Disclaimer : I don't own Naruto or Toaru Kagaku no Railgun/Toaru Majutsu no Index
The Trinity of Tokiwadai
Chapter Eighty One: Academy City Invasion - Wrath of the Black Winged Angel
The last thing Accelerator remembered was getting the shit beat out of him by Kihara Amata. It was at once a novel and familiar experience. It was novel because the last time anyone had done that to him had been the Hero, Kamijou Touma. He didn't count the cheap shot that Amai Ao took at him while he was distracted, even if it had left him crippled. Familiar because even if he hadn't done it with his own fists, Kihara fuckin' Amata had beat him up plenty during the time when the man had been the head of his Power Development Team ostensibly to help him train his Redirection against threats but Accel knew full well that it was mostly because the blond asshole was a sadist. He was a Kihara after all and they all were sick in the head.
And as he opened his eyes and saw the familiar ceiling of the room reserved for him in Heaven Canceler's hospital, he wasn't all that surprised. After the beating he took, it was expected.
What wasn't expected was the frog faced doctor having a heated conversation with someone through a phone as he stood looking out the windows of Accelerator's room.
"Then we're at an impasse." The usually mild mannered physician said with palpable anger. "If you will not stop, then I can no longer support you."
The doctor was silent for a moment, listening intently to the person on the other end of the call. What he heard didn't seem to calm his anger though and his reply was short, sharp and just shy of furious. "Then our friendship is at an end."
With that final declaration, the legendary healer cut the call and snapped his phone shut before taking a deep calming breath. Only when he had his anger under control did he turn to Accelerator.
"I'm sorry you had to hear that, Accelerator-kun." Heaven Canceler said with an apologetic smile as he put his phone away. "That was the General Superintendent. I contacted him to call him out on using my patients like yourself, Kamijou-kun and Last Order-chan as his pawns. I had hoped that in light of our long association, he'd listen to me but as you heard, it did not end as I'd wished it to."
"Huh? You were friends with that creep?" Accelerator couldn't help but ask. Then again, the Doc seemed to have a lot of the best shit Academy City could offer along with knowing a lot of the background shit, so in hindsight it wasn't really that surprising.
"He wasn't always like this…" He trailed off, a sad tone in his voice. He stood there in silence for a long moment as if recalling the past when the Superintendent wasn't a dick. Not that Accelerator could even imagine that. He wasn't that imaginative. It took a while but the doctor eventually roused himself with a shake of his head and a weary sigh. "I tried to get him to stop, but he refused and as a result, we had to finally cut ties. A part of me knew it would come eventually, but yet I hoped it would never come to pass."
The pseudo albino just nodded, not really caring. It's not like he expected people to understand the shut-in creep that ran the City from his tower of bullshit. No one could really stop the guy from doing what he wanted. They were all just pawns on his 5D chess board.
Shaking his head, making his vision swim for a moment, Accelerator decided to shift the focus of the conversation onto far more important things. "Oi, how the fuck did I even get here?"
"Oh, well apparently a Hound Dog medic was tasked by Namikaze-chan to bring you here."
Namikaze, Hound Dog, Last Order-!
"What about Last Order?!" He barked out, his blood ran cold as he remembered what the whole ass kicking was about.
"Hm," The old man hummed, as if trying to figure out what to say instead of just saying it! "According to the medic, she was taken to Saten-san who from what I gathered is working with them."
Accelerator hissed in frustration at that. He knew that had been the plan all along, but damned if he wasn't suspicious about the whole thing. Add in Kihara Amata into the mix and he was sure that Ruiko and Last Order were in danger.
"Though, I was unable to get it out of the poor man why if she was working with them, that you ended up being beaten up by Hound Dog's leader." The frog faced doctor said, looking at Accelerator questioningly.
"It's a long story." Accel said with a tired sigh. "I'll explain it another time if you're interested but basically Amata and I have an unpleasant history."
"I see." Heaven Canceler said, nodding in understanding.
"By the way, why is it so bright?" Accelerator asked with a frown. "Last I remembered, it was just before curfew. Was I out so long that it's already the next day?"
The legendary doctor shook his head and gestured out the window, causing Accel to turn to look out of it to see a bright golden set of supersized but familiar looking golden tentacle-like wings reaching up to the sky and writhing in strange patterns.
"It seems Kazakiri-san has awoken, what do you call it? Ah, yes! It seems she has awoken her Angel Mode."
Accel cursed under his breath at the news. He just knew that Ruiko's sister awakening her Angel Mode had something that had to do with whatever Ruiko and the Shortstuff had gotten themselves tangled up thanks to the City's blasted higher ups.
I need to hurry up and find out what the hell is going on so I can go rescue them. Accelerator thought as he began looking around him for his phone.
"Where's my phone?" He asked absently. "I need to call Ruiko and find out what the frak is going on!"
Unfazed by his use of vulgarity, censored though it was - He was raising a trio of little girls after all! Even he could learn to watch his tongue after a while at it.-, Heaven Canceler just gestured to the cabinet beside Accelerator's bed.
"Your belongings should all be inside the cabinet. My staff put everything on your person when you were admitted there for safekeeping as soon as you were transferred to your room."
Accelerator just nodded and pulled the top drawer open and found his phone. Without hesitation, he unlocked it and quickly called Ruiko. And as he waited for the call to connect, he quickly began putting his things back into his pockets.
Thank goodness Heaven Canceler and his staff didn't bother to change me into a hospital gown. It saves me time. Accelerator thought as he pulled out his crutch and set it beside him on his bed. He must know that as soon as I was up and I knew what was going on that I'd be off. He's always been good at reading situations like that.
"Hello, Hello? This is Last Order speaking. Misaka Misaka says, answering the phone for Mama. Papa, is that you? Misaka Misaka asks hopefully." Accelerator's daughter's voice spoke urgently through his phone as the line connected.
