Disclaimer : I don't own Naruto or Toaru Kagaku no Railgun/Toaru Majutsu no Index
The Trinity of Tokiwadai
Chapter Sixty Eight: Daihaseisai - Escalating Hostilities
Beta:
"And logging off~ Done!" Konori Mii said with satisfaction as she logged off her computer at her workstation at the 177th Judgement Branch for the day. It was the Daihaseisai and that meant it was a more tiring day than most for Judgement agents like her, what with the need for heightened security due to the high profile of the event and the many outside visitors. That was not to say she didn't appreciate the festival. Not when it provided the opportunity for fantastic dates, like the one she and Sempai were about to set out for.
"Ready to go, Mii?" Kurozuma-sempai said from where he had been lodging on the sofa in the Branch's rest area chugging away at a carton of Musashino Milk.
"Yup," Mii told her boyfriend with a smile. "Just let me pack up my things and freshen up a little and I'll be ready to go. Five minutes tops."
"Take your time." Sempai told her with a reassuring grin. "It's hours before the Night Parade and that's the only time-sensitive part of what I have planned for today."
"You found us a nice viewing spot?" Mii asked curiously as she packed her things into her purse.
"Yeah, I managed to get us space on a private rooftop. It ain't as nice as the view from a blimp that Stoic Jouchan's Kaasan got last night, shame you were on duty and couldn't join us for that, but it's still pretty good."
"It was such a shame." Mii agreed. "But I am the Senior Agent for the 177th Branch. I had to attend the first day's after action review. Not that there was anything to report. At least from our Side of the City."
"Yeah, those bus bombings were nasty." Sempai agreed. "Thankfully Kamijou and his crew dealt with it."
"I must somehow return the favour to him someday for all the times he's saved the City. Maybe treat him to lunch?" Mii suggested, looking at Sempai questioningly.
"Nah. Just buy him a week's worth of groceries. Considering his glutton of a roommate, he'd appreciate that more." Sempai said with a laugh. "Rumor has it that she practically eats him out of house and home."
"He would certainly appreciate the groceries more." An unfamiliar feminine voice said and Mii and Sempai both spun towards its source, only to be greeted by the sight of a vaguely humanoid thing made of liquid metal with a choker around its neck standing in the corner of the 177th Branch office.
"Hello there, I was hoping you would be kind enough to not fight this?"
"And this is?"
"A kidnapping." Kouzaku Mitori said with a smile at the two through the microphone built into the choker that her liquid metal puppet was wearing. "You see, I was originally going to get [Railgun]'s mother to have her to back off, but [Mani-Force] is the one she's usually with when she's out and about in the City. So you two are my substitutes. Sorry~"
"Huh, first kidnapping." The redhead scratched his head. "Well, legit kidnapping."
"Sempai, please take this seriously." The high schooler scolded.
Are they flirting during a kidnapping? Mitori frowned as she observed the two.
"You two are absurdly cute together, you know that?" Mitori confessed with a pout. "I almost feel bad for having to do this. I really am. Unfortunately, you just so happen to be friends of the Trinity and I kinda need an upper hand against them right now."
"Ah! So you're picking a fight with the Jouchans. Good to know." The former Skill-Out said with a nod. "Hope you've got good insurance. You'll need it for after they beat your ass."
"We'll see about that." Mitori scoffed. "Let's get this show on the road shall we?"
With that she had her Liquid Shadow transform its arms into a pair of long tendrils that she whipped at the two. Much to her surprise, both of them somehow managed to evade the attack.
"Sempai, take out that choker." The high schooler said as she pulled open a drawer and fished out a gun from within. "It's got a camera built into it. If we take it out, we can probably blind her."
"You picked that up with your Clairvoyance huh?" Mitori said as she had a portion of her Liquid Shadow's shoulder deform into a tendril, the tip of which she formed into a shield that she used to block the surprisingly accurate fire that the Judgement Agent was shooting at her. And was she using Electroshock bullets!? Not that they were effective or anything but where the hell did this girl get them? They were black market goods!
"Got it Mii!" The redhead shouted as he slipped on a glove that Mitori recognised as the latest prototype of the Power Fist that Maniple was developing, a compact version of the weapon designed for covert operations.
"You think you'll get close enough to use that, Big Spider-san?" Mitori scoffed as she redirected both of her Liquid Shadow's whips towards fending off the former Skill-Out, who displaying a remarkable agility somehow managed to avoid getting hit. "Damn! You're as agile as a spider aren't you?"
"You've gotta be if you're a normie in our line of business." The redhead retorted with a grin as he ducked under a swipe of the Liquid Shadow's whips that had almost knocked his head off. "I'd thought you knew that. Or are you a newbie, Mercury-chan?"
"Yeah, I guess you're right." Mitori agreed as she redirected one of her whips to try and stop the Judgement girl from reloading her pistol only for her to see her coming and roll out of the way of the tendril. "But enough fun and games."
At that Mitori looked up from the tablet she'd been using to see what was going inside the Judgement office and raised her own pistol.
"Nighty night." She said teasingly as using the echolocation that was the default means she viewed the world through her Liquid Shadow, she lined up her shots and pulled the trigger twice in quick succession.
