03x22 - Scavenger

[bunniefuu]

"Shinasame University DNA Map Analysis Lab"

I'm just saying,

I want to forget all about
our earlier screw up right away.

And that's the reason why we're
doing this detail-oriented job, right?

I don't mean little contracted-out jobs
like this one, but bigger jobs,

where we can boost
our reputation with a real bang!

Then maybe we can get
the team name I've been hoping for!

Team name? You mean like ITEM or SCHOOL?

That's right! How does "HYENA" grab you?

Yuck. That's repulsive.

Is that even something you can give yourself?

Quiet.

The puppet isn't here.

It's Naru's fault for
wanting to get popsicles.

Me?! But everybody bought one!

No matter. No mere puppet
can escape from my Predator.

"A Certain Scientific Railgun T"

The risk the Doppelganger poses?

Yeah, or more accurately,
I should say the risk posed by her "soul."

Soul?

Kuriba Ryoko, do you,
a scientist, believe in such a thing?

It's hypothesized that what
we call a soul is linked to the body.

When the body ceases to function,
the soul also goes away.

But if the Doppelganger
has a soul dwelling within her,

it is only temporarily stuck
within the machinery.

Even if the vessel is broken, it does
not go away, it just becomes untethered.

An untethered soul will spread out
from the vessel into its surroundings.

This ordinarily impossible "free soul"

could then possess any material
and control it as it pleases.

Worst case scenario, I think that it
could even swallow up Academy City itself

and take control of it.

Swallow up Academy City?

In other words, you're saying
that it would be highly risky

to physically destroy the
Doppelganger's body or "vessel"?

Have you mentioned this to the laboratory?

Yes, I have. But the chief and the others
are so caught up in their success,

they couldn't accept any negative views.

Still,

what can they do if the
Doppelganger decides to harm itself?

That probably won't happen.
No, I should say it can't happen.

The artificial body that started out
being a cyborg has a safety--

a self-preservation function built into it.

Because of its cyborg nature,

shutting down any mechanical functions
would directly affect the biologicals,

so it is programmed not to perform
any action that would cause more than

a certain level of damage to itself.

That safety was your doing?

Yes. The Doppelganger employs artificial muscles
that contract through chemical interaction,

immunosuppressive agents that inhibit the
body's rejection response where it makes contact

and a number of other
technologies that I developed.

Your circulation of Indian Poker has
to do with the Doppelganger, doesn't it?

What makes you think that?

Because the time when you learned
about the Doppelganger's existence

overlaps with the time when
those cards started going around.

It's only natural to assume
the two are connected.

Yeah, you're right.
Indian Poker allows someone else

to acquire a person's experiences
and skills through their dreams.

By exchanging through dreams the insights

that people are unlikely
to come across in real-life society,

we would expect there
to be radical leaps of thought.

While I might be unable
to work out a solution myself,

those cards might come across
someone who can reverse the situation.

By creating a fad that boosts
the common denominator,

it becomes a matter
of probability and statistics.

Maybe you think it's kind of
a roundabout way of doing things.

But after pursuing what I could do myself,
this is what I came up with.

I don't care if you think
any less of me for it.

Now excuse me, but I have to go.
You interrupted me in the middle of my work.

I'll make sure to do something
about the Doppelganger.

You don't need to get involved.

You don't seem to like her too much.

I know that Kuriba Ryoko
is a victim in this weird situation,

--and I don't have any right to say
anything about her in all of this,

--You're free to leave now.
--and I don't have any right to say
anything about her in all of this,

but I don't care if this was
all too much for her alone,

using Indian Poker to rope a bunch
of other people into the middle of this

kind of bothers me, I guess.

Well, everyone has their own circumstances.

Should I have entered into
a partnership with Misaka Mikoto?

No. I doubt the chief and
the others will do anything as foolish

as destroying the Doppelganger.

I shouldn't ham-handedly
disrupt the current situation.

Time will sort everything out.

Miahilin--a drug used for the
aftereffects of cyborg treatments.

Easy to obtain, but not many people
order the high-quality version.

I just had to access the
pharmaceutical company's database

and narrowing it down from there wasn't hard.

Me? The Doppel!

You're slow.

Maybe you're too much of a shut-in
and need some more exercise.

You also look like you're overworked
and not getting enough sleep.

You need to make sure
you're eating right, too.

You know, maybe it's
the medical equipment talking,

but I can't help but be concerned.

What are you after?
Are you here to take my place?

Or have you found a procedure
to drive my soul out of me?

Could be.

Either way, you end up no longer existing.

Sorry,

but I'm not ready for that yet.

She had a contingency plan in place.

But one that didn't hurt me and
was meant to keep me here, which means...

What was that?

A truck came sliding toward me?

