novelA Certain Misaka's Final Signal (2)
| ← Ch.038 | Ch.040 → |
He had finally managed to catch the escaped Last Order today, but unfortunately for him, the alert level went to orange, and then to red, giving him no chance to leave Academy City. And right now, Last Order's condition was a lot worse than he had thought. If this kept up, she could really die before the virus activated.
(Please, I beg of you! Just a little longer! Hang on until the virus activates!)
Amai knew of a few places where he could get Last Order's body adjustments done. But as the alert level had become red, there were checkpoints all over the city. He would be unable to pass through the checkpoints with a naked girl wrapped in a blue towel. Besides, this girl was an artificial clone that didn't have an ID.
He couldn't even pass the next road, let alone get 'out' of Academy City. Right now, Amai Ao could only tremble in the narrow car and leave his fate to the virus which may be unable to activate.
Suddenly, there seemed to be something that flashed across the glass.
"!?"
Amai's eyes instinctively left the dashboard. But it was a crow that was unrelated to Anti-Skill or the researchers. A black crow flew from right to left.
"Ah..."
However, Amai widened his eyes.
There was nobody in front. Looking over, it was an empty street. There shouldn't have been anything that could make Amai feel afraid. From a 3rd person's view, maybe one would think that Amai was seeing an illusion out of fear.
"Ahh..."
But Amai was not looking in front.
He was looking at the rear-view mirror.
On seeing that small mirror that shows the back, Amai's face went pale. His eyeballs continued to move. He was sweating like it was raining, as if there was a layer covering his skin. His fingers continued to tremble.
In the rear view mirror, there was a boy.
The boy was slowly closing in on the yellow sports car, one step at a time.
A corrupted, psychotic, crazy Level 5 esper.
"... UWAAAHH!!"
A strange voice came out from Amai's throat.
In fact, Amai didn't know what Accelerator was doing over here. But no matter what Accelerator was planning, it was dangerous.
Accelerator was closing in on Amai's sports car without hesitation.
Amai stared at Last Order, who was in the passenger seat.
Right now, Last Order was as weak as a snow crystal. He didn't know what Accelerator was trying to do, but if he handed Last Order over to that monster, that wish would be crushed within a second.
He definitely couldn't hand Last Order over to him.
If so, he could only take on that monster.
(The problem is, how?)
He had a pistol in his pocket, but that thing wasn't going to stop that monster. Trying to use a body of flesh to fight that guy was like racing a Lamborghini car or a type-90 Kyu-maru tank in a marathon
If that was the case, he could only run.
Amai gripped onto the car key tightly.
His hand continued to tremble, and even the act of putting the key into the keyhole was tough for him. He grimaced as he couldn't find the keyhole. Chk, the key was finally inserted in.
He twisted the key hard.
The engine roared loudly. As he was too nervous, the brakes failed, and the sports car dashed forward as if it had been kicked in the back.
Part 7
Accelerator saw Amai's car rush away from him. His obviously shocked look was revealing his mysterious smile.
(That brat... is in the car's passenger compartment. I thought she would be in the luggage compartment, but then again, if she dies, Amai would be really bothered by it. )
Accelerator casually thought as he crouched his body slightly.
BOOM! He stamped onto the ground.
Accelerator immediately jumped up about 10m into the air, and easily jumped past Amai's sports car before landing right in front of it. The man in the driver's seat who saw this immediately froze. He frantically turned the steering wheel around, but it was already too late. The cheap domestic sports car that had its gas pedal floored slammed right into Accelerator.
The sound of the metal being crushed was like 1, 000 times the sound of a can being crushed.
But Accelerator hadn't budged at all. Not even a strand of hair was moved. The thing that got crushed was the car, as the force of the sports car was 'directed downwards'. The 4 tires had burst, and the rims were crushed into an oval shape. The height of the chassis was crushed to zero, and the car had dug several centimeters into the ground. Maybe the car body was wrecked too much as the windows on both the left and right sides had cracks in them.
Amai, who was in the driver's seat, revealed a smile.
The sports car got damaged to such an extent, yet he was actually able to remain unharmed even when sitting inside. He may feel that this was unbelievable, as even the safety airbag hadn't popped out. This perfect control of power clearly demonstrated the difference in ability between Accelerator and Amai.
"U, uuuAAHHH, DA, DAMN IT!!!"
Amai cried out as he continued to floor the gas pedal, but the rims of the wheels were already distorted and buried deep into the asphalt. In this situation, the car couldn't possibly move forward. After 10 seconds, Amai finally realized this. He then intended to carry Last Order away, so he started to force the car door open.
"Calm down, you middle-aged guy. Isn't that a little too ugly?"
THOMP! Accelerator stomped down on the bumper lightly. It was unknown how the impact was changed as the driver seat door was quickly shut. This act of shutting the door was like snapping a large trap on some prey. Amai was trapped by the door as he tried to get out. The air in his lungs was forced out, and he slid down onto the floor, unable to move.
"Ah, sorry for using such a crude way to beat you. But at least it's better than giving your life away, right?"
Amai didn't answer, and Accelerator wasn't hoping that he would. He looked at the seat beside the driver's seat. The impact had caused the entire driver's seat to get distorted, but in contrast, over there the girl was sleeping calmly and soundly.
"You really can make things difficult for others, you damned brat."
Having the load off his shoulders, Accelerator just said this and pulled out his phone.
"Yoshikawa? Yeah, I got the brat. She's safe."
There was still more than 4 hours left before the virus activated.
Part 8
August 31 8:03pm
Accelerator opened the side door of the passenger seat. Wrapped in the towel, Last Order didn't respond at all. Her limbs sunk weakly onto the floor, and were completely stained in uncomfortable sweat.
Just as Accelerator was about to carry Last Order out, he suddenly realised a problem.
