Longtime followers of mine may remember my first foray into the Familiar of Zero crossover community. Those who do know that it did not start well, and got so bad that I had to pull it off the site. A redesign was in order, but harshly negative reviews, while partially justified, ripped into me and made me reluctant to return to this particular fandom.

Well, I'm back in the community. This time, I have a different story to cross over, with a different approach. I feel that rather than magic-on-magic, science-on-magic would be a better fit for an attempt such as this. Thus, I present my newest crossover attempt, one that will balance off between both worlds and fandoms.

If this starts off too similar to the Familiar of Zero storyline, please do not write a long review stating how bad my story is because of that sole reason. The mantra for my crossovers is like a wedge; the similarities are strong, but as it progresses further from the start, key differences are eventually established. I will say now that this is a Replace-Saito-With-Character-X story, but who replaces Saito is not someone who is helpless without runes. In fact, Saito is not replaced; he has been repurposed to fit the story that I wish to create.

With that said, I hope you enjoy the start to my story.

- Ketchum Kid

Prologue: The Point of No Return

Some could only catch a glimpse of her. Others swore that it was a mirage, a trick that nature pulls on hot summer day over the pavement. To those who study such things, it was simply the work of a Teleporter.

In any case, Kuroko Shirai, the Level 4 Teleporter of Judgment's 177th branch, was racing through the sky, appearing in one instance above the street, and then disappearing for a moment, before reappearing further down the road. This continued for some ways down the block, until the twin-tailed auburn-headed girl appeared on the sidewalk, in front of an alleyway. The alleyway was dark, and loud noises could be heard from it. Kuroko reached to her earpiece, used to communicate with the branch office.

"Uiharu, is this the alleyway in the report?" she asked.

"Yes," a voice on the other end replied. "Be careful going in there; this faction of Skill-Out is deemed to be one of the most notorious by the higher-ups." Kuroko nodded, even though nobody was around. She crept towards the alleyway, and was about to lean in to get a good look.

Bri-Bri-Bri!

"Ah!" Kuroko whipped back, just in time before a wave of electricity flooded the alleyway. Cries of pain and agony could be heard from the area. Some people passing the area stopped, wondering what had happened.

"K-Kuroko! Are you all right?!" Uiharu asked in a panic. I just saw a huge spike in energy in the alleyway! What's going on?!" Kuroko groaned. She walked calmly into the alley, not afraid of anyone who was in it.

"Don't worry, Uiharu," she assured her co-worker in an annoyed tone. "It was just her again, messing up Judgment operations as usual." Kuroko scanned the alleyway. About eight males, in their twenties, were all lying on the ground. Arcs of electricity passed through their messy hair. A few of the men groaned, but most had been knocked out cold from the electric blast.

In the middle of all this was a middle school student. A girl with short brunette hair, and wearing a light brown sweater over a white blouse with a grey shirt – the same Tokiwadai Middle School outfit that Kuroko was wearing – she appeared to be the epitome of a proper lady. The uninterested look in her brown eyes and the strewn of unconscious bodies around her, however, said otherwise.

"Oh, it's you, Kuroko," the girl replied nonchalantly. Kuroko grunted.

"Misaka, how many times do I have to tell you to not stick your nose into business that isn't yours?" the Judgment worker reprimanded.

"What?" the brunette answered. "They were hitting on me and a friend of mine, and it was getting annoying." Kuroko got cross. This wasn't the first time that Misaka had done Judgment's work before they could arrive, and it drove the auburn-haired girl crazy.

"That isn't what I meant!" she shouted, a vein popping out of her head. "This is Judgement's work to take down criminals and misdemeanors, not common citizens! In addition, if word gets out that Misaka Mikoto, the Railgun and the Ace of Tokiwadai Middle School, is picking fights in dark alleyways, your reputation will go down as well!"

"Then get here faster," Misaka stated bluntly. "If you can't handle these incidents on time, how do you expect to respond to things on the scale of Poltergeist or Silent Party?" She paused in thought. "Oh wait, that was after I did some sleuthing by myself, without Judgment's help." Kuroko was seething at Misaka. She turned around, and began walking away.

"You may be my roommate, as well as my sworn partner in love, but sometimes you drive me up a wall!" complained the Judgment officer. "And lately, it's been coming to a complete head with my Judgment work. I know a walk clears heads, but how about going to a place where you can't interfere with my work?" Kuroko vanished, teleporting back to the Judgment office.

"'Sworn partner…in love?'" Misaka repeated. "Just what has gotten into her?" The brunette picked up her black bag, which had been propped up against a pipe, and walked out of the alleyway. "Besides, it's not like I'm specifically upset at her. The only reason I needed to clear my head was because of that stupid Tou…"

Misaka stopped as she stepped out of the alleyway. To her right, and seemingly ignored by everyone around her, was something that caught her eye.

It was a floating green blob.

"What the…" the brunette wondered aloud. The blob was oval in shape, and gave off a soft glow of reen light. As people walked around it – and even through it – Misaka began investigating the strange apparition.

'What is this green orb? Since people are walking around it, it's safe to assume that most people cannot see it….could it be something only electromasters can see?' The Railgun paused her train of thought. 'Maybe I should contact Judgement…no. It's right in front of me. By the time that Kuroko or someone else gets here, it could be too late. It has to be me.' Cautiously, she walked up to the orb, and placed her right hand on it. 'Sorry, Kuroko, but I'm doing what I think is right.'

Her hand stayed on the orb for a second. Then, without warning, a small portal, which seemed to lead into a blackish void-like area, opened up. It swallowed up Misaka's hand, and began to drag her arm towards the green blob.

"Hey!" Misaka shouted. She was being pulled closer and closer to the orb. "I knew it; this thing's hostile! Everyone, get out of here!"

To her complete surprise, nobody moved. Nobody looked in her direction. Nobody seemed to even notice that she was there.

It was like she was no longer present in the city.

"This must be the work of multiple espers!" the brunette deduced. "Well, you messed with the wrong girl! HAH!" Gathering up electricity, she channeled it into her arm, which emitted a strong electric shock. However, nothing appeared to happen. "What?!"

The orb suddenly started to glow a bright blue. The orb turned into a giant portal, and began to drag Misaka into whatever was on the other side.

"No you don't!" Misaka channeled all of her electricity into her joints, trying to get them to move away from the portal. However, it was no use. The portal dragged Misaka closer and closer. "M-Maybe I should have listened to Kuroko after ALL!"

Misaka vanished into the portal, which immediately closed afterwards. Her black bag, which was dropped when she was jerked into the portal, fell to the ground, and clattered with a soft thud. The air became still for a moment, before the city air returned, with normal citizens continuing their daily routine like nothing had happened.

"Man, I have to get myself a part-time job," a black haired teen sighed as he walked down the sidewalk. He was carrying a laptop. "8500 yen for a computer repair is too much for me, and mom won't lend me the money…" He was so lost in thought, that he did not notice Misaka's bag. His foot caught on it, and made him stumble forward, into the ground. "Dhowa?!"

Thud!

"Ow…." He groaned. The boy looked backwards, towards the bag that was the source of his tumble. "What's a bag doing on the sidewalk by itself?"

To Be Continued…