Meiko prepared the training program as I relaxed inside of the training pod. After doing this for the past week, it was starting to feel routine.

This was the last night before Meiko's aptly named "Hellweek" ended. She'd been running me through a rigorous regiment in the training sim. Tomorrow would be the real deal: We'd be trying to save Miku, and couldn't afford any room for error. I had to be ready.

"Final checks," Meiko said, "initiating the training simulation pod. Flip the switch when you're ready, Griff."

I pressed the green button, and the doors shut. Flashes of blue light flickered rapidly, and I found myself in the simulation. The floor was a hexagonal patterning, with black and bright blue light highlights. This was the training grid. I had gotten used to seeing this for the past week.

"Alright, Griff," Meiko said, "since today is the last day for training, I'm going to have you run through the course again. You've done this enough so I expect you won't need to retry."

"I've been waiting for this," I said.

"I bet you have," she replied.

The ground shook, and multiple blue cubes floated down to the ground. All had various sizes to them, and all of them amassed together, creating a single straight path, with two large walls towering over me.

"First test is agility. You have two minutes. Starting now."

I nodded, and ran up to the first wall, jumping at it. I gripped my hands on the edge, and pulled myself up. At the top was a set of cubes acting as platforms that hovered over a dark pit. Falling into the pit meant the exercise would end. There were about three of these types of obstacles.

I jumped to each platform, making sure not to build too much momentum for each jump. Each time I made a proper landing, I felt good knowing I wasn't screwing up this time. Once at the end of the segment, I took off running. I couldn't waste any time.

A wall was in front of me, and I planted both of my hands on it, and vaulted forward. Another wall, this time elevated from the ground, was in front of it, and I slid underneath it. Another low wall, and I vaulted again.

I slid underneath the last one. Behind the wall was a large pit, and above me was a large cylindrical shape that lay overhead. I grabbed at it, and climbed.

"Nice," Meiko said, "you've improved drastically on the pipe-grab."

"It got me before," I said, grinning. "I won't let it get me again."

"It means you're improving. Keep going, and you'll finish this in under two minutes."

I climbed up the wall. At the top of the wall was another set of small platforms. They were all sitting adjacent to each other, and the cubes themselves were the size of one of my boots. I had to run over each one, keeping my footing right.

I took a deep breath, and closed my eyes.

"Go," I said, opening my eyes, and darting across each platform. The platforms themselves would start falling as I planted my feet on each one, so I couldn't stand on one for very long.

"That's it," Meiko said, "you're almost there. Clock's still running."

"I'll get it," I said, "watch me."

The final challenge was a balance beam over another pit. I hated this one because it took up the most time, but the finish line was right there.

"Exhausted?" She asked.

"Not even," I said, smirking. I planted my feet on the balance beam, and started walking rather quickly. I kept my arms out to keep balance, and kept my sights set on the end. If I looked down, I'd lose it, and I couldn't do that.

I kept my head clear, and kept moving. By the time I was at the end, I leapt forward, landing on the finish marker. I fell stomach-first on the ground, and rolled over.

"Final time?" I asked.

"I'm shocked," Meiko said, "I was thinking at least one-fifty. You? One minute, thirty-nine seconds."

"Ha!" I laughed. "How's that for the record?"

"You showed me," she said, "this is definitely looking good on your part. Alright, now for the next part."

"I'm ready," I said, standing myself up, "throw it my way."

"Initiating combat simulation. You had better be ready."

"I am," I said, stretching, "let's do this."

The bright blue flashes started again, and everything disappeared. I was going to prove I could handle myself. I knew I could do it, I just needed to show that I could.

----------------------------------------

"Final checks are almost complete," the pilot announced to Kallen and his team "Takeoff is happening shortly."

"Thanks, Laughlin," Kallen said. "We'll be with the cargo for the duration of our travel. You may head back up to the cockpit."

"Sir," Laughlin nodded, and exited the cargo hold.

Kallen looked over at his team, five other men wearing black suits and earpieces and geared with submachine guns, who were sitting along the wall, guarding the cargo.

The cargo was V.C.D.-01, formerly Hatsune Miku. Though Miku refused to let Duodecim, and Kallen especially, strip away her identity, she still had to face the fact none of them would acknowledge her name.

She was seated in a less secure chair compared to the one in her old cell. The armed guards were there to compensate. On the off chance that Miku had managed to overpower one of them, four more would manage to subdue her.

Worse yet, Miku couldn't even sleep on the way there. Kallen instructed all of the guards that if she closed her eyes longer than ten seconds, one of them needed to smack her with their rifle.

"If you're a good girl and behave yourself," Kallen said, "I'll maybe consider giving you a reward at the end of this trip."

Miku fixed her gaze at his eyes. He smiled, menacingly.

"It's so nice you're listening to me now. I could get used to that."