"Oi, the brat has some things that look like electrodes. I shouldn't take them off, right?"
"Hm? Can you please describe that clearly?"
On hearing Accelerator's description, Yoshikawa said,
"That should be our equipment for checking the Sisters' conditions. It just shows the respiratory rate, pulse rate, blood pressure, body temperature, physical and mental conditions. It's okay to take the electrodes off.
A cable linked the electrodes to a notebook computer. There were several images on the screen. Besides that, there was a percentage display value that had the words 'BC functioning value' beside it.
"What's this?"
Accelerator asked.
"Oh, that's Last Order's brain functioning rate. Brain Cell is called BC for short."
Accelerator was shocked. It was not easy to monitor a person's brain functioning perfectly. One really couldn't tell that such a small computer had such a large function. However, the Sisters were electromasters, so maybe they used their abilities to make up for the lack of ability?
Either way, it was not a technology that Accelerator could understand.
"Oi, is there anything that can erase the virus from this brat's brain? It'll take some time to take her back."
"Impossible. That's just a detection device. If you want to enter it, you have to have an incubator and a Testament."
"Oh."
Accelerator pondered for a while, and suddenly realised something.
For some reason, there was noise coming from the other side of the phone.
"Oi, aren't you at the research centre?"
"You just realised it? I'm driving over to you now. There's an incubator and a Testament, so that should be much more time efficient than you going back to the research facility. Maybe she will want to run away when she sees me, but with your movement ability, you should be able to stop her from going."
So you just wait over there. Yoshikawa said.
"Of course, a huge quantum computer won't be able to fit into a car, but a DNA computer can fit it perfectly, so I brought one as well. The function may be a bit inferior, but at such capacity, it should be enough."
"... Oi, since you can use a machine to analyze, why did you use a red pen to make markings? That's just unnecessary work, right?"
"Machines are extremely dull, or too rigid. Sometimes, they might even create problems. Have you heard of video games? When the games are being debugged, they still need humans to actually play them. We calculate the data through a machine, correct it through human means, put it back into a machine to see if there are any more errors... and we continue to use such a method."
Accelerator reached his hand out, taking off the last electrode from Last Order's face and randomly asked,
"So you analyzed the code already?"
"About 80%. After I analyze it, I still need to write a code to override the virus, so we don't have much time."
But I believe that we can make it, Yoshikawa said confidently.
Accelerator frowned slightly, as such a style wasn't like her.. However, this made Accelerator heave a sigh of relief, as the situation seemed like it was all alright now.
(How irritating. How much trouble must you create for me, you damned brat?)
This was the first time Accelerator actually experienced what it felt like to 'wait for someone'. Every second seemed to be dragging on meaninglessly. This feeling couldn't be considered comfortable. He stamped hard onto the asphalt floor lightly, and just like that, it created a crack.
"Mi, saka--"
Suddenly, the girl's mouth moved.
Like a thirsty person asking for water, her lips were trembling.
"Misaka... as, Misaka is---"
Her eyes were shut, and only her lips were moving. The girl was moving crazily as if she was trying to say something. Accelerator didn't know whether he should listen to her words carefully. Besides, since the expert Yoshikawa hadn't arrived yet, Accelerator didn't know what he could do to ease her pain."
"Misa, ka—as Misaka is Misa! Ka! Misaka as Misaka as Misaka as Misaka as Misaka as Misaka as Misaka as Misaka as Misaka as Misaka as Misaka as Misaka as Misaka as Misaka as Misaka as Misaka as Misaka as Misaka as Misaka as Misaka as Misaka as Misaka as Misaka as Misaka as MISAKA AS MISAKA AS MISAKA AS MISAKA AS MISAKA AS MISAKA AS MISAKA AS MISAKA AS AJSNIOVJIOZXCHJJ23RIOHYWERIOSDHA FJKHUQEHYIRHKOSDHIOUCH89WEHYUIH!!"
"Ah?" Seeing Last Order shout out, Accelerator gasped.
This didn't look right at all. The girl's petite body was quivering in front of Accelerator like a fish on land. She continued to bend back. It was unknown whether her bones or muscles were cracking, but the girl's face did look like she was in pain. She was looking excited as if she was singing a carol.
There was one difference.
The girl's tightly shut eyes were giving out tears.
This point alone clearly indicated that it was not of joy.
But of tremendous pain.
The computer screen was showing a chaotic image. Windows of warning signs continued to pop out like rain on the windows, covering almost the entire screen. The unknown beeping sound continued to ring.
"DAMN IT! OI, YOSHIKAWA! WHAT THE HELL'S GOING ON HERE? IS THIS SOME SORT OF SYMPTOM?"
"Calm down, explain clearly! I can't tell what you're saying. Oh yea, do you have a camera function in your phone? It's best that you have an image capture camera--"
Yoshikawa stopped talking halfway through, maybe gasping because she was in shock. The phone wasn't cut, as Accelerator could hear her mutter. She seems to be muttering things like 'impossible, how can this be'.
"Oi, what's going on!? Is there any emergency function?"
"Calm down. Can you let me listen to what that child's saying?"
"HURRY UP AND EXPL--!"
"HURRY!!"
Yoshikawa started to sound serious, making Accelerator feel that something was wrong. But even if he didn't do anything, Last Order's cries could be heard through the phone.
"hiuashihcvjnxnuinweiniondfnizdNIncion whsioahjisdisjad8qwyrionjdklnckljiojdosfjljkl;sdjfi0jdsj!!"
The girl's cries weren't of any country's language now.
On hearing the girl's cries through the phone, Yoshikawa was so shocked that she couldn't breathe.
"... I see."
"WHAT? WHAT'S GOING ON?"
Accelerator was obviously anxious. Yoshikawa answered him clearly,
"This is a virus code that was encrypted. That virus seems like it's about to be activated."
