"Contact!" Strafford yelled as two drones started for the door. Meiko and Luka took on one of them each, and subdued them without a struggle. Meiko jammed her first into the drone's ocular socket, while Luka stabbed her victim with a knife.

"That's two of the twenty they sent," Gumi said, "but they'll be trying to barge in the best they can."

"How about alternate entrances?" Denner asked.

"None that we could find," Strafford said. "We're better off keeping the front clear. Unless that elevator starts bringing more up."

"Yessir," Declan said as he messed with his tactical pad. "Looks like I've got new data sent to me from Megpoid. Should be seeing it… now."

Suddenly, a mass of red outlines appeared through the walls within my visor.

"Looks like that's all of them," Luka said. "Can see 'em now."

"I figured that should help you," Gumi said, "just thought I'd give a little bit of support. It's not perfect, but you should be seeing all of them."

A new group was moving over the bridge. It was about four of them, taking cover and keeping an eye on each other's backs while they moved up.

"They're about to get close," Alexandria warned, "get ready."

Denner, who sat behind a crate, peeked up a little bit. A beam of energy splashed against the crate he was sitting behind.

"Crap!" He yelled. "These things aren't to be taken lightly."

"Did you think they should, rookie!?" Strafford said. "Keep your head down and only pop out when I give the order!"

"Y-yessir!" He replied timidly. "Sorry."

Strafford shook his head, and swore under his breath. "Rookies."

"They're coming!" Meiko announced. "Keep your weapons up. If those dropships start attacking, find cover."

"Got it," I said. "I'll be real happy to make it out of here without getting shot."

"Until it happens, stay careful," Luka cautioned, keeping her eyes on the outside.

"They're moving up," Meiko said. "We've only got eighteen to deal with. No mercy!"

Bolts of light roared through the entrance, and landed on the wall behind me. It left behind a thick pale blue glow on it. Even more poured in as two, then three drones started laying fire on us.

"They're suppressing us!" Luka shouted.

"Not for long they ain't," Strafford said, and reached his hand out to Coren. Coren returned the gesture with a small cylindrical device.

"Finally," Coren said, "been waiting to use this."

Strafford pressed down on the device. A high-pitched beep started, getting faster with each beep. Strafford tossed it out the front entrance, with a bolt only narrowly missing him. A loud boom followed.

"That hit 'em!" Meiko said, finally joining into the firefight. "Lemme show you one of my tricks."

Meiko shot into the treeline and hit one of the red dots. It went dark the moment she hit it.

"You know how to aim that thing, it's nuts!" Denner complimented. "I couldn't even see 'em!"

"We're moving up," Strafford ordered, "start pushing them back and all of us can get out of here!"

"Yessir!" The Rangers all replied in unison, and sprinted out of the entrance into new cover. The drones that sat in the treeline started firing immediately. We stayed in the building to provide cover.

"They're moving up!" Coren yelled as more bolts sailed through the air towards us.

Meiko fired round after round into the trees. Each shot would reduce the forces as one by one the red outlines would go out. Her accuracy was top-notch, but that wasn't a shock considering who she was. But it was certainly impressive to see her take such precise shots at such a quick rate. Was she actually built for military operation? Because it was certainly starting to show how effective she was in combat.

"I'm out!" Meiko yelled, ejecting a magazine from her sniper rifle.

"We'll keep firing until they're empty!" Strafford said.

I pulled my rifle out and fired at a few of the red outlines. My aim was off each time as bolts of energy zipped past me each time. I couldn't tell how close each projectile was as it flew past me, but they felt close. When I pulled back, I noticed that at least thirty or so bolts had splashed against the walls. The blue splotches left behind looked as if they were eating into the architecture.

"We're doing good, keep it up. We've knocked them down to eleven!" Strafford announced with vigor and enthusiasm. He loaded a new magazine into his rifle, and fired back into the forest.

The drones started rushing headfirst into our defense. The Rangers fought back, taking on the enemy with precise action. The drones didn't care how many they'd lose, so long as we were taken out. They pulled themselves out of cover, likely realizing we could see them anyways.

We kept firing, downing each and every one of them until all of the red outlines were gone, and there didn't seem to be any resistance following their assault.

Gumi radioed in the middle of the conflict with a new warning. "I hate to break it to you guys, but there are dropships coming in, and they're coming in fast."