"Shortstuff? Why are you answering Ruiko's phone? Where-"
Instead of waiting for him to finish his questions, Order-chan replied in a rush.
"Papa! Misaka Misaka cries with relief. Mama is acting like a statue after helping Hyouka-obachan activate her Angel Mode! Misaka Misaka explains urgently. You've gotta help her, Papa! Misaka Misaka urges. We're at Hound Dog's H-"
"That's quite enough." The unpleasantly familiar voice of Kihara Amata said suddenly, cutting Last Order off.
"Hey! That's Mama's phone. Give it back! Misaka Misaka demands!"
"Amata! What the heck do you think you're do-"
"Maintaining operational secrecy." Amata said coldly. "Your girlfriend and the clone will call you back later, Accelerator. Good night."
"Amata! Wait!"
Accelerator's demand fell on deaf ears as with the sound of something breaking, probably Ruiko's phone, the line went dead and was replaced with a busy tone.
"The bastard!" Accelerator cursed as he hung up and pushed himself out of the bed, grasping for his crutch.
A cough drew his attention to the Doc, at which the Number 1 sent him a withering look. "What? Ya going to stop me?"
He bared his teeth, as if challenging the old guy to even try.
With a tired sigh, as if he'd been in this position one too many times, the Doc shook his head. "Just take care of yourself. I would like to not have to see you again soon. At least not as a patient."
Accelerator just smirked, "Don't know if I can keep that promise, but I'll try."
"And try not to get your face broken again? Even my miracles have limits." The doctor dryly noted.
"Hehehe," Accelerator let out a dark chuckle as he finished collecting his things. With a vicious look in his eyes, he glanced out the hospital window. It was time to rescue his family.
Accelerator was neither an Electromaster nor was he as good at emulating the ability as Ruiko but when push comes to shove, his vector manipulation did allow him to do so. As such, it was relatively easy for him to hack into the City's communications networks, or more specifically the special secure network that his and Ruiko's phone ran on, and use the data therein to figure out the location from which Last Order had accepted his call earlier.
It was all the way over in School District 16 and he had to make his way there from Heaven Canceler's hospital in School District 7 but riding atop a twister and flying through the City's skyline, he would be there in no time at all!
That was if the idiots who seemed to have set up roadblocks all over District 16 would just stop getting in his way!
"Oi, oi… don't you know not to get between a guy and his girls? I might make you into bloody smears for blocking my way." Accelerator shouted down at the paramilitaries ahead and below him as they used loudspeakers to shout at him to stop.
In response to his oh so reasonable demands, all the sad sacks of shit did was open fire on him.
Man, Amata really loves to collect the stupid, huh? Accelerator thought with a snort as his Redirection sent their own bullets hurtling back at them and sending them running for cover.
Now, normally he'd have done his best to make sure these deflections wouldn't hurt his opponents. Ruiko and his daughters had beaten it into him, Ruiko quite literally, that to avoid stirring up unnecessary trouble he should avoid killing as much as possible. But these Hound Dog idiots were the ones who had effectively kidnapped said girlfriend and one of his daughters, so he wasn't feeling generous enough to care at the moment.
Thus the bullets rained back down on the paramilitaries in a deadly rain that caught a pair of the bastards that were a little too slow in getting behind cover. One of which was lucky enough to only be clipped in a non-vital spot in the leg and despite his injury managed to stagger into cover shortly afterwards. The other guy though… He took a bullet straight to the neck, tearing it open and sending him toppling to the ground as blood gushed out of the fatal wound.
Of course, fate, or more probably the creep in his Windowless Building, just liked messing with him and this was exactly when an Anti-Skill patrol car pulled up onto the scene.
Shit! This could get messy! Accelerator thought in dismay as he spun towards the two Anti-Skill agents who were rushing out of the car.
"W-What the hell is going on here!? You there, the boy flying in the sky! Did you just-"
Before the Anti-Skill agent could even finish his sentence, some bright spark, hear the sarcasm, among the Hound Dog thought it was a good idea to pull out a bazooka of some type and fire a rocket at Accelerator.
It hit him head on, but as the fireball and the smoke it created cleared, Accelerator could only look down at the Hound Dog troopers with a look of utter contempt, his Redirection having effortlessly kept him safe from the blast.
"Did you really think that would work?"
Ignoring him, the Anti-Skill agent who had spoken earlier, the leader of the two probably, began sharply addressing the paramilitaries.
"What the hell do you think you're doing!? Shooting something like that at a student!? Are you insane!?"
"We're duly appointed operatives of the City's military! The boy is trespassing into a secure area! We're entirely within our rights-"
"They're keeping my girlfriend and our daughter hostage!" Accelerator shouted, cutting the Hound Dog spokesperson off.
"What?" The Anti-Skill agent said, sounding confused. "You know what? Enough of this. All of you, stop! Follow us back to our station and we'll discuss things there!"
If this was any other situation, Accelerator would have compiled. Like Ruiko and his daughters would often remind him, they didn't need to cause trouble with the City's authorities. They had enough bad blood between them already. But this time he just couldn't follow that advice. Time was of the essence!
"I don't have time to waste on that!" Accelerator shouted as he began to fly off only for Hound Dog to respond by shooting a pair of rockets at him as he flew over their position.
"Right! Like that's going to work any better than the last time!" Accelerator shot back mockingly as he casually used his vector manipulation to send gusts of wind at the rockets which had them hurtling back towards the fools who fired them at him. They must've been smart munitions or something though because they didn't explode as they hit the targets he'd redirected them towards but with the velocity he'd given them, they still slammed into them like a ton of bricks and easily reduced them and their fellow idiots standing around them into bloody smears.
"Kami!" The till now quiet Anti-Skill agent gasped out in horrified shock before she began retching.
"Y-You get back here, boy!" The other agent shouted and Accelerator knew he would be in so much trouble for what he'd done when the night was over. Yomikawa for one would not let this go.