She tried her hardest to react to him. She didn't want to feed Kallen's ego.

"I'll be checking up front," Kallen said, looking over at his subordinates. "I won't be long, keep an eye on our cargo."

"Yessir," one of the guards said.

Once Kallen left, the guards started talking among themselves.

"I don't like it," he said, "it just watches us. You think it records?"

"I dunno, ask it."

Miku ignored their slights. She really couldn't object to any of it to begin with. There was no point in it, they wouldn't listen. It still hurt all the same, though.

"We're flying to Europe, yeah?"

"Yeah, though H.Q. wants us to keep detail on the facility as vague as possible. Who knows, our cargo might have been wired to listen in and make sure we're not discussing classified info, you know, publicly."

"Fine, we can talk about it when we get there. I heard we're landing on a private airstrip."

Miku could hear the jet engines starting up. In about ten hours, she would be taken to an undisclosed place in Europe, where she would await her inevitable fate of isolation.

She sat there, staring into space as the jet took off, thinking with nostalgia of how a little less than a month ago, she was someone. She had a life, with a friend, and places she could go.

I hope you got the life you wanted, she thought to herself. I thought maybe I'd get to be normal just a little longer, but it was all a fleeting dream. At least I got to meet someone, if only for a little while.

She wanted to remember Griff. She knew she would never see him again, but she kept the memories they shared close. It would be the only thing that would keep her sane, even somewhat hopeful.

Isolation, Miku shuddered. She hated that word. She hated being locked up in a room. Confined to four walls, and nothing to look at. She hated it. She loathed it. Despised it. She wanted to be out, to be free.

But she also knew that wasn't possible. It was hopeless to get caught up in a worthless fantasy. It was a mere delusion. Nothing more. The reality was simple: she would be put away, for good. Until she was broken down and made obedient.

----------------------------------------

"Well," Meiko said, "you did good on the obstacle course. You ready for what comes next?"

I stretched my arms outward, and took a deep breath. "I think I can take it."

"Okay," Meiko said, "I know you've been running the shooting range, but this is going to be a little different."

"How different are we talking here?" I asked, my eyebrow raised.

"I'll have you see for yourself."

Great, I thought, I love surprises.

"Let's see it," I said, knowing I didn't really have a choice.

Everything disappeared, becoming a pure white.

"Initiating combat simulation, Zero-Two-One," a feminine robotic voice announced.

When the simulation had loaded, I was standing in the middle of a busy subway station. Multiple people bustled about, waiting for a train to arrive. Conversations were taking place, and announcements could be heard overhead. It had been forever since I had been in a place like this. I remember David taking me downtown through the subway system when I was ten, but that was it.

I looked at my left hand, and my Operator Link blinked. I hadn't really paid attention to it since I had gotten it. I remembered Gumi was very interested in it, and she had been looking over all of our Links whenever she had the chance. I thought about asking her about it the next time I saw her.

I looked over at my sleeve, and then I realized I wasn't wearing my training jumpsuit anymore. I was wearing my normal jeans and black jacket.

Guess I need to look the part, I thought. I looked around, and everything seemed relatively normal. I took a walk around, seeing if a train would soon arrive.

"Meiko," I said, "Meiko are you there? Is there supposed to be, you know, something happening?"

No response.

"I see," I said, "I guess I'm on my own."

I turned around and bumped into someone dressed in a suit, and carrying a briefcase.

"Oh, sorry!" I said.

"Stupid kid," he said, a scowl on his face, "watch where you're going next time."

I watched him walk away and disappear into the crowds. When I turned back, I looked over and saw two men coming down the escalator. They had army green duffle bags and black jackets.

"Please stand behind the yellow line," a voice announced over the intercom. "The train headed for Flagstaff Village is currently arriving at 6:02 P.M. All passengers boarding, please keep an eye on your luggage, thank you."

Suddenly, I heard a voice above the escalators.

"Except no one is going to be boarding this train!"

I turned, and looked up. A well-dressed man with slicked back hair and a suit stood up above the train platform. He had a gun in his hands.

Then, suddenly, the two men I saw earlier with the green duffle bags pulled out a set of weapons as well, along with balaclavas to cover their face.

"I would recommend everyone sit right where you are. We have no intention of harming anyone here, but if you don't listen, we'll have to do something about that."

Everyone in the crowd started screaming as sounds of gunfire went off.

This was almost too real, and I was flashing back to when I was at the mall again. I think I understood now what Meiko was doing.

I ducked on the ground next to a group of people. The three men gathered next to each other as the train arrived. Once the doors opened, swarms of people ran out. The only people remaining inside were more people, holding rifles in their hands.

"Good," the suited man, who I had assumed was the leader of the bunch said, "we have our train, now we just need to get to the village station. Let's get moving."

They all boarded at the front of the train. However, at the back of it, there were only two men stationed there. I had to think fast. If this was part of the simulation, I needed to get on that train.

