03x21 - Doppelganger

[bunniefuu]

I really haven't been getting enough sleep.

Ever since all that happened,
I've had nightmares that keep me up.

Miss Misaka!

Well, if it isn't little Kana.

Hello.

Hello!

You're not with your friends today?

Mm-mm.

I'm going to the Learning Core to study!

Oh, yeah? Good for you!

Would you walk with me to the bus terminal?

Hm? Do you not know how to get there?

Uh-huh.

Do you have to go down
an empty street, or something?

Not really.

Then do I really need to go with you?

You aren't doing anything
now anyway, so come with me!

We're off!

Um... What?

Come to think of it,

I saw you on TV during the Daihasei Festival.

Huh?

Oh, the live coverage.

You came in first in the
three-legged race and scavenger hunt.

Well, I am pretty quick on my feet.

Not that winning races means a whole lot
when you get out in the real world.

Y-You may be right about that, but still,

no matter what you do,
it still takes physical strength.

Miss Mikoto, you're such a muscle-head.

You know, Kana, you shouldn't just blurt out--

Uh-oh!

The card dealer is gone!

This is where that Trader was.

Do you know what Indian Poker is?

Huh?

There was a man who sold cards there.
He had a lot of them,

but the best one he had was called "Bust Upper,"

which was supposed to let you
dream your way to bigger boobs.

But I wonder if anyone would
actually buy something like that.

If there were, they'd have
to be awfully scrawny

and have a pretty nasty complex
about their own figure, you know?

I'm sure they would also be
short-tempered and always ready to fight,

and yet flirt with boys with
what she thinks are fancy goods--

Just a minute!

How can you put those awful words
into a little girl's mouth, Shokuho?!

Uh-oh, the jig is up.

Huh? I'm already at the bus terminal.
Oh, it's Miss Mikoto!

I'm impressed you figured it out.

Anyone could have figured it out!

Are you two friends?

--Of course we aren't.
--Of course we aren't.

Be sure to study hard,

so you don't turn into a muscle-head, okay?

Muscle-head?

See you later!

So, after this roundabout way
of getting me, what do you want?

And how did you even know about that card?!

There's something I needed to look into,
and I read the Trader's memories.

But you know...

You looked so desperate while scrambling for it,

but I don't see any change at all!

Or is it that your
flat-chestedness is so powerful

the card didn't have any effect on you?

Shut up! You think these
pudgy lumps of flesh are so special--

Miss Misaka! Have you lost your mind...?

Would you mind not assaulting people

and then going off to wallow
in despair by yourself?

"A Certain Scientific Railgun T"

We have confirmed that the
blast-proofing on the student buses,

the fact that the shower rooms are supplied

with theoretically pure water
from a solid-state plant,

and numerous other confidential,
proprietary details about Tokiwadai,

such as the layout of various campus
structures and facilities,

have been leaked.

It extends to other
Garden of Learning institutions

and some large corporations, as well.
There are even instances

of information pertaining to
security measures that have gone public.

The cause of all this is thought to be...

These cards, known as "Indian Poker."

They are devices that allow one
to share their dreams with someone else.

But through dreams that
are recorded on these cards,

--organizational information
that would normally remain secret
--Whoa! So this is the Garden of Learning!

--appears to be leaking externally.
--Whoa! So this is the Garden of Learning!

So what would be run-of-the-mill
information for anyone involved

ends up being precious data for
those outside the organization, right?

Yes. Each school has hurriedly
started taking measures...

...but these are handmade items,
not sold through commercial markets,

so we are a bit behind the curve.

Antiskill has attempted to contact the site

to which the original plans for
the card writer had been uploaded...

...but identifying the uploader of
the plans has been extremely difficult.

Kuriba Ryoko.

Shinshikimi Middle School,
in School District 20. Age 14.

The photo is from when she enrolled.

You're saying that she's the one
who came up with the plans for Indian Poker?

Took you long enough.

I asked you for this over 24 hours ago.

--I'm not one to traffic in vague,
unconfirmed information.
--Here, one stir-fried rice.

