Chapter 22: The Shift

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The dimly lit hallway felt as though it held its breath, echoing only the sound of Misaki's racing heartbeats and the soft purring of the little black cat, who observed the unfolding reunion with a curious tilt of its head. The encounter between Misaka-10000 and Misaki, or rather, "Mi-chan" and "Dolly," 

Misaki's wide, azure eyes remained fixed on the clone before her, whose once lifeless eyes now sparkled with recognition.

"D-Dolly?" Misaki whispered, her voice quivering with disbelief. She took an uncertain step forward, cautiously closing the distance between them.

The clone struggled to maintain her focus, her consciousness flickering like a fragile flame in a gust of wind. "So It's really you Mi-chan," she breathed, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Dolly? You mean the first project of the clone experiment?" the old man who was with Misaka said curiously as he watched the clone struggle to stand, trying to find her balance.

"Y-Yes, but she died a long time ago. But then who is that?"

Dolly's eyes, still filled with a glimmer of life, shifted slightly as she struggled to focus on Misaki's face. "So, it wasn't a dream. I-I really died back then. But..."

Dolly's gaze flickered toward the blue sky. "So that's how it is..." She managed a weak smile before falling to the ground, on the verge of losing consciousness.

"Shit. We'll figure out what's happening later. We have to take her and the other one to disable the virus!"

She was about to reach for Dolly, but her hand was grabbed from behind, pulling her away.

"W-What's the meaning of this?!" Misaki exclaimed in confusion.

But she realized her life had just been saved as Dolly's entire body started to spark with intense electricity, illuminating the whole hallway instantly.

"Stay behind. Something's wrong with her body..."

"D-Dolly!!"

Misaki watched in shock as the clone before her sank into her own sea of electricity. She could see the clone's skin burn, and her whole body appeared as if it was drying out.

"What in the..."

After a few seconds, the electricity finally disappeared, and the girl lay still, not moving an inch. The other clone that was close to Dolly seemed to be fine.

"I see... So she's the abnormal clone from the rumors," the old man said as he watched the clone's body heal itself.

"Rumors?" Misaki asked, her curiosity piqued. She was unsure about the details of this clone, as it seemed to defy the norms she was familiar with. Clones from the Shift Project shouldn't possess regeneration abilities like this.

"Yes, rumors about a clone that was part of the Dark May Project," the old man explained. "It was an experiment involving child errors, where they implanted a portion of thought patterns and calculation methods from Accelerator, Academy City's #1 into them. The rumors also said she had long white hair and exhibited violent behavior similar to Accelerator, though it appears that the latter part was fabricated."

Misaki furrowed her brow as she reached for her chin in deep thought, "Wait, could it be that Dolly wasn't the only clone experiment back then, and there were more?" Misaki mused aloud. "It may also be the case that they moved Dolly's personality and memories into this clone for whatever reason."

She moved her gaze toward Dolly, who lay motionless on the ground. With cautious concern, Misaki knelt down to check on the girl's condition.

"BOO!"

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