Within the matter of seconds, two custom bullets shot out of the barrel of her gun. Their AP (armor piercing) properties allowed them to easily shoot through the reinforced door and walls of the Judgement office with barely any deviation of their flight path, shedding the outer AP shell as they did before continuing unerringly to their targets where the autoinjectors that were at their core unloaded the tranquilisers they were filled with directly into her two opponents' bloodstreams.
"Shit, we forgot to account for the original." The redhead said as he stumbled from the effects of the tranquiliser and was caught midchest by one of the Liquid Shadow's whips, which proceeded to slam him into and pin him to a wall.
"Sempai!" His girlfriend shouted as she collapsed to her knees as the drugs began to take effect.
"You really should worry about yourself." Mitori commented as she had her Liquid Shadow knock her over with its other tendril and pin her to the ground with it.
Only with her two opponents subdued did Mitori switch out the rounds in her gun and use it to shoot open the lock for the door before kicking it open.
"You won't get away with this." The redhead said as Mitori sauntered into the Judgement office. "The Jouchans will have your hide for this."
"Like I said earlier, we'll see about that." Mitori shot back with a grin. "Now stop fighting it and take a nap, Kurozuma-san. You know you want to."
The former Skill-Out just shot her a glare but the effect of the tranquilisers were too strong and that defiant look was the last thing he managed before finally succumbing to unconsciousness.
Man, to fight off the effects of the drugs as long as he did, he's tough. Mitori thought with an impressed nod. It's too bad he has to be one of the Trinity's lackeys. Well, no point crying over spilt milk. Time to get to work.
"Aah, if only they were closer to the target." Mitori lamented as she pulled out a burner phone and dialed her target's number. Oh well, beggars can't be choosers. With the Trinity guarding their loved ones as closely as they were, these two were the best hostages she could get her hands on.
"Hello hello? Is this Misaka-san?"
"Yes. Who is this?"
"Not important, silly~ I just wanted to let you know that I have taken Konori-san and Kurozuma-san hostage~! So, my demands are such. In two hours, you will meet me alone somewhere in School District 15. I will contact you with the exact location closer to that time. I repeat, come alone. Or else. Bye bye~"
"Wait, hold-!"
"Click~!" Mitori chirped as she hung up the phone and tossed it into the nearby recycling bin.
After all, she wasn't a litter bug.
Having her Liquid Shadow pick up her hostages under each arm, Mitori smiled wickedly as she exited the Judgement office with a pep in her step. Everything was going swimmingly. Thanks to Baba-san for being oh so thoughtful to pick a fight with Misaka-san and sending a group of the Trinity's friends to the hospital, the trio and their allies were all out of position and unable to respond to her little kidnapping before she got away. Heaven Canceler's Hospital was at least ten minutes away even by teleport after all. And the junkyard that was Baba-san's former base was even further away! That left plenty of time for her to make good her escape.
I really do love it when a good plan comes together.
Mikoto couldn't lie. It was only the second day of the Festival and her nerves were already fried. So when she got a call about two of her friends being held hostage? She was ready to really kill something.
Dark Siders, stupid worthless pieces of shit. Playing their games in the dark. Nothing but a bunch of children acting as if they're untouchable.
Maybe only cracking Baba Yoshio's jaw was being too lenient. For this next asshole? Mikoto was feeling far less generous.
She arrived in the park in District 15 that the kidnapper had demanded and saw an unconscious Konori-sempai sitting on a nearby bench that surrounded a large tree. Standing next to her was a hooded girl with a gleaming knife in hand and poised to slit her Sempai's throat. Not too far away, on the park's lower terrace, was Kurozuma-san, an identical hostage taker holding a knife to his throat too.
The distance between the two hostages made it difficult to save both of them. As was no doubt the kidnapper's intent.
Are the two just lookalikes? Or maybe it's a cloning ability? Mikoto mused as she observed the situation. Though if it's an ability, how many can she make and what's her degree of control over them?
She probably should've read on the profiles of known MEMBER operatives that Ruiko had provided her before rushing over. It would've likely clued her in as to what to expect with whatever this girl was capable of, but she honestly couldn't find the time or patience to sit down and do so. Something she was regretting right now.
Just please don't be magic. I already have enough from the Science side on my plate today.
"Alright, I'm here. Listen, I'm in a really foul mood, so why don't you just hand over those two and I'll actually let you go today. I'm in a kind mood." She coolly informed the hostage takers.
"You're not in a position to be making demands [Railgun]." The girl in front of her said with a glare, pressing her knife into Konori-sempai's neck lightly in warning. "Now I want you to answer my questions."
"Fine," Mikoto growled, sparks flying off her forehead in her own warning. "Ask away."
"Why have the Trinity been attacking our satellite bases and stealing our data?"
"Are you talking about me trashing Baba's base? We didn't steal any data from there!"
"Oh, don't play dumb." The other girl scoffed. "I know you're trying to find out whether we're figured out where you've hidden the Sisters."
She's not referring to my attack on Baba's base? But we haven't attacked anyone else lately… Wait a minute. We aren't the only ones opposed to MEMBER this time, are we? That means… That Fake Middle Schooler! She's the one attacking them! This is all her fault.