On hearing this, Accelerator nearly froze.
The virus should be activated at midnight on 00 hour 00 minute 00 second. It was just past 8, and time wise, there should have been 4 hours left...
There was only one possible reason.
That was a fake signal.
The enemy Amai Ao had deliberately installed a fake activation code. The information that the enemy gave out shouldn't have been considered real at all. Accelerator had wondered before why Amai Ao would be so kind as to indicate the time for the virus to activate.
A simple game like trap, yet so terrifying.
Maybe Amai hadn't expected that this trap would work. Setting this trap up must have been an extra bonus within his capability rather than an insurance.
Accelerator started to wonder what would happen when the virus activated.
"Once the time starts, the virus will start to activate. It will be complete 10 minutes later, and then it will spread through the Misaka Network to all the Sisters and cause the Sisters to go berserk."
What would happen to the girl in his hands?
The boy recalled.
"I haven't analyzed it completely, so I can't be sure, but if I go by my hypothesis, the symptoms indicate that they will end up attacking any humans without discrimination."
Accelerator was unable to do anything.
Last Order continued to shout and cry. Numerous warning windows buried the notepad-sized computer screen.
He could barely see the 'BC operation rate' from between the gaps of the windows—which was the brain cell functioning rate.
The values continued to increase. 70%, 83%, 95%... even though the values exceeded 100%, they continued to increase.
That small body of Last Order arched backwards as if electrocuted.
Then, even the 'BC functioning rate' window was blocked by the warning signals.
It was as if Last Order's personality files were overwritten by some mysterious virus.
It seemed like Yoshikawa was trying to say something through the phone, but Accelerator was not listening.
It was too late.
Yoshikawa hadn't finished analyzing the virus, and hadn't found a way to debug it. Also, there was fake information present in the code she had analyzed. Even if she managed to debug it, she couldn't be certain that she was correct. Besides, it was impossible to ask her to move back to the facility where all the equipment was.
Amai, who had created the virus, should be clear about how it worked, but there was no time to interrogate him and write a code to debug it.
A mysterious feeling etched into Accelerator's mind, but before he could understand what that feeling was, his thoughts were interrupted by Yoshikawa's calm voice.
"Listen to me, Accelerator, it's still too early to sigh now. You still need to do something."
"... Something? Can we still save her?"
"It will take some time before the virus spreads out. Before that, the current virus will be converted into a 'superior code' that they can't disobey, rather than it appearing there right from the start. This is because if that's the case, the virus code would be obvious in the normal personality files. There's only 10 minutes, I suppose you should be able to guess it, but you can only do one thing— eliminate the girl. Kill the child, and protect this world."
Yoshikawa's words didn't have any intention of saving Last Order right from the beginning.
What she said as her justification was something higher than that.
Protect the world.
If he wanted to prevent all the Sisters in the world from going berserk, he had to kill this girl personally.
The girl who was struggling and rolling about, unable to make even a cry of help.
Accelerator mocked himself. His power that could only kill would actually work at this moment. And not even the minimum damage was allowed; he had to kill the girl.
If this dragged on longer, the command code that was input into Last Order's brain would break her. There was only one way to prevent that, and that was to take her life before it happened.
"Damn it."
No matter what he chose, she wouldn't be saved.
"At least smile to let her rest in peace", Yoshikawa Kikyou said.
"DAAAAAAMMMMMMNNNNNN IIIITTTTTTTTT!!!"
Accelerator grit his teeth. There was a sense of sharp pain deep within his chest. This pain was completely different from the time when he was beaten up by the Level 0. This couldn't even be compared. This was the pain of losing. Right now, Accelerator finally experienced it. He finally experienced the weight of the girl in his heart. Accelerator finally experienced this pain he had inflicted 10, 000 times on others.
It was too late for him to experience it.
No matter what he did, it was too late now.
Accelerator roared out, but it was useless.
With his power, he wouldn't be able to delete the virus in Last Order's brain. He never had such a useful ability. Though he was said to have the strongest power, it was just the manipulation of 'vectors' like kinetic energy, heat, electricity and all sorts of energy and redirecting them. In application, he could only kill. He had such power, yet he could only think to use it to touch the enemy's skin and reverse the enemy's blood and electrical flow to form an explosion--
(... ?)
Thinking till here, an idea suddenly flashed in Accelerator's brain.
He reminisced what he just thought.
Reverse the electrical flow in a human?
(Hold on, what attracts me to that so much?)
That phrase continued to appear in Accelerator's mind.
The time in his body instantly slowed down.
(There's less than 10 minutes left, so I can't call for help. I have a disk and a notepad-sized computer with me here. The disk has the personality files before infection. The Testament is needed. The Level 5 'Accelerator' can manipulate it. It uses electrical flow to control the information in the brain to control the electrical signals. To debug, I have to look through the huge personality files and find a way to find the code and delete it. If I can't find a solution, I have to kill Last Order. )
Accelerator tried to think quickly.
The rows of excessive words were gradually removed, forming meaningful sentences.
While focusing on his thoughts, the short few seconds seemed to become an eternity.
(If I don't want to kill her, I have to delete the virus. I need to do two things. First is to find the virus codes from that massive personality file in Last Order. The second thing is to manipulate the electric signals in Last Order's brain and accurately delete the virus codes. )
In Academy City, where the school curriculum included esper development, the strongest esper in Academy City also had the strongest brain. Having accurately calculated all the air particle flow in the entire city before, Accelerator used all his thoughts to find a way to solve this.
(The disk has the personality files 'before infection'. If I compare it to the one 'after infection' and find the difference—hold on, what attracted my attention here? Let's recall from those abusive words of mine. What am I able to do best? What can I easily think of?)