"How did they find out so fast?" Strafford yelled.

"Must have been a silent alarm or something. What did you guys find down there!?"

"Something we can't replace," Meiko said.

"Jester-2," Strafford radioed, "we're going to need an out."

"Affirmative," Jester-2 said, "I've got Barris reading the new dropships coming in. They're on their way, and they're going to make things harder for all of us. Be there as soon as I can."

"How soon is 'soon'?" Luka asked.

"Few minutes, we're not too far," Barris said.

I stayed behind cover, still trying to shoot at one of them. Every time a bolt whizzed past me, I pulled back.

"Don't worry about trying to hit them, Griff," Meiko ordered, "you're carrying our package. Just keep your head down!"

I hated to sit back and let everyone do the work, but I wondered if Meiko was just looking out for me. I guess I was still a novice, even if I did have a little bit of training. She probably knew that, too. I did as she said and pulled back into my cover, and waited until the fighting had ended.

Soon, the red dots on my display were all gone. I peeked outside and took a good look at the end result. The supplies that the Rangers intended to take were all gone, and a smoldering mess remained. The offending drones that tried to take this facility back were reduced to the Interspace equivalent of scrap metal. It was just as bad outside as it was inside: nothing but dead drones.

"Looks like we got 'em," Strafford said. "Jester-2, how far out are you?"

"Couple minutes, but those dropships are heading in fast. How did they get here so fast?"

"Likely they were on their way the moment we struck the base," Gumi said. "After all, they probably don't know who's hitting them, and they aren't trying to send in every resource they have to stop us. Right now, just focus on getting out of there."

"Sent," Strafford said, "just hold out a little longer, people!"

A new dropship emerged from the treeline. This time, it landed on the roof where we had taken out the first batch of reinforcements that arrived.

"Looks like they're trying to get the drop on us!" Denner yelled.

"Stay in cover and shoot 'em as they pop out," Coren said, "we'll get through this!"

Another dropship landed on the other end of the river. It seemed the two were coordinating an attempt to corner us.

"We gotta get out of here, where's our exit!?" Meiko yelled.

"Just arriving now, ma'am," Jester-2 announced as he pulled in.

"And not a second too soon," Strafford said, relieved.

The ship landed right by the bridge. Barris was at the opening while bolts of energy were aimed at the vehicle. It seemed that Barris wasn't getting hit by any of them, but instead, the ship's shields were taking all of the oncoming fire that came at it, allowing Barris to still be in cover within the ship.

"Seems they'll focus on us," Jester-2 remarked, "I'd recommend getting on before they notice what it is we're doing. The ship will hold."

The oncoming fire sprayed against the ship's hull, but I didn't worry about it.

"Get aboard!" Meiko ordered me, and I ran for the ship as fast as I could. Energy bolts shot past me as I ran towards the dropship in a mad sprint.

"Alright, Rangers, on me, we're getting aboard!" Strafford yelled. All of the Rangers filed in behind him, two different teams firing against the enemy to keep them off of us.

Meiko and Luka ran behind them, using the backline to cover everyone else's escape. For some reason, though, Denner stuck behind the rest of the Rangers to help aid Meiko and Luka.

"Denner!" Strafford shouted as he climbed aboard, "get over here, now!"

"Just trying to make sure the rear guard is covered, too, sir!"

"We'll be fine, just move it!" Luka yelled.

Denner shook his head. "I can't let you two stay back, unless-!"

But Denner didn't have time to argue. A bolt of energy struck him right in the chest.

"Damn it!" Alexandria yelled.

"Rookie!" Strafford yelled.

Meiko looked over and saw Denner had been hit. From where he had gotten hit, it looked as if small blue glowing cubes started to leave from his body.

Meiko ran over to grab him, but Strafford urged her not to.

"Leave him," Strafford said, "and get aboard! We have to get out of here!"

Meiko looked over at Luka, and ran out from their cover. But for some reason, the drones across the river seemed especially focused on Meiko and Luka, and started focusing solely on them instead of the rest of the ship. The roof drones seemed to have disappeared altogether, at least according to my display. I wondered if they were taking advantage of the river and were trying to ambush the two from behind.

"Seems they want us more than they want you guys," Meiko remarked, sending a sniper shot to the party across from us.

"We have to go," Luka urged Meiko, "we can't waste any more time of these-!"