Just another person to add to her list. She was getting a lot of names today alone. And when she got to them… They'd all rue the day they earned their spot on her list.
"Okay, even if you think we're the ones attacking you. Which we aren't. Why are you bringing our friends into this? They have nothing to do with it!"
"You really are an oddity, you know that, Misaka-san?" The hooded girl said with an exasperated shake of her head. "Honestly, how can you say that? You know what goes on in this City. The experiments on Child Errors. You were tricked into giving up your DNA Map and have seen the horrors that have resulted from that. You helped shut down your fair share of inhuman Level 6 Shift experiments. You've seen all that ugliness. Seen how it all leads up to the highest levels of Academy City. Heck, you're friends with Saten-sama! The poster child for the City's barbarity. And even that freak lapdog Namikaze. How are you so bloody carefree and naive!?"
Mikoto just shot the girl an unimpressed look, even as she continued ranting.
"You're different from the average ignorant student yet somehow you still turn a blind eye and live an everyday life. How can you remain calm despite all the horrors that the City is responsible for!?"
Mikoto was about to reply, opening her mouth but before she could utter a word, she closed it firmly and her face took on a grim look.
"You know, you're right about all that. But all that? It has nothing to do with this. It is no excuse to hurt my friends." Mikoto told her sternly. "So l have nothing else to say to you. Let my friends go and maybe we can talk about all that other stuff you mentioned. I don't want any more enemies today."
"I think not, Misaka-san." The girl said, her tone fierce. "Now answer my damned quest-"
She never got a chance to finish her sentence when suddenly Kuroko teleported in at the lower terrace and catching the kidnapper there by surprise, quickly grabbed Kurozuma-san's arm and teleported away.
"You talk too much," Mikoto said as she used her Electromastery to violently but carefully pull Konori-sempai to her side where Kuroko quickly teleported in before disappearing once more, their Sempai in tow. "You shouldn't have given Kuroko time to get here."
"Tch! I forgot to account for the Teleporter." The girl cursed as she turned to run.
Yes, she had. Exactly like they'd been counting on. Whilst everyone who opposed them would be keeping a close eye on Naru, Ruiko and herself. They sometimes could get sloppy and overlook their friends. Just like this girl had this time. When she'd called to inform them of the location of the rendezvous, she'd made sure to make it as far away from Naru's and Ruiko's known locations as possible. Likely gambling on getting whatever she wanted done before either of her friends could teleport in to intervene. She had not taken Kuroko into account however and that had been her downfall.
Smirking at having gotten the upper hand, Mikoto moved to pursue the hooded girl but was cut off when the other kidnapper suddenly leapt in front of her, its hood falling off in the process and revealing itself to be some kind of liquid metal puppet.
"More proxy fights, huh? I guess most of you would choose to chicken out rather than actually fighting yourself!" Mikoto snarled as sparks danced around her body. "Honestly, what else can I expect from lowlifes like you Dark Siders!?"
"Onee-sama, the kidnapper is getting away!" Kuroko shouted from the corner of the park where she'd deposited Konori-sempai and Kurozuma-san.
"I know!" Mikoto shouted back as she narrowly evaded the whipping tendril that the puppet had transformed its arm into.
The damned thing was made of some kind of liquid metal with a strong resemblance to mercury. Both in appearance and its electromagnetic properties, in that it was just as annoyingly difficult to manipulate with the electromagnetic fields she was able to create. Which meant she couldn't trust her electromagnetic shields to work well against it, forcing her to keep on her toes and carefully evade the thing's attacks.
Which is gonna be a pain. Mikoto thought with annoyance as she leapt back from the puppet lashing out with its other arm as it too transformed into a whip.
"Let her!" She shouted back at Kuroko even as she used her electromagnetism to toss a heavy park bench at the puppet, intent on using it to smash it apart, only for the construct to use its whip arms to cut the bench apart well before it could pose a threat. "You stay back and keep Konori-sempai and Kurozuma-san safe till Naru or Ruiko get here."
"Hai, Onee-sama." Kuroko hissed back in clear dissatisfaction even as she teleported a trio of her explosive nails into the puppet that blew the thing apart sending the liquid metal that made it up splattering everywhere.
Sadly, this barely inconvenienced the damned thing as the puddles of liquid metal just promptly flowed back together and the puppet rebuilt itself. Heck, the only damage that it seemed to have really suffered was the destruction of the clothes it had been wearing earlier to pose as a double for its creator, which had been thoroughly ruined. That said, since its body lacked any details that would require covering in the name of modesty, this was no loss at all.
"Great, now this doll has regeneration too?" Mikoto couldn't help but whine as she tossed another of the park's benches at the puppet, only for it to be cut to pieces just like the one she'd used in her first attempt. "Is it just my luck that I keep running into things with it? I mean there was that Jinn last time and now this thing!?"
"It is a useful ability." Kuroko commented as she teleported a set of her cryo nails into the thing, which exploded and released small clouds of freezing gas around the puppet which proceeded to trap it in a layer of ice.
"Yeah, I guess. Doesn't make it any less of a pain to have to deal with." Mikoto shot back as she used some electromagnetism to pull herself out of the way of a stray chunk of ice that had flown her way as the puppet displayed surprising strength by shattering its frozen prison. "Any ideas?"
