Wednesday 5th of June 2002, Two years before the start of Canon A Certain Magical Index
I examine the body in the cloning tank with a clinical gaze before returning my attention to the status read outs and the medical history. Most academy city scientists would have labelled it something like 'maintenance history of the organic hardware' but I'll say one thing for my family, they didn't tend to hide their monstrosity behind sophistry. Gensei least of all.
[Calculate Relative Space-Time Position of Object "Dollhouse". Save Reference Point "Dollhouse".]
"I can see why you want my help. She has 6 months to live, a year on the outside. Seconds if you decant her out of the tank. Whoever was in charge of her before was a novice. Or just incompetent."
"Given how those projects ended with one research team dead by AIM Burst and the other mind controlled by a child I suspect it was both my dear."
"Well the cybernetic implants that her first body had won't be needed. Their function can be replicated with some new medications I've developed added to the nutrient solution or in pill form if she's ever decanted. It will take time to repair the function of her internal organs however. Even longer to undo the damage to her telomeres. That in particular will require repeat visits for custom, and proprietary to MAR, nanomachine treatments. Given the project name of 'Prototype' I assume you'll also be wanting solutions to ensure that her future sisters have similarly healthy bodies without me needing to hover over them?"
"Oh no. I already have a team working on that. The data gathered on the first clone was more than enough to ensure the short term stability and effectiveness of the mass production units. Though if you're volunteering your help?"
"I'm not."
"Then no. Will you be willing to accept similar restrictions about our location on subsequent visits?"
I groan at the prospect of more ridiculous spy games but nod, "Yes. If nothing else I can use the time to catch up on my paperwork. I'll have a shipment of the medicine she needs sent to your office at the Advanced Education Bureau then?"
"Excellent. If you'd be so kind." Gensei turns and walks away, obviously expecting me to follow him.
I sigh and pat Dolly's tank. "Goodbye Dolly. It seems we'll be seeing more of each other over the coming months."
[Calculate Relative Space-Time Position of Object "Dolly's Cradle". Save Reference Point "Dolly's Cradle".]
I deliberately don't rush to catch up to him. It's easy enough to make up the distance at a normal pace anyway given the affectation of ill health Gensei puts on.
"I will of course require the payment we agreed on. As you pointed out I'm not doing this out of, what did you call it? My sense of civic duty."
Gensei stops at that and for the first time today I seem to have actually got to him. His lips purse, his fists clench and his eyes finally open from that faux squint he insists on. I have to restrain a smirk at that. Uncrossing his arms from behind his back he reaches into his chest pocket and pulls out a case containing a small red ability crystal. Both our eyes lock onto it.
"The First Sample. It will be painful to give it up. A weakness of mine, to be so sentimental about a failed experiment. I really do believe that this could lead to SYSTEM you know? Not just a mass produced drug for failed test subjects to get high on and short sighted mercenaries to use as a weapon. All that potential, your potential, wasted. Though given your work for FIVE_Over and Anti-Skill I don't expect you to understand." Gensei's voice is wistful and the worst part is I know this isn't a front or a ploy for once. He sincerely thinks I'm wasting my talents and have morally sold out by working for Academy City's military.
My voice is almost as sad as his when I finally compose myself enough to reply. "I understand more than you think, Gensei. My work for the board of directors' toy soldiers is a means to an end, the same as Dolly is for you, not my passion. We will never see eye to eye about SYSTEM but trust me when I say that I do share your disgust for how Ability Body Crystals are wasted." I gently pry my ability crystal from his hand and look him in the eye. "But I promise you, as painful as you are finding giving it up? It is nothing compared to how painful it was for me when you created this crystal."
The infuriating man just smiles at me, "Pain and sacrifice are needed for science to advance my dear. My pain, your pain, the pain of those child errors. Even the pain of the clone's first body. Novices they may have been but the tests on her first body are what will allow her current body and all her future sisters to live healthy lives."
I scowl, "If they had employed me on that project there would have been no need for her first body to die. That's always been your greatest flaw as a scientist Gensei. You get so excited you move too quickly and break things. One day your luck will run out and you'll break something you can't fix or afford to discard." I turn to stride away, "I'll show myself to your car and have your driver see me out. My secretary will contact yours at the ADB to set up a time for the first nanomedicine treatment."