"Please stand clear," a friendly automated voice said, "the doors are closing."

I pulled myself off the ground, and dashed towards the train. The closest train car to me was the last one. Two criminals were standing inside, and they both saw me. One of the masked men pulled out his pistol and trained it right on me.

It was too late. I charged right into him and rammed him into the wall. He fell over immediately, dropping his handgun.

I grabbed the handgun as his friend had taken cover behind one of the train seats. I aimed the handgun at him, and when he popped out of cover, I pulled the trigger. He fell over, limp.

"That's two," I said, "but this is only the first car. I'm sure there's plenty ahead of me."

I moved over to the body, seeing if I could scrounge anything from him. Noticing he had a submachine gun, I grabbed it.

"Not a whole lot of ammo he was carrying," I said, checking the loaded magazine, "but it's better than nothing."

I needed to move to the next train car. Whoever was orchestrating this was at the front, most likely. If I was going to get to them, I needed to move up, and fast.

I moved to the door of the next train car. It looked empty, but I heard voices on the other side.

"I think I heard gunfire happening, I'm going to check it out."

"Be careful," another voice replied. "If anyone is on board, kill 'em. You know the boss doesn't want any prisoners."

"Yeah, I know," the first one said. "If anyone's there, they won't get far."

I stepped back, readying the S.M.G. I had picked up, and hugged right against the wall.

The door opened, and a single boot stepped forward. I didn't hesitate to let him walk all the way in. I pulled the trigger and the bullet tore right through his footwear. He let out a loud and agonizing scream.

"Ah, hell, someone's there," the other voice yelled. "Effin' kill him!"

"Don't let him get to the bomb, it'll jeopardize everything we've worked for."

A bomb, I thought, they brought a bomb on board this train? Great, now I know I don't have a lot of time to mess around here.

"Move, now! He can't get both of us," one of the voices barked.

"So there's only two of you," I yelled. "Thanks for letting me know!"

I aimed my gun behind the corner as I heard footsteps getting closer, and fired blindly. I let out five rounds before I heard a loud thud behind the wall.

"Got him," I said.

"Damn it," the assailant yelled, "you'll pay for that!"

"Sorry," I yelled back, "I don't have any money. Here, have an I.O.U.!"

I shot blindly again. This time with seven shots, and then click. I had run out of ammo.

"Crap, did I get him?" I asked myself. Suddenly a bullet shot through the window above me. The shattered glass fell right on top of me.

"Crap," I said, glass shards littered in my arms, "damn that hurts."

"I got you now, coward," the voice screamed. Heavy footsteps grew closer, and I needed to think fast. I still had the pistol, but with all of the glass cutting into me, it was hard to focus.

I couldn't let it stop me, though. I needed to get through this. I frantically grabbed for my handgun, and as soon as his footsteps entered into the train, I started firing. I managed to land a shot at center mass. He dropped to the floor immediately.

I looked over my arms, and they were riddled with glass shards. "I got cut up real bad from that. I need to be careful."

Though most of my wounds were light cuts from the glass, it still stung all over the place. I felt like my adrenaline was mitigating most of the pain, but I could still feel it.

I checked my pistol's magazine. Only about seven shots were left.

"These guys don't keep their weapons loaded," I commented. "I better scrounge up what I can find."

I walked into the next car, and saw one of the assailants trying to stop his foot from bleeding. I ran over, and kept my gun trained on him.

He looked up, realizing I wasn't one of his friends. Fear was in his eyes. I slowly approached him, and kept my handgun trained on him.

"I-I surrender,'' he said.

"Hand over your gun," I ordered, "and be quick about it."

He complied, sliding his S.M.G. over to me. It was the same as the one I was using earlier. I grabbed it and checked for ammo. Full magazine.

"There's a bomb on this train," I said, "where is it?"

"Front car," he mumbled, "with the boss. Not like you'll get there in time. There's two train cars between you and it, and it's going to go off before you get to it."

"How long until it goes off?" I asked.

"When it gets to the end of the line. At the rate we're going, you've got twelve minutes."

If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

"I'll be there in six," I said, coyly.

He passed out from the bleeding. I'd let the police take care of him when we stopped the train. Hopefully I could actually make it in time.

"On to the next car," I said, "hopefully it's empty."

I doubted that, of course. This was an uphill battle, and I needed to be careful every step of the way.

I had to wonder if Meiko was watching me all the way through this, and if so, I wondered if she was judging my performance. She remained silent since I had started, but I wondered how well I was doing. She probably had plenty to say about my performance, but that didn't matter now. I needed to get this finished.

I moved ahead into the next train car with my weapon gripped firmly in my hand. I kept it aimed as the door opened. The lights started flickering and the train started picking up speed. Then I noticed why.

At the end of the car, three figures were piling into the next car, and one of them was attaching something to the side of it. Considering what was already on this train, this wasn't a good sign.