"I'm thinking our best bet was to take out its creator." Kuroko said with a sigh, even as she splattered the puppet again with another set of explosive nails, forcing it to rebuild itself a second time "But since we're letting her get away. I'm out of suggestions."
"Well, let's at least make its life a little difficult." Mikoto replied with a sigh of her own as she shot a bolt of electricity at the choker the puppet wore, the last piece of its clothing that had survived to this point, and the hidden camera built into the skull ornament that hung from it that her EM sense detected. The camera was shielded of course, but Mikoto wasn't the most powerful Electromaster in the City for nothing and her bolt easily short circuited the piece of electronics, hopefully at least somewhat hampering the puppetmaster's ability to control her construct.
Sadly, the puppet seemed to suffer no loss whatsoever from the destruction of the camera. Not that Mikoto thought that it would suddenly become blind or anything, but she'd expected something. Instead it seemed the puppetmaster had compensated for the loss without a hitch as it had the thing spin like a top, sending its whip-like arms lashing out dangerously in all directions.
"Kuroko!" Mikoto shouted in concern even as she pulled herself to the second storey of a nearby building with her Electromastery and out of the reach of the puppet's deadly tendrils as it spun towards the Teleporter and her unconscious charges.
She needn't have worried as her roommate had reacted quickly and in a series of quick teleports had gotten Konori-sempai, Kurozuma-san and herself out of the way of the puppet's attack by relocating to the far side of the park from where they'd just been. The puppet abruptly changed direction to pursue them but Mikoto dropped a lightning bolt down on it with enough force to splatter the construct and charge up the liquid metal that made it up with enough electricity that she could finally easily manipulate it with her Electromastery, allowing her to prevent it from rebuilding itself.
"You think I finally got it?" Mikoto asked as she leapt down besides Kuroko.
"Is it still trying to get back together?" Her roommate asked warily, her hand running over some of the nails she had strapped to her thighs.
"No," Mikoto confessed with a frown. "Not since I splattered it with that lightning bolt."
"Then I think we did. Though I'm sure it's more because its creator has got away than because we actually defeated it." Kuroko said with a frown as well. "And calling down a bolt of that intensity in the middle of a park, Onee-sama? During the Daihasei no less? Aren't you worried about possible civilian casualties?"
"You worry too much, Kuroko." Mikoto said with a shrug as she cautiously released her hold on the liquid only to find that it indeed did not try to reform into the annoying puppet. "That girl picked this place and I'm sure she cleared it out. Besides, you don't see any civilians around do you?"
"I suppose you're right." Kuroko conceded with a nod before turning to Konori-sempai and Kurozuma-san. "Now, let's see about getting these two some first aid."
"Leave that to me." Ruiko said in reply to Shirai-san's statement as she arrived with a teleport to the park where the hostages had been, rematerializing next to Konori-sempai and Kurozuma-san and immediately checking them over with her sensory powers.
A sigh of relief escaped her. They had been administered a strong tranquilizer, but not a dangerous one.
"They should be fine. They'll need some time for the drugs that knocked them out to be flushed out of their system, but overall they'll be fine." She said as she turned to Naru-chan as the blonde teleported in to stand right behind her, looking down at their two unconscious friends worriedly. Mikoto-sempai and Shirai-san standing just behind the blonde and looking just as concerned. "I'm familiar with the drug they've been dosed with. Give me a second to create some counteragents using Dark Matter."
"You're sure that they're fine?" Naru-chan asked, continuing to look the two over for any sign of injury.
Ruiko nodded.
"I'm so, so glad you finally decided to add healing to your repertoire." The blonde said as those blue eyes of hers regained the teasing edge to them that was almost a default expression for her. At least, when she wasn't letting her bloodlust take over. "You couldn't be Miss I Can Do Anything, if you didn't have it~"
Ruiko felt heat creep along her cheeks, but still smiled at her best friend.
"Can we move against MEMBER yet?" Mikoto-sempai asked, tone tight and brimming with barely contained fury. "This is the second time these asshats attacked us. First it was that shitheel Baba and now this Liquid Metal girl? If this isn't a declaration of war, I don't know what is."
"She's got a point, Rui-chan. Attacked twice in the same day? If we don't respond our rep is going to take a hit. We don't want to be painted as pushovers." Naru-chan airily commented, but there was frost in her tone. It reminded Ruiko of a coiled snake that was ready to strike. "We could overlook one attack. But now that Kouzaku has decided to join in too, we've gotta retaliate."
Ruiko sighed openly, pinching her nose in frustration at having such hot headed teammates. "Not until we get approval from the Board. Which isn't forthcoming, not unless we're able to pin MEMBER's actions on someone thus painting this as a rogue op."
"Ah, but what if I told you we might have just the thing you need to do that?" The henchman of Shokuhou-sempai, Nokleben-san, said as he walked up to them with a sly smile.
Shokuhou Misaki, seventh ranked Level 5, possessor of the much feared Mental Out ability and widely revered as the [Queen], was not someone who was easily impressed. However, as Misaki walked into the Trinity command centre built into the lab complex under Saten-san's house - And mad scientist much!? Then again, her fellow Level 5's mother was a mad scientist so maybe they were just trying to fit the mould? - she couldn't help but feel a little awed.
