Final prep

[ACSRS: Feeling for the First Time]

GV and Misaka returned with the rescue team. When they got back they told everyone how Nunotaba had stayed behind to keep an eye on Janie and STUDY.

Nunotaba had also explained to them how the twin's abilities functioned; Diffusion Ghost was an ability converts AIM diffusion fields in an enclosed space into fake matter and control it in a limited way.

Everyone was gathered in the Judgement office as Misaka explained "...that was likely how the empty powered suits and security robots were controlled. Via Janie's strange ability."

"Physical AIM fields sounds familiar to me, It's like the monster created during the Level-upper incident." Uiharu observed.

Saten shivered slightly "Really? Is it that similar?"

Konori put her hand on her chin "According to the testimony Dr Kiyama gave when she was arrested for that it was a collection of AIM fields. This sounds slightly different."

Saten looked up quickly "Maybe it's like Dark Matter?"

Kuroko looked confused "Dark Matter? That's advanced physics right?"

Misaka shook her head "I think she's referring to the Second Rank Level 5? I don't know his name but he is known by the name of his ability, Dark Matter." She then shrugged "His ability has something to do with creating matter from AIM fields, I don't know much about it."

Kuroko nodded "I don't know much either but there is a bigger problem, Control Limits."

Everyone but GV and Joule seemed to understand what she meant so Joule raised her hand "Can you explain that, I haven't heard of it."

Misaka was the most shocked of everyone at hearing that "You don't know?"

Saten pulled open a small bag she had with her while saying "The study guide is here somewhere."

Kuroko just shook her head "I'll just explain it, you know about SYSTEM at least right?"

Joule nodded but she didn't look very confident "It's the goal of Academy City right? A term for their goal of creating a level 6?"

Kuroko nodded "Yes, all abilities are developed in the same basic way, according to SYSTEM it is the most effective way. However this method has a flaw in the 'amount' that any single esper can control."

Misaka held up a hand, palm up, and caused some sparks to jump around "It's an area thing, the more power you have the wider the area of your control becomes or you can put a lot more detail into a much smaller space."

GV looked intrigued "So what Kuroko suggested is something like: 'Controlling that many robots with any level of detail is impossible' right?"

Kuroko nodded "Correct. This means that, under our understanding, an ability like this really isn't suitable for a large scale attack."

Joule raised a hand "Could STUDY have created a method other than SYSTEM's for creating espers?"

Misaka held back a laugh "No, we can be fairly sure of that. That sort of research requires Tree Diagram and it was destroyed." Misaka became thoughtful "They said something about having a few simple commands placed ahead of time into Janie's fields. Maybe it was something like 'Eliminate any opponent who attacks'?"

GV looked around at everyone "Would something like that allow you to bypass the Control Limits?"

Uiharu thought out loud "Maybe, Control Limits are normally set as 'instructions per second' right?"

Misaka nodded and corrected "That and a rough max range limit."

Uiharu continued "So when starting up the power, Janie focuses on one suit and sets up all it's commands before moving onto the next and doing the same, then it might only take a few commands to control the large group of suits. They're like autonomous robots in a way."

Konori nodded "If all of this was true, a large scale attack wouldn't be unreasonable."

Everyone was silent for a moment.

Saten was the first to speak "Febrie's sister, Janie. If only we knew where STUDY was keeping her. If we could stop her then STUDY would be unable to start their attack."

GV shook her head "Nunotaba wasn't told where their base was. The main reason she stayed behind was to look for it."

Misaka looked down at the sleeping Febrie and continued from where GV had left off "She thought that once Janie activated her ability, Febrie would be able to give us an idea of Janie's location."

Kuroko looked disappointed "That's good but if we can only start looking once Janie starts then won't we already be out of time?"

Everyone was quiet for a moment before GV asked "Can't we track down the suits?"

Uiharu looked over "We have already, there are over 20,000 of them. We simply don't have the time." She waved him over and showed him a map she had made that showed the locations of the suits and high risk areas.

There was more silence, broken for a moment by Kongou arriving and being happy about GV and Misaka's safe return.

Slowly the conversation started again.

"I think we will have to wait for the attack to begin." Uiharu admitted.

Saten was the first to respond "That's crazy. 20,000 powered suits! It's like something out of story and we can't stop it until it's already happening?"

Misaka looked to be deep in thought.

Uiharu looked worried "If they get out into the city, who knows how much damage they would do?"