You've got good reflexes, don't you?

I was thinking of turning you
into a wax figure sandwich.

Reducing frictional coefficient
of these fixtures to zero!

Take this!

O-O-Oh, crap!

Yeah, right!

Well? Your limbs may be one thing,
but when your whole body has been caught,

it's pretty hard to pluck off
any parts to escape, isn't it?

Well, come on! If you just stand around,

the affected region is
just going to keep expanding!

Paper?

Capture complete!

That was a piece of cake, all right.

Seike,

just before we made contact,
there was a woman who looked just like this.

The possibility that they switched places,
while low, is still not zero.

Just to be safe, go and check it out for me.

You're always such
a sl*ve driver. All right, I will.

Now...

all that's left is to take this thing
to the designated location.

Hmm, you look quite a bit
different than in the report.

Must have thought it would be easier
to blend in on the streets like this.

Scrap iron trying desperately to be human...

But doing this only approximates
the look on the outside,

and just serves to remind you
that you're an artificial creation inside.

You poor thing.

As if. Was that a little too occult there?

You watch too many dramas.

Leader, you're such a poet.

Incidentally...

...as an artificial creation,

my perception of pain is
represented digitally.

For my own information, would you
show me what reactions are correct?

Why are you letting up on her, Naru?!

I'm at full power! Except the paper
isn't responding to me! But why?!

Impossible! According
to the specs in our materials,

she shouldn't be able
to break free from Naru!

Even your extremities make bizarre motions.

I wonder if, in human terms,
this would be expressed as being "comical."

Why, you!

Let go of Leader!

I think I'll gouge out her eyeballs next.

Stop that!

The artificial body that started out
being a cyborg has a safety--

a self-preservation function built into it.

It is programmed not to perform
any action that would cause more than

a certain level of damage to itself.

Who... are you?

Hmm, if she's bleeding, I can assume
that she's well and truly human.

If the other three see her as being
an honor student, they might k*ll her.

I've confirmed who she is,
so I could just let her go...

What are you doing there?

Uh... picking on a wimp.

For that matter, who do you think you are?

Some kind of hero that arrives
when a girl finds herself in trouble?

Where did you...?

Wha--?!

Are you okay?

"#22 Scavenger"

Why...?

When I was little,
I was involved in a building collapse.

My life was saved by a
lung transplant from my mother.

But afterward, my mother,
who wasn't very strong to begin with,

carried on in what no one
would call good health,

and as I grew up,
I devoted myself to Academy City,

to learn about cyborg technology
in order to treat my mother.

After putting in my effort
and starting to see some results,

I learned that my mother
had taken a downturn.

Pulmonary edema and an associated infection.

My mother's body was nearing
the breaking point.

The doctor said that administering dr*gs
could slow her decline temporarily,

but after a year, or two at the most,
we couldn't expect to see any results.

I would have to develop cyborg parts
for all of the affected areas.

But I was profoundly short on data.

With the absolute number of
cyborg treatments being so low,

I was extremely hard pressed to collect
the data for all the necessary regions.

I wasn't going to make it
the way things were headed.

Chief,

what is the word on that plan I proposed?

Hmm? Oh, that one?
It would be an unprecedented experiment,

so we can't find any volunteers--

I'll do it.

By dividing myself in half,

we would gather exhaustive
data on my whole body,

and I would be both
the observer and the subject.

In a sense, one could call it
the most ideal circumstance possible.

I swear...

That seems to be the shape of things,
as far as I was able to investigate.

Why didn't she say anything about that?

She's probably just not gullible
enough to trust anyone

who suddenly forced themselves
into the picture under a false identity.

Okay, but even so...

Maybe she feels responsible
for the creation of the Doppelganger

in the course of her pursuing
her personal goal of treating her mother.

I believe that's a feeling
you aren't entirely unfamiliar with.

Incidentally, by her calculations,

if Indian Poker keeps
spreading the way it is currently,

then statistically speaking,
in two more months,

a method of obliterating
the so-called soul will surface.

So, until then...

She was probably planning
to keep the secret all to herself.

All to... herself...

Yes?

Kuroko, how are things there?

The head resident was in a sour mood,

and I had an awful time pulling
the wool over her eyes.

She might come knocking again,
so please come back right away, okay?

Actually, it looks like this is going
to take a little while longer.

I think I can make it back before
today turns into tomorrow, though.

Aww... Very well, I will come up
with something else, then.

Honestly, this is turning
into a thankless job.

Look, I promise to make it up
to you sometime soon.

Do you really mean it, Sissy?!

--Then we can share the
same bed until morning--

--Something other than that. Bye now.
--Then we can share the same bed until morning--

This must be quite the
ordeal for Miss Misaka.

Is that...

...an Electromaster?

Who's that?