I started firing, and my target fell over. The other two didn't seem to bother trying to fight, and even seemed to ignore that I had just downed their friend. That seemed like a bad sign, and probably what they intended.

Once I got closer to the next car, I took a look at the device that was attached. It was a plastic explosive with a timer set on it. There were only thirty seconds left on it. I tried to push into the next car, but it was jammed. A gun had been left in the latch.

Twenty-five seconds left. I had to think fast. I took my gun and aimed it at the window.

They'll probably start firing the moment I try to shoot out, better be ready.

I started firing. The window wasn't bulletproof, shockingly, and the glass shattered. The two masked criminals started firing.

I looked back over. Seventeen seconds now. I had to get out of here. I didn't feel panic, I just felt like I had to do what was necessary to survive.

I popped back up, seeing the two again. As I aimed the gun, it felt like time had slowed down. I felt stressed, sure, but I also felt like I had parted with any sense of panic, and instead was fueled by adrenaline.

I aimed carefully, hitting one of them. The other looked over, seeing his partner go down. He ran over to his aid, giving me time to grab the gun that was jammed into the latch. I yanked on it, and pulled the gun out, and the door opened.

I didn't care how much time was left on the clock. I ran in as quickly as I could, and ran as far to the back as I could. The masked figure popped up from behind the seat, and aimed his gun right at me. Before he could fire it, the train car shook, and the blast rocked everything, including me.

I fell over, and recovered as fast as I could. Over half the train had been ripped apart from the blast. I was lucky I got as far in as I could.

I crawled along the floor, climbing almost, along the seats. I didn't have much time left.

"You're not getting any further," he yelled. "I'll kill ya!"

He popped up, his weapon pointed right at me. This was about to be it. I was about to end up failing right before I reached the end.

I got lucky, however, as a loose metal pole disconnected behind the assailant, and slammed right into the back of his head. He dropped his gun, and fell over, rolling out the opened back of the train.

I was lucky to have survived that. Now I needed to finish this.

I crawled over to the train doors, and pulled myself up. I had no idea how much time had passed, but I probably didn't have a whole lot of time left. It was time to finish this.

I opened the door, and proceeded to the next room. There were two people standing there. One was the man in the suit, but next to him was someone familiar: Meiko.

Shocked, I looked over at her. A smile was across her face.

The suited man, holding a handgun, looked over at me.

"And so we finally meet, Mister Hero, but this is as far as you go-."

Meiko ripped the gun out of his hand, and shot him in the back of the head.

"Don't really have the time to hear a monologue," Meiko said, glancing over her handiwork.

"What the hell, Meiko? What are you doing here?"

"Came to see your progress, idiot. You didn't think you were just going to fight a simulation for your final test, did you?"

I stared at her, and then realized what she meant.

"Final test starts now, Griff. You have about, oh, four minutes until this goes off? Come on, show me what you can do."

Meiko made a waving gesture with her hands. I didn't hesitate to get into a proper fighting pose. I knew what she meant then and there.

I lunged at Meiko immediately with my right fist. She blocked it, and retaliated by sweeping my legs. I was on the ground already and we had just started.

"Come on, Griff," Meiko said, "you gotta try a little harder than that if you want to win."

I rolled away before she managed to hit me. Meiko wasn't playing around.

"It's going to go off if you don't take me out," she said.

"You're really not holding back, are you?" I asked.

"I can't. It's your final test, you think I should go easy on you?"

I shook my head.

"That's what I thought. Now really try and do some damage. I can take it."

I nodded. This was a simulation after all. Any damage I did here wouldn't actually hurt her, and even if it did, she'd want me to.

Meiko ran over to me, and swung. I dodged underneath her swing, and jabbed her with a hit. It didn't knock her back, but she felt something.

"You're up against a metal chassis," she said, "you think that's going to hurt?"

"Guess not," I said, "better aim higher."

Thinking about it, Meiko really didn't have anything critical you could hit with. She was a lot harder to actually damage compared to me. The only place I could do damage on was her head, and even then, I had no real way of knowing if that would actually keep her down.

She grabbed me by the shoulders, and kneed me in the stomach. I felt my insides bunch up, and thought I was going to lose my lunch.

"I bet that felt good," she taunted. "But you seem to like pain if you think you can take me."

I kept the feeling down, and pulled myself back up.

"Come on," she said, approaching me, "you can't be winded after that, can you?"

She lifted me up, and then smashed her head into mine, and back down I went. My vision was starting to get blurry.

I had been grounded, and I was brought down by a relentless trainer who wouldn't stop hurting me until the fight was over.

She towered over me, laying her boot over my chest.

"You know, Griff, I really had high hopes for you, but I just don't see you being able to rescue Miku tomorrow. You're almost a liability at this point."