Not just because of the advanced tech at their disposal, she was no tech expert but even her passing knowledge of the field told her that the equipment in the room was top tier, but more importantly because of the people present. Some like Kiyama-sensei were expected. She was Saten-san's mother after all. As was the Number 3's boyfriend Accelerator, who was skulking in a corner with an angry look on his face. Kurozuma-san as well as Uiharu-san and Shirai-san from Judgement were not a surprise either as they were literally or practically part of the Trinity's outfit. More unexpected were the highly respected Konori from Judgement and Anti-Skill's Yomikawa huddled in another corner and exchanging what little they knew about what was going on with each other. Then there was the entire, heavily armed group of Sisters standing a few feet from the Number 1. As if that wasn't enough, next to them was the sniper Ylva that was representing the Maniple paramilitary unit. All in all, there was a veritable army's worth of firepower represented here.
Though why they were all allowing 10032's cat to freely roam around like it owned the place was beyond her.
"Okay, enough with all the damned secrecy." Misaka-san said as she shot Misaki a glare the moment the Number 7 stepped into the room. "What, by Science, aren't you telling us? Nokleben-san said you had intel that would allow us to finally take the fight to MEMBER so spill."
For a moment Misaki was honestly tempted to tease Misaka-san about her lack of manners for foregoing a greeting and just jumping straight to the point, however a quick reading of the room, both the minds of those she could access and a glance around, told her that would be a bad idea. Everyone was far too tense for jokes.
Sighing at that, Misaki decided that if she was going to take the plunge then she might as well start with the deep end.
"Our enemy is someone who has usurped the Directors' control of MEMBER and is using them for his own purposes." Misaki began cautiously, knowing very well the explosive potential of the name she was about to drop and wanting to delay the inevitable as long as possible. "It's Kihara Gensei."
Contrary to her expectations, nothing exploded. Though that was not to say there was no reaction at all.
"Did you say Kihara Gensei?" Saten-san said in a voice that was somehow at once robotically monotone and sinisterly murderous. All whilst the Number 3 was suddenly surrounded by the rainbow aura that had increasingly become associated with [Multi-Skill] at her most deadly.
Misaki couldn't help it, she took a terrified step back. She'd seen first hand what the [Army Slayer] was capable of, having been called in by the City to help clean up after her kohai had gone on her infamous rampage after [Meltdowner] was stupid enough to attempt to kidnap the other girl's mother that one time. The glimpses of what Saten-san had done as she'd used [Mental Out] to treat the post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) of those Saten-san had let survive had left a very big impression.
"Ruiko!" Accelerator barked and to Misaki's amazement, that seemed to do the trick.
It took a visible effort on her part but the Number 3 somehow managed to calm herself. At least enough to stop looking like she was about to go on another City-wide rampage. - What was the number was she at for that already, again? Would another one make it her third? Or was it her fourth? - Instead, despite still looking furious and being surrounded by that rainbow aura of hers, she just nodded at Misaki to continue.
Maybe Keitz might be onto something about trusting these girls. Misaki thought for a brief moment before dismissing the thought even as she nodded back at the Number 3. No. Not in my life. I am not trusting anyone whose mind I cannot read. I will not risk being betrayed again. I'm telling them the truth because continuing to string the Trinity along has started to get dangerous now that MEMBER has started to attack them directly. Can't risk them thinking I'm setting them up to take the fall for the things I'm doing even if I kinda am.
Naru-chan gave her a squinted look and a tiny frown. "Rui-chan is in a lot more control of herself than you think, Sempai. Now continue."
Humoring the demand, Misaki did so. "I honestly don't know what Gensei wants, but it has something to do with the Sisters. Which can't be good."
"Oh? If you don't know the details already, then he's definitely found a means to block your Mental Out, Sempai."
Ah, leave it to Naru-chan to cut to the heart of the matter so ruthlessly. As expected of her.
"Though how did you find out anything at all if he did?"
"She probably found out by using Exterior." Saten-san commented and Misaki felt herself freeze and actually gasp in shock. "Gensei always keeps his plans close to his chest. But he'll need to tell at least some of his lackeys his plans if he wants them to help him carry them out. She must have read these lackeys' minds during a sweep of the City with Exterior and picked up what she knows."
"H-How do you know about Exterior?" Misaki hissed, holding her purse tightly, feeling somewhat trapped with one of her biggest and most vital secrets so blatantly exposed!
Damn you Saten-san, you don't just blurt out a lady's secret abilities like that!
"Wha, it's not that big of a secret Misaki-Sempai, so no need to panic." Naru-chan waved off, putting Misaki even further on edge. "Heck even a mere urban legend website, Auribus oculi fideliores sunt I think? Yeah, that's the name. They discovered your precious little secret base in School District 2, didn't they? Sure they didn't know what was inside, but…"
"But others on the Dark Side certainly did," Saten-san told her coldly.
"Okay, what in Science's name is Exterior?" Misaka-san asked, as rude as ever about such maidenly issues!
"It's essentially an oversized clone of Shokuhou-sempai's brain that greatly boosts her power. Originally it was used as a means for others to use Mental Out, but apparently Sempai took it over very early on and limited it to her personal use."