Kuroko noticed Misaka and went quiet, soon everyone else noticed too. Kuroko asked her "What's on your mind sis?"

When Misaka didn't respond Kongou asked as well "Please tell us?"

[ACSR: Precious Friends]

At that, Misaka looked up and shakily admitted "I just want to save Febrie, and her sister Janie too. I want to save Nunotaba who, right now, is still trapped with the enemy. Also, I want to protect Academy City. I also want to keep every single one of you out of danger. So I wonder, am I just being selfish?"

"Not really. Ambitious maybe, or prideful if you want to be negative." Joule said, she then shook her head "I mean that it would be very hard to protect everything alone."

Saten smiled "I want the same sort of thing too, I also want you to stop looking so sad. Am I being ambitious Joule?"

Joule smiled back "Only if you intend to do that alone."

Kuroko nodded "They're right sis." she looked at Misaka "Doing it alone is the hard thing, you really do that far to much."

Konori agreed "Cheer up, we can do this if we work together."

Uiharu stepped forward "Exactly, together there is nothing we can't do!"

Kongou flicked out her fan "Indeed! I believe so too. Together we are unstoppable." Kongou's friends agreed with her.

GV sighed "It's cheesy but true. A team of twice the size gets the problem fixed in half the time after all."

Everyone looked to Misaka as she looked around. She stood up and nodded "I know what you mean, now it's my goal too."

That didn't make a lot of sense but any questions about what she meant were delayed by Febrie waking up.

"Oh hi, everybody is here?" Febrie spoke still half asleep.

Misaka nodded to her "Yes, we are all here and we are going to see if we can help Janie. Would you like to come too?"

Febrie smiled and agreed happily.

[ACSR: After School]

Everyone split up to prepare.

Joule continued creating a new song that would hopefully help. In theory she wanted to create a song that would prevent Janie's robots from being able to receive orders but she would need to get Janie to hear that sort of song so she was going with a different idea. She had called up Haruue and Banri and began to put together an idea. She also looked around the Academic Assembly and got some help from Kuroko to move some sound equipment to a stage there.

Kuroko herself picked up some javelins that Kongou's friends had found for her.

Kongou was talked to her father via laptop and requested use of a piece of heavy machinery.

The machinery's manual was sent to Uiharu and Saten's room, Saten memorised the manual while she helpped make rice balls with Uiharu and Febrie.

Misaka got a four leaf clover from Kuroko after calling some old friends.

Gunvolt snuck into a certain laboratory to take back something that was his. He would have gotten more but he was short on time and patience.

[ACSRS: RAILGUNS SHOOT]

The next morning, everyone met up at the Academic Assembly grounds.

When GV arrived, Misaka was the first to mention the change "Nice coat."

GV wore his old azure coat and boots, it was all he could get back from the lab.

Joule nodded at him, a happy smile on her face. GV unconsciously pulled the coat tigher around him.

Misaka looked at everyone "Right then, thirty minutes till go time. Let's get into position."

As everyone got ready to leave Joule held up a hand "Pause a moment, I've got something."

Everyone looked back and she pulled out a box of ear pieces "I know some of you can use your phones but these will be helpful."

Those that needed one put them in then Joule nodded "I'll start the song after the attack starts, you'll then need to wait about a sixty seconds for you to notice an effect."

Kuroko looked up "What exactly does the new song do?"

Joule waved her hand "Well it helps create a telepathic network for one, everyone listening can talk to everyone else. It also has another effect. That effect I'll keep secret for now but it is the reason the song needs a minute to get ready."

Saten looked at Joule carefully then nodded. Everyone continued to get ready.

Febrie got onto Misaka's back and she began heading over to the starting position of the search, the very center of the city (or as close to it as she could get)

Everyone else spread out, only GV stayed with Joule.

Joule closed her eyes and took a breath before checking the time. Ten minutes to go.

End of chapter.

Right, lots to say here.

First, I took SYSTEM's definition from the wiki If I misunderstood, I'm sorry.

Control Limits I mostly made up myself, Kuroko mentions them in the episodes but I couldn't find anything on the wiki about them so I made it up. GV and Joule don't use SYSTEM and thus don't have control limits.

For GV's equipment, the coat is resistant to all normal forms of attack, it's stab resistant and can stop a bullet (GV will still get hurt though)

The boots allow him to dash along many surfaces he can't normally, they also allow him to air dash and air jump.