Thinking about this, Accelerator's shoulders jerked as if they had been electrocuted.
Human electrical reversal.
If Accelerator's power could redirect any energy 'vector'.
If he could let the blood and electrical flow in a body reverse on contact with the skin.
He looked up. It took a mere 10 seconds to think about this.
"Oi, if I can control the electrical flow in the brain, I should be able to correct that brat's personality file without a Testament, right?"
"What are you--"
Speaking halfway, Yoshikawa seemed to realise something.
The Testament controlled the electrical flow in a human, forcing in personality and knowledge.
"... Are you intending to become a Testament yourself? Impossible, though your power is to redirect any 'vector', controlling a brain signal is unheard of... !"
"Why not? I did use skin contact to reverse the blood and electrical flow in a human body in the 'experiment'. Since I can 'redirect', 'manipulation' shouldn't be hard right?"
Of course, Accelerator had never actually manipulated the brain signals of others before, so he didn't have confidence that it would work.
But this was the only way left. If possible, he hoped to use the Testament. If he could prepare an anti-virus code, it would be perfect. The problem was that the current situation wasn't that perfect. If he didn't want to give up, he could only make use of what he had here to break through the difficulty.
Through his own hands.
It was okay even though it was not perfect, he just needed to save her life.
"That's impossible. Even if you can you use your power to manipulate Last Order's brain, the anti-virus process isn't complete, and you can't even delete it completely."
"..."
It was true. Yoshikawa still hadn't finished analysing the virus. And since Yoshikawa hadn't detected the fake parts in the virus, it seemed like the research results wouldn't be completely correct.
"Listen, even I made the decision to kill her. I know the workings of that child better than you by at least 100 times, and even I feel that there's no other way other than to kill her. Do you know what that means?"
Yoshikawa said in an icy voice,
"Your ability alone isn't going to erase the virus from Last Order's brain at all. If you fail, you'll sacrifice 10, 000 Sisters. And if the situation gets out of hand, Academy City will be forced into a war with the rest of the world. In order to prevent that, we have to give up on Last Order."
Yoshikawa sounded like she was lecturing Accelerator, but she was delivering the final ultimatum.
"Of course, it's a different case altogether if you can immediately write an anti-virus code. Can you do that? The virus will activate in a few minutes, can you do that?"
"Of course."
Accelerator replied without hesitation. Hearing this, Yoshikawa Kikyou nearly stopped breathing.
Accelerator turned his eyes to Last Order, who was lying limp on the passenger seat, and then looked into the envelope. The envelope had a disk that had the label 'serial 20, 001 personality info/before infection' on it.
It had the personality files before infection. In other words, if he compared Last Order's brain now to this personality file and found the excess parts, he could erase the virus code. Once that was complete, he just needed to overwrite the corrupted data with the normal one to correct it. It was like using a hammer to smash an uneven metal floor to flatten it.
This act of smashing the protruding virus back in was what they called neutralizing a virus.
"Damn it... of course I can do it. WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK I AM!?"
Yoshikawa seemed to be saying something through the phone, but Accelerator was no longer listening. He wanted to shut the phone off, but the phone slipped and dropped onto the floor. He didn't intend to pick it up at all.
Accelerator smirked.
He already knew the flaw to this method. He had the 'personality data before infection'. In other words, if this personality file was the base, it would 'overwrite most of the excessive information', and all the memory 'after infection' would be cleaned off. It was like painting a new image over a completed painting.
Including that meeting.
Including that conversation.
Including that smile.
Everything would be lost, and he would have to overcome that pain.
"... So what? It's better for that brat to forget about everything."
Thinking back, that was the case. The walk back down the alley and destruction of his room at midnight were proof that as long as she remained together with Accelerator, she would have the danger of being attacked by unknown people.
Though Last Order wasn't afraid to accept Accelerator, it was all the more reason that he couldn't let such a person exist in the same life as him.
She had to go back.
Back away from this monstrous, bloody and cruel world. Back into the warm and sunny world.
Lonely and weak, he laughed at himself, then inserted the disk into the notepad-sized computer.
A large amount of data appeared in front of him. He quickly scanned through the data that was scrolling at waterfall-like speed, reading all the data. It took him 52 seconds to finish reading, 48 seconds to close his eyes to remember, and 65 seconds to compare what he had memorized to the data on the screen.
The preparations were complete.
He was ready to put an end to this.
Clak. He crushed the notepad-sized computer. The fragments of the girl's internal design fell from his hands.
"..."
He shut off the 'redirection on his hand', using his fingers to touch the girl's forehead. The girl's skin felt slightly hot, as if she had a cold. He extracted the electrical flow of the human and continued to touch the 'direction' as if he was touching the insides of the girl with his hand. Through the 'direction' of the electrical flow in the person, he managed to grasp it.
Finally, the girl's internal workings were in Accelerator's mind completely.
The girl's thought process that appeared in his brain was ever so warm.
One that made people want to hug, and not lose it.
However,
He had to do this.
"You damned brat. Since I helped out so much, I won't allow you do die by yourself."
After saying that, he smiled.
If there had been a mirror in front of him, even he himself might have been shocked. It was a gentle smile.
Accelerator's hand was trembling.
Using the power that could only kill to save others was like tying a spoon on a tank cannon barrel to feed a baby weaned food; it was extremely difficult.
"... How interesting. Don't die of shock."
He said this.
He was inserting the 'power' and changing the 'direction'; the 'war' had begun.
The virus would activate at 8:13pm. There were still 52 seconds till the final moment.
Part 9
August 31 8:12pm 08 seconds.
"hjknasdpsjdofjkoxcvkliwenijosdmklmxc'mpml;dsm process 9jpnasidi load 9w.. aea path A to w. Red wavelength of process 08 to process 72 is replaced by path C into A8 area D sealing process 56 through S wave blue changed to red..."