Suddenly, from behind, Luka had gotten hit by a round of energy. It seemed to have hit her square in the shoulder. Luka's armor looked ripped open, exposing most of her arm's internal mechanisms. Her shoulder was seriously damaged, but it seemed to be the worst of it, but it was hard to tell from such a distance.

"Damn it, Luka!" I yelled, attempting to get off the dropship. The Rangers held me back from doing so.

"The last thing we need is more losses," Strafford said.

Meiko grabbed Luka, and started dragging her off towards the ship. Luka still seemed functional, but she didn't look like she was doing great. The Rangers covered their escape the best they could until Meiko got over to the dropship. I looked over at Denner's body, and swore under my breath as the two girls got aboard.

As the back of the dropship shut, we took off. The drones fired continuously at our ship, but didn't bother to give chase afterwards.

As everyone sat down, most of the Rangers had a sullen look. Even if they looked inhuman, they still managed to convey emotion.

"Scratch," Strafford swore. "That disk had better have been worth it."

"Sorry," Meiko apologized. "We should have ran aboard sooner."

"No," Strafford said, "Denner should have gotten on with us. He didn't follow orders."

Alexandria took the opportunity to look over Luka's wounds while we flew away. Declan and Coren stood up to check on the pilots, and Barris sat down.

Alexandria's dotted eyes looked at the wound Luka had just taken. Alexandria looked dumbfounded.

"Wait, what's your architecture?" Alexandria asked, trying to figure out the damage Luka just took. "I haven't seen anything like this before."

Luka looked over at Strafford.

"Great," Meiko said, "looks like the cat is out of the bag."

Alexandria looked at Meiko, confused, then at me, then back at Luka.

"Are you guys actually not from Interspace?"

Everyone looked at us, except Strafford.

"Unfortunately," Strafford said, "I didn't want any of you to find out this way."

"What do you mean 'find out'?" Alexandria asked. "You mean to tell me you knew about this!?"

"Look," Strafford said, "they had valuable intel on our new visitors, so yes, I didn't intend for you all to find out this way!"

I felt like I could relate a little Alexandria's frustrations in the same way I had found out about Luka and Meiko's secret.

I took my helmet off, and everyone looked at me.

"Yeah," I said, "we're not from Interspace. Probably makes a little more sense why we talk differently. Turns out, we look different, too."

"So Denner died for this," Alexandria said. "Is there anything else you're hiding from us, Captain?!"

"Denner knew the risk of what it was he was walking to when he volunteered for this." Strafford said, standing up. "I understand it's hard to take that loss, but you know as well as I do the risks we take. We're built for this."

Alexandria looked away from Strafford. Luka tried to defuse the situation.

"I understand we kept that secret from you, but we'll be open about it from this point forward."

"You have to understand," Strafford reasoned, "I didn't want to have this out because I was trying to hide it, but you know how Unity's Hand would react if they caught wind that we've made a discovery of Otherworlders."

Otherworlders, huh, I wondered. I guess it made sense considering we came from another world, but it was still weird to hear. We were the aliens coming here after all.

Alexandria shook her head. "Fine, I get it, captain. But this is too much to take in, and especially after losing someone. Like you said: that disk had better have been worth it."

Strafford looked over at me.

"Still have that data disk?" Strafford asked.

I pulled the data disk out of my pouch. "Got it right here, sir."

The small box looked undamaged. I was lucky, I guess, seeing as I didn't get hit at all from the fire that the drones delivered to us.

"We'll be landing in two minutes," Jester-2 announced. "Stay seated and wait for the ship to make a complete stop."

Once the ship landed, the back door opened. We piled out and headed back down to the base for a debrief. I felt horrible after we got out. Seeing the rest of the Rangers leave, and realizing they were down by one. Seeing Denner get hit, and watching his body decay afterwards left a pit in my stomach.

I know Strafford had said he should have listened, but I might have done something in his position. Thinking about it, that very well could have been me if I wasn't careful.

But what hurt more was Denner looked closer to humans than any of the other Rangers. I didn't really know why, but I felt terrible just watching him go down like that.

I couldn't dwell on it for all that long. I had to get back to the briefing room and drop off our discovery. This was what we had worked for, and even Denner had to have known that leading up to the end. Like Strafford had said: he knew the risks going into this. Still, that didn't make it hurt less.