"I would've loved to use it for our calculations back then. Maybe we wouldn't have had to resort to Level Upper if we did." Kiyama-sensei said with a sigh. "But someone was guarding it oh so zealously and Ruiko didn't want to pick a fight with another Level 5."
"Not that you avoided it in the end, Saten-san." Shirai-san commented with a sigh.
"I know, which is why it's bitterly ironic that I didn't target it." Saten-san said, shooting Misaki a frown.
"More importantly. This Exterior is literally a brain in a jar?" Shirai-san said with a disgusted look on her face. How rude! Exterior was a thing of beauty.
"A bus sized one, yes." Naru-chan said with a nod. "I'm sure it's very pretty though, Sempai."
Misaki felt her eyebrow twitch in annoyance at how apparently one of her greatest secrets had been an open one. And she didn't know about it! It may have been petulant, but she stomped her foot. In a lady-like manner of course. She wasn't a barbarian like Misaka-san after all.
She was prepared to continue by berating Saten-san and Naru-chan for so blatantly spilling the beans on Exterior to everyone, but any further conversation was cut off as the entire room was rocked by the aftershock of an explosion.
A stunned looking Saten-san exclaimed. "We're under attack."
"No shit, Ruiko!" Accelerator shouted irritably. "Who are we dealing with?"
"It's a bunch of- Argh!" Saten-san said before she suddenly collapsed. Her reaction was the most pronounced, but all the Espers present were in visible pain. Even Misaki herself was clutching her head as she was overcome by one of the worst headaches she'd ever felt in her life.
Kiyama-sensei rushed to her daughter's side.
"A-AIM Down. Tuned t-to me especially," Saten-san managed as she tore at her hair. "Only one person besides K-Kaa-san knows my AIM field pattern well enough to m-manage this."
"Gensei," Kiyama cursed as she guided Saten to a seat in front of one of the room's consoles and quickly began typing away at it. Moments later, a soothing melody began playing from the facility's PA system that greatly alleviated the pain Misaki and all the other Espers were feeling if the multiple sighs of relief were any indication.
"That's-" Naru-chan began, only for Kiyama-san to nod and finish the explanation.
"The Counter Capacity Down system. It's not a perfect counter against AIM Down due to the alterations to its mechanics that were made. But it's close enough to at least ameliorate the effects of Gensei's new weapon."
"That's good enough," Saten-san assured her mother as she shakily got to her feet, murder in her eyes. "Who's up for some robotic genocide?"
"We're dealing with robots." Misaki whined as she kept pace with Keitz as the two of them along with a group of Uiharu-san's combat drones made their way to one of the elevators leading up to the surface. The large group gathered earlier having split off to engage the attackers on multiple fronts all at once. "What can I possibly do against them? Mental Out doesn't work on machines."
"We can't be sure they are all robots, Shokuhou-san." The Trinity's resident [Drone Queen] said through one of the stocky three-legged robots that served as her mainstay machines. "With AIM Down up, Saten-san's abilities aren't at their best even with Counter Capacity Down running interference. She might've missed something."
"I guess, but if there isn't? I'll just be a useless warm body you guys will need to protect." Misaki countered in what was definitely not a whine. She was not complaining just because she hated physical exertion of any kind and all this running was really annoying her. Not at all!
"And if there are humans leading the robots then you'll be invaluable in shutting this attack down. Bringing you to the front is a calculated ri-"
Keitz's explanation was abruptly cut off when Uiharu-san's robots tensed and she shouted over the speakers of one of her flying drones made to look like the Daihaseisai's Homing Cameras.
"Incoming contacts!"
"Shit! More killer robots!" Misaka-san's mother said as she turned a corner up ahead. "Turn around! Turn around before-"
"No need to worry, Misuzu-baachan." The adorable Janie-chan, one of the twin Chemicaloids that Saten-san had adopted, said as she stepped around the elder Misaka who tried and failed to stop her and waved at them. "It's just a bunch of Uiharu-neesan's drones. They're friendly."
"Un! Un!" The other Chemicaloid, Febrie-chan, said as she too squeezed around the older woman and offered them a wave. "Uiharu-nee's drones are super friendly! They put on shows for us all the time."
"We're under attack." Nunotuba Shinobu-san, the twins' nanny, said as she nonchalantly walked around the by now flabbergasted Misaka Misuzu-san. "But judging by the fact that you've deployed your drone army, Uiharu-san, I imagine you know that."
"Yeah, we're counterattacking."
"Why is no one panicking? Am I the only one taking this seriously?" Misaka Misuzu-san said in a tone that sounded remarkably like her daughter when she got all exasperated. "Back me up here, Yoshikawa-san!"
"Why should we panic? It'll only make things worse." Yoshikawa Kikyou, the nanny for the heart of the Misaka Network, said as she walked past the other women whilst tugging insistently on the hand of the aforementioned Sister.
"What Yoshikawa-san said. Misaka Misaka adds distractedly as Misaka glances behind her to see if we were followed." Last Order, the youngest looking of the Sisters, said whilst looking over her shoulder.
"I'm not detecting anything on my sensors, Order-chan." Uiharu-san said over one of her drones, Misaki couldn't quite figure out which one this time, as they moved to surround the new arrivals protectively. "I think we're safe."