Get up, Griff, a voice in my head yelled out to me, get up right now. Prove her wrong.

She started pushing down harder on my chest. I was having a harder time trying to breathe now. A devilish grin was stretched across her face.

"After all you've done, and all that effort, it's just going to go to waste. Don't worry, I'll be the one to rescue Miku tomorrow. You can just sit and watch from the sidelines."

If you don't get up, it's over, I kept hearing, get up and prove her wrong.

Meiko lifted her boot off of my chest, and aimed it right at my face.

"This is how it ends, Griff, sorry."

Right before she had stomped the daylights out of me, I used every ounce of strength I could to roll away at the last second. She glared at me.

"I guess you don't like quitting, huh?"

"I'm through with quitting," I retorted.

"You look tired, Griff," she said, smugly.

"I'm not," I said, "just angry."

I lunged at her, screaming. Everything she had just said, I knew exactly what she was trying to do, and I fell for it again, but I think she had just taught me a lesson I wouldn't forget: Sometimes you need to get angry to do something about your situation.

I tackled her, slamming my shoulder right into her chest. I was shocked at how easily she fell over, but before she had any time to recover, I started laying into her with my fists.

I felt like I was starting to wake up. I think I had gotten the result Meiko had wanted. She wanted me to get angry. She wanted me to break out of the shell I had been stuck in. I didn't agree with her methods, but it felt like it had worked.

She had wanted me to become a fighter, and from the looks of it, she had succeeded in that. I was through with running away.

I kept punching Meiko as she lay there. I kept going until I knew she would be down for the count. My fists were starting to hurt with each punch, but I kept going.

And with one final blow, Meiko had dissolved away.

I fell over, and started breathing heavily. I used up all of my energy in that fight.

I looked up over at the bomb. It had forty-five seconds left.

I stood up and my legs shook, but I kept walking.

The bomb had a giant "DISARM" button on it. It was huge and red, and I kinda laughed at the sight of it.

I punched it with my fist, and the simulation ended.

Suddenly, a white flash, and then I found myself back in the V.R. Pod again. The door opened, and I saw Meiko poke her head in.

"Hey," she said, "not feeling too angry about that, are you?"

I blinked for a second, and then laughed.

"Sorry about that," I said.

"No need," Meiko replied, "you did exactly as I had hoped. Good job. I'd say that's a pass from me."

The straps disconnected, and I pulled myself out of the pod. I felt dizzy, and almost felt like I was going to faint. Meiko offered her shoulder, and walked me over to a chair.

"How about once you recover a bit," she said, "you and I go get something to eat? My treat."

"Yeah," I said, smiling, "I'd like that. I need to go get some stuff from my house first, though. David leaves tonight for his trip."

"Right," Meiko said, "lucky us, too. It means you can spend the night here."

"Are we going over the plan tonight?"

"Of course," she said. "Let's worry about that when we get back, though. I think you earned some rest."

I sighed in relief.

"Thanks," I said, "I appreciate everything you've done for me."

"One day I'll have you pay me back. Now isn't the time, though."

I stood up, and followed behind her.

----------------------------------------

"Beginning descent on Duodecim airstrip," the pilot announced over the intercom.

"Ten minutes to landing," Kallen said. "Have yourselves in formation when we exit. Ensure no opening is available."

"Yessir!" All six of the men replied in unison.

"Good," Kallen nodded. "I can trust you to take care of this properly."

The plane made a bumpy landing. Especially from the back of the cargo hold, where Miku had been sitting, it was a lot more intense. Everything shook around her briefly, and the tires screeched as they made contact with the asphalt.

The thought of being put away didn't bother her too much until she had landed at her new "home." Once the cargo doors opened, and the sunlight poured in, she could see the landing strip, and the base of operations next to it. The air had a distinct smell to it. It reminded her of saltwater. If her circumstances were any different, Miku would have liked it.

That wasn't the case however, and she started to feel anxious. It got so much worse once she had landed.

"Releasing holding clamps," one of the security agents announced. "Disengaging in 3, 2, 1...:"

Miku was released from her chair. She stood up, and was placed into cuffs, tied around her back.

"Walk," Kallen commanded. "And be fast, or I'm shaving that head of yours."

She was escorted out of the plane, and was escorted across the airstrip. Miku took in the salt air, the last time she would be able to smell something so fresh before being locked up again.

Eventually, Miku would be released into the custody of the facility's security instead of Kallen's armed escort.

"Orders from above," one of the drones said, "you'll be staying at the airstrip tonight. Package is to be held in captivity."

Kallen raised an eyebrow. "We have a cell for it, right?"

An affirmative nod.

"Fine. Do as you're ordered."

The drones escorted Miku away, and walked her into an elevator.

"Oh, and Miku, one last thing."

Miku looked behind her at Kallen.

"I'd suggest you keep Griff in your thoughts. He'd be so sad if you forgot about him when you inevitably reunite."

