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ITEM (アイテム Aitemu) is an underground mercenary organization and is from the A Certain Scientific Railgun series, appearing as an antagonistic faction. It operates in the Dark Side of Academy City and is currently lead by Mugino Shizuri with the goal of preventing the upper echelons of Academy City (including the Board of Directors) from gaining too much power. The group reorganizes and reforms after World War III and manages to survive the conflict.
Principals
Like the other Dark Side of Academy City factions, their level of security and authority are the same—an unofficial unit created by putting few persons together. As their primary role was to watch over the upper classes even the Board of Directors, it is unknown exactly how they are ordered around. Regardless, the ITEM liaison is the one who gives them missions and is often in contact with the other liaisons, though their relationship is casual enough that Shizuri can ignore an order. Moreover, not only do they guard the higher-ups, they also take missionary work like the ones they did for STUDY. They are also used in eliminating elements of unrest within Academy City, as when the liaison asked them to check out the attack on the Virus Isolation Center in School District 5, or when they tried to prevent SCHOOL from assassinating Oyafune Monaka by killing their sniper.
Like the other organizations, they seem to have a subordinate organization of grunts to do menial tasks for them. They are used to assist them in missions, be their gofers like Shiage, conceal their operations, and destroy evidence, which probably includes collecting the corpses of the dead members of ITEM.
However, it is implied by the ITEM liaison that Rikou's entry into ITEM with Mugino Shizuri giving her Ability Body Crystal was unbeknownst to them, likely part of the research on Rikou. Due to her knowledge in the inner-workings of Rikou and her AIM Stalker, it is likely that the ITEM liaison was the one recruited her into ITEM for this purpose.
At different points in the story, each member of the team used "items" to assist in their abilities or allow them to fight. Kinuhata Saiai, in order to compensate for foes who prove to be able to eliminate naturally-occurring nitrogen in the air like Stephanie, Saiai carries around a small canister of liquid nitrogen for use at all times. Takitsubo Rikou needed the Ability Body Crystal in order to activate her ability. Mugino Shizuri carries Silicon cards that allow her to spread the area of effect of her Meltdowner beams. Finally, Frenda Seivelun relies almost entirely on bombs, weapons, and other tools. In addition to this, Hamazura Shiage also relies on weapons and items after he joins.
Organization
While Mugino Shizuri is the field leader of the team and the ITEM liaison is the one giving orders, according to Teitoku Takitsubo Rikou is the core of ITEM. This is backed up Kinuhata Saiai. She states that if Rikou is killed, ITEM will be restricted as she is the one that determines if they are the chasers or the one being chased. Superior firepower from having a Level 5 can be matched using other means, but a tracker like Rikou is near irreplaceable.
Members
Original Incarnation
- Mugino Shizuri
- Takitsubo Rikou
- Kinuhata Saiai
- Frenda Seivelun (Defected and executed)
Unnamed combined team
ITEM's backer realized that ITEM could not function with only Saiai left in fighting condition, and was tasked to remake a team using the few surviving members from BLOCK, MEMBER, SCHOOL and ITEM:
- Kinuhata Saiai
- Girl in the dress
Second Incarnation
- Mugino Shizuri
- Takitsubo Rikou
- Kinuhata Saiai
- Hamazura Shiage