I moved behind everyone towards the briefing room, mostly so I could get this over with. I just wanted to head home and lay down on my bed.

Once I and everyone else made our way back to the office for debrief, I opened my pouch and placed the device on the table, and sat down.

"Looks like we got everything we could from the base," Strafford said. "The supplies had to be left behind as the drones headed by Duodecim took back the base. Lucky for us, we've managed to retrieve whatever information we could. Someone did the hard work for us by clearing the way. And while we suffered a loss, at least we succeeded in recovery."

"Do we plug it in and see what it is we recovered?" Meiko asked.

"I would say so," Strafford said, "if only because I want to know if it was worth it."

Lead Engineer Coren plugged the device into the table's built-in terminal. A whole plethora of information started appearing in front of us. Whatever we had found, we had stumbled on a goldmine of data.

"Looks like we got plenty of data to dig through," Strafford said. "

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

Strafford's eyes fixated on a particular folder that showed up, and pointed at it.

"What is that? 'Faction data'? Can we take a look at that?"

"Yessir," Coren said, and pulled open the file.

Inside the file made everyone stand up to look it over.

Faction Data: Interspace Faction Data Collected by Survey Teams.

Factions:

Interspace Collective Authority (I.S.C.A.)

Subsection: Rangers and Interspace Security Forces (I.S.S.F.)

Hands of Unity/Unity's Hand

Connection Service Administration (C.S.A.) / Connection Security Forces (C.S.F.)

"They've been watching us," Strafford said, his voice tense. "Seems your friends have been collecting whatever they can on us."

Coren opened the folder marked for the Rangers.

Faction: Interspace Collective Authority

Status Unverified. Evidence indicates the I.S.C.A. and its subsequent parties were eliminated. Further investigation required.

"Even they knew what happened to us," Strafford said. "We might need to look into this further. We'll send this information to Megpoid, and we'll be sure to look through it ourselves. Maybe we can cobble a plan together."

We stood up.

"Thanks," Strafford said, "as much as it pains me that we lost someone for this, it looks like it was worth it. Seems to be bad news if these guys are watching everyone."

"Ain't much different than on our side," Meiko commented. "We'll be in touch."

Strafford nodded, and we left.

Gumi clicked on her radio, almost as soon as we started back for the return trip home.

"I kept my mouth shut about it long enough, but look what happened to you, Luka! How could you let yourself get hurt like that!?"

Luka let out an exhausted sigh. "I understand why you're concerned, Gumi, but I'm okay-."

"No, you are not okay. I need to make sure nothing got damaged. That was extremely reckless what happened and I want to look over everything.

I guess it was nice to see not everyone was feeling down. Though, it was a little funny seeing how Gumi reacted to Luka getting damaged over Meiko's situation. Luka wasn't hurt quite as bad, save for a chipped jumpsuit and her armor being completely broken off at her shoulder. The exposed internals didn't help, but Luka seemed okay. I just hoped that this didn't mean she'd need to stay off the team for a while.

We returned home, and once I had exited the scanner, I felt exhausted. The idea of getting home and lying down in my own bed sounded like paradise.

"Welcome back, guys," Gumi said. "I'd like to say that you all did great out there, but we've still got a little bit of work to do."

"Ready to help," I said, "just tell me what you need from me."

"Well, you in particular, Griff, I'd suggest you take a break from this."

I glanced at her, wondering what she meant.

"I don't mean you need to quit, don't worry, but we're going to be spending time on this for a while. I'm thinking you should resume your life, making sure not to arouse suspicion is all I'm saying."

"I know that," I said, "but isn't there anything I can do to help around here?"

"The best thing you can do is wait until we give the go ahead. We need a plan, and we don't exactly have one. Until we do, I'm having you sit out."

"She's right, Griff," Meiko said before I could interject. "A break is going to be good for you. I don't normally agree with Gumi, but we can't have our work compromised. If someone finds out what we're doing, or gets a little suspicious, we're going to be in trouble."

"But what about you guys? Are you going to be okay without me?"

"Honestly," Gumi said, "we're not going to see any action for a while. I'm doing this out of courtesy more than anything. Unless you want to read technical information for the next five days, be my guest."

"You know," I said, "I think I'll pass. Going back home for a few days might not be so bad after all."

"Thought so!" Gumi said.