Miku scowled at him as the elevator closed. He was trying everything he could to get a rise out of her. She held back from saying anything.

At the bottom floor of the airstrip was the holding cells. They were there mostly for distressed agents or employees of Duodecim who were in need of immediate care or isolation. In this case, they were reserved for Miku until tomorrow morning when a proper vehicle could be used to bring her to the secure facility. The Directors had made it clear that they wanted to take no chances in allowing her to escape.

Miku was led into cell 3. The guards opened the door, and shoved her into it. She landed on the floor, and the door closed behind her.

She pulled herself up, not even attempting to fight back or attempt an escape.

The cell had a bed, a sink, a toilet and a mirror, and one dim light in the ceiling. The walls were a dull metallic grey. The whole place felt like something out of a nightmare.

Miku walked over to the sink, and looked in the mirror. Her hair was a mess. It was tangled, ratty, and nothing short of a mess. Her orange jumpsuit didn't help either. A reminder she was a prisoner.

She walked away from the mirror, and resigned herself to her bed. The moment she laid down, she broke into tears, and cried herself to sleep.

----------------------------------------

Meiko had driven me home so I could grab all my stuff for the night while she would go grab dinner. David's car was still parked in the garage. He was packing, so it seemed like a good time to see him off before I left myself.

"Hey, David, I'm home!" I announced.

David walked out of his bedroom wearing a nice black polo shirt.

"Oh, hey Griff," David said.

"I figured you'd probably want to say bye before you went off on your business trip."

"I appreciate it," he said, "I wanted to make sure that you'd be okay on your own."

"You've gone on business trips before," I said. "I can do fine by myself."

David chuckled, and went back into his room.

"There's plenty of food in the fridge," he said. "I also left some money for you in case you want to order something."

"Any idea how long you'll be gone for?" I asked.

"A few days," he said. "I'd suggest you don't throw any parties while I'm gone. I just got the house cleaned up."

"Of course, David," I said, heading into my room.

David turned on the sink and I headed into my room to pack up. I unzipped my backpack and grabbed a few changes of clothes. I then noticed Miku's little bunny, and grabbed it as well.

"Hope it's cozy in there," I said. "I'll try and keep you company until your owner gets home. Hope you like it."

I zipped up my backpack, and put it next to my door.

When I stepped out, David had left the bathroom and was walking over to his suitcase.

"Well," he said, picking up his suitcase, "I'll be seeing you."

"I'll take care of the house, David," I said. "Have a good trip!"

He walked out and got in his car, and drove off. I ran back into my room and grabbed my backpack, and headed outside. I pulled out my keys and locked the door.

"This is it," I said. "Tomorrow's the big day."

Meiko's car approached the front of the house. A tasty smell wafted out once she rolled down the window. It smelled like steamed rice and salmon.

"Hey," she said, "ready to head back?"

"Yeah," I said, "that smells really damn good. What is it?"

"Japanese," she said, "I figured you'd want something a little fancier tonight."

"You bet," I said, opening the car door. "Definitely a surprise."

I looked in the back seat, and saw about six fairly large takeout boxes.

"We're going over the plan when we get back, right?" I asked.

"I figured we'd spend a little more time together alone before we went back down."

"Sure," I said, "I'd like to eat first, anyways."

We headed back to the hideout, and Meiko parked the car.

"I just noticed," I said, getting out of her car, "your car is a whole lot cleaner than when I first saw it."

"Oh, only now?" Meiko asked. "I had to clean it back when we went to Miku's apartment. Luka made me."

"Luka made you?"

"Trust me," Meiko said, "nothing is worse than Luka getting upset. She'll sic Gumi on me if I do."

"You guys seem to not get along," I commented. "Do you just not like each other?"

"It's not really 'dislike,'" Meiko explained as she grabbed the food from the backseat. "It's more that we just have differing personalities. Luka can listen to Gumi prattle on about anything, and they seem to have a relationship built on that. I have a short fuse sometimes, and I usually like being left alone."

"I guess I understand," I said. "Though, less about the short fuse part, and more about the 'being left alone' part."

"What, you?" She teased, "you seemed like a social butterfly when I met you."

Meiko sat the food on the hood of her car.

"I got a little bit of everything," she said, "so grab as much as you'd like. Steamed veggies, beef, chicken, salmon, and rice."

"It's a whole buffet," I said, "and it looks really good, too."

"Little family business," Meiko said. "I wanted to give it a try myself."

I grabbed a plate and sat down. Meiko sat on the hood of her car. I started digging in.

"Good?" She asked.

"Amazing," I said, my mouth full and savoring the delicious salmon. "Thanks a lot."

"No problem," Meiko said. "I figured after this week, you deserved a treat. You really showed yourself out there today."

I looked up at her. "You think I'll be ready to tackle tomorrow?"

