Episode 04 - Sisters
Three months previously, two scientists are examining a female figure floating inside an incubation chamber. After remarking how much she's grown in only two weeks, they start the process of opening the chamber and waking her up. The girl's eyes slowly open — very familiar eyes, in a face that looks just like Mikoto Misaka's...
In the present day, Mikoto is in unusual — even flamboyantly — good spirits, which unnerves Kuroko. The two of them meet up with Uiharu, Saten and Haruue, and they decide to go shopping at the Seventh Mist mall. Both Tokiwadai and Sakugawa Middle Schools are participating in an overseas trip in September to Liberal Arts City, an artificial island near California, and all of them will be going. Thinking about her budget, Saten quips that she should've kept some of those money cards — then says she feels like there must be some deeper story behind them. Mikoto smiles, but suggests they drop the subject and get going.
After a busy afternoon's shopping, the girls relax at a table outside the mall. Saten remarks that this was where she saw the girl who looked like Mikoto, joking that it must have been a doppelgänger. Uiharu mentions hearing a rumour about Level 5 clones, but then cuts herself off, apparently worried about causing offence. Mikoto, unconcerned, smiles and asks what the others would do if they ever met a clone of themselves. They playfully discuss the possibilities for a while, then Kuroko turns the question back at Mikoto: what would she do if she met a clone of herself? Mikoto pauses thoughtfully and says it's a tough question.
The newly-awoken girl emerges from the incubation chamber to sit blinking on the floor. She has long, untidy hair that extends past her waist. One of the scientists gushes over how she looks just like a real person. The girl gazes around uncertainly for a moment and then starts to cry; the other scientist notes that she still has the mind of a newborn. They take her into another room for mental imprinting using a Testament machine.
The next day, Mikoto gets a late start, lingering in the dining hall in spite of Maika Tsuchimikado's undisguised impatience. The other girls are all variously occupied that day, so Mikoto is left to her own devices. After browsing through some manga at the convenience store, she sits down in a park and sighs that she has nothing to do. At this, several young children come up and ask her to play with them — one of them is the little girl from the Graviton Bomber incident. Another of the kids has an electrical ability, and the girl asks if electromaster espers can talk to each other using their abilities, like a radio. Mikoto tells them there's too much interference around for that to be possible. After saying that, she remembers the Level Upper network, but mentally notes that a network like that could only work when all participants have the same brainwave pattern. Level Upper managed to do that artificially, but it's unlikely to ever happen again.
The clone has finished her Testament imprinting. One of the scientists asks her a series of questions, including her serial number, which she reports is Misaka 9982. The scientist confirms that she is connected to the Misaka Network, and hands her a surgical gown to wear. The other scientist is somewhat embarrassed about the girl's lack of modesty, and asks if they couldn't program some in. The first one replies that they don't want them developing unnecessary emotions in case it causes them to become rebellious. Besides, she says, they don't have the skills to program emotions into the Testament — even a genius like Nunotaba was barely able to get the system working to its current specification.
After spending some time playing with the kids, Mikoto notices one of them has a limited-edition 'Gekota' badge on her. When she asks, the child says it came from a collectible vending machine near the station. Mikoto has the kids take her there, then starts determinedly feeding money into the machine to try and get one of her own. After investing a lot of time, many toys, and a great deal of money... she fails to get one. One of the kids eventually suggests trying another machine on a nearby shopping street. After repeating the whole exercise there, Mikoto finally gets the coveted Gekota badge, to her great joy. Only then does it occur to her to wonder how she's going to wear such an ostentatiously childish thing.
By now the afternoon is getting on, and the children have to head home. As she walks them to the bus stop, Mikoto suddenly feels... something, and stops walking with a shocked expression. The kids ask her what's wrong, but she shakes herself back to her senses and tells them it's nothing.
After having her hair cut, Misaka 9982 is given some final checks before she starts her outside training. She notes that she's learned how to deal with a variety of situations through her Testament programming, and is confident in her ability to blend in. One of the scientists tells her that the Testament couldn't prepare her for every eventuality — such as, for example, running into the "Original". Misaka 9982 asks what the Original is, to which the scientist replies that as the genetic model for the Sisters, she's something like their big sister. Misaka 9982 repeats the words "big sister" thoughtfully.
After she sees the kids onto the bus, Mikoto quickly retraces her steps to where she had that odd feeling: the sense of an ability identical to hers being used nearby. She searches around the area for several minutes... then she freezes as another odd sensation comes over her.
Mikoto slowly turns around to see... herself, standing under a tree looking back at her.
Walking her down a hallway, the scientists tell Misaka 9982 that she's been issued a set of clothing. Before she changes, however, they ask her to clean "those" up, gesturing into a room — which is strewn about with the mangled corpses of several other Misaka Sisters...
Tropes
- Flash Back B Plot: The present-day action is interleaved with scenes from three months previously, showing the early life of Misaka 9982.
- Foreshadowing: One of the scientists says it would be unwise to try and give the Sisters fully-developed emotions, because it could lead to them rebelling against the project. This is precisely what Nunotaba tries to have happen later, although she is largely unsuccessful.
- Godiva Hair: Misaka 9982's hair extends down to her legs when she first emerges, naked, from the incubator; it serves to cover her up strategically during full-body shots.
- Money to Throw Away: Mikoto has one of the kids convert a 10,000 yen note (roughly USD $100) into change for the toy machine.
- Mood Whiplash: The Stinger, horrifyingly so in an otherwise cheerful and light-hearted episode.
- Naked on Arrival: Misaka 9982 is first seen as she emerges from the tank in which she was created, completely naked. Things are kept decent by means of camera angles and Godiva Hair.
- No Name Given: The names of the two female scientists in charge of Misaka 9982 are never mentioned. They are clearly still working on the project in the present, as they will briefly show up again in episode 12.
- Running Gag: Every single swimsuit Mikoto tries to suggest to Haruue is very childishly cute, much to the latter's dismay.
- Third-Person Person: Misaka 9982 (like all the Sisters) avoids using first-person pronouns, instead referring to herself as "Misaka". note