I don't know. I just ran into
the Doppelganger, though.

I think the two must be related.

Earlier, I think I might have
come across with a poor attitude.

That was all on me.

I know you must have your
own reasons for what you're doing,

but for whatever you
can't handle on your own,

I hope you'll turn to me.

So let me take care of this.

I'm grateful.

All done?

I'm not actually planning on going
after Little Miss Patchwork there anymore.

Not now that I know
she isn't the target I'm after.

But never mind her,

are you going to amuse me now?

If you're not after her, then there's
no reason to mix it up with you.

What's wrong? Don't hold back for my sake.

I may not look it, but I'm carrying
the same package as you.

Huh?

Or is the hero going to chicken out on me?

I'm not exactly a hero.

I just don't like picking
on those weaker than me.

O-ho...

...pretty big talk.

Then let me show you just how much I've got!

Sorry.

I know we were told to
capture it in one piece.

Mm-mm, if you hadn't done it,
Naru, I would have.

Ugh, it really hurts...

Just a moment. I'll mix up
a painkiller for you right away.

If that thing's still running,
then we can still accomplish our mission!

Both of you, get back!

Better to take that thing...

...and deliver a nice, thorough...

...crushing blow, right here and now!

Wh-Why is my paper protecting that thing?

Naru's...

My...

...paper got taken away!

How mean. I made proper skin and everything.

Well, this is a bit unwieldly,
but that doesn't hinder its movement.

Being able to freely adjust
the friction coefficient like I can,

I'm not hurt by these steel beams.
b*ll*ts and blades are also pointless.

Sure, I might not be able
to deflect your electric shocks,

but the beams that are
scattered about so nicely

will serve as grounding.
If the falling debris crushes you, so be it.

But if you're lucky enough to deflect all that,
I'll take you down directly...

Huh?!

Why are the beams coming this way?!

Your ability, huh?

So you're not an Electromaster,
but a psychokinesist?

Or no, a magnetism manipulator?
How can you control so much mass at once?

This is bad. Even if I take no damage,
my grounding shielding is disappearing.

You leave me no choice!
I've underestimated you!

This is going to cost me a finger,

but you won't have time to dodge this.

Even if you shock me unconscious,
my momentum will still jab you!

Looks like I'm the one...

...who underestimated you.

You're a girl? Wait a minute, you're...

Hey, look at this!

It says I'll have a super-successful week!

Horoscopes? How many people in Academy City

even believe in anything as occult as those?

Well, I didn't believe in
them either, until just recently,

but the week we got trounced by that guy...

...it said that the greatest encounter
of my life would happen,

that I would have a terrible failure
at work as a result, and I'd lose credibility!

My unlucky colors were red and white!

Wow, they really got your number there.

I know, right?

Incidentally, it says that this week,
I'll have a great encounter,

a possible catalyst for work
to take a turn for the better,

and that I should be positive
toward those I care about.

Well, horoscopes notwithstanding,

we really did draw the
short straw on that one.

Of the 2.3 million people in Academy City,
only seven of them are Level 5s.

It was simply a rare case of
encountering one out of all those people.

But there's no way we'll run up
against another one any time soon.

The third-ranked Level 5, Railgun...

I guess the occult really is...

...pretty unreliable...

Well, that's not enough to k*ll you.

Then again, I can't ask you
any questions now, either.

That just leaves one of you
who's still able to move.

Naru!

What do I do? There's no way
I can run away while carrying both of them.

Okay, then...!

Oh, you're just going to leave
your friends here and run?

Blasting won't work.

Assuming it can compensate
for any damage using other material,

it would be pointless.

So then...

...if I can freeze it...!

I did it!

Yakumaru!

Wrong one.

Huh?

Paper?!

Now we're even for before.

This scrap iron can imitate more than
just outward appearances, you see.

No...!

Huh?

Give those back.

I'm gonna catch a cold!

Yakkun!

I was originally planning to let you
return alive, so you could give a report...

...but I guess I'll need to press
my point even deeper.

We should be okay,
now that we've made it this far...

You saved us, Naru.

Huh? Heh-heh, as Scavenger's ace,
I'd say that's only natural.

But now what do we do, Leader?

First thing we do is rendezvous with Seike,
who should be back by now.

If you mean the one in the sailor uniform,

the kid is laid out on the ground back there.

When someone messes with me,
I take them down. I take it you're all together?

Railgun?!

"Next episode preview"

This is bad, this is bad, this is bad!

"Next episode preview"
"#23 Possession"

We're still traumatized by the memory

of Academy City's first ranked
b*ating us to a pulp,

and now we're facing the
third-ranked Railgun?!

No, wait a second! If we can pull this off,
we might just make our comeback!

And all of that just took 0.1 seconds!