But I can worry about that later. He thought with determination as he kept flying as quickly as his conjured winds could carry him. Right now, Ruiko and Shortstuff need me!
Landing at Hound Dog's presumed headquarters, Accelerator found it crawling with the assholes but maybe because of how he had brushed their buddies at their roadblock aside, they didn't stop him. Heck, one of them was even helpful enough to direct him to where Ruiko and Last Order were. All he'd needed to do was manhandle him a little by slamming him into a wall with some emulated Aero Hand and he happily gave Accelerator the directions he wanted.
As he stepped into the lab where his girlfriend and daughter were, the first sight he saw on his arrival was Ruiko, in an upgraded Angel mode that finally properly lived up to its name and standing as still as a statue. Last Order, who was thankfully not harmed, was fretting over her in her usual Misaka Misaka wording.
When he entered, she turned around and the brat's worried face lit up like a damn Christmas Tree. "Papa! Misaka Misaka exclaims in happiness to see Papa alright! Quick, Mama needs help and Last Order doesn't know what to do, Misaka Misaka explains as the Network is having trouble coming up with solutions!"
"For Science's sake, can't you shut up for five seconds? I'm working over here." Amata, the only other person in the room, grumbled as he looked up from a bank of computer terminals, looking more annoyed than anything. Turning to Accelerator, he greeted him with a frown. "Up and about already? I guess you've learned not to have such a glass jaw, hm?"
"Keep talking, please. It's going to make snapping that fat neck of yours all the sweeter." Accelerator replied, teeth bared and pupils dilated with hot anger.
"Don't act like you're hot shit. You're not as impressive as you think. Once this is all done you can have your personal output back."
Accelerator's anger spiked at the implication that Amata had just made. He wasn't some fucking USB and Ruiko wasn't just a output port! Heck, they hadn't even done the deed yet!
But even as furious as he was, Accelerator knew he had to keep his daughter safe.
"Shortstuff, stay behind Ruiko." Accelerator ordered. Even reduced to a living statue like she seemed to be for the moment, he was sure Ruiko would keep their daughter safe.
"Papa! We don't have time for this! Misaka Misaka urged." Shortstuff shouted petulantly even as she hurried to obey. "We need to figure out a way to help Mama! Misaka Misaka insists."
"And you think he'll let us?" Accelerator said as she glared at Amata, who was standing from his terminal and moving to confront the Number 1. "If we want to help Ruiko, we've gotta take him out first."
"You're right of course. Can't have you disturbing the Number 3 as she helps Kazakiri maintain her Angel Mode. Not until the invading Magician is dealt with." Amata confirmed as he cracked his knuckles and smirked at Accelerator challengingly. "But what makes you think that you can defeat me? I beat you black and blue just a few hours ago."
Accelerator's answer was to charge Amata.
"Are you an idiot?" Amata scoffed as he lashed out with a fist that, like Accelerator expected, passed straight through the protection of his Redirection without being deflected and forced him to manually do so with the bracer of his crutch.
I've almost got it. I just need a little more data. Accelerator thought as he tried to use his cane to trip Amata, only for the blonde to dance out of its reach before once more hastily darting close and launching a jab at the Number 1's head.
Accelerator had expected it though and just ducked his head under the blow, but not before he was sure it had passed the boundary where it should've been deflected by his Redirection.
I've figured it out! Accelerator crowed triumphantly to himself.
Though his celebration was short lived as capitalizing on Accelerator's slight distraction, Amata launched into a flurry of attacks that sent the Number 1 reeling. He managed to deflect the heaviest blows with his bracer but he still took hits that gave him a nasty cut that wept blood from the corner of his mouth and badly bruised his face before he managed to recover enough to use his vector manipulation to emulate Stick Slip and skate out of Amata's reach.
"I know how you're getting past my Redirection, Amata." Accelerator declared as he wiped the blood flowing from his busted lip aside. "You're pulling back your punches right before it is redirected, because my Redirection simply changes the direction of the vector towards its opposite since you retract your fist the moment before it makes contact, the vector redirection instead pulls it towards me."
"So you can think? Who would have thought. Just because you figured it out, doesn't mean squat." Amata said as he moved in for a series of jabs. "And explaining it all? In the middle of a fight? What are you, some shonen hero?"
"Nah, just thought Ruiko would like to know. She's been thinking of ways to get past my Redirection off and on for ages now. I'd thought to throw her a bone and see if it'd get a reaction or not."
"No luck, Papa. Misaka Misaka reports regretfully." Last Order said, sounding at once frustrated, sad and worried.
"Tsch. Guess that would be too easy, huh?" Accelerator lamented with a sigh.
"Worrying about your girlfriend when you're in a fight with me? Really?" Amata said with a snort. "How conceited of yo-"
Accelerator cut him off by using his vector manipulation to emulate [Meltdowner] and shoot an electron beam at the condescending asshole. To the blonde's credit, he reacted quickly and activated something on his belt that released a electromagnetic pulse, one strong enough to disrupt the magnetic fields around the beam enough that Accelerator's shoddy imitation Electromatery couldn't hold it together and it dissipated just shy of hitting its target.
"I did say I had counters to all your tricks." Amata declared with a cocky grin as he charged at Accelerator and began launching a flurry of blows at him. "Come on, you have the answer and you're still failing to do anything with it? I expected a little better from you."
Accelerator dodged Amata's onslaught gamely, evading all but the fastest blows and deflecting even most of those. Now that he was onto the Kihara's game, he was actually able to sense the way his punches were interacting with his Redirection and was starting to be able to predict when they came. A few still slipped through despite that and he was getting banged up, but nothing serious and the room that he'd bought was enough for him to launch a small counterattack of his own in the form of a gust of wind that sent Amata staggering back.
He'd have gone for something more final but the beating he was taking made it tough to pull off the computations he needed for anything more substantial than what he'd managed.
