Episode 12 - Tree Diagram
As a small child, whenever Mikoto faced some problem that made her cry, her mother would fix always it for her. Sadly dismissing the recollection, Mikoto tells herself that her mother isn't here to fix her problems for her... nor will there be any brave hero to come and save her. With these thoughts in mind, she heads out into the city, resolving to put an end to Project Level 6 Shift today — whatever it takes.
She stops to watch a blimp in the distance, which is displaying the latest weather forecast from Tree Diagram. Once a month, the orbital supercomputer devotes a day to calculating the next month's weather; it spends the rest of the time processing requests from various research groups. Among other things, it is responsible for the calculations driving the experiments for Project Level 6 Shift.
Touma Kamijou happens to pass by, and greets Mikoto, but she isn't in the mood for conversation. Still contemplating the blimp, she remarks that she hates how the computer hands down pronouncements from on high, like some all-powerful ruler. Then she walks off, mentally resolving to take down both Level 6 Shift and Tree Diagram.
After wondering what just happened, Touma continues along his way. After a few minutes, he runs into the same Misaka Sister he met the day before, who is trying to feed a stray black kitten that she's found. She tries to persuade him to adopt the cat, reluctantly admitting that her innate magnetic field makes animals uncomfortable. He tries to convince her to take it anyway, but she says her living arrangements aren't conducive to supporting pets. Touma eventually relents and picks up the kitten, although he stops short of promising to adopt it.
Elsewhere, Misaka 10031 is making her way through the city, looking pensive. She is thinking about a conversation she had yesterday with two of the scientists in charge of the Sisters. While having them investigate a strange pain in her chest, she asked them how they'd react to meeting a clone of themselves. They were emphatic in saying that it would be creepy and disturbing. Recalling Mikoto screaming at her to go away, Misaka 10031 concludes that Mikoto feels the same and must want nothing to do with her.
Mikoto takes a bus out to District 23, home of Academy City's aerospace facilities. She locates the control facility for Tree Diagram and its satellite, and begins sneaking inside. As she heads in, she mentally reviews her plan: hack into the incoming transmissions from Tree Diagram, and insert a message stating that a fatal error has been found in the Level 6 Shift project's experiments. Once that's done, destroy the computer so that no-one can redo the calculations.
Meanwhile, Touma is walking downtown with the other Misaka Sister, still carrying the black kitten. Touma says he wants to buy a secondhand book about taking care of cats, and once again tries to talk the Sister into adopting it herself. He manages to get her onboard with the idea of giving it a name, but all of her suggestions are... eccentric. She does, however, finally succeed in feeding it herself. Touma gives the kitten to her to hold while he heads into a bookstore.
In an alleyway nearby, some unfortunate hoodlums run into Accelerator, which they very quickly come to regret. As he's dispatching them, Accelerator glances out of the alley and glimpses the Sister standing outside the bookstore. He realizes it's almost time for the next experiment, and heads towards her. As he emerges onto the street, however, a different Misaka Sister comes up to him, identifying herself as Misaka 10031, his partner for this experiment. Across the street, Misaka 10032 turns to see them heading off; she puts the kitten down carefully and departs.
Mikoto has successfully broken into Tree Diagram's control center, but is surprised to find the entire building empty. Making her way into the main computer room, she finds a couple of screens still on but there is a layer of dust over everything. She takes out her PDA, hacks into the computer system, and pulls up a list of all requests being sent up to Tree Diagram. As expected, there are hundreds of daily requests being sent... but not one of them is receiving any replies. The orbital supercomputer is transmitting nothing at all.
Bypassing another layer of security, she finds a document titled "Final Report to the Board of Governers". According to the report, contact with Tree Diagram was lost just after midnight on July 28th... and a subsequent search found pieces of debris. Conclusion: Tree Diagram was destroyed. Academy City's orbital supercomputer no longer exists.
Tropes
- Bland-Name Product: The second-hand bookstore Touma goes into is called "Book On". note
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Touma realizes something's up with Mikoto when she declines to engage in their usual friendly-belligerent banter, even shrugging off being addressed as Biri-Biri. However, she leaves before he has a chance to find out more.
- Tin Man: Despite her impassive facade, Misaka 10032 actually goes through quite a range of emotions — she just doesn't know how to express them. She grows attached to the kitten, gets annoyed by Touma's prevaricating (which he even lampshades, though she denies it), snarks repeatedly, and even demonstrates a weird sense of humour.
- By contrast, Misaka 10031 is clearly sad at having been rejected by Mikoto, but doesn't understand the emotion except as an odd feeling in her chest. Made even sadder by the fact that she will die believing Mikoto despises her.
- Wham Line: An in-universe example, although in theory it's also one to those who haven't followed A Certain Magical Index: Tree Diagram has been destroyed.