"Let's make sure of that, shall we?" Misaki said, sensing a chance. "Why don't we escort them back to the command centre? We'll be sure that they'll be safe there."
Keitz shot her a look, clearly accusing her of just using that as an excuse to escape having to actually join the fighting. Which was a total lie! She was just making sure their non-combatants were safe, that's all! Really!
"So what's going on exactly? It sounds like a battlefield out there?" The older Misaka-san asked, as she looked curiously around the Trinity's command centre. For someone unused to the Dark Side, it must've looked super impressive and it almost justified how quickly she was giving up her exasperation from earlier. If Misaki wasn't a Telepath and experienced in reading people, she'd probably have believed the woman's little act.
I wonder why she's putting on a mask like that? Hmm… Misaki thought curiously, looking away from Saten-san's children playing with their nannies and 10032's cat, completely ignoring the sounds of fighting from above, and focused her attention on Misaka-san and Kiyama-sensei.
"Ah." Kiyama-sensei sighed. "Just some business rivals attacking us. It's annoying, but these things happen sometimes here in Academy City. Its business world is very cut throat."
Misaki didn't need to use Mental Out to tell that the other woman didn't buy that excuse, but yet she seemed to not want to push the matter. Misaki had to wonder if the woman's daughter could learn that much tact, but wasn't too hopeful.
Though considering the things the older Misaka had been involved with in the past, things that Misaki had learned via a cursory scan of her mind, - Something she did to everyone she met, so why would [Railgun]'s mother be an exception? - she could see where the barbaric Level 5 got her rambunctious behavior. Operating an Underground Railroad for Gemstones? Really? The woman clearly knew how to play the dumb airhead gag to keep things secret. Something that she was using to full effect to avoid causing trouble for her daughter and her friends.
Was that a sign of a good parent? Honestly, Misaki couldn't tell. She might not be a Child Error per se, but considering how little her parents cared about her, they hadn't even come to visit her once since she'd arrived in the City, she might as well be. So she didn't really have anything to judge the woman by.
Nevertheless, Misaki was faintly impressed by the elder Misaka's sheer dedication to trying to avoid causing her daughter trouble, even to the point of pretending that there weren't armed clones of her daughter running around.
And apparently she was thinking about what and how to send said clones gifts for their birthdays!
Now if only every Esper could have a mother like that.
"Stupid, freaking robots!" Mikoto growled as she fired another unfocused bolt of electricity from her body. It missed her target, but managed to get the two behind it. She fumed at her lacking control, but at least just firing large blasts was helping with their current enemies. The AIM Down the robots were using might not have shut down her ability to use her Esper power effectively, not with the Counter Capacity Down playing in the background, but it still made it tougher to use hence her shitty aim.
Trying to capitalize on her distraction one of the gunmetal grey humanoid droids covered in heavy armor with lasers built into their arms that made up the bulk of the enemy forces tried to shift its fire from the firefight it was having with a pack of Uiharu's drones to shoot at her. Sadly for the machine, Mikoto saw it and raised an EM shield that deflected the lasers it fired at her and she counterattacked with a static bolt that fried its circuitry rendering it inert.
Unfortunately for Mikoto, the humanoid droids weren't the only robots that the enemy had deployed against them. Whilst she'd been distracted with the droid, a hovering drone that looked almost identical to Uiharu's own aerial robots shimmered into view as it dropped the optical camouflage that it used to stay invisible and promptly opened fire at her with its own lasers.
Catching the shimmer as it dropped its optical camouflage out of the corner of her eye was the only thing that saved Mikoto's life, as it gave her the precious few seconds she needed to spin out of the way and strengthen her depleted shield. Even between both moves, the attack still proved enough to earn her a graze along her left shoulder.
"Fuck!" She screamed as she fell to the ground, feeling the burn of the laser blast.
That quickly proved secondary though as she saw a pack of the droids run past her with 10032 in one of their cold metallic arms.
"They have 10032!" She screamed through the pain to at least let the others know, even as she took out the enemy hover drone with a static bolt.
"Like hell they do!" Naru shouted as she raced after them, sending parts flying as she tore through the enemy robots in her way like paper with brute chakra-enhanced strength.
Sadly, the enemy were determined to get in her way and literally threw themselves at her to slow her down. Something that much to their consternation was working.
"Give her back!" The blonde screamed like a beast, her killing intent so palpable you could taste it in the air as she shredded enemy robot after enemy robot but failed to make any progress.
"Accel!" Ruiko shouted and her boyfriend responded by creating a tornado that sucked up all the robots between the couple and the group who had 10032, ripping off sections of the roofs of the various houses along Ruiko's street but that was a worry for another time, allowing Ruiko to literally skate across the distance using some emulated ability or the other.
She was so focused on 10032 though that she missed one of the droids running towards her from the side. Fortunately, Konori-sempai did not.
"Bomb!" The Judgement agent shouted, her Clairvoyance allowing her to see the threat.
A well placed AP round from their resident sniper, Ylva-san, got the suicide bomber robot right in the optics and it stumbled back. Seeing that it was now unlikely to reach its target, the bot seemed to decide to cut its losses and exploded prematurely.
