Orbital Betrayal

Uiharu

The station's orbit is decaying! We have less than two hours!

Mikoto

The thrusters are offline. Someone sabotaged the backup systems.

Kuroko

(The enemy left electromagnetic signatures. They're still on board.)

Saten

The maintenance logs... someone's been accessing the reactor from level 3.

Mikoto

(They're trying to crash us into Academy City. Not on my watch.)

Uiharu

The reactor's going critical! Someone's overriding the safety protocols from inside!

Mikoto

(That silhouette... it can't be... one of us?)

Uiharu

The city's sins need to be cleansed. One way or another.

Mikoto

Kazari, what are those symbols? Those aren't from Earth.

Kuroko

(Her skin—it's been marked by something extraterrestrial. The alien presence is inside her.)

Uiharu

Every drop carries their message. Academy City will become our beacon.

Saten

(The alien symbols—they're spreading across her skin like veins. This isn't Kazari anymore.)

Mikoto

Whatever's controlling you, it picked the wrong host to mess with!

Uiharu

She wanted to protect this city. We simply gave her the power to do it properly.

Saten

(My hands... the symbols... they're spreading to me too...)

Saten

(The metal calls to me. These aren't my hands anymore.)

Mikoto

Saten, don't touch anything!

Saten

(First fracture...)

Kuroko

(The symbols jumped from Kazari to Ruiko through the coolant system!)

Saten

The child named Uiharu was merely the vessel. The real infection spreads through human touch.

Mikoto

(The entire reactor room is covered in those symbols. They've been here for months.)

Uiharu

Onee-sama, why are you looking at me like that? The emergency's over, isn't it?

Saten

(What... happened to my hands...?)

Uiharu

[unintelligible alien language]

Mikoto

The core's jumping to critical! Kazari's vitals are spiking!

Kuroko

(Those symbols are burning through her skin like circuits. I can't teleport her out!)

Uiharu

The beacon awakens. Your city will serve.

Saten

If we vent the coolant manually, we might slow the reaction!

Mikoto

I'll breach the shielding. Kuroko, get everyone to the escape pods!

Uiharu

Onee-sama... help... it's... inside...

Mikoto

(Those aren't tears... the alien is using her memories against us.)

Saten

(The symbol... it's on my hand now. When did I...?)