Six months.

It had been six months since the event that became known as "Treefall", when the satellite of the Tree Diagram supercomputer had been disastrously destroyed in a domestic terrorist attack funded by several research corporations across Academy City that had caused the immense damage to Endymion, and in turn, to Academy City as a whole, had occurred. At least, that was the story that was being told on the news.

Uiharu had been watching the news rather closely, as she didn't have much else to do these days. At the moment, she was walking down the hospital hall with some flowers with Saten, knocking on the door to Mikoto's hospital room and opening it.

"Good mornin- oh!" She paused as she spotted a figure next to Mikoto's bed. The woman was like Mikoto, only older. Misaka Misuzu, Mikoto's mother. They'd met many times at this point during their visitation to the still comatose Mikoto. Both Saten and Uiharu bowed politely.

"Apologies, we didn't mean to intrude." Uiharu said quietly, the older woman simply waving it off.

"It's quite fine. It's nice Mikoto has friends who care so much. How is Shirai?" She asked softly, though their expressions spoke volumes at the question.

"Still the same… they don't know if she'll ever wake up. They say the only reason she's alive at all is because that young man in the sweater-vest arrived with her so quickly." Saten said softly, frowning deeply. "We can't even see her, she's still in isolation." She added on, sighing sadly.

Uiharu made her way over to Mikoto's bedside, replacing the old flowers with new, turning and smiling down at the unconscious face of the Railgun. Misuzu leaned over and lightly stroked her daughters hair, which had grown quite long in her comatose state. "They're saying she and Shirai are heroes on the news." The mother said softly as she looked at her daughter.

Uiharu nodded a little, her hands in front of her. "Y-yeah. The city has rallied behind them, and the Board has really gone all out with the… promotion. And the Superintendent was kind enough to send a representative assuring that both of their treatments would be covered by the city." Uiharu sighed a little. "I just wish we could have them back."

"Are you two back at school yet?" She asked the two young girls, both of whom shook their heads.

"No, school will be shut down for awhile still, at least proper schooling. They've been doing everything they can to get us alternative options while the city is repaired. A large piece of debris hit our school, nearly leveled it." Saten said, shrugging a little.

There was another knock at the door, before it slid open and a girl walked in, pausing as she saw the three. They stared back.

"U-um, hello, Mi-Misaka-san." Uiharu stuttered out, still feeling unnerved and uncertain as to how to react to the sight of the clone. One of the many clones. Both Saten and Uiharu had been struck speechless for hours as they'd seen what felt like countless clones had marched through this hospital, practically adopted by the staff as they processed the various girls and treated them.

Officially, the clones were part of an illegal experiment to produce Level 5's against the laws and decrees of the Superintendent and Board of Directors, run by the same companies responsible for the domestic terrorist attacks that had caused such severe damage to the city. While Uiharu hadn't gotten official information, a little hacking and snooping found out that a few favors had been called in by Heaven Canceller of all people. Evidently, he had some kind of pull with the Superintendent, and the clones were wrapped up into the propaganda campaign- rather, state-sponsored promotional media movement- as innocent victims. The details of the Level 6 Shift Project had been quietly swept under the rug, and a large amount of researchers and business officials effectively thrown right under the bus to cover their own ass.

Uiharu was, admittedly, embittered by it. Saten had expressed similar bitter feelings, but both had decided it wiser to keep their mouths shut. In the end, this was about as good an ending as they could have hoped for.

Mikoto's mother stood from her seat and hugged the clone, as she did every time she saw her, and to which the clone still barely knew how to respond, only awkwardly returning the hug.

"Are you doing well?" Misuzu asked the clone, the clone herself shifting around on her feet and nodding softly.

"Misaka wanted to check on Onee-sama, Misaka-10032 explains, feeling shy at familial affection." The clone said, prompting a smile from the gregarious older woman, who ruffled her hair a bit.

Both Saten and Uiharu couldn't help but smile a little. While all the clones had that same monotone expression and demeanor that made them seem emotionless, a little interaction made it clear that they had emotions like anyone else, even if they expressed them strangely. Admittedly, it had proven extremely difficult to tell them apart, so they'd made a habit of stating their numbers during their self-narration.

As they talked for a short while, they paused in their conversation as the lights flickered in the room, all of them looking up for a moment at the ceiling light before a movement grabbed their attention. Twisting their heads, they looked at the bed.

Mikoto was sitting up in her bed, staring blankly into space before turning her head drowsily.

"...Mama?"

Plenty of relieved tears and cries of surprise and joy had erupted from Mikoto's room at the return of Mikoto to the waking world, interrupted only by medical staff rushing into the hospital to check Mikoto over and proceed with a dizzying amount of tests and procedures, as well as informing her of her condition.

Mikoto had, in fact, nearly died, and would have. It was discovered that the oxygen rebreather she'd made use of the night of Treefall had been laced with an intense amount of the copper neurotoxin that had plagued her over several weeks, and that the heavy inhalation of them had destroyed many of her inner organs. When Mikoto questioned how she was alive, she had broken down into nearly hysterical tears when it had been explained to her that the clones had, of their own accord, donated various organs of their own that they could live without, or could be replaced more easily in them than in Mikoto herself. Mikoto had to be reassured, many, many times, that none of the donors had died from their act of charity, and in fact, had recovered even before she had woken from her coma.

What was most interesting, as Uiharu and Saten learned after some conversation with Mikoto when given the brief opportunity for visits, was that many of the reassurances came from the clones themselves. The research papers from the Project had detailed the nature of the Misaka Network, and due to the unusual circumstances of the recent turn of events, Mikoto had expressed that she had, partially, become part of their Network.

The doctors were unsure of how this came about, or if it was permanent, and Mikoto herself expressed it was strange and difficult to always focus on, sometimes impossible for her to engage it, requiring the clones to engage her, which they often did.

Mikoto was bedridden for months, both from the physical and emotional strain she had undergone. Some days were better than others. Every day shared one thing in common, a question she always asked.

"Has Kuroko woken up?"

Every time, the answer was the same; "No, not yet." It had been ten months since Treefall, Mikoto finally undergoing her intense physical therapy after having been immobile for half a year and from her organs having been transplanted and rearranged.

Saten had nominated herself as Mikoto's unofficial physical therapy coach, spending an inordinate amount of time with Mikoto, helping her with her exercises in her room, cheering her on, and being as supportive as she could.

Uiharu had nominated herself as official flower gatherer and tea maker.

It was on one such midday as Saten walked in front of Mikoto backwards, coaching her along as she struggled to walk alongside her two supporting beams when Uiharu burst through the door, her face one of excitement and neurosis, screaming two words, that forced Saten to catch Mikoto before she collapsed onto the floor in shock.

"SHE'S AWAKE!"

To Be Continued.