Would you mind if I asked
why you're looking into this matter?

There was something familiar about
the principle behind those cards.

Indeed. According to my investigation,
she was once involved with Clone Dolly.

Could their objective at the time

have been to use the cards for
psychological doping or brainwashing?

Those cards don't seem to
have those functions as of yet.

Whatever the intent,

I'm going to find whatever idiot would circulate

something like that out
into the world at this point.

One ramen!

So, where is this girl?

Forgive me, that is still under investigation.

That's not like you.

To be more accurate,

she is affiliated with
a certain research institute.

--I have ascertained that
she is living within the facility,
--How am I supposed to eat this?

--so I did not pursue it any further.
--How am I supposed to eat this?

As I was investigating this
research institute, something felt off.

About whether the Kuriba Ryoko
at the facility was really "Kuriba Ryoko."

What is that supposed to mean?

So, I've pinned down the creator of
these cards and the organization she's with.

The experiments they're doing there
sound a little beyond unconventional.

--They must involve--
--I had no idea they were so...

...heavy in one's hands...
So soft, even through her clothing...

Or felt so springy as
they pushed back against me...

I was the one grabbing them,

but it was as if they were clinging
to my hands, embracing--

Ow...

I don't need to hear any more
of you reviewing my boobs!

And how long are you going
to space out over there?!

For that matter, why are
you acting so shocked now?

I hate to be the one to say this, but you
can pretty well eyeball how big they are.

I was thinking that maybe the chain
on your bag emphasized your cleavage,

making them look bigger,

--when actually, they weren't
that much different than mine...

--Has Miss Misaka always been this dumb?
--when actually, they weren't
that much different than mine...

Anyhow, you heard what I was saying, right?

About how there's a budding thr*at
to your own brainwashing territory

and you want to nip it?

That interpretation is just
as twisted as your disposition.

Can we leave me out of this for the moment?

The experiment that Kuriba Ryoko was involved in

is not directly related to Indian Poker.

She was more of a cyborg test subject.

Cyborg?

When you hear the word cyborg,
you think of everything

from artificial organs being transplanted
to full-body mechanization, don't you?

But the experiment she was involved
with was a bit more out of the ordinary.

Kuriba Ryoko was experimentally

turned into two people.

Huh?

Her body was used as a
test subject and taken apart,

and the parts that were missing
were then replaced by machinery.

She went from having one body
to being reborn as two cyborgs.

Well, that's...

Was there some circumstance
that forced her to do so?

No, there wasn't. It was entirely
because that was the subject matter.

The two Kuribas lived separate lives,

and after a year passed, she was
put back together into her original body.

There was no particular issue with
psychological fragmentation or rejection.

Apparently, she retained both halves
of her memories from when she was split.

Sounds like quite the gruesome experiment,

but cyborg medical treatments
can help many disabled people,

and the whole affair is already over,

so I don't see that outsiders
like us have anything to say about it.

Yes. We're of the same opinion
as far as that goes. However,

this experiment had
one other objective, you see.

Kuriba's purpose

was to confirm the compatibility
of cybernetics with human bodies.

The research institute's
primary objective was the same,

and if something else came about
as a by-product, well, so much the better.

That being the generation of a soul.

Uh...

Miss Misaka, do you think the soul exists?

You mean that thing about how
the moment a person dies,

their body becomes 21 grams lighter?

This conversation has
suddenly taken an occult turn, huh?

I don't know anything about
how credible all of this is,

but supposing that the
phenomenon of a soul does exist,

what happened to Kuriba's soul
when she was split into two people?

Just supposing that one of
the split Kuribas were to lose her life,

it's hard to imagine that the other Kuriba

in a separate location would die
at the same time, right?

When she was split into two people,
did her soul also split,

and become a second soul?
And once her soul was split into two,

after being put back together,
her body became one whole.

Okay, where would the
leftover soul have gone, then?

In other words, is there a soul or whatever

dwelling inside the mechanical body
that would be put together?

Are you seriously asking that?