"Anyways," Meiko said, "I really oughta get you home. Gumi's got some repairs to make, and there's no telling if your uncle has called you already. We don't want a repeat of last time, do we?"

I shook my head, and left to go change out of my jumpsuit.

Once Meiko and I were both outside, I noticed it was still sunset outside.

"I wonder," I said, "you think Other-Earth and our world are synced up?"

"It was getting pretty dark when we went in there. The sun was set by the time we had actually gotten to home base. Seems to be an hour off, about."

"Huh," I said, "that place is strange."

"Sometimes the truth is strange," Meiko said.

"True," I said, "sometimes I find it hard to believe we've gone so far into a place like this. It's something else."

We walked through the woods to Meiko's car. She pulled out her keys, and unlocked her door. She opened the door on my side right after.

"So," I said as I got in, "what do you think comes next?"

"You mean with what we pulled?"

"Yeah, I mean, I started to think about it a little bit, and I'm wondering, just how exactly are we going to get Miku back?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean, even if we find out where she is, how exactly are we going to make it so we can have her return home to us?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," she said. "Unfortunately, we've only got a limited amount of intel to work with for now. I suggest you take your time away not worrying about it."

"I can't do that, Meiko," I said. "I can't stop worrying about the fact that this data is going to give us everything we need, but we won't have any way to get to her."

Meiko sighed. "It's hard to go into something without a plan, but you have to remember; we broke out before. We'll figure it out."

"But what if we can't?"

She paused. Her gaze looking at the road ahead of her.

"I won't let it happen. We'll get her back."

"I wanna say I can trust that, Meiko. I just don't want to hold that over your head in case you're wrong."

"I don't normally take things on faith," Meiko said, "but just this once, I'm going to ask you to trust me. If we can't get Miku back, then all the work we've put in will be for nothing. I promise you, she'll be here."

"Okay," I said, "and if this works out, I'll be sure to pay you back. Some way, somehow."

"I'll keep that in mind," Meiko said, "but right now, focus on yourself. The moment Gumi finds out everything, and we have a plan, I'll call you."

"Gotcha," I said, "I'm just hoping it all works out."

"For once," Meiko said, "I'm going to believe it will. It has to."

"Thanks, Meiko." I said.

"Anytime. We're friends, aren't we?"

I smiled, feeling like Meiko really was trying to look out for me.

"Yeah," I said, "I don't think I could ask for a better friend right now than you."

"You're sweet," she said, "but save it for the girl you're trying to save."

I felt a little self-conscious at her remark, but I figured what she was getting at. Meiko didn't seem like the type to get all mushy about anything, but I could tell she cared about me. I just wanted her to know I felt the same way.

"Point is," Meiko continued, "you might be doubtful, but this is one of those times where you need to keep your head up high. We'll figure out a way to get her back. I think she'd be glad to see you."

"I know I'd be glad to see her," I said, "there's something I think I want to tell her."

"Oh, and what would that be?"

"Well, uh, nothing, actually. It's silly."

"Come on, can't be that silly."

"Well, after today, I kinda wanted to show her that city. Tell her all about how nice it looked."

"Left that much of an impact on you, did it?"

"I think I know where I'd like to live if I had the chance."

"It's good to see that put you in such high spirits. Maybe we can all go there once this is over."

"I think I'd like that," I said. "If we could spend a couple nights there, well, that would be even better."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Meiko said, "let's focus on the rescue first, okay?"

I nodded.

"Look, we're almost to your place," Meiko said, "I'd follow Gumi's instruction on keeping yourself relaxed until we find something. It's going to be plenty busy following it."

"Yeah, okay," I said, "I'll try the best I can to keep from getting anxious."

"Do that, and if you're feeling doubt, remember what we talked about so you can keep your head in the game. I'm sure you won't have trouble once we actually get out there."

Meiko parked her car outside my house, and I grabbed my backpack and opened the door.

"I appreciate the chat," I said. "I'll be sure to be ready the moment you need me."

"Keep yourself occupied, Griff," she said. "That's all you can do right now!"

I nodded, shutting the door, and heading into my house. She drove away. Once I got into my house, I noticed the lights were off, and the house was empty. David wasn't home yet, so at least he wouldn't chew me out this time. I walked myself to my room. The moment I sat down on my bed, I felt exhausted.

