Chapter Text
Accelerator clicked his tongue impatiently.
He was inside one of the many underground research facilities that scarred Academy City’s rotten underbelly. He wore plain grey jeans, and an even darker T-shirt. He ran his ghostly white hand through his white hair. The edges of his hair were stained a faded black — a subtle reminder of his former self. Before Kihara had perfected his reflection.
To call this place a research facility was misleading. It was a white box. Just think of a room of an insane asylum, blown up ten times and instead squishy padded walls, cold hard tiles. A large window of bullet proof glass allowed the twisted researchers to peer into the artificial cage they’d created. Most of them watched screens, displaying all kinds of data. One man, presumably the head of the project, stood proudly above his colleagues, as he flashed his sickening smile at Accelerator.
“Fuck’s taking so long?” Accelerator snapped, crimson eyes glaring at the thick glass. The lead researcher leant forward, grabbing a microphone. The PA system crackled to life.
“My apologies, the target’s preparation has taken longer than anticipated. They are ready now.”
Right on cue, he heard a hydraulic hiss, and the sole bulkhead door that led into the cage slid open. A lone girl no older than 13 entered the room. She had chocolate brown eyes, with shoulder length brown hair. She wore a beige Tokowadai uniform. Strapped on her forehead were large, bulky military goggles, and in her grasp a handgun.
“Misaka #00001 apologises for the delay; the first weapon she was handed was faulty.” She performed a small bow to express her sorrow.
Accelerator snapped to the researchers. “Why the handgun, she’s a clone of the level five railgun right, or are you fucking with me?”
The lead researcher keyed the microphone again. “Unfortunately, the clones were unable to reproduce the power of railgun. To compensate for their pathetic power, 20,000 units were created. They all share memories through a neural network. They will learn and become much more of a threat to you. The last few may even put you on the backfoot.” A sinister chuckle escaped his lips.
“So, I have to fight a bunch of them before they put up a fight. What a pain in my ass,” Accelerator grumbled.
“When you are ready, the experiment shall commence,” the lead researcher announced, anticipation in his voice.
Accelerator turned to the clone in front of him. She struck a few poses with her handgun, practicing her aim perhaps. She looked like a kid playing with a toy gun. “What a fucking joke.”
Noticing his glare, she spoke up. “Did they not offer you a firearm, Misaka asks, concerned for the fairness of the experiment.”
“Don’t need one,” he responded bitterly.
“Well, if that’s the case, shall we begin, Misaka says awaiting your response.”
“Let’s get this over and done with. I’ve got better shit to do anyways.”
“Confirmation received. Beginning experiment #0001, announces Misaka.” The clone pulled down her goggles and burst into action. She ran in orbit around Accelerator. He just slouched, placed his hands in his pockets and sighed. She drew her handgun, placing the ghostly boy in her crosshairs. She squeezed the trigger. Ping! Ping! Ping!
The bullets bounced off the wall of the test chamber.
“Misaka observes that bullets have little effect on the target. Are they being reflected, Misaka wonders aloud.” She vocalized her thoughts. Giving up on her running strategy, she ground to halt. She fired one last volley. The bullets flew towards Accelerator and yet his face remained apathetic. Ping! Ping! Ping! Her eyes shrunk as she winced with pain, collapsing onto the floor. The rugged military goggles clattered to the floor. Blood poured from a hole in her left leg. Her once beige uniform slowly stained a crimson red, stemming from her right shoulder. Her eyes were wide with pain, and Accelerator was surprised she wasn’t howling in agony.
“Ahh, that was boring…” He muttered as he slowly walked to the door. A medic team would be waiting and rush in. The clone would be fine. Afterall, she would be treated with cutting edge medical tech from Academy City. At least, that’s what he assumed.
The PA burst to life once more.
“Accelerator, the experiment isn’t over. The target is still breathing.”
“Still breathing!” His eyes widened. They wanted her dead. “You guys are more fucked up than –“
“Misaka…understands”. The faint voice reached his ears. He whipped around, facing the injured clone.
Her eyes looked tinged with pain. Tears welled up in them and beads of sweat trickled from her brow. The handgun lay just out of reach; she must’ve dropped it when the bullets hit her. Accelerator…felt something tug at worn strings around his heart. The clone dragged herself forward, her whole body trembling. More blood flowed from her wounds. “What the hell is she doing?!” Accelerator stood stunned. Her weak hand wrapped around the gun, trembling as she levelled him in her sights.
A face stricken with pain and sadness met his eyes. She was a clone…nothing more than a wind-up doll and yet…
As Accelerator watched the pitiful eyes teaming with sorrow and pain…he couldn’t help but see the humanity present in the doll before him.
Behind him, stood the soulless researchers. The same researchers who saw the girl in front of him as nothing more than an expendable asset.
To hell with that.
Misaka drew quick pained breaths, as her index finger trembled on the trigger.
“Is she suicidal or something?” Accelerator couldn’t grasp why she kept fighting. Surely, she had to know the bullet would do nothing to him. She squeezed the trigger. The muzzle exploded, launching one final bullet at Accelerator. His reflection would redirect the bullet back at her, likely killing her.
To hell with that.
The bullet rushed at his emotionless face. With a loud crack, the bullet froze millimetres from his face. Its shape deformed into a flat metal disc. Harmless, it fell to his feet, ringing like a dropped penny.
Misaka slumped to the floor, her body weak from the blood loss.
“W-why…asks…Misaka.” Her chocolate eyes questioned his crimson ones.
“It’d be a fucking pain in my ass if you died,” he spat. He dashed over to her limp body, kneeling down next to her. The pool of blood that seeped from her wounds stained his knees and sneakers. “Shit…she’s lost a lot of blood.”
Once again, he whipped around to the researchers.