The meaningless language that Last Order was uttering was gradually changing into Japanese. Accelerator was sweating. There was a feeling that his brain was being burned. His vision was gradually becoming narrower. As all his calculation ability was gathered on one point, 'redirection' wouldn't work, and the uncomfortable sweat was sticking onto him.
Right now, he was comparing the 'infected' Last Order's personality files with the one 'before infection'.
The 'difference' between both of them was the virus codes. Though some of it included Last Order's memories of her interactions with Accelerator, Accelerator was unable to tell which were virus codes and which were memories.
The calculation of the amount of data required to be overwritten was complete.
The total was 357, 081.
He could only delete all these processes to destroy the virus.
The BC value of Last Order was flashing on the screen, giving off numerous warning windows at a shocking speed.
Part 10
August 31 8:12pm 14 seconds.
"Turning the process 21 from red to orange and then through path D to A7, C5, F10 split zones area D seal removing and inserting process 32 into special authoritative process 89 till 112, and gather at path A, processes below 113 taken by path G through point D4..."
After understanding all the abnormal 'codes' in Last Order's brain, Accelerator sent a command to all the codes. There was only one line, 'overwrite'.
Zzzzzzz...
He could feel a mass amount of signals moving, and it was a feeling like the tide subsiding.
Last Order's body was bouncing about.
Her fingers were twitching, as if she was being manipulated by some invisible strings.
Accelerator couldn't tell whether they were viruses or memories, as the 'potentially malicious' processes were being deleted one line after another, like words from a black ballpoint pen being removed with white correction fluid. The remaining unrepaired processes totaled 173, 542.
The warning windows that were popping up on the notebook screen started appearing less, and less, and less frequently... until finally, there weren't any more windows popping up. The reverse flow then caused all the warning windows to disappear one after another, as if it were a tape put on rewind.
Part 11
August 31, 8:12pm 34 seconds
"Processes through path K are converted through yellow wavelength as V2, H5, Y0 and split through process 201, process 202 to 205 wavelengths are registered under red paths G and linked to C, D, H, I, split into points F7, R2, Z0..."
I can do it, Accelerator started to feel confident. The virus that was preparing to start up was returning back. If this kept up, he would just barely erase the virus in time.
The codes left totaled 59, 802. Thinking of these processes that were about to be erased, Accelerator revealed a lonely smile. Besides the virus, what else was he deleting?
The electrical signal was beating through his hand.
As if it was trying to make the final struggle before it was erased.
The warning screens on the display continued to disappear. The data that was being overwritten was getting faster. The gaps between the windows were becoming wider.
Last Order's forehead continued to shudder and sweat. However, she was not shaking as much now, and it seemed like her body condition was improving.
Part 12
August 31, 8:12pm 45 seconds
At this moment.
The strange voice of a person reached Accelerator's ears, who was removing the virus. He looked up, and saw that Amai Ao, who had been knocked unconscious by the clamping of the car door, was actually standing there.
If it were just like that, it would be nothing.
But he was pointing a shiny black pistol at him.
"Don't... you dare stop... me...."
With bloodshot eyes, Amai Ao groaned.
The remaining processes left were 23, 891. Accelerator still couldn't let off. If the remaining processes caused any errors, Last Order's brain could be wrecked.
There were only a few warning windows on the screen. To Accelerator, it represented Last Order's health status. He couldn't leave any window open.
Part 13
August 31, 8:12pm 45 seconds
The two of them were only about 4m away from each other. The bullet couldn't possibly miss.
"Ugh!?"
Right now, Accelerator was concentrating all his power on Last Order's brain signal, so he didn't even have time to 'redirect'. If he decided to multitask in his 'redirecting', he wouldn't be able to accurately manipulate the electrical signals that were as fine as the microbits in an electron microscope image, and Last Order's brain would be wrecked.
There were only 7, 001 process codes left.
There were only 9 windows.
The assignment wasn't complete, and time gradually started to slow down.
Amai definitely didn't understand what Accelerator was doing now. But to Amai, the fact that this monster called Accelerator was touching Last Order, who mustn't die was enough to make him panic.
"Don't... you stop me!"
Bubbles foamed out of Amai Ao's mouth, and his eyes were bloodshot.
Right now, he seemed to be unable to tell that it was stupid to aim a gun at Accelerator.
But right now, Accelerator didn't have enough power to 'redirect'. In this situation, he was unable to do anything.
Once that little bullet was fired, it would take Accelerator's life away.
Get that hand away from Last Order's head! His basic instincts were telling him. Restart the 'redirection'! It continued to tell him. It was true that he would definitely be saved. Not even a nuclear missile could scratch him, let alone a pistol.
Part 14
August 31, 8:12pm 58 seconds
However, he was still unable to take his hand away from Last Order's head.
It was impossible.
There were only 102 processes and one warning window left.
"Don't... sto—GYAAHH!!" Amai Ao screamed, trembling as he held the pistol aimed at Accelerator.
There was no way for him to dodge it.
Accelerator could only remain stunned as he stared at the finger placed on the trigger.
The clear and crisp sound of the gun firing rang out.
Before the sound reached his ears, a strong hammer-like impact hit Accelerator's forehead. The strong force that his head took caused him to arch backwards. His neck let out a terrifying sound. His body was unable to withstand the impact as it floated into the air.
But he still didn't let go.
Nor would he ever let go.
"Error: Break code No. 000, 001 to No. 357, 081 superintendent codes are terminated due to incorrect processing. Serial no. 20, 001 will restart as per normal."
With the last electronic sound, the last warning window disappeared. Hearing the familiar talking sound of that girl, Accelerator understood that he managed to overwrite the dangerous process with that hand of his.
His hand was gradually losing strength. The body that was forced upwards by the power of the bullet impact slowly left the warm girl.
While in mid air, Accelerator stretched his hand out.
But his fingers were unable to touch the girl.
No matter how much he prayed, he wouldn't be able to fulfill any wish.
No matter how much he desperately tried to look, all of it would slip between his fingers.
(Really, to think that up till now, my thinking was still so naive--)
His vision got blurry due to the speed, but there was no chance of recovering before it turned black. He landed hard on the ground as if he had just fell into Hell. His blurry consciousness started to erode, and his thoughts started to spiral into darkness.
(--I actually thought that I could start anew if I just saved someone... )
Part 15
August 31, 8:13pm
"... Did I get him? Why? Ha, haha, why... why am I still alive?"
Amai Ao was holding onto the semi-automatic pistol that was giving off white smoke, and sank into a daze.
The bullet hit the center of Accelerator's forehead, and he flew back by 1m, his head facing up as he landed on the ground. His forehead was cracked apart and fresh blood oozed out.
For some reason, Accelerator hadn't used the 'redirection'. If so, since his head was hit by the military grade 9mm bullet, he couldn't possibly have survived. Also, what Amai had used wasn't any ordinary bullet, but an experimental type from Academy City.
An impact bullet.
This unique bullet was able to use the air resistance on the bullet through the unique 'groove' on the bullet and create a 'shockwave gun'. The 'gun' would follow the bullet from behind and strike it. Creating a 'groove' on the bullet would increase the damage of the bullet by 5 to 10 times. The 'groove' that was created on the lead bullet would melt due to the air resistance. Even if the bullet head was taken by the enemy, they wouldn't be able to understand the trick behind it. It could be said to be killing two birds with one stone. It was the unique bullet they were enthusiastically studying to take on espers if they revolted.
The wound on Accelerator's head was caused by 2 consecutive impacts, once from the bullet and once from the air gun.
"He should be dead now. Ah! Last Order! My virus!"
Amai Ao looked away from the corpse collapsed on the road and turned to look at the girl that had lost consciousness in the passenger seat. It would be over if the virus hadn't activated. He would be the hunted target of both Academy City and the opposing force.
The girl lay weakly in the chair, her lips unable to move.
Her small mouth started to speak,
"Error: Break code No. 000, 001 to No. 357, 081 superintendent codes are terminated due to incorrect processing. Serial no. 20, 001 will restart as per normal."
Amai felt as though all the water in his body spurt out as sweat.
If the virus had activated, Last Order's heart should have automatically stopped and she should have died after she sent out the command to 'use weapons and esper abilities to kill all the humans that got in contact with you' to all the 10, 000 Sisters. This was to prevent others from retracting the order.
But Last Order was still alive.
The virus hadn't activated. Amai Ao was clear about what that meant.
Though he knew it, he was still unable to accept it.
2 steps, 3 steps, Amai staggered backwards.
"Ha, ah, haha, uha... ha, AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
Amai Ao cried out in despair, raising the pistol at the person who made his own life a living hell.
The girl who was asleep in the passenger seat.
Amai pointed the pistol at her slightly beating chest as his finger was placed on her chest. Once this finger pulled back slightly, the unique bullet impact head would break that petite body into pieces. He didn't care where he would fire or how many bullets would he shoot, he just wanted to use up all the bullets. Thus, he squeezed the trigger.
The explosion of the pistol could be heard.
But the bullet didn't pierce through the girl.
"--Do you think I'll let you do that? You damned bastard!?"
The corpse climbed up again.
Fresh blood continued to pour out from the wound on his forehead. The boy reached his hand out and blocked the barrel of Amai's pistol. The bullet that had been 'redirected' accurately flew back into the pistol, causing it to explode from within. The hand that was holding onto the pistol was wrecked.
(Damn it! Wasn't he hit by the special bullet? Why is he still alive?)
The 'impact bullet head' was a modern weapon that used the special grooves carved onto the bullet and air resistance, creating a shockwave gun. Nobody that got hit directly in the head by that bullet would be able to survive.
But Amai made a mistake.
As this unique bullet converted the air resistance into a shockwave gun, the bullet speed would be burned by the air resistance, so the bullet would move forward like an open parachute.
The shockwave that was created followed the bullet, but it would be slightly slower. Though it was just a marginal error of 0. 4 seconds, Accelerator had managed to finish the final treatment on Last Order and restart his 'redirection' at the last second.
Although the bullet with depleted speed managed to hit Accelerator on the head, he had blocked the remaining fatal impact.
But Amai Ao didn't know about that. The scene in front of him was like a nightmare.
Amai's remaining working hand, the left one, pulled out another pistol. However, he had never trained to hold a pistol with the weaker left hand, let alone shoot with it. He couldn't even prevent the weight of the pistol from causing him to tremble. Besides, Accelerator was a monster who had still managed to stand up even with a bullet in his head, so it was normal for his left hand to be trembling.
Accelerator was standing in front of Amai Ao.
He seemed to be protecting the delicate Last Order behind him, not caring about the blood that flowed down his forehead, not caring about his trembling legs, not caring that his eyes couldn't see the target clearly.
He just glared at Amai's gun.
Seeing Accelerator like this, the researcher in a white lab coat laughed.
Knowing that he was at a disadvantage, he still laughed as he gave up hope.
"Ha! What are you know? Can someone like you actually change something?"
"... I know. It's really stupid for scum like me to save others. I'm too naïve that even I think that it's funny."
If he saved others, he might be saved.
At first glance, it was a noble idea, but basically, it was just a thought that was thought just for himself. Those that used others' lives for their own benefit couldn't be called kind people. Such people had no right to be saved.
Basically, this world was full of people that were a lost cause. The naïve yet unkind Yoshikawa Kikyou, the man who had shot at the people who protected him without hesitation, Amai Ao, and the person who insisted that human life was precious after killing 10, 000 people, Accelerator.
The people who lived on this corrupted world still wanted to ask for help from others, and that was unforgivable. Those who tried to save others were the dumber lot in the world.
Accelerator understood this clearly.
It was because he was a person of this world that he could understand it.
"However, "
He said this as if he was trying to deny everything.
"This kid here is innocent."
Accelerator smiled.
Fresh blood continued to gush out of the wound on his forehead, but he still smiled and said
"Even if we're the worst scum, trash that has no right to ask others for help--"
Some of the blood seeped into Accelerator's left eye.
His vision was becoming red.
Even so, he exerted all his strength into his legs that could buckle at any moment.
"But that's still no reason not to save this brat, right? DOES IT MEAN THAT WE CAN TRAMPLE ON WHAT THIS BRAT HAS JUST BECAUSE WE'RE SCUM!?"
His vision bloodied, Accelerator shouted.
He knew that it was hypocritical of himself, and how thick-skinned it was. Every word he had said could be used right back at him.
But he still shouted.
Did it mean that those without the right to save shouldn't save others?
Should the hand of a girl that was extended out be scoffed away?
What did the girl do?
What did she do to be rejected just like that?
"Damn it, isn't... that simple?"
He muttered, seemingly to himself.
Last Order had to be saved. Unlike Accelerator and Amai, she still had a chance to be saved.
It didn't matter who saved her.
That wasn't the problem. Someone had to give a helping hand to her, no matter who it was, or she would really die. It was just that simple.
Accelerator could roughly understand it. He could roughly understand the Level 0's feelings when he had gone in to stop that 'experiment'. No reason, no aim, he just stepped up to save the injured Sisters. On first glance, that person seemed to be a natural hero, one who lived in a world different from him, but this wasn't the case.
There was no such thing as a lead character in this world, there weren't those heroes who were conveniently available for use. Nobody could get help by shutting their mouths, and they may not get help even if they asked for it.
But if one didn't want to lose something important, not because of such a laughable reason that 'nobody helped even after we waited for so long', that person had to be the hero.
No matter how forced that was, how overconfident and how shameless he was,
He had to use his own hands to protect the things most precious to him.
The world was merciless; there weren't naturally born heroes.
So the bystanders had to step up,
And put up a performance worthy of a hero.
"THAT'S RIGHT, I KILLED OVER 10, 000 OF THE SISTERS, BUT THIS DOESN'T MEAN THAT I SHOULD JUST LEAVE THE REMAINING 10, 000 TO DIE. I KNOW THAT THESE WORDS ARE HYPOCRITICAL, I KNOW THAT I HAVE NO RIGHT TO SAY SUCH WORDS, BUT NO MATTER HOW MUCH OF A SCUMBAG WE ARE, NO MATTER HOW MANY EXCUSES WE PUT FORWARD, THOSE CAN'T BE THE REASONS TO KILL THIS BRAT!!!"
Accelerator's legs buckled.
The blood continued to ooze out of his wound.
But he couldn't collapse now.
Definitely not.
"... Gy... AAHHH!!"
Accelerator crouched his body down and jumped at the speed of a bullet at Amai. It seemed like Accelerator had an overwhelming advantage, but the one in danger was himself. He definitely couldn't let the battle drag on. If he didn't end it in one hit, Accelerator would lose consciousness. And also, even though he knew that he had to settle it quickly, he didn't have enough power to use stronger attacks. It couldn't be helped; Accelerator could only choose the simplest way of attack, and that was to close in to the shortest distance.
Amai seemed to know this, as he decided to only defend and not attack. Facing Accelerator, who jumped forward at the speed of a cannon, he knew that he would be caught if he backtracked. With this in mind, he jumped sideways. At that moment, the devil's claw glided past where he had been.
Accelerator turned his eyes to the left.
No, he tried to move over, but his legs buckled and lost balance. Accelerator tried to stand firm, but his legs weren't obeying. The pain of the wound on his forehead suddenly got worse, and the next moment, he lost all sense of pain. He heard the sound of collapsing, and at that moment, he realised that he was on the ground.
The horizontal world of vision showed a girl's figure. The girl that he had tried so hard to protect.
He seemed to be thinking about something, but his consciousness was swallowed by the vast darkness.
Part 16
August 31, 8:38pm
For quite some time, Amai Ao couldn't believe that he was still alive.
He stared at Accelerator, who had been collapsed on the street for a long time, before stretching his hand out to wipe the sweat off his forehead.
(I'm, still alive... haha, I actually survived... )
He laughed weakly, and then prodded the collapsed Accelerator's head with his finger.
(... There's no 'redirection'. Though it's really inappropriate to kill this monster personally, if I let him stand up again, I won't be able to escape next time. )
Amai Ao aimed the pistol at Accelerator's head.
BAM! The crisp gunshot sound could be heard. The killing sound didn't sound much different from a pop being pulled.
"..."
Amai Ao frowned.
The gunshot hadn't come from his pistol.
Amai felt a sizzling hot feeling from his waist that seemed like someone had opened a hole and poured molten lead into it. He could only turn around slowly, because he was unable to do anything else.
Slightly further away was a used antique car. It was so old that one may have questioned the owner's taste as it opened. A woman in a white lab coat got out. The woman was holding onto a pistol that was not much different from a toy, as it could only hold 2 bullets.
The pistol in the woman's hand was smoking.
"Yoshikawa... Kikyou."
Amai squeezed out his voice with all his strength. The lab coat wearing woman didn't respond.
Part 17
August 31 8:53pm.
Amai collapsed onto the ground.
He shook his head to recover his vision that was flickering out all of a sudden, before finally recovering. It seemed like he had passed out, but Amai didn't know how long he had been passed out for, a few seconds, a few minutes or many minutes.
A woman in a white lab coat was standing in front of him.
Yoshikawa Kikyou.
Her back was facing Amai as her antique car's luggage compartment was open. She seemed to be operating on some machine. There was a device in the car that Amai was extremely familiar with. It was an incubator.
(Ugh... )
Amai twisted his trembling neck and turned to look at his own car. Last Order, who had been in the passenger seat, was long gone. It seemed like she had been placed in the cylindrical incubator, but his view was blocked by Yoshikawa who was working, so Amai couldn't tell.
He tried to stand up, but his body couldn't follow what he wanted. He tried raising the Italian military pistol with a trembling hand.
At that moment, Yoshikawa turned around.
The work seemed to be over as she closed the luggage compartment up, and aimed her pistol at Amai. Yoshikawa seemed to be smiling, as she raised her pistol and slowly walked towards Amai.
"I'm sorry, it seems like I'm too naive. Not kind, but naive. I didn't have the guts to shoot at your vitals, but I didn't dare to let you escape. I ended up increasing your pain. Perhaps this naive method was the most cruel choice."
"How did you, find me here... ?"
"The GPS function of the mobile phone. It's quite the old technology, isn't it? Haven't you realised it? That child's phone is still on the line."
Yoshikawa stared at Accelerator with a motherly look and said,
"I could roughly hear what happened around here through the phone. But at least there's no commotion 'outside'."
Amai's hand was trembling even more. The numbness spread to his fingers as if he had buried his hand in snow for a long time. The finger that was on the trigger continued to tremble, and the metal parts of the pistol could be heard rattling against each other lightly.
"Ah, don't worry about that child. I know of a doctor who's really good. Though that doctor looks like a frog and doesn't look to be really amazing, but he has the nickname 'Heaven Canceller', and I believe that he can cure that child."
The sound of an ambulance from afar was becoming closer. Maybe she had called for an ambulance before she shot, and even designated the hospital.
Yoshikawa looked at the pistol that could fire at anytime, not stopping as she walked forward.
It seemed like she practically ignored her own safety.
She had come there to protect these children. Ever since the 'experiment' had failed, everyone wanted to push the responsibility to others, but she seemed to have forgotten about protecting herself. Facing the pistol that could fire at anytime, she didn't feel fear at all. She had only one goal, and that was to return the children that were involved in the 'experiment' to the world they should be in.
Was it really just being naive? Couldn't this be considered kindness?"
"... Why?"
Amai squeezed his voice out,
"I don't understand. This isn't like you. You can't possibly do this. You always measure up the probability of chance and risks. Is the chance presented by this act enough to topple that balance in your heart?"
"If I have to answer, I'll say that I hate to use this method of thought. I don't want to see myself succeed like this. But ever since I was little, I've had a wish. Even if it's just once, I just wanted to do something really kind and not just naive."
Yoshikawa Kikyou gave a lonely smile as she walked forward.
Both of them were less than 3m apart from each other.
"Actually, I never wanted to be a researcher."
Yoshikawa added on, mocking herself,
"Unbelievable, isn't it?"
Hearing this, Amai Ao was extremely surprised, for he knew that Yoshikawa was really talented.
"I wanted to be a school teacher. But I didn't want to have that kind of inflexible position of being a lecturer or a professor. I wanted to remember every single student's face, and for every student to come to me if they had any problems. I wanted to run around for a student, not asking for any favours in return. To always smile and act strong, yet cry out loud during a graduation ceremony and get ridiculed by my students. I just wanted to be a kind teacher. Of course, I understand that someone naive yet unkind like me has no right to teach others anything, so I've already given up on that."
Yoshikawa smiled.
Both of them were only 1m away. At that moment, Yoshikawa knelt on one leg. She wanted to make herself reach Amai's level, who was sitting down on the ground, making sure that their eyes were at the same height, as if she was talking to a child.
"However, I thought, I won't be able to give it up completely. Just once, I want to do something really kind, and not just naive. Like a teacher, I want to run about for a child."
Yoshikawa said firmly,
"That's simply it."
Both of their pistols were pressed at each other's chest.
Actually, she knew that Accelerator was unable to return to the ordinary world. The fact that he had killed 10, 000 Sisters remained, and that may not have been all there was to it. Although he had tremendous power, the wielder of that power had an unstable heart. If he was not careful, he could end up causing much more damage to humanity.
But Yoshikawa Kikyou still earnestly prayed.
The strongest esper whose real name no one remembered bet his own life to save a girl, and was even willing to take a bullet to the head. The boy knew that he wouldn't be able to live together with that girl, knowing that that girl who was living under the sunlight wouldn't have any reason to be with him, but he never gave up. No matter what, the boy wouldn't give the girl up. Until the end, the boy chose the kind option, and not to protect himself.
He knew that it was too late, but the boy had finally realised that he could have a choice.
The boy understood the significance of protecting others with his own hands.
Yoshikawa wanted to protect that kindness in the boy's heart.
Yoshikawa was unable to accept that the results of that kind action would be such a cruel ending.
"It's over, Amai Ao."
The two people put their fingers on the triggers of the pistols that were pressed onto each other's chest.
"You should be afraid of dying alone. If you want to drag someone down, bring me along. No matter what, I won't allow you to do anything to those children. This is my once in a lifetime request of kindness."
"Humph."
Amai chuckled.
Since Academy City and the opposing force wouldn't accept him, he had no hope for the future.
"It seems like 'kindness' doesn't fit you."
He happily muttered. The force of their fingers were exerted on the triggers.
"Right now, you can be called 'strong'."
The two shots hit each other's chest.
The bullets pierced through their bodies and flew out from Amai and Yoshikawa's backs.
August 31 8:57pm.
END
| ← Ch. 038 | Ch. 040 → |