Accelerator Falling

Accelerator was collapsed atop a hill.

Neither Last Order nor Misaka Worst was there. Only the white snow stretched on seemingly forever around him. At an altitude of 8000 meters, he had been struck by the mass of strange energy fired by the fortress, but not even he really understood what had happened after that. The white wings had disappeared from his back. At the very least, he understood that he was alive like that because the great destruction had been stopped at the last second.

He heard a loud noise.

It was a large transport helicopter with two rotors. As Accelerator lay on the ground looking up into the air, the giant mass of metal slowly lowered nearby. The sliding door opened and people got out. They were more like a disaster relief team than soldiers. They were wearing baggy spacesuit-like protective suits and he could see them lowering down a stretcher with belts on it.

They were recovering him.

Accelerator recalled when he had defeated Kihara Amata on September 30th. It was the same as then. A large conflict had invited in great turmoil. In exchange for taking care of the problem, he would be handed over to the dark side of Academy City where he would have to carry out dirty jobs.

In the end, no matter how much he fought it, no matter how far he fled, even if he left Academy City, and even if he escaped Japan altogether, he could not escape that giant cycle. He had vaguely sensed it before. The environment and conditions surrounding the Sisters and Last Order were much more severe even than those for himself. He doubted they could have a proper life without the backing of Academy City.

His limp body was lifted up and put on top of the stretcher. Then a number of thick belts were wrapped around him. Accelerator’s body was stored aboard the large helicopter as if they were transporting a tool…no, a weapon.

He did not resist. - TAMI OT22 Epilogue