Wha--? I was just using the word "soul"
so that you wouldn't be lost!

For that matter, what does any of
this have to do with Indian Poker?

Also, if you found out who actually created it,

couldn't you report that to Judgment
or Antiskill and be done with it?

I could...

However, before I do, I wanted
to have you break into the institute

and verify the outcome of Kuriba's experiment.

Huh?

I could do it myself, but assuming
there's actually a mechanical person there,

and we happened to bump into each other,
that would be trouble, right?

It's not clear whether my brainwashing
would work on such a mind.

It would be safer to have a muscle-head
like you there in that eventuality.

Okay, but why should I?

Because if an application for the
soul generation experiment were found,

how many more hundreds of people
would meet a similar fate?

They would need subjects to verify
their results, such as Child Errors,

or perhaps even human clones.

Um, and... it would not be
worth the trouble and expense

of building a cloning facility
solely for this experiment.

So just take it easy.

I'm not asking you to do
this for nothing, of course.

The Project Level 6 Sisters--

didn't you want them to be able to live
in normal society someday down the road?

But the obstacles in the way
of that happening are so great.

Wouldn't my ability to win people over

and my network of contacts be
useful when the time comes?

Shokuho, why are you so intent
on involving yourself in this?

I don't want to find myself indebted to you,

so let's make a deal.

You mean it about those girls, right?

As far as this matter goes, at least,

I promise.

What was that whole charade about?

Just having a harebrained
experiment that could claim victims

would be enough to get Mikoto
to go into action on her own.

And Misaki, you don't
really care how things look

when it comes to helping
the Sisters, do you? And yet,

"Let's make a deal." "You mean it?" "I promise."

How long has that tsundere quid pro quo business

to cover your embarrassment been going on--

You know, I could just as
easily break in and investigate.

Or did you want to see how deep
Mikoto's feelings for the Sisters ran?

Buzz off, will you, Mitori?

Are you showing off your voyeurism
just to wind me up?

Oh, no.

I don't have that kind of time to waste.
I have a message from Keitz.

He says that he's tracked down
where the real Kuriba Ryoko is.

Are you sure you must go out?

At this hour?

Mm-hmm, I made a little deal
and was asked to do something.

For whom is this for, exactly?

For whom would you go out
and leave me here all alone?

This isn't even a little bit
what you're thinking.

Handle the head resident for me
if she comes around, okay?

Well, I suppose I can do that.

If anything happens,
you'll be the first person I call.

Well, what can I say to that?

"#21 Doppelganger"

Come back safely.

I haven't dressed up like this in a while.

"...eyewitness testimony from staff..."
"...teenage boy with lightning..."

Last time, they thought I was a boy at first.

Hmm, maybe I should have gone
with something more frilly.

All green. Good work.

Hey,

how long are these routine tests going to go on?

I want to leave the facility already--

Oh, no,

this experiment is something
unprecedented, you understand.

Chief...

We have to be extra cautious
when doing these follow-up exams.

I think you're worrying too much.

Good grief, this confined living
is going to go on forever.

Whoops.

Well, sh**t.

I got that from my mother.

I got that mug from my mother
before coming to Academy City.

I know it. But...

I can't remember my mother.
And it's not just her--

my father, and my friends from my hometown...

I can't remember much of anything
from before I came to Academy City.

No, even after I moved to Academy City...

I can vividly remember things
that happened when I was split it two.

I just don't remember anything from before that.

Is that an aftereffect of the experiment?

Am I...

Kuriba Ryoko?

Am I...

Am I... human?

Now then...

Whoa!

Did they know I was breaking in?!

Huh?!

She's not here?

Those banners should have
been able to support 100 kilos.

But no. She must weigh a ton.

Then, could she have been...?

She ran away?!

Yes, sir. She destroyed the exterior wall,

and jumped from the upper floor
and out of the facility.

She jumped?! She's supposed
to have a sense of self-preservation!

Well, the only things that are
malfunctioning from the shock of the fall

are her GPS and fast-acting restraints.

This suggests that it was a premeditated,
carefully-calculated risk.

