―Got to hurry.
Inside the pitch black room, a girl leapt up from her bed.
―Got to hurry, Misaka continues to remind herself of this situation of high priority.
She looked like Misaka Mikoto, but was somewhat different. She was a clone created from Mikoto's genes, Serial Number 10032, known as Misaka Imouto.
Basically, her power was to control electricity, and could use electricity to communicate telepathically with people of similar wavelengths.
After a certain incident, she had been sent to a hospital to rehabilitate her body, and most of the other Sisters had been sent to organizations outside Academy City. There were only a few of these sisters who had stayed in Academy City with her.
Right now, the information that the other Sisters were sending, together with the conclusion of the governing Serial Number 20001 'Last Order', made Misaka Imouto very worried.
The Sisters all over the world had gathered several fragments of information. Now, with the information assembled, a startling truth was discovered.
('It needs confirmation', Misaka #10032 searches through the network and settles these memories of information in the best way possible.)
Misaka Imouto looked around before grabbing her special goggles with her right hand.
('Right now, 8 countries in the world and 19 organizations have fired space shuttles into the air to get the remains of the orbiting Tree Diagram, is this information accurate?', Misaka #10032 asks a question to an unspecified number of people.)
If this information was true, it could be seen how many people wanted the Tree Diagram to be repaired.
A race had already started for the 'remnant' of the Tree Diagram, an essential item.
Once the world's most powerful supercomputer was repaired, the 'experiment' may be restarted.
Before, a certain boy and a certain girl had risked their lives to stop that 'experiment'.
('The same thing is happening in Sevilla [1]', Misaka #10854 gives an affirmative reply.)
('They have confirmed plans to launch in Schleswig [2]', Misaka #18770 reports.)
('It's said that Novosibirsk[3] has already obtained parts of it', Misaka #19999 also reports.)
('Also from Novosibirsk, according to reports, they are trying to get and repair the essential 'core', the calculator, that's in Academy City. If there is no 'core', they can't repair the Tree Diagram', Misaka #20000 adds.)
Misaka Imouto extended her legs and touched the ground. Several noises, emotions and images appeared in her head. These were all the voices of the Sisters that had been sent to friendly organizations all over the world. They could use the network caused by linked telepathy to get information from 9,969 places.
('Right now, only Academy City has the 'remnant' that can be used to repair the Tree Diagram', Misaka #10044 concludes.)
('The 'fragments' that the other organizations got and the ones orbiting around are useless, so Academy City ignored them', Misaka #14002 infers.)
('Cape Kennedy [4] is thinking of the same thing, and now planning to send people to invade into Academy City to steal the 'remnant'', Misaka #18820 reports.)
('The group planning this operation seems to be called Science AssociationAsociacion de Cienia, says Misaka as Misaka adds on. 'Ah, at this moment, should I call myself Misaka #20001?', asks Misaka as Misaka tilts her head in confusion.)
Misaka Imouto couldn't help but grit her teeth on hearing the numerous feedback and suggestions.
All the reports were pointing to a terrifying truth.
She confirmed the same report over and over again; actually, she was hoping, no matter how small the chance may be, that it was just a misunderstanding. However, she herself didn't notice this.
"'Though it's past the allowed time, it's not time to worry about this', Misaka uses an emergency excuse to assure herself."
Misaka Imouto herself wasn't wearing any pajamas or even a shirt, she was just wearing a surgical coat. She unhooked the buttons in front of her chest, revealing the white skin that didn't have any underwear covering it. The coat slipped and landed on the floor. The scene was like a girl removing her bathrobe in front of her lover. After that, she grabbed a towel and wiped her sweat away. The towel felt a bit hot as compared to normal, and it was because she was not feeling well, her body was a bit feverish, and even her skin was a bit reddish.
She quickly put on her underwear, reached back with both hands to hook her bra, buttoned up the buttons of her white short-sleeved shirt, pulled up the zipper on the side of her skirt, and stuffed her head and hands into the thin woolen summer jacket.
After that, she put on her goggles, her shoes, hastily picked up the surgical coat, folded it, put it on the bed, and did the minimal warm-up exercises. She looked at the door, shook her head, walked to the window, opened the window frame and pushed it open.
She lowered her head and looked down. It was the second level.
However, Misaka Imouto didn't care.
('Anyway, settling the 'remnant' inside Academy City remains top priority', Misaka #10032 concludes. 'That's right, no matter what, Misaka has to prevent the reparation of Tree Diagram', as Misaka thinks of the boy and the girl again. Misaka doesn't want to see their sad faces.)
Though Misaka Imouto decided it, her icy face was indicative of her helplessness.
The boy who had went out to the train yard in the middle of the night to save Misaka Imouto, who had been on the brink of death.
The boy had ignored the threats of the strongest esper in Academy City and had said those words to Misaka Imouto.
Misaka Imouto still remembered them, clearly.
Misaka Imouto shook her head that was becoming blurry due to her fever, dragging her thoughts back to reality.