"You've gone soft, Number 1. I guess slogging yourself down with family really did a number on your killer instinct!" Amata taunted as he weaved around a lance of air that Accelerator shot his way and landed a punch right on the Esper's ribs.
It hurt like hell, but it also brought Amata right where Accelerator wanted him. So pushing his pain aside, the Number 1 slammed his cane right into Amata's left knee with all his strength. The sound of the impact that followed though left something to be desired as it was the sound of metal clanging against metal.
"You're wearing armor!?" Accelerator hissed in disbelief.
"Of course I am." Amata shot back as he landed a punch on Accelerator's face that had him painfully staggering away. "I am on a mission don't you know? Unlike you, I'm doing my patriotic duty for the City and in the process protecting my family which calls it home."
"Fuck off!" Accelerator said as he spat out a wad of blood to the ground. "As if someone like you knows what a family is. I'm just learning and even I can tell it's better than what you've got, asshole. So do the world a favor and drop dead!"
"Cliche much? Man, you really want to play the hero. Sure you can have a go at it with all that blood on your hands?" Amata gave a wide brim smile, showing all his teeth. "No wonder you and [Army Slayer] are joined at the crotch! Between the two of you, you could fill a sea with all the blood you've split but you want to play family!? Don't make me laugh!"
Accelerator's anger flew through the roof at Amata's latest insult and he could feel a familiar something inside his mind begin to fray, but before it could snap Last Order spoke up and stopped his fury from overwhelming him.
"Papa and Mama are Last Order's heroes! Misaka Misaka insists. Last Order doesn't care how much blood they have split, they are Last Order's Papa and Mama! They are La-La-my heroes! Misaka Misaka says with conviction."
"Oh, shut up already, you meat calculator!" Amata said as he pulled a gun from under his trench coat and leveled it at Accelerator's daughter.
"Tzcrzixs, zdzpvm (Taxiarch, awaken)!" Ruiko spoke suddenly in a beautiful, dare he say it, practically heavenly version of her voice. It was like someone had taken her already enchanting voice and somehow perfected it.
And upon hearing her words, even though he didn't understand the meaning behind what she was saying even if he could understand the words themselves despite the inhuman language she used, he felt power surge through his body in a way that it had only done once before. In response to this power, two spiraling wings of black wind exploded out of his back.
"What the- Another Angel!? The Number 1 became an Angel!? This wasn't in the plan! It shouldn't even be possible!" Amata ranted as he looked at Accelerator in shock, Last Order completely forgotten and unaware of the fact that his gun had mysteriously disappeared out of his hand at some point, a pile of fine dust at his feet being all that remained of the weapon.
Accelerator took note of both of the latter two points, relieved that Last Order wasn't in immediate danger any more but that was a distant thought at the moment. Instead, his mind was focused on luxuriating in the power Ruiko had just helped him unlock. It filled him with a joy that he just had to give voice to. He was finally getting the strength he needed to put Amata in his place.
"Hehehe hehahahaha!" Accelerator laughed maniacally, back arched as he felt it! The rush! The power! Maybe because he was actually in control this time, it was even more intense than when he'd first tapped into it back during Kihara Gensei's Level 6 Shift experiment on [Railgun]! It was like nothing he ever felt!
Index Librorum Prohibitorum, or as she more commonly known, Index, looked off into the distance at the massive golden tendril-like wings reaching up into the sky and swaying to and fro, or more accurately picking at unseen threads.
Hang in there, Hyouka! Touma and I will save you! Index assured her friend, having recognized the wings as belonging to the mysterious older girl that Touma and her had befriended by her magical signature.
After meeting up with her protector, roommate and her (one-sidedly declared) boyfriend, they had decided to split up to save their friend. Touma would run off to protect Hyouka from the Catholic attacking the City, who they both agreed was sure to attack her now that she'd somehow assumed the form of an Angel. Something that the fanatic would surely see as a blasphemous crime deserving of death. Index on the other hand would track down the magic that had transformed Hyouka in the first place.
If I can cut off whatever is keeping up her transformation then Hyouka will revert to normal.
In that scenario, they would still have the Catholic to deal with, but Index was confident Touma would take her down. The [Imagine Breaker] had proven himself to be unbeatable. No matter how dangerous or powerful an opponent, Touma always emerged victorious in the end. There was no way some Catholic zealot would change that, no matter how infamous they might be.
The sound of an explosion and rushing feet pulled Index from her thoughts and she watched as the two paramilitaries blocking the way she needed to go ran off towards the site of the explosion. This gave her the opening she needed and once she was sure they were gone, Index sprinted out from behind the dumpster in the back alley where she'd been hiding and dashed past where the two soldiers had been standing guard and further into the heart of School District 16 and towards the source of the magic affecting Hyouka.
As she did, she glanced towards where the explosion had gone off and saw the two guards that had been blocking her way earlier joining a fight between their fellows and Neko-chan, her friend formerly known as Math-chan, and her sisters. It wasn't ever really in doubt considering they were protecting whatever was forcing Hyouka through her tortuous transformation but-
-if Neko-chan and her family are fighting these paramilitaries then they must be the bad guys! Index reasoned as a large group of the soldiers arrived alongside a half dozen of their giant robot dogs with three heads, reinforcing their numbers and allowing them to stall Neko-chan and her family's previous steady advance.
As she ran far enough away that the buildings flanking the alley blocked her view of the fight, Index offered a silent prayer for Neko-chan and her family.
Oh Lord, thank you for giving me such righteous friends to stand with against the evil of this world. May they, with your blessing, overcome the evils that stand in their way. Amen!
It was sadly all the help she could offer Neko-chan and her family at the moment. She had to focus on saving Hyouka!
Last Order was looking between her still frozen Mama with worry and watching with gleeful satisfaction as Papa turned the tables on Kihara Amata and was owning him now that Mama had helped him manifest his Black Wings when the door to the Hound Dog lab they were in unexpectedly opened and allowed in a girl that looked about her age with thigh length, silver hair, and large green eyes dressed in a white, modified nun's habit with gold highlights that was held together by oversized safety pins.