I rubbed my eyes, and unzipped my backpack.

Well, I thought to myself, this is probably as good of a time as any to catch up on schoolwork. I've probably fallen behind.

As much as I wanted to sleep, I knew I couldn't go to bed just yet. It wasn't all that late, and I knew I'd be raising suspicion if I didn't attempt to live an ordinary life.

I rummaged around, looking for my books. I pulled one out, but it was one of the books from Miku's apartment. I forgot I had left it there. I grabbed all of them out, realizing I never stored them at the base, but I also felt a round, soft shape in the bag. It was Miku's stuffed bunny. I felt bad I had left it in there so long without taking it out.

"Huh," I said, as I pulled it out, looking at the face of the plush toy, "it's kinda cute, though. I wonder what your name is."

I wondered if Miku had given the little guy a name. It seemed like it was the only thing she had with her inside of that empty home of hers.

I looked back over at the plush toy. The sad little face it made, almost pleadingly asking if it can help keep you comfortable. It had hit me, then and there, like a truck. I started feeling my heart sink, like I was on the verge of tears. I hugged the bunny tightly to my chest and lay back on my bed.

"I miss her," I said to myself. "I wish she was back."

Of course, I could wish all I wanted. That wasn't going to save Miku. Only I could do that, and at the very moment, I was useless, even then.

But I didn't want to deny it. I didn't want to tell myself to stop trying. Saving her, that was our goal. I was intent on fulfilling it.

I fell asleep with my arms wrapped tightly around Miku's bunny. It had been a long time since I had been able to have a good night's rest, but this brought it.

For the next few days, I needed to act like a normal student. Going home every day and leading a life as if I was still an average teen. Would this be what was in store for me had I declined Meiko's offer? I almost shuddered to think that I could have given up so much in order to return to normalcy. To say I hated going back to my normal routine would be putting it lightly.

I came home on Thursday night from school. David was home early from work as well. I walked inside, seeing him at our dining room table, eating a handful of sunflower seeds.

"Hey, Griff," he said, "how's your day been?"

"No different than usual," I said, grabbing some sunflower seeds for myself, "been kinda wishing something would happen, to be perfectly honest."

"I'd be careful with what you wish for there," he chuckled, "you might not get what you wanted."

"True," I said, scanning over some documents he was reading. A flight itinerary set for Sweden.

"Sweden?" I asked.

"Oh, right," he said, "we got a new office opening in Stockholm. They want me there to help open it, make sure everything goes smoothly."

"I thought you handled the reclamations," I said. "Why would they need you to find lost packages in a new office?"

"I do a little more than reclaiming lost packages," he explained. "I also have to make sure the building security is working right, otherwise we'll end up losing things almost overnight."

"That makes sense," I said, "so, when do you take off?"

"End of the month," he said, "you're stuck with me until then."

"You make it sound like a bad thing," I said, smirking.

"Well," he said, "how about when I finish this, we go somewhere, you and me."

"Like, a vacation?"

"A small one like a weekend away from this city, but sure."

"That would be great," I said, "I'll try and think of somewhere we can go."

"I'll look forward to it," he said, "anyways, I gotta go make some phone calls. You take care, 'aight?"

"Sure," I said, feeling my phone vibrate. "I'll talk to you soon."

Once I got into my room, I checked my phone. It was a message from Meiko.

"Hey," it read, "Gumi finished digging through everything. I would tell you what we found, but it would be better if you saw everything for yourself."

"Why?" I asked. "Is it bad?"

"Not bad," she sent in response, "it's just a lot of information. Gumi would be able to tell you everything."

"Just tell me one thing," I typed, "do we have a chance?"

A moment of silence before she would send another message.

"The best chance we have. I'll put it that way."

That felt good to hear. Our effort paid off, as much of a headache as it was.

"Anything I need to know?" I asked.

"Just get plenty of rest. I'll pick you up tomorrow, and we'll tell you everything then."

"Got it," I said, "thanks, Meiko."

Our conversation ended. I put my phone down, and laid back on my bed.

"The best chance we have," I said to myself, "finally, maybe we really can rescue her…"

My voice trailed off as I looked over at the little bunny that was lying next to my pillow. Looking at it reminded me that it was Miku's. For some odd reason, I found myself chatting with the little guy.