Right now, every minute, every second, the situation was changing. Though the Sisters were on the sidelines, they could roughly understand the whole situation by gathering intelligence from all over the world.
She knew the situation clearly.
But Misaka Imouto and her sisters were helpless.
―Right now, including Misaka Imouto, the number of Sisters in Academy City was less than 10.
And most of the Sisters were affected by the side effects of excessive gene manipulation and aging acceleration, and were currently undergoing treatment, so they couldn't handle this emergency, let alone battle.
But Misaka Imouto knew.
She knew the name of the person who had helped her when her life was threatened.
The boy who had come alone to the train yard in the middle of the night, who had used only his bare fist to beat the strongest esper in Academy City.
The boy who, no matter how many times he was beaten down, no matter what kind of attack he took, would always grit his teeth and stand back up.
At this moment, the first thing that Misaka Imouto thought of was that boy's face.
The expression of the boy's face that showed that he would never give up.
Of course, Misaka Imouto would really like to not get him involved.
However, Misaka Imouto couldn't find any other source of aid.
Misaka Imouto felt that she was useless.
To be unable to settle the problem with her own power, Misaka Imouto nibbled her lips unhappily. To let other people bear the problem that she herself couldn't handle made Misaka Imouto even more uncomfortable.
But she hadn't realized it. They hadn't realized it.
Right now, the frustration to them a while back was just an unnecessary thing. And this frustration was the best proof of their ability to think for others.
The Sisters knew the location of that dormitory. Misaka Imouto had helped to bring the drinks back to the dormitory. And right now, she was the closest one of all the Sisters to the dormitory. Though Serial Number 20001, 'Last Order' was in the same hospital herself, the development of her own body wasn't complete, so her physical capability was limited.
Misaka Imouto opened the window, and after that, stepped onto the ledge of the window.
('Now doing the final confirmation', Misaka #10032 announces. 'All the Sisters in Academy City are to follow #11118's plan and assist in retrieving the 'Remnant''.)
('10032, the damage in your body is greater than the others; maybe you should take your treatment', Misaka #10774 suggests worriedly.)
As these words entered her brain, Misaka Imouto's body trembled slightly.
The Sisters were originally clones with a shorter lifespan. And to help them grow through puberty in this stage, they had done a lot of things, so the Sisters had to be treated to allow their bodies to regain balance.
Of all the Sisters, this Misaka Imouto's situation was the worst off. While the 'experiment' was being conducted, Misaka Imouto had been continually attacked by Accelerator, thus she was now a lot weaker than the other Sisters. Right now, she could only walk about in the hospital. Even the Heaven Canceller had already forbidden her from doing any combat activity.
Her body was still hot. She couldn't maintain her balance; it was like she was on soft ground.
But this was nothing.
Once she exceeded a certain level of activity, the heat in her body would shoot up, causing Misaka Imouto to spit out blood and fall unconscious.
('It's no problem', Misaka #10032 replies.)
Even so, Misaka Imouto made this decision.
She looked out at the darkness beyond the window, her eyes not wavering.
('What's so worrying about this level of damage?', Misaka #10032 retorts. 'Before fulfilling the promise with that boy, Misaka must not stop', Misaka #10032 says firmly.)
Her words made the information travelling around the network become silent for a few seconds.
After that, a large amount of information moved in like waves.
('Understood, we'll let you handle it', Misaka #14458 nods in agreement.)
('We'll leave it to you', Misaka #19002 agrees.)
('Misaka would also like to thank you', says Misaka as Misaka requests. 'Though Misaka also wants to do something', says Misaka as Misaka can't stand being here. 'Also, 'that person' hasn't come back yet after leaving', says Misaka as Misaka shakes her hands and feet while grumbling.)
Misaka Imouto frowned slightly.
She then replied,
('Misaka #20001, your role in #11118's plan is to remain behind and process the information and network', Misaka #10032 warns. 'Also, who's that 'person' you're talking about?… Misaka #20001? Answer me, Misaka #20001', Misaka #10032 asks and yet can't expect to get a reply.)
After Serial Number 20001 'Last Order' finished saying what she wanted to say, she cut off the line, refusing to answer Misaka Imouto's calls. Misaka Imouto gathered, this is bad. The reason Last Order existed was to give an emergency shutdown signal when the Sisters lost control, thus she was ranked higher than an ordinary Sister.
('Anyway, Misaka is going to take action', as Misaka #10032 cuts the telepathic link.)
Misaka Imouto jumped out from the window, completely ignoring the fact that her underwear was exposed. The Tokiwadai Middle School summer uniform danced in the night wind. The moment she landed, Misaka Imouto bent her knees to absorb the impact. Before, in order to increase her fighting capability, the process of absorbing recoil when sniping a tank had been introduced into her head, thus absorbing the impact after jumping down from the second level was nothing to her. Of course, if it was unexpected, like sudden damage in battle, she wouldn't be able to absorb it because she couldn't anticipate it.
Misaka Imouto used all her strength to run out of the hospital. She jumped over the wall, onto the pavement, and advanced down the maze-like streets.