Oh, it is the girl Onee-sama was feuding with. Wait, why is she here? Ah! Mama is in Angel Mode! She's going to declare Mama an enemy of the Church due to sacrilege or something! Last Order fretted in her mind at how the situation just continued to spiral downward.
"The magical energies responsible for transforming Hyouka are emanating from-" The nun said as her eyes cautiously scanned the room before landing on Mama's frozen Angelic form, prompting her to freeze and her eyes to widen in surprise.
"Eh?! Another artificial Angel? Just how many of them does Academy City have?! What is with you guys, huh?" The nun grumbled as she rubbed her face in agitation.
Oh no! Evasive maneuvers!
"What Angel? Misaka Misaka asks, trying to evade questioning for possible sacrilege."
"Are you one of Short Hair's clones? You're so tiny." The nun said distractedly as she walked over to Last Order and Mama.
Last Order felt like she was punched in the gut. "T-Tiny? Misaka Misaka sputters out."
The nun just looked at her in confusion, as if she hadn't just insulted Last Order's height.
Suddenly one of Papa's Black Wings cut off the nun, who just sighed and turned to the continuing fight between him and Kihara Amata.
It was more of a beatdown actually, but Last Order was feeling charitable.
"Stay away from Ruiko," Papa hissed warningly as he pulled his wing back so it could swing at Amata only for the blonde man to toss a handful of marble sized micro explosives at it that temporarily dispelled the spiraling wind that it was made of, thus buying himself a bit of a reprieve from his beating. Though he didn't seem to have more of those micro bombs at hand to stop Papa's other wing from slamming into him from the other side that sent him crashing into and smashing up the Testament machine that the lab was built around.
Papa is dragging things out. Last Order couldn't help but sigh in exasperation. He could be so inefficient at times.
"Another artificial Angel!?" The nun said, sounding exasperated. "Seriously!? What's up with this City!?" She shook her head at this, before addressing Papa. "And you! The Ruiko girl is obviously not taking her change into an Angel well. She wouldn't be frozen like a statue if she was. I might be able to help her, but to do that I need to examine her first, so let me through."
"And why the hell should I trust you?" Papa asked as he tried to spear Amata with his wings, only for the man to duck under both of them and charge him whilst still uncomfortably ducking under the twin black tornadoes.
"Do you understand what's going on here? By the way you're venting your frustration on that man over there, I would think not." The nun pointed out cuttingly. "I, on the other hand, have an idea. And have a reason to shut down whatever has transformed your friend into a statue. It's also transformed my friend into an out of control monster." At this she gestured out a window towards Hyouka-obachan's wings in the distance. "So let me help. Besides, beggars can't be choosers."
"Fine," Papa hissed as he ducked under a punch from Amata and swung his cane into his side. The blonde evaded the blow but that distracted him enough that he missed it as one of Papa's wings retracted back to grab one of his arms, a grip which he proceeded to use to toss him into a wall, cratering it as he impacted. "But only because you're the Hero's partner."
"Thank you," the nun said with a blindingly happy grin that just confused Last Order. What was there for her to be pleased about? All Papa had called her was a work associate of Kamijou-sama, right?
A quick information dive into the Misaka Network gave Last Order the answers she wanted and she couldn't help but sigh. Seriously!? Onee-sama's feuding with the nun was all because both of them, and many more besides (far, far too many), were all pining over and fighting for Kamijou-sama's affection!? What a petty reason for conflict!
"Uh, Index-san, correct? Misaka Misaka asks, pulling the other's name from information on the Network." Last Order asked as the nun finally made it over and began looking at Mama's frozen body intently.
"Yes, that's my name." Index-san said distractedly.
"Um, how can you be so blasé about all this? Misaka Misaka asks curiously."
"I'm used to it." The nun replied with a shrug. "Touma gets into plenty of fights whenever I need to help figure out some magical mystery or other. There's always someone trying to stop us."
"I see. Misaka Misaka said with an understanding nod." Last Order replied with the aforementioned nod.
So, she's just like me. The Heart of the Misaka Network concluded. She's desensitized to madness like this from getting caught up in it all the time.
The sound of explosions had Last Order briefly glancing back at the fight between Papa and Amata. It seemed that the blonde had found more of his micro explosives and used them quite liberally. Sadly for him, outside of wrecking the room's various equipment a bit more than they already were, their use had achieved nothing.
"Was that supposed to do something useful?" Papa, unscathed by the blasts, asked with a cocked eyebrow as his wings reformed after having been dispersed by the explosions.
Amata clucked his tongue in annoyance even as he charged Papa.
The man really likes to fight in close quarters, doesn't he? Last Order noted absently as forgoing his wings, Papa fell into a stance to engage the other man in fisticuffs.
Last Order would have kept watching the fight but Index-san speaking up had her return her attention to the nun.
"I understand now," the religious woman said with a nod. "Your friend-"
"My Mama, Misaka Misaka corrects firmly."
"Right," the nun said with an apologetic smile. "Your Mama is frozen like this because her consciousness is lost in the mysterious power that she is shaping to form her Angelic form so that Hyouka can emulate it to assume her own."
"Mysterious power? Misaka Misaka asks thoughtfully. You mean AIM fields?" Last Order postulated.
To be honest, Last Order and even the Misaka Network as a whole understood very little about Mama's Angel Mode. Not even Mama, as far as Last Order was aware, truly understood what her Angel Mode was. But what they did understand painted it as a product of her primary ability, AIM Sovereign. A manifestation of her AIM body in the physical world.
"Yes, that." The nun said, turning to look at Last Order with a frown. "I don't know enough about it to help though. It's not a power I've dealt with before. Do you?"
Last Order nodded.
"Then explain it to me," Index-san urged. "If I can get an understanding of it, I think I can modify a spell that should be able to draw your Mama out of the fugue she is in."
"Anything to help Mama, Misaka Misaka says determinedly." Last Order said honestly as she pulled up every bit of information on AIM fields that was available to the Misaka Network and began reciting it. "AIM fields, or more accurately known as An Involuntary Movement Diffusion Fields are an invisible energy field emitted by Espers. They are closely connected to the Personal Reality that is the source of their ability, and are an esper's unconscious interference with reality."
"Personal Reality?" Index-san interrupted.
"Personal Reality is the reality created by Espers and replaces normal reality. The concept of Personal Reality is related to quantum theory. It enables its user to ignore the Uncertainty Principle, and allows them to interfere with and distort the microscopic world using different laws. This is so the user can control their microscopic observations of the world and actualize the possibility of their choosing."
Index-san's eyes widened in shock. "That's how Esper powers work!? They are creating Phases in their minds and using those AIM fields you mentioned earlier to impose them on the world. But how? Get back to the AIM fields. What are they?"
Last Order complied even as in the background the sound of something smashing into something else hard and a groan of pain told her that Papa was continuing his game of whack a mole with Amata. "They are fields which produce tiny effects on the regions they cover. The form taken by an AIM diffusion field and the effects it creates will differ based on the ability of the Esper producing it. For example, pyrokinesists produce heat, telekinesists exert pressure, electromasters release electromagnetic fields, etc."
"Mm, mhm." Index-san nodded, registering the information no doubt. "So the fields are manifestations of the Personal Reality, but AIM itself is a thing, so… I get it! It's a collective Idol! No, not an Idol. A nascent God! A God of Science! The Espers are drawing power from this God, being at once part of it and living Idols of it! Crowley, you horrendous genius!"
Last Order just looked at Index-san in confusion, not comprehending at all what the other girl was saying.
I need to learn about magic. The Heart of the Misaka Network realized. If we're going to face Magicians, then I need to learn how their powers work. Naru-nee should know, she beats them up all the time.
"I might not be 100% right, but I am probably close enough." Index-san continued as she tapped her chin thoughtfully. "At least close enough that I should be able to help your Mama."
"You can? Misaka Misaka asked hopefully."
"Yup," the nun said with a confident grin. "If the AIM field is essentially the body of a nascent God then the Angels made from it are essentially lesser manifestations of it and I know plenty of spells that deal with the lesser buds of greater beings! Just give me a moment to pick which one is best for this situation. Hmm…"
That was far too much magical jargon for me. Last Order thought with a frown. She really needed magical tutoring.
"Okay, got it!" Index-san said after a moment of consideration. "This should work."
Clearing her throat, Last Order began to sing.
Father I have Sinned (The Prodigal Son), the song that Index sings to work her magic.
The nun's soft voice carried along the air, making Last Order feel all warm and calm inside. She didn't know singing like this was possible. It was… heavenly? It was hard to put words to the feeling.
As the nun sang, she was surrounded by a weak but undeniable glow that just gave the whole thing an even more otherworldly feel.
So this is magic? Last Order couldn't help but think as she was overcome by a sense of awe at witnessing the Index Librorum Prohibitorum working her miracle.
She wasn't the only one affected by Index-san's song however. Papa was too, though not in the same way. To him, Index-san's singing seemed to be his cue to finish things with Amata at last.
"Oi, Amata? I think it's time to end this all. I'm going to enjoy this, hehehehehe!" Papa cackled like he was a Saturday morning cartoon villain. Last Order would have to scold him later for it. It needed work.
"Stupid, moronic shit." Amata spat out, looking furious. He was burnt and bleeding as he swayed on his feet but yet he still defiantly glared at Papa. "You think you're important? You're just one little cog in the machine, you brat. One that won the lottery on powers."
"Whatever! I guess my luck is fucking amazing, so what? It just means I get the chance to beat the shit outta you now. Bye-bye, shithead."
Papa really needs to tone it down- Ah! Too bright, too bright!
There was a flash of light, one that made Last Order see white until it finally died down. Rubbing her aching eyes, she could see a streak of light flying across the sky, heading further and further away.
It seemed like Papa had finished Amata off by slamming his wings at him at literally blinding speeds, thus blasting the Kihara up into the sky at supersonic speed, where he literally burned up due to the friction caused by air resistance.
"Papa, that seems a bit… Misaka Misaka trails off, trying to find the correct word."
"Appropriate?"
"Overkill, Misaka Misaka amends."
At least it was pretty to look at. A traitorous part of Last Order's mind opined. The thought was mentally smothered with a fluffy pillow.
Oh no, was Last Order becoming more like Papa?
"Accel, 11/10." Mama said, pulling Last Order away from such concerns as she spun around to see her mother offering Papa a smile.
"Mama! Misaka Misaka cries happily at seeing Mama back to normal." Last Order shouted happily as she threw herself at her mother.
"I'm back, Order-chan." Mama said as she caught her and kissed her on the top of her head as she pulled Last Order into a hug.
"Alright girls, right on time. As expected of students of Tokiwadai." Naru heard Oyafune Monaka-sama say with a gentle smile as the Number 2 made her way to sit next to Rui-chan and Mikoto-senpai in the conference room in Maniple's base where the three of them had been summoned.
"Considering the consequences if we didn't, what choice did we have?" Rui-chan said bitterly.
Naru could empathize. After the debacle that was the Academy City Invasion Incident, her boss and the Board of Directors had finally put their foot down and forced them into becoming a formal Dark Side outfit. And not showing up on their first day as such would likely get them into even more trouble than they were already neck deep in.
That's not why she's pissed and you know it.
Yeah…
As annoyed as Rui-chan probably was at being formally drafted into the Dark Side, the real reason behind her anger was that in exchange for not sending Anti-Skill after him for the murder of Hound Dog agents he'd been caught red-handed committing during the Incident, the City had coerced Accel into joining a newly formed outfit of his own named GROUP. The Number 3 could tolerate being at the City's beck and call, she sadly had experience with it since the [Army Slayer] was always just a call away from reactivation. Her boyfriend getting drafted though… That was a new blow for her.
He might've been deeply immersed in the Dark Side before, but being formally at the service of the City now… Putting him, and by extension herself, even more at the mercy of the City must hurt, especially after all the effort she's made to gain her autonomy.
Yeah. Kurama agreed. Watch her, Naru. If it were me, I'd have gone on a rampage at having so much of what I've worked towards for the past few years becoming undone overnight like this. That she hasn't…
Worrying doesn't even cover it. Naru replied with a mental frown. Either she's letting the grudge stew or…
Something else is holding her back.
My money is on the latter. Rui-chan knows how to play the City better than anyone. She wouldn't have managed to buy her freedom the first time if she didn't, that she's just meekly letting herself come under their thumb again like this… Whatever is keeping her from acting up, it must be major.
You're probably right. That's why you need to watch her.
Don't worry, I will. Naru assured her partner.
"I'm sure it wouldn't be so bad. Still, Oyafune-sama is the best to talk to." Naru assured her bestie.
"Thank you for the praise, Namikaze-chan, but let's get to the brass tacks of the situation, hm?" The elderly woman asked.
"Yes, let's." Mikoto-senpai said, shooting Rui-chan a worried look before turning a questioning one towards Naru, who could only shrug.
"Before that though," Naru cut in before Oyafune-sama could begin. "Rui-chan, what's bothering you?"
Rui-chan could've deflected. Naru might not have bought it but she imagined Mikoto-senpai and Oyafune-sama would've accepted it if the Number 3 blamed her mood on the whole getting formally drafted into the Dark Side situation. Instead, Rui-chan just sighed and was honest.
"Something is wrong with my powers. I feel the power of my Angel Mode flowing through me all the time now, even when it shouldn't. And I get the feeling that this is a bad sign. I know it's silly to put stock in a gut feeling like that, but-"
"No, no, sometimes your gut is the best guide that you can get." Naru disagreed readily, rubbing her friend's shoulder in support.
Mikoto-senpai nodded. "Any idea what's wrong?"
Rui-chan shook her head. "No, and that's the worst part about it. I'm just overcome with a sense of illogical unsease. Like I'm facing some kind of impending doom that I don't even understand."
"We will figure it out, Ruiko-chan." Oyafune-sama assured her. "Why don't we give you a full assessment after this meeting? I'll call in all the experts on AIM fields that I can and hopefully between them we'll figure out what's wrong."
Rui-chan just nodded. "That sounds like a good idea. In the meantime, why don't we start this meeting?"
Oyafune-sama nodded and began their orientation as a formal Dark Side outfit.
The next day, after Rui-chan's inconclusive examination, Naru and the rest of the Trinity were once more back at Maniple's base to review their subordinate organizations. This was supposed to have been carried out yesterday, but with Rui-chan's impromptu examination it had been pushed back.
"Okay, so we get two primary subordinate organizations under us?" Naru asked, looking at the two groups arrayed before the three of them in the indoor parade ground inside the expansive converted warehouse complex that served as Maniple's base.
"Yup. Maniple I get." Mikoto-senpai said as she took a moment from fiddling with the gift Maniple had given her, a backpack mounted portable generator that would, like it had with Dolly-chan, allow her to overcome one of her biggest weaknesses as an electromaster: how she was limited in how much electricity she can output to what her body can hold. "We've worked with them before but who are those guys that are gathered around Kurozuma-san?"
"I can answer that Sparky Jou-chan," the irreverent redhead said with a grin, before gesturing to the ragtag group of guys that stood behind him. "Maniple's got you guys covered when it comes to heavy firepower, but you'll need more street level muscle from time to time. And I just so happened to have plenty of friends from my time as the leader of Big Spider that fit that bill to a T. So, I got on the phone and recruited them."
"I thought I saw a few familiar faces." Naru mused airily before changing her tone to shoot Kurozuma-san a teasing smirk. "So our number one minion has minions now, they grow up so fast!"
"Oi oi, rude much?" The redhead grinned at the joke as Naru snickered.
"You have a name for them?" Mikoto-senpai asked, rolling her eyes in response to their back and forth. "Or are you just gonna call yourself Big Spider again?"
"The Angry Anacondas?"
"Oh, maybe the Frisky Ferrets!"
"The Tantalizing Turtles!"
"Can you two give it a rest?" Mikoto-senpai grunted in annoyance.
"FIne!" The two jesters of the group smirked, but complied.
"Whatever name you come up with, you guys are still Big Spider. So why not just call yourselves that?" Senpai said, being all logical and boring.
"Aye." "Aye." "Sure." "Alright." "It's boring, but okay."
"Why only two subordinate organizations though?" Rui-chan said suddenly, finally snapping out of the blackout she'd just had which had seen her frozen like a statue for a minute or two whilst glowing with an rainbow light that was almost imperceptible. The only reason Naru spotted it at all was due to her heightened senses.
Kurama, why didn't you warn me? Didn't I ask you to watch Rui-chan?
Sorry, I didn't catch it in time. Her shift from imitating a statue and being lucid is subtle as hell, Naru. By the time I noticed, she'd already spoken up.
Naru breathed a mental sigh. The subtlety of her blackouts was why no one had noticed before now, but…
They are getting longer. This time she was blacked out for a whole minute! It won't escape notice for much longer.
Yes, least of which by herself.
Oh, Rui-chan's noticed. She's just been in denial.
"Ruiko? You okay? You looked lost in thought there for a bit." Mikoto-senpai asked, shooting Rui-chan a concerned look. "Worried about how the examination yesterday was inconclusive?"
"A little," Rui-chan hedged. "But that's neither here nor there. Naru-chan, you're the one who spoke to Oyafune-sama about this yesterday whilst I was getting my examination so answer my question. An outfit of our standing typically has dozens of subordinate organizations, why do we only have two?"
"Maybe the higher ups are compensating for our firepower with less people? An experiment on how we'd work with limited resources?" Senpai pondered.
"Weren't you listening carefully just now?" Naru said with an exaggerated sigh. "I said we had two main subordinate organizations. We'll have plenty more set up in due time, but for now Maniple and Big Spider will be the core of our resources. Like Senpai said, between them we already have plenty of firepower. The higher ups are feeling stingy and didn't feel like they needed to assign us any more."
"Ah, so we just hire more down the line? That works I guess."
"And in the meantime, we dip into the common pool for specialist organizations?" Rui-chan asked with a frown.
"Yup," Naru nodded. "According to Oyafune-sama and my boss, if we end up using any of them often enough we might even get to poach them and have them assigned to us permanently."
Rui-chan nodded, satisfied on that front, before turning to look at Big Spider critically.
"Ylva-san, Kurozuma-san, are we really just going to leave Big Spider unarmed?" The Number 3 asked with a frown. "I can see the value in them being unarmed most of the time, it would make them less conspicuous and having an option of deploying a group of experienced brawlers is good, especially if we want to minimize escalation. However, not giving them any weapons at all seems dangerous."
"'Bout that." Kurozuma-san, the former Skill-Out, grinned. "We just got a shipment come in. Christmas came early or something. It's all stowed away, Ylva-san?"
"Yes," the sniper and current commander of Maniple nodded.
"What did you get?" Naru asked, curious.
"Powered Suits and Power Fists for everyone in Big Spider." Kurozuma-san said with a smirk. "Between them, we should be more than able to stand toe to toe with all but the most insane heavy hitters we're likely to come across."
"I hope they go over the safety protocols with those." Mikoto-senpai said with a look towards Kurozuma-san.
"Do not worry, Misaka-sama. My quartermaster will ensure they know what they are doing before we issue the equipment to them." Ylva-san assured them. "They'll be well trained in no time. Or else."
Mikoto-senpai breathed a sigh of relief while Naru exchanged an amused grin with Rui-chan. Seriously, their Senpai could be so silly at times. Of course they'd make sure their guys knew their gear before they sent them out. As if they'd give former Skill-Outs high powered weapons without checking they knew how to use them properly.
"Okay, Ylva-san, why don't you send your men back to their duties? And Kurozuma-san?"
"Yes, Stoic Jou-chan?"
"How many men do you think you can spare from the familiarization with their new equipment?"
"You got a job for us?" Kurozuma-san asked, even as Naru and Mikoto-senpai shot her questioning looks. They hadn't heard anything about a mission.
"Oyafune-sama just contacted me," Rui-chan nodded, patting her skirt pocket where her phone was. A phone she must've wirelessly connected to using her emulated electromastery to read whatever message Oyafune-sama sent them. "The mole that fed information to the Catholic Church has been identified. Unfortunately, it seems he knows he's been compromised and has gone to ground. We've been ordered to bring him in. Alive if possible."
"Eh? A manhunt!" Naru clapped her hands gleefully. "My favorite."
"Easy, predator." Senpai said as she bonked the blonde on the head lightly.
With a mock wince and covering her head, she pouted at her Senpai. "Meanie."
Shaking her head in fond exasperation at the exchange, Rui-chan continued issuing orders to Kurozuma-san. "I need your men to go out into the City and start searching for him. I'll forward you a list of where to look and who you can get in touch with to assist with the search."
Kurozuma-san nodded. "About half of my guys are up to date with the gear. We can set out anytime."
"And I'll prepare a couple of rapid response teams to put on standby in case they are needed." Ylva-san added.
Rui-chan nodded in satisfaction.
"Good. Then it's time to hunt a mole, Trinity." Rui-chan declared with a cute serious face.
As they begin discussing the details of how they would carry out their mission, Naru took a moment to reflect on how things had turned out following the Academy City Invasion Incident. Whilst being drafted into the Dark Side like this sucked for Rui-chan and Mikoto-senpai... All in all? The Trinity honestly came out on top. Save for the greater oversight placed upon them nothing had really changed for them.. Heck, with formal subordinate organizations now assigned to them, they now had more resources at their disposal than ever!
We got lucky.
You certainly did. Kurama agreed. But don't trust it to hold.
I know. Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.
Somehow Naru had a feeling that particular piece of wisdom would be something that they would need to hold on to in the coming days.
Done and done! Thanks to Nameless as always!
Sassy and bloodthirsty Accel is always such fun to write. Especially when he's being a terrible influence on his ward and daughter, Last Order. Seriously, profanity filter Accel! Though it is Accelerator. Only Ruiko has the power to punish that potty mouth.
Nameless: Lolz! Asking Accel of all people to get a profanity filter is an impossible feat. If Last Order has any chance to not get a potty mouth, it will be thanks to Ruiko being a viciously strict disciplinarian. No Fun Momma will quite literally wash her mouth with soap if she catches her using a profanity. She is an ojou-sama after all and that makes her daughters ojou-samas too and ojou-sama do not curse. ;)
At least out loud.
So Index's realization of magic and Esper powers being pretty much the same thing is more our current theory on how Esper powers work. We could be wrong, but it feels close enough for us.
Nameless: I can't recall exactly where but if I remember correctly, this is actually confirmed in canon by Aleister. Though the exact specifics of how they are the same and yet different is never explained.
And it has become official, The Trinity is now a Dark Side outfit. With all the money, power and short leashes that come with it.
Nameless: And just in time for the various Dark Side outfits to go to war with each other, eh? Well, not quite, but close enough. I'm sure most of you will get what I mean, but if not well… Keep reading to find out. ;)
You know what to do! Smash that review button and tell us what you love! No flames and peace off my peeps!