"You probably want to see her, too," I said, not expecting an actual response, "so maybe I have more of a reason to get her back. If only you could help us."

Though I thought about it, and I guess it did help me in some way. I managed to rest easy lately because of it. I couldn't explain why, but there was something comforting about hugging something while you slept. Or maybe, it helped because of who the plush toy belonged to, rather than what it did.

However, helpful or not, it was Miku's plush toy, and I was determined to get it back to her.

I was also determined to get her back. I was starting to realize just how much she changed my life, and I felt like I needed to return the favor, or pay her back in some way.

This was a girl who had entered my life, and disappeared just as I was getting to know her. I wanted to see her again. I wanted to talk with her, laugh with her, and explore the world with her.

I think I also needed to tell her how much I've grown up in the past month looking for her. I've seen so much that I never knew existed. So much that only others could dream of seeing. And she was the reason I ever found any of it.

I wanted to rescue Miku to tell her "thanks."

Except, that wasn't entirely true.

I think there was more I wanted to say. Way more. More than I really knew how to say.

I pulled out my phone, and opened up my photos, looking for the photo of us together. Her smile brought a warm feeling in my chest. I felt like I was finally starting to get how I actually felt about her.

"Oh no," I said to myself, almost frustrated that I didn't realize it sooner. "I think I'm in love with Miku."

Love. Now I get what it was. Sure, I had my crushes before growing up, but I never felt anything quite like this before. No, this was different. I was infatuated with Miku, to where I thought my life wouldn't be the same without her. Now I understood what it felt like, and why people do such crazy things when they're in love.

I put my phone down and stared at my ceiling, thinking about what tomorrow would bring. I would know then, but for now, I would need to wait, just a little bit longer.

I woke up the next day, my head full of anticipation for what would come next, and what we had found. I hurried off to school, wanting it over as quickly as possible.

The hours would go by, the lectures would come and go, and once the final bell had rung, I was on my way to meet Meiko. She sat in her usual parking spot, standing by her car in her black hoodie. I hurriedly moved to meet up with her.

"Well," she said, "someone seems eager."

"Yeah," I said, admittedly not trying to hide my excitement, "I've been itching to see what it is you guys dug up. The way it sounded, you guys found the Holy Grail of rescue plans."

"You could say that," Meiko said. "We've been up since last night detailing a plan, but we aren't ready to go with it until you're clued in on all of it."

"I'm touched," I said, somewhat sarcastic, "but look, if you guys have a plan, and it's just as you said being the 'best chance we have,' I'll probably agree to it."

"Well," she said, opening her door, "let's not waste time. We have a lot you need to see."

I nodded, and hopped in the passenger side door. Once I was in the car, and my seatbelt was strapped in, Meiko stepped on the gas, trying to get us to the base as soon as possible. We both kept quiet. Meiko focused on the road, and I kept my mind on what our plan could be. I understood why Meiko didn't tell me anything, but it made me anxious thinking about what this plan could possibly be.

I would find out soon enough, and just needed to stay patient.

Meiko's car pulled up to the base's entrance. We got out of her car, covered it, and hurried inside. The atmosphere felt heavy inside, with anxiety building up inside me. Answers were ahead, and I wanted to know now.

Gumi sat at the computer, with Luka next to her. They both shot glances at us as we entered.

"Good to see you again, Griff," Gumi said cheerfully. "Hopefully you've had a decent week off!"

"Tell the truth," I said, "I was starting to miss this. The way Meiko tells it, we might actually be able to pull this off."

"Well," Gumi said, "it'll be close, and frankly, there's so much that can potentially go wrong, but she's right."

"Well," I said, "let's hear it."

Gumi pulled up a window on her monitor. It had a very detailed blueprint of what looked to be a facility, labeled the Atraxis Dome.

"And what's this?" I asked.

"Our staging point," she explained. "That data we pulled harbored a fair amount of information about Other-Earth and Interspace. Duodecim has very little presence there, as we thought, but they've been very keen on finding out everything they can. The Dome here is one such place they've set up shop."

She pulled up a detailed report that held information about the Dome.

"I'll be sure to give you a copy of all of this so you can review the plan yourself. Right now, however, let me explain why the Dome is so significant."

I nodded, letting her continue.

"Essentially," Gumi explained, "Duodecim's research has mostly gone into this particular spot. Though, they have other facilities located on Other-Earth, as we saw."