While she ran, Misaka Imouto continued to sweat. If it was a very emotional person, that person would have felt that the sweat was rather uncomfortable. The frog-faced doctor had only treated her halfway, and because she had battled with Accelerator before, her body was a lot weaker than the other Sisters.
However, Misaka Imouto continued to run forward.
If the information from Serial Number 20001 'Last Order' was correct, then the 'remnant' may have been retrieved, the Tree Diagram may be under repair or even mass produced, which could result in the 'experiment' being restarted. This situation would likely endanger the lives of the remaining 10,000 Sisters.
Danger and…the safety of her life.
Misaka Imouto had learned how to view her body like this, saying as she continued to run,
"'Misaka has a reason to not die so easily', Misaka concludes. 'Basically, Misaka doesn't want to die in a worthless way', Misaka clearly says."
That was right, because she had made a promise with a certain boy.
Once her body was treated, she wanted to walk on the streets like it was a normal day.
It was a promise that made her feel good.
If she couldn't fulfill that, she would be very disappointed.
Misaka Imouto dashed from the lane to the road and into another lane. Kicking rubbish bins over, scaring stray cats away. Misaka Imouto narrowed her eyes, wanting to stop and apologize to the cats, but she dared not waste time.
When something happened, Misaka Imouto knew that there was someone who could help.
She was not basing it on theory, but experience.
So Misaka Imouto wanted to pass the danger that she was experiencing to that boy.
"'But…'"
Misaka Imouto muttered. Once she asked that boy, it was the equivalent to bringing that boy back into the battlefield. However, Misaka Imouto thought differently; if she wanted to avoid bringing trouble and not tell him anything, once the boy knew that the 'experiment' continued, he would still rush in head on without hesitation.
That was right. Misaka Imouto was rather confident about this.
That boy would appear.
Once the 'experiment' continued, the Sisters would be killed one by one according to plan. The boy would definitely clench his fist and rush into battle without caring for his own life.
"'Since he'll be involved in this, might as well explain the situation to him clearly before things go bad. Maybe it might reduce the pain that he feels', Misaka concludes. 'Of course, Misaka really hopes that Misaka's own problem won't trouble others, but Misaka can't help it', Misaka feels frustrated as she continues to run."
From the alley to the road, her soles rubbed against the ground as she did a quick turn, passing through the crowds, and sprinting even faster.
Suddenly *POW!* Misaka Imouto felt a sharp pain from her temples.
(…!)
Suddenly, Misaka Imouto felt the world swirling around her. It was the interference caused by the electrical flow of the neural signals of the Sisters being jammed together. This occurrence was rather rare, as Misaka Imouto sent out a warning signal regarding her abnormal status, and pulled the goggles on her forehead down, concentrating, and trying to find the reason.
('This is an electronic interference caused by extremely powerful electricity… only Onee-samaThe Original…should be able to release such large voltage', Misaka makes an unconfirmed guess. 'The location should be within a 500 meters radius…')
Such high power voltage couldn't possibly be used other than for combat. Though Misaka Imouto seemed rather worried, she still decided to head to the dormitory first. She put the goggles back up and continued to sprint.
Not long after, Misaka Imouto arrived at the entrance of the dormitory.
She rushed into the elevator, pressed the 7th level button, and the elevator gradually moved upwards. She was compiling and editing the information that she would be giving the boy. Anyway, it was a fight for every second; she had to tell the boy the most accurate information and the seriousness of the situation in the shortest time possible.
Misaka Imouto pondered, to run down at this time, would he be happy? She really wanted to confirm the time now, but she had no watch, so she could only send a signal through the network to ask all the Sisters around the world what time it was before compiling and calculating the time in Japan.
An electronic sound rang from the elevator.
The elevator door swayed open, and Misaka Imouto dashed out again. Though there was an entire row of similar doors, only the door which had a seemingly new handle for some reason was her real destination.
Misaka Imouto quickly stopped in front of the door, politely pressed the doorbell, and without waiting for a reply, opened the door. Unexpectedly, the door wasn't locked. Maybe to the person living there, it wasn't rude to come over at this time, Misaka Imouto randomly made this conclusion and opened the door.
She saw Kamijou Touma.
And she saw the girl called Index.
Both of them were wearing pajamas. For some reason, the girl was on the boy's head, biting on his head. The calico cat noticed the killer look on the girl's face, and maybe its animal instincts caused it to hide in the corner. They were all stunned by the sudden opening of the door, and at the same time, turned to Misaka Imouto, who was at the door.
Misaka Imouto was thinking.
How could she quickly let this person understand the seriousness of the situation in a single sentence?
Misaka Imouto gave up on theory and took action based on her previous experience.
She said,
"'There's something Misaka wants you to do', Misaka says what's in her heart while looking at your face."
To be able to say this, it shows that she herself has really changed, Misaka Imouto concluded.
"'Please save Misaka and Misaka's Sisters, Misaka lowers her head to you sincerely."
The boy didn't ask anything.
He just prompted her to carry on.