways.