"Academy City is indeed beautiful under the setting sun... but this is just the beginning."
Yuuya wrapped his arms around the waists of the two Misaka Sisters. He felt their stiff muscles relax slightly.
"Let's go home."
Snap.
[Ability: Move Point]
The three figures vanished from the rooftop.
...
District 7. Heaven Canceller's Hospital.
Yuuya teleported the two clones directly into the hidden ward, joining the other thirteen he had moved earlier. None of them tried to escape. They stood quietly, waiting for orders.
"Hmm... I'm really exhausted today."
Heaven Canceller rubbed his stiff shoulders, his frog-like face lined with fatigue.
"I had to activate all the spare pods in the storage wing. Do you know how much work it is to prep thirty life-support systems on short notice?"
"Hehe. Thank you for your hard work, Doctor. I brought 15 Sisters today. Are there enough pods?" Yuuya scratched his head sheepishly.
"I've prepared 30 units. Each Sister needs 15 days of intensive treatment to stabilize their telomeres and correct their biological clock," the Doctor explained, looking at the data pad.
"They won't stay in the pods forever, but they need six consecutive cycles. It's a tight schedule."
He scratched his bald head helplessly.
"But we can't delay. Their physical condition is deteriorating. If we wait three more days, their lifespans will be permanently shortened."
"What about that Gene Repair Serum I gave you?"
"I'm still analyzing it. It shows immense promise for repairing genetic defects, but it doesn't solve the metabolic burnout immediately," Heaven Canceller shook his head. "But don't worry. I will save them. I've already ordered more equipment from my private suppliers."
"Thank you, Doctor."
Yuuya breathed a sigh of relief. The Sisters were designed with a lifespan of only a few years. Saving them from Accelerator was step one; saving them from their own biology was step two.
"Now..." Heaven Canceller looked at the two Sisters Yuuya had just brought in. "Let's start their induction. Come with me."
Nurses appeared, guiding the clones toward the changing rooms. They were given surgical gowns and prepped for the pods.
"How is she?" Yuuya asked quietly, walking beside the doctor. "The one I brought yesterday. Misaka 9982."
He missed the girl he had kissed. She was the first one he saved.
"Her injuries were severe. Shrapnel, internal bleeding. I've slowed her cell division to prevent shock. She should be ready for adjustments tomorrow," the Doctor said kindly.
He paused at the door to the treatment room.
"So... have you thought about how to stop the experiment long-term?"
He looked at Yuuya with concern. "Kidnapping them is a stopgap measure. If you anger the City's administration, they will crush you."
"The experiment is stopped," Yuuya smiled.
"I went to the Windowless Building. I spoke to the Chairman."
Heaven Canceller's eyes widened slightly.
"Aleister agreed. The killings end. He gave me the green light."
"Is that so?" The Doctor smiled, a genuine, warm expression. "Then I suppose I have no reason to worry."
He opened the door. Rows of glass incubation pods hummed with blue light. They were identical to the one that kept Aleister alive.
Yuuya watched as the nurses helped the Sisters into the tanks. One by one, they were submerged in the healing fluid, electrodes attached to their temples.
They looked peaceful.
...
District 7. Seventh Pharmaceutical Research Center.
The lab was in an uproar.
"Fifteen subjects gone! Just like that!"
The Project Supervisor paced frantically. They had used the Misaka Network to track the missing clones.
"Sir! We located them! They are at the District 7 University Hospital!"
"Then send a recovery team! Why are you standing there?"
"We... we can't," the security officer stammered. "We received a notification from the Board. We do not have the authority to enter that hospital."
"What?!" The Supervisor slammed his fist on the console. "It's just a hospital! We are a Level 5 Project! Who is protecting that place?!"
"Director!" A female researcher shouted, her face pale. "We just received a classified file from the Main Server. It concerns the intruder."
"What? The Eighth Level 5?"
The Supervisor rushed to the screen.
[CLASSIFIED: TOP SECRET]
[Clearance: Aleister Crowley Only]
Name: Takahashi Yuuya
Status: The Eighth Level 5 (Candidate)
Abilities:
Multi-Skill User (Confirmed)
Physical Enhancement (Level 5 equivalent)
Coordinate Movement (Level 5 equivalent)
Electromaster (Level 4)
Pyrokinesis (Level 2)
Tree Diagram Simulation Result:
"Subject Takahashi Yuuya possesses a growth curve far exceeding Accelerator. By utilizing a customized curriculum, Subject can evolve into a Level 6 (SYSTEM) within 67 days."
The room went deathly silent.
Cold sweat poured down the Supervisor's face.
"67 days..." he whispered hoarsely.
"Accelerator requires 20,000 clones and endless combat. This boy... can do it in two months?"
"And this file... it's signed by the Chairman."
The implications were terrifying. Aleister had found a better candidate. The Level 6 Shift involving Accelerator was obsolete.
"It's over," a researcher muttered. "The Project is cancelled."
Ping.
A new email arrived from the Board of Directors.
[Directive:]
[1. The Combat Experiment (Shift) is suspended indefinitely.]
[2. The Production of Misaka Clones will CONTINUE.]
[3. All active Clones are to be maintained for further instructions.]
"Hah?"
The researchers stared at the screen, dumbfounded.
"The experiment is stopped... but we keep making them?"
"Why?"
They didn't understand. They didn't know that for Aleister, the Level 6 Shift was a lie. The real goal was always the Misaka Network covering the globe.
And now, thanks to Yuuya, Aleister had the perfect excuse to keep the Network alive without wasting resources on killing them.
....
.....
.....
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