"I think so," Meiko said. "Miku's probably going to be real shocked when she sees you, too."

"Maybe," I said, "though I wonder if she'll be more confused than surprised. Who knows what's going to happen."

"Can tell you right now," Meiko said, reassurance in her voice, "that girl is going to be more than happy to see you again."

"That makes both of us," I said. "I've been looking forward to this ever since you told me."

"I bet you have. She's your friend, after all."

I stared up at the sky for a second, pondering something.

"Can I tell you something, Meiko?" I asked.

"Sure, why not? Feeling like getting something off your chest before the big day?"

"Yeah," I said, "about that."

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

"I think I'm in love with Miku."

Meiko snorted, and started laughing hysterically. I shot her a dirty look.

"What's so funny?" I asked.

She kept laughing, and I kept scowling at her. Once her laughter died down, and she was able to speak again, she explained.

"I'm sorry," she said, "I'm not trying to make fun of you. I just think it's really funny you're telling me this like it's a surprise."

My scowl changed into a look of confusion.

"What do you mean by that?" I asked.

"What I mean is that it isn't a surprise that you love her. You haven't exactly been very 'subtle' about it."

I sat there for a second.

"So when did you notice?" I asked.

"I think around the time Gumi got that photo back for you. Something about that look in your eyes. I kind of had a clue beforehand, though."

My face turned red in embarrassment. I felt like I was going to pass out.

"Better question is," Meiko said, "how long did it take you to figure out you liked her?"

"I, uh, I think it was just over a week ago."

"And now I bet you feel like you need to see her again to tell her how you really feel."

"Yeah," I said, "that's exactly it."

"I think she'll accept your feelings, but you need to be the one to tell her. No one else is going to go it for you, not even Miku."

"I know," I said, "I regret not saying anything already."

"Once we rescue her," Meiko reassured, "you'll have your chance. Take it, because not everyone gets a second try."

Meiko looked a little sad saying that. Something about her words made it sound like she knew how it felt.

"Something like that happen to you?" I asked.

She looked up at the darkened sky.

"It's not important," she said.

I didn't pry. Meiko clearly didn't want to talk about it.

"Anyways," Meiko said, putting her empty plate aside, "if you're finished eating, we've got stuff to go over."

I stood up.

"No delaying the inevitable," I said. "Time to go back to work."

Meiko and I covered the car and headed back down inside the base. Gumi and Luka were sitting at the main computer. This was going to be our final meeting before tomorrow morning.

"Ah," Luka said, "you're both here."

Luka's arm was no longer in a sling, and her wounds had healed. I wondered if she would be accompanying us.

"So," Gumi said, turning her chair to us, "I'll get right into it. You already know that this operation is probably going to be the most dangerous one we've ever done. There's not a whole lot of room for error we can account for here."

Meiko and I paid attention to her words. I had already figured that this was going to be dangerous, but it didn't make it feel any less intense.

"So," Gumi said, "your objective is going to be pretty straightforward. You two are going to be deployed outside this forest here."

The computer displayed a map. Our location would be a kilometer away from the Dome itself.

"Now, while you two are infiltrating early tomorrow morning, a platoon of the Rangers forces will act as a distraction."

"For what reason?" I asked.

"You didn't think you could waltz right in there, did you? The entire facility is covered in Duodecim's forces. They've had this place secured for a matter of months now. And plus, the Rangers want it. If it means building themselves back up, they'll take it."

"Do we know exactly how they got here on Other-Earth?" I asked.

"Actually, yes," Gumi answered. "I managed to recover a number of things from that facility. For one thing, you're lucky we found what we found. That research outpost was underprepared for our assault, but I found out how Duodecim even got here to begin with."

I perked up an eyebrow, curious what she was getting at.

"Originally, I thought Duodecim was following with experimental scanner technology like we were handling. That isn't even remotely true, especially because they're only now figuring out how to send physical matter to the other side. No, instead, Duodecim managed to upload a drone A.I. program directly into Interspace. The program managed to generate labor crews, and they've been building facilities since. They've also managed to mine materials to build more of their forces out there."

"And here I was thinking it'd be easy," I said. "So are we going against the entire army?"

"Compared to what I have to do," Gumi said, "it is easy. And consider yourselves lucky. They won't be able to ask for reinforcements this time. The Atraxis Dome won't be able to squawk while I've got control over network functions."

"How are you able to do all of this at once?" I asked.

"Even a girl has to have her secrets, Griff," Gumi said.

"So," Meiko said, "what are you going to be doing on your end?"

"Freeing Miku."

I gave Gumi a perplexed look. "You don't mean-."

"Exactly what I mean. I'm going to have to remotely escort her without raising an alarm. You guys just have to worry about not getting shot."

"How are you going to get her 'remotely'?"

"By using the access chip," Gumi explained. "It's given me all of the access keys I need. I'll need to be careful, of course, but it's so much easier than brute forcing my way in."