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Wednesday 8th of October 2002, One year and 8 months before the start of Canon A Certain Magical Index
Gensei is of course not a moron. He has Dolly moved to a different building each time I visit over the next four months. I tag all of those too for future review but that's just covering my bases. Ever since I touched her suspension tank I've known exactly where she is relative to myself and my other reference points at all times. The four months were just to make sure she would be safe to move and to give me time to set things in motion.
"MAR! Thank goodness you're here to help! Some Skill-Out thugs tried to raid the building. They ran away when Anti-Skill arrived but they set a fire on the way out which is still spreading. I think it might be some kind of product of Dark Matter they bought off the black market, nothing we try manages to smother the fires." It was probably not something Kikane sold on the black market. More likely Byouri had just whipped up a novel chemical solution for the occasion.
I finish chewing my custom chocolate drop and speak up, "Don't worry Dr. Okawa. My officers and I have been preparing for this eventuality. Are all your employees accounted for?" Even though I know the wave of calm and focus washing over me is psychosomatic, the drugs won't actually kick in properly for an hour or so, it still helps. I don't like doing rescue work with my 'Kihara-ness' out in the open but I need my full faculties available in case anything goes wrong here.
"Mostly. Our evacuation procedures worked well. We have a handful missing but most are accounted for. Either alive or, or dead. I-I, the smell!" Oh right, most people are disturbed by burning bodies. Honestly I'm shocked that someone working for Gensei, even in a low level position like this, still has a gag reflex.
"Captain Hinata, have the
HsGAMA-04's demolish a fire break around the alight buildings. Captain Yoshida, start escorting survivors and bystanders to the aid station. Being processing and collecting witness testimony. Captain Katō, have your teams sweep the buildings for any trapped victims, I'll join you with my squad soon. Captain Kimura, start deploying the Chlorine Trifluoride countermeasures to start with while the Mobile Lab Team runs an analysis on the flames and incendiary material. Dr. Okawa, walk with me for a moment." To an outside observer, even to the man himself, my hold on him probably looks friendly but in reality the man has no choice in the matter. He doesn't look like he's done a day's hard labour in his life. I could fold him over my knee even without my powers.
"Dr. Okawa, I didn't realise this until I saw you but this was the lab I visited last week for a consultation for my grandfather wasn't it?. You know I'm currently ensuring its health so you know that I have the clearance to ask this. Did they target the Sisters Prototype? If there is any damage to it then I need to know so I can prioritise its recovery."
"I- yes. Yes they did. I thought it was odd they would even know anything important was in that area. Judging from what they said I don't think they knew what we were working on. They mentioned looking for materials that would help raise their levels. Please, you have to hurry! The fires were started near the project. If it's damaged Dr. Gensei might fire me, or worse, blacklist me in the city!" I nod sympathetically while internally smirking. Thank you for being so predictably petty Byouri. I barely had to bait the hook and you went right for it. All it took was being openly caring about Dolly where I know your spies are watching and you did all the hard work for me. Consider me putting you on Gensei's shit list a small piece of payback for what you did to Kagun.
"I see. Thank you for your candour Dr. I'm familiar with the interior layout even if I've never seen the outside before so my squad and I will go and ensure the safety of the Prototype. Please head to the aid station while MAR deals with this."
"Ye-yes. I should really sit down. This has been entirely too much excitement for one day."
I almost feel bad for the man who's probably going to face the most blowback for this. But if his stomach is this weak he'll really be better getting out of the city while the going is good.
"Well, time to get to work saving a kitten from a tree." I say to myself with a jaunty whistle as I walk back to my squad and the fire. You're almost free Dolly.
Later That Evening
I'm sitting by her bedside still in my tank top and overalls from deployment when Dolly starts to wake up. I try to fix a gentle and inviting smile on my face as she stirs, though I don't have much practice or good examples.
"Wh-who are you? Where ar - cough- are we?" Her voice is weak and still a little raspy despite our medical attention so I hold a cup of water for her to sip as I reply.
"My name is Lifeline Tina. I'm a rescue worker with the Multi Active Rescue. We found you trapped in a burning building and brought you here to our infirmary. Please sip some of this water. It will help your throat." She doesn't argue thankfully. Instead she enjoys it so much that I have to withdraw the cup before she can drink too much and choke herself.
"Thank you for the water." her voice is still weak from a lack of use but the raspiness is reducing, "You said the building was burning, is Michan okay?"