"Yeah," I said, "and you said this was going to be our staging ground. Why's that?"

"This right here," she said, a smile across her face, "this is how we're going to get Miku."

"Wait, does that mean Duodecim has a scanner?" I asked.

"They have one, yes," Gumi said. "It's not nearly as advanced as the one we have, but it's in the facility Miku is being taken to."

"Taken to?" I asked.

"Yep," Gumi said, "transfer orders for a facility in Europe. Left on a plane this morning."

"Where was she before?" I asked.

"Out in New York, if you can believe that. Looks like they wanted to keep her as far away from us as possible."

Gumi moved to another window, and pulled up photos of a facility exterior.

"I managed to dig a little bit into her new house in question. Place is plenty secure, as you'd imagine. So our only option is a rescue staged in a virtual world. How do we get someone into a virtual world without our own scanner?"

"Does Duodecim's scanner work?"

"According to some of the conversations exchanged by some of the upper science division, it's functional. Tests indicate they've successfully transferred objects into Other-Earth. If I'm correct here, we can use that to bring Miku in."

"If you're correct?"

"This is what I meant by things that could potentially go wrong. Our real issue is figuring out how we're going to get Miku into that scanner. I'm trying to map out the facility so I can point her where she needs to go, but until I'm able to find her cell, we're going to be left in the dark on it."

"And what about us?"

"Well, you and Meiko," Gumi said, looking over to Luka, "are going to handle that part. The Dome is where they've designated their tests at. We figured it's a secure spot to grab Miku from. It won't lead back to the Ranger's base in any way."

As scary as it was to think of potentially bad outcomes for this scenario, I was getting excited. We had a somewhat concrete plan to save Miku. I would have hugged Gumi right then and there, but there was still more to discuss.

"I'll put it this way," Gumi said, "this really is the best plan we have. I'm going to spend the next week setting everything up."

She pulled up another document.

"I neglected to mention," Gumi said, "but we also only have about a week and a half left to recover Miku."

She pointed at a very specific part of the document.

It read: "Orders to all high-ranking personnel: Isolation of V.C.D.-01 granted. Extra patrols requested. Isolation commences Oct. 4th, 2034. Additional confirmation underway."

"So," I said, "we've only got one shot at this, and not a whole lot of time to plan it out."

"Unfortunately," Gumi said, "and right now, we should count ourselves lucky we've got so much time for ourselves."

"But what does isolation mean?"

"Can't say for sure," Meiko interjected, "but it's not good. I can guarantee you there will be no way to rescue her once that happens."

I winced at that statement.

"Look," Gumi said, "we have a plan, it's not a very concrete plan, but it's a plan, and if we do things right, we'll get her home."

"Fine," I said, "then what do we need to do?"

"You? I'd recommend training in V.R. all this week if you can. You might know how to use a weapon, Griff, but you should also make sure you can hold your own."

I nodded, and looked at Meiko.

"Looks like you'll get more of my training," Meiko said, a confident look in her eyes. "I'll make sure you're ready for this."

"I'll be ready," I said, and looked back over at Gumi.

"Right, well," Gumi said, "I'll handle the hard stuff, and you guys handle training. We'll have a week, so I'd recommend we come back tomorrow, and do what we can."

"Yes, ma'am," I said, and started towards the exit.

"Oh, Griff, before you two head out," Gumi said, "one last thing."

Gumi pulled up a report about something that was sent by Strafford himself.

"You know how you guys reported that when you entered the facility and found all of the drones had been taken out? I reviewed what you all saw, and I think we might have a fourth party on our hands."

"Jeez," I said, "so you're telling me we have another problem to worry about?"

"If it hates Duodecim," Meiko said, "then we're probably going to be just fine. Maybe it's your guardian angel."

"Maybe," I said, "hopefully we never run into them. I saw what that blade did to those guys, I'd hate to be on the receiving end."

"I'll see if we can figure out anything else," Gumi said, "but right now, get some rest. It's going to be a long week for all of us, I can already feel it."

"Definitely," I said. "I can't wait to finish this."

"Well, train hard," Meiko said, patting my back, "and it'll pay off."

I left the Operating Room, with Meiko behind me.

I needed to steel myself. The coming days would be rigorous, and I needed to be ready. Miku was counting on me. She was counting on all of us.