Additionally, most of the research data
that was caught in the blast was lost.

Reconstructing it will be very difficult.

What?! Th-The damage
is isolated to just here, right?!

Yes, sir. Nowhere else was affected.

O-Okay. Whatever, just hurry up
and recover the Doppelganger.

"Shinasame University DNA Map Analysis Lab"

Come to think of it, weren't you selling
some kind of cards before this?

Oh yeah, those?

Huh? What are you doing in here, lady?

You wouldn't happen to be a ghost
that haunts this place, would you?

Oh, but you have a body and everything.

So why don't you and I have a nice--

Bodies...

People's thoughts dwell in the brain.
Life dwells in the heart.

Emotions dwell in the face.

So...

...if you drive the soul out of a body,
do you think it can be made vacant?

What, already?! I can't concentrate!

Ah, forgive the late hour.
I'm with the management company.

We've had some trouble with the water tanks.

The repairs are done, but we're checking
if the water quality is all right--

There's no problem here, now leave me alone!

All right, can I get you
to sign your consent, please?

It's a regulation, you understand.

Forgive me, but I'm very busy,
so let's hurry and--

You weren't on the camera--

Whoops.

Sorry to be so abrupt.
I wonder if we could have a quick word.

Wh-Who are you people?!

It's not like I'm going to bite,
so I don't want you to be afraid.

The third-ranked? Railgun?!

You're not here from the research lab, right?

Not really. I was just running down
Indian Poker and came across you.

And I was just roped into doing this by her.

But after seeing what I saw,
I can't very well not ask you about it.

What you saw?

I watched as your cyborg
broke out a little while ago.

Broke out? So, it finally happened.

So then you knew about that thing.

Yeah.

The chief and other researchers
called her "Doppelganger."

I saw her on the monitor right after my surgery.

A mechanical puppet who identifies
herself as a human--as Kuriba Ryoko.

The chief and the others were terribly excited.

Soul generation--they said it
was uncharted territory.

You're saying that there's
a soul inside that machine, too?

Honestly, even after seeing it myself,
I only half believe it.

But assuming that such a
phenomenon has actually happened,

it could create some extremely serious problems.

Serious? It may be a lot tougher,
compared to flesh-and-blood people,

but it is just a
healthcare-based machine, right?

It isn't built for combat.
Is having just one of them really a thr*at?

I told them that someday,
she would realize that she isn't human,

but they said "Then we'll
get some more data from that,"

and "The lower levels of the building
have layer after layer of security,

plus, she has a shutdown device
implanted, so it's okay."

Everyone refused to listen to
what kind of danger that thing posed.

Artificial skin.

Well, it's important to look the part,
after all. And while I'm at it...

Found her. An abandoned
facility in School District 20.

You were in there a long time,
Yakkun. Huge dump?

--Or are we having a lady's day today?

--Huh?!
--Or are we having a lady's day today?

Knock it off, Naru. Don't you realize
the position we've been placed in?

Quite correct.

You had a big job to do.
A request straight from the governing board,

and you guys messed it up.

You may have been going up against that monster,

but you were powerless to stop him
and came running back in disgrace.

Your reputation as a dark side
subsidiary organization is in the pits.

If you make one more mistake...

We get it. If we screw up this mission,
we're as good as stray dogs.

I wish stray dogs is all we would be.

Now that we're clear, get on the stick,
you leftover-eating Scavengers.

Hmph, she talks down to us
just like a self-important teacher.

I wasn't expecting us to get the
flushed-down-to-the-dark-side treatment.

Take it easy, Leader.

Yeah, I know, Seike. Okay,

let's go, guys.

Time to start recovering
that piece of scrap metal!

"Next episode preview"

Manipulator of paper, Naru!

"Next episode preview"
"#22 Scavenger"

Controller of frictional coefficients, Seike!

Leave the chemicals to me! Yakumaru!

Master of the birds-eye view, Leader!

The four of us combined are Scavenger!

What if we introduced ourselves that way?

--Overruled.
--Overruled.