The lead researcher nervously picked up the microphone, hands trembling. The shit eating grin plastered on his face was gone. “Good.”
“A-Accelerator?” The PA system trembled.
Accelerator snarled. “To all the rotten pieces of shit up there, if she dies—you’re next.”
A silent panic erupted in the room, the bulletproof glass preventing the sound from reaching Accelerator’s ears. They’d call an ambulance. Even then, the growing puddle of blood at his feet was concerning. Misaka’s face looked sickly pale.
Did she even have five minutes?
“Ah, shit, she’s going to be dead before the ambulance gets here.”
Accelerator bit his tongue and clenched his hands… his hands . A thin smile spread across his face.
The original purpose of the experiment was to give him a challenge. Force him to get creative with his own ability, push his limits, all that shit to reach level six. Who said it had to be through fighting?
As his red eyes twitched over her mangled body, he chuckled to himself. “A challenge, right? This is what this whole shitty experiment was about anyways, and wouldn’t you know, I’ve got one right in front of me!”
He clicked his mind into gear. There were two gunshot wounds. He racked all the biological knowledge about the human body he had stored in his mind. He glanced at the wound on her shoulder. It looked painful, but that could wait. The gunshot wound on her thigh allowed blood to pour out at an alarming rate. “Bullet must’ve hit her femoral artery, shit.” Carefully, he placed his hand over the wound. Concentrating, he reached out with his ability. He felt the blood gushing out from her artery.
Misaka’s breathing became quick and shaky. Each breath felt uncertain and like her last. She was going into hypovolemic shock.
His skin felt sticky with sweat, an unusual feeling considering his reflection was always active.
“Manipulating blood flow…hah! I should pursue a career as a doctor.”
Slowly, with great difficulty he poured all his calculation capacity into ensuring that every drop of blood flowed from one exposed artery to another. The experience was comparable to trying to carry water with his bare hands between two points.
After what seemed like an eternity, two paramedics rushed in. “We’ll take it from h— the young man began.
“Shut it, I’m coming with her.”
“She’s in shock,” the man’s partner chimed in as he began hooking up biometrics to a machine.
“Bullet hit her artery. I’m dealing with it. You guys deal with the other shit,” Accelerator snapped.
The paramedics nodded, not daring to provoke the level five.
Misaka awoke in a dark hospital room. Its plain walls were painted white. She lay in a plain hospital bed with white sheets. Wires ran from her chest to several machines, displaying data on her vitals. Her beige Tokowadai uniform had been replaced with a mint green hospital gown and her right arm was in a rigid cast that wound its way all the way to her shoulder. There was a single window to her left, its curtains peeled back allowing the glow of moonlight to seep into the room. Curious, she gazed out the window at the moon…
“So that’s what the moon looks like it’s rather pretty, Misaka thinks aloud as she gazes out the window.”
There was a groan from her right. Misaka swung her head around a little too quickly, wincing as her body reminded her of its injuries.
Rubbing his eyes, in a not so comfortable looking chair, was Accelerator. “You up?” he asked..
“Misaka is indeed conscious, reports Misaka,” she said in her usual monotone voice.
“That’s a fucking relief.” He sighed, lying back into the rigid chair.
“The experiment was not completed—when would be an optimal time to reschedule it, asks Misaka, eager to get back into the swing of things.”
“What?” Accelerator was dumbfounded.
“The experiment was not com—” Misaka began.
“Don’t you fucking get it!?” Accelerator cried at Misaka.
She froze, her mouth hung slightly open. “If you could elaborate, perhaps then Misaka would “fucking get it”, Misaka offers.” A puzzled look on her face.
“Fine, I’ll spell it out to you—I don’t want to kill your lame ass all for some grand experiment,” he growled.
“But Misaka is a replaceable unit. Manufactured with a push a button, given a borrowed mind then told to go fight...” She trailed off.
“Aren’t you scared?” He said as he rose from his seat, his crimson eyes peering into hers. She leant back away from him as he approached her. The heart rate monitors fluctuated, displaying a small increase in her heart rate.
“Fear is something Misaka is unfamiliar with, says Misaka.”
“For fuck’s sake, weren’t you scared of dying?” Accelerator said as he clenched the railing on the bed.
“The sensation felt cold…as if Misaka’s body was plunged into an ice bath and yet a cold sweat engulfed her entire body. It was unpleasant, says Misaka, recalling the events.”
“That’s what dying feels like, dumbass.” Accelerator took a deep breath before returning to his seat.
“None of the clones have ever died…the uncertainty, not knowing what comes next, it was…Misaka believes the word is dreadful, Misaka shivers as chill runs down her spine.”
“You’re not all robotic soulless dolls…you’re human after all,” he muttered to himself, his eyebrows raised slightly in amusement
“Misaka… does not understand this feeling.” She lowered her head, looking down at her chest.
“What? Don’t be fucking vague with me.” Accelerator grumbled.
“To describe it, it makes Misaka’s chest feel warm and content…it feels directed towards you, Misaka says, describing the abnormal sensation.”
“I don’t know much about that crap . Maybe your sorry ass is thankful I saved you,” Accelerator said quickly, turning away from Misaka.
Only the soft electronic beeps of machines filled the air. Misaka pondered what Accelerator had told her, taking it into careful consideration.
Arriving at her conclusion, she spoke softly. “Thank you, says Misaka.”
“W-what?!” Accelerator almost choked on his words.
“Misaka is…grateful that she is alive, that she has more time in this beautiful world, and she owes that to you, Misaka says, confirming your theory.” A small, sweet smile formed on her lips. “Perhaps, it would be best if Misaka stopped thinking of herself as a mere expendable unit, says Misaka thinking aloud.”
“That’d be a good start.” Accelerator muttered, facing the clone, the slightest hint of a smile on his face.