"I don't know who that is but you were in a different lab then- then your first body was. If your friend was at the old lab then the fire wouldn't have hurt them." The poor child had tensed up at first but once I explained she relaxed back onto her bed.
"Thank you. We're glad she's okay. Could we see her? Her full name was Shokukou Misaki."
…
…
Fuck.
I've paused too long, Dolly is getting worried.
"Yes. I know for sure that Miss Shokuhou is safe and healthy right now. Your body is still weak from the tank and the fire so I'd like you to stay here for observation but I think I could arrange a visit within the," think, think, " week." I don't think my hurried promise has convinced her but she doesn't look like she'll cry now at least. Who knew children were so stressful?
"You're scared of her aren't you? Why?" I hope I wasn't obvious but perhaps she's just insightful for her age. I shouldn't assume she's stupid just because she's a child. Honesty is probably the best path here.
"She's a very powerful young woman now. She's probably a good kid" at least if she was friends with someone as innocent you, "but it's scary for an adult to feel powerless before a girl who isn't even in middle school." Dolly just smiles gently and pats my arm.
"Don't worry Nachan. Michan is nice. You don't need to be scared of her." Well aren't you just the cutest, most trusting thing? If she's really your friend I probably would need to worry if I kept you from her. At least I can be reasonably sure that she's not working with Gensei.
"I'll see about setting up a meeting somewhere neutral closeby so you don't get exhausted. Maybe a park." I'm surprised at how excited that makes her but in hindsight I shouldn't be surprised that she didn't get many trips outside in her first body. "And if you're going to call me Nachan, what should I call you? Your file says your previous carers," in the loosest possible sense, "called you Dolly."
Her excited nodding makes me worry for a moment that she might hurt her neck, "Yep! That's what the scientists called us! Dolly died but she's still in here." she points to her forehead, "We were asleep the whole time so I only experienced a lot of her memories like she experienced dreams." She looks around before whispering with a grin, "We don't think the researchers ever figured out that I was there too!"
Okay. A lot to unpack there. It's good to know that even a small two person network can backup its members. Obviously I'll still be trying to save as many sisters from dying as possible but it's a relief to know that the backup hypothesis works in practice. Maybe they could be uploaded to new bodies? No, if what this one is saying is true then even 'blank' clones have qualia. Which is an ethical minefield given how I've treated cloned animals before but let's save that breakdown for later.
"I'm glad to hear that she's still with you. Would you like to keep that name Dolly? And would this body like to use this name or pick her own?" Her- their face screws up in thought. There really should be rules against kids being so adorable. Eventually she lies back down with a frustrated sigh. "We don't know. We'd never given it thought before. Dolly for sure wants to keep her name. I don't know if I want my own and I have no idea what it would be."
"Well there is no rush, don't worry. And if you choose to share a name that's completely fine. It's late and I'm sure you're tired. Before I let you get to sleep, is there anyone other than Misaki you'd like to meet? I have a few people who I think you'd like to talk to as well but you can say no. I don't want to overwhelm you."
She scowls at me but her wrath is undercut quite a bit by her yawning now I've drawn attention to her energy levels. "Imnot sleepy." she grumbles, "... We'd like to see Michan. Not Misaki, well, yes Misaki. But also Mitori. Kouzaku Mitori. I- I know she hates me. An-and thinks I'm ugly but she was our first friend. I, we want to try and make up with her now that I don't have my scars." I try to conceal my distaste for this supposed 'friend' who hurt her so much as Dolly rubs her chest where the first body's scars were.
"I'll do my best to find her and get her to come by. In the meantime. You need your sleep if you're going to get better and grow big and strong. I'm sure Miss Shokuhou would be very happy to see you well rested." I'm probably laying it on a bit thick but I barely remember my first life and I'm certainly not going to copy Gensei's style of child care. The pair continue to object that they aren't tired but also don't make too much fuss when i tuck them in and close the privacy curtains to block them off from the empty ward.
"Good night you two." I whisper as I switch the lights off and lock the ward's door.
"No one but myself is allowed to enter." I say as I turn towards the pair of troopers I have guarding the door. "If the patient wishes to leave, call my emergency phone and put me on speaker. I'll talk to her and make my way here from my work apartment in the building. If anyone tries to force their past you two to her? Shoot to kill. No warnings."