"Ruiko!" Mikoto shouted out worriedly as she lost sight of her kohai due to the explosion.
"I've got her, Onee-sama." Kuroko said as she teleported next to her, a rattled looking Number 3 in tow. "Argh! AIM Down is disrupting my teleport. I barely made it in time."
"Thank you, Shirai-san." Ruiko said with a grateful smile as she regained her poise and sent a dozen energy beams through the ranks of the enemy. "Can you get to 10032? Naru and I can't teleport with this much disruption to our abilities. You're our best bet to save her."
"I will. I'll get her back." Kuroko reassured them as she teleported away.
She reappeared next to the unconscious Sister and reached out to grab her, however just as she was about to touch 10032, a trio of the cloaked drones dropped their invisibility and fired their lasers at the Teleporter forcing her to teleport away empty handed.
Said drones were promptly blasted to pieces by the combined firepower of the other City Sisters as they took their turn to attempt to rescue 10032 but they were quickly intercepted by a fresh batch of enemy drones that successfully stalled their advance. Kurozuma-san tried to flank the enemy in front of them, but even with his Powered Suit he was still only one man and even with supporting fire from Ylva-san and an assault rifle armed Yomikawa-san he was unable to roll the enemy up quickly enough. By the time he and the Sisters were through, 10032 was long gone.
Suddenly a large VTOL (vertical take-off and landing) aircraft shimmered into visibility as it came in for a landing.
"Don't let them get on that plane!" Mikoto shouted, as she tried and failed to form an EM barrel for a railgun shot. Damn AIM Down and its interference! "If they get her onboard, they'll get away!"
"Shoot it down!" Ruiko shouted in agreement as she sent a dozen beams at the plane, soon joined by a twister courtesy of Accelerator.
In what was annoyingly becoming a pattern, the enemy was prepared for their tactics and dozens of the cloaked drones sacrificed themselves to intercept Ruiko's fire, draining her beams of their strength well before they hit their target. At the same time, the VTOL fired a laser at the twister heating the cold downdraft that powered it and causing it to dissipate harmlessly.
"You're not getting away!" Naru shouted as she jumped from house to house at the VTOL, leaving divots in their walls with her monstrous strength as she did.
Again the enemy had a counter and as she was just making the final leap towards the aircraft when a dozen of the enemy's hover drones swarmed her before exploding all around the Number 2.
"Naru!" Mikoto gasped in worry.
The smoking body of her kohai tumbled towards the ground and with her gym uniform in burnt tatters, she landed with a meaty thud.
Mikoto scrambled to her feet, blinking back tears of pain from her shoulder injury, and frying any nearby enemy drones, she raced to the small crater the blonde's rough landing had made.
"Fuck that hurt. Thermo-munitions?" The blonde spat out, blood dribbling from her mouth and her legs snapped back into place from the odd angles they'd been bent into with a sound that made Mikoto wince. Her red and raw skin bubbling and peeling off to be replaced with new skin that quickly regained her usual healthy tan.
"It's getting away!" Uiharu-san shouted defeatedly over the many speakers of her drones as the VTOL indeed began to climb, presumably with 10032 onboard and rapidly began to pull away despite the desperate fire that friendly forces were shooting at it.
As it disappeared from sight, Mikoto felt anger she hadn't felt since she first saw what the Level 6 Shift truly meant flooded her veins. This gave her the push she needed to overcome the continuing interference of AIM Down and with a roar of primal fury, she called down a rain of lightning bolts that proceeded to wipe out the remnants of the enemy's forces on Ruiko's street.
"Kihara Gensei! When I get my hands on you, I will make your death long and painful. That I promise." Mikoto said in a bloodthirsty tone that felt at once alien yet utterly familiar to her tongue.
"Join the club, Sempai." Ruiko said as she walked over, her rainbow aura once more on full display now that AIM Down was no longer interfering with her powers. "Now give me a minute and let me figure out where he's decided to hole up."
"Hate to be the bearer of bad news." Keitz-san said as he walked over, lowering his phone from his ear. "But I think I know where he is. That was the highest ranking survivor of my men back at Exterior's base."
"Highest ranking survivor? Don't tell me-"
"I'm afraid so, Namikaze-sama." The Caucasian said with a tired frown. "Even as he was attacking us here, Gensei was simultaneously attacking us there as well. He currently has control of Exterior's base."
When it rains, it pours.
Done and done! Thanks to Nameless as always!
And here we go, the kidnapping goes off and we got several of them at a time in this chappy! We have the sempai power couple getting taken, but let's give them the good old college try for a Level 3 and Level 0, both with good combat exp, but against a puppeteer Level 4? Oof, rough. And then 10032 now?! Gensei and crew have gone too far.
Nameless: Even then Kouzaku had to rely on an offscreen snipe to take out the couple, so give them a little more credit. On another note, I hope you guys liked the last scene where everyone tries their best to attempt to save 10032 as Gensei's drones carry her off. We tried to make it as tense as possible, so we hope we successfully pull it off. Do let us know if we managed.
Goes to show that prepared mastermind types can get one over the protags. And now? Now it's the revenge part of this set up. Though we hope the fights were still good to read.
You know what to do! Smash that review button and tell us what you love! No flames and peace off my peeps!