"You're an amazing hacker, Gumi," I said. "I can definitely believe you're not human."

"I'll take that as a compliment," she said, "but you two will need to meet up with Miku when I get her into the Full-Body Scanner system. The Rangers will attempt to fight for control of the facility, but your objective is Miku."

The map pointed at a room that sat dead center of the Dome.

"There's also another thing you should know," Luka said, hesitantly.

"Right," Gumi said, "there's a chance this may not work. The scanner, I mean."

"Why is that?"

"It's still a prototype. Duodecim is still trying to figure out how to get people into it. They've only set objects and drones into Other-Earth. However, not every attempt was successful. The same could happen to Miku."

"Do you think she'll make it?"

"There's a 37.5% chance of failure. I assume you're okay with this."

"This is her only chance," I said, "we have to do this. We have to get her out of there."

"Yeah," Meiko agreed, "we both know how she's being treated. I think she'd take that risk herself rather than let herself continue to be locked up."

"Then we're all in agreement?" Gumi asked.

"I would say so."

"Okay," Gumi said.

"And what about Luka?" I asked.

"She's staying behind. I would rather she didn't get injured again."

Luka looked away, almost embarrassed. I didn't bother to ask why. Gumi was pretty upset the last time it happened.

"She'll still be helping," Gumi said. "I'm having her run support while I focus on getting Miku out of her cell. I can't have her sit around, after all."

"I had to plead with Gumi," Luka said. "I would hate to sit around feeling useless."

"That's good to hear," I said, "I'll appreciate the support."

"Fine, then," Gumi said. "If we're all in agreement, you'll be run through the briefings tomorrow with the Rangers. Plan is clear?"

"Clear as it gets, ma'am!" I acknowledged.

"Then the meeting adjourned. Get some rest tonight, both of you. Meiko will show you to your room, Griff."

I picked up my backpack, and followed behind Meiko.

"Actually, Griff," Gumi said before I left. I looked back over at her. She made a hand motion to Meiko and Luka for them to leave, but had me stay.

"I wanted to talk with you alone, Griff."

Luka and Meiko stepped out of the room.

"Sure," I said, "what's up?"

"I know you're worried about getting Miku back, but I'm making a promise that I'll do whatever it takes to get her back."

"Any reason why you're telling me this?"

"Those odds. They're a big risk to be taking. I want to assure you that I won't let those odds beat us."

I nodded. "I get it."

"I know, I just don't want you to be scared."

"Well," I said, "I am. I'm so anxious to get her back, and I worry I'm going to fail her."

"I've seen you train," she said, "you'll do great tomorrow. I just want to make sure you believe in me."

"Of course I do, Gumi," I said. "Why wouldn't I?"

"Because I don't want to be wrong."

That made sense, but I felt like Gumi was incapable of being wrong. She was smarter than anyone I knew.

"You're the smartest person I've ever met. If you can't do it, it's impossible. But I don't think that's going to stop you."

"Thanks, Griff," Gumi said. "Go get some rest. She'll be waiting for you.

I turned around, and headed off.

Meiko was standing outside.

"Gumi needed something from you?"

"I think she's as scared as I am."

"That's a first," Meiko said. "I think this one is a little more of a challenge for her. It feels like there's nothing she can't beat when it comes to tech wizardry. Despite all of my gripes with her, she knows what she's doing."

"I wanna believe in her," I said. "She's as necessary as any of us right now."

"Well, come on," Meiko brushed her hand across my back, "let's get some rest. You've earned it."

"I'll sleep the best I can," I said. "We gotta be ready tomorrow."

Meiko walked me to the elevator, and we headed down to the dormitories. The lighting was much brighter, and the walls were painted with a dark red, while the floors were flat white. It felt comfortable, and certainly felt wildly different from the rest of the facility.

"And this is going to be your room," Meiko said. "We've reserved it for Miku, but you'll stay in it tonight. It's clean, has a blanket and a bed."

I walked in; the room was empty with a dull metallic grey. It was bigger than Miku's studio apartment. An easy comparison considering how empty it was.

"Well," I said, "tomorrow's the big day."

"We're finally doing it," she said. "Do what you did today, and this will be a cinch."

I smiled, gave her a thumbs up, and she closed the door.

I sat myself on the bed, and unzipped my backpack.

"Hey," I said, "you're gonna help, too, right?"

The little bunny didn't reply, but if it was going to say anything, it would say, "You bet."

I changed into my sleeping clothes, and hugged the bunny for good luck.

"Tomorrow's the day," I said, "don't worry, Miku. We're coming."

Yeah, we were going to rescue her, I was going to make sure of it. Just needed to rest up and be ready for whatever it was that would be thrown at me.

I fell asleep. Tomorrow was fast approaching, and soon, it would be time. No backing out now, and no stopping until it was over.