I stepped out of the armoring station with a fresh new set of gear. My armor, Operator-link Watcher, and helmet all received upgrades. It was nice to get back here, but even nicer to get some new toys with it.

Gumi stood by the holomap and kept herself focused on it. She was fitted in orange armor, and indicated herself as the new "Team Engineer."

"Well," I said, observing Gumi's new equipment, "am I wrong to assume you'll be joining us?"

"No," Gumi said as she brought up the planning screen. "In fact, I didn't even think about staying behind in my initial plans once Dr. Clarke showed up."

We all piled around the holomap, and kept our eyes focused on whatever it was Gumi was going to show us.

"Alright," Gumi announced, "with everyone here, let's begin, shall we? As we all know, with our gaining of Stargazer base, it was decided that we'll be breaking off from the Rangers. I've already given them this information well in advance. This is allowing us to do as we please without any association with other groups; essentially, we're free agents.

"Now, with that, the Rangers have given us a hefty donation of currency that's used around Interspace. A sum of 20,090 credits were given to us, and we'll need to use that sparingly. Which brings us to our entire operation."

Gumi pulled up the entire layout of a familiar looking city: Connection.

"Connection is home to an astounding number of trading companies within the sector. It boasts a healthy economy and a large population to keep it stabilized. It's also our next target for investigation."

Gumi narrowed the map to a sector in Connection.

"From what I've gathered based on the data you pulled back in the ransacked Duodecim base, it's very clear that Connection and Unity's Hand appear to have a vested interest. It would help us to know what that is, and, if possible, prove the two factions are working together. The Connection Service Administration, or C.S.A., seems to be doing something under everyone's noses. The Rangers want some sort of evidence that isn't based on outside speculation."

Gumi pulled up an image. It was a well-dressed Interspace resident. His skin lined with glowing veins and a bright smile. His name was Strelok Antrikanas, and it was listed that he was Prime Minister of Connection's government.

"Functionally," Gumi explained, "Antrikanas here is the one who oversees everything that happens in Connection. If anyone would know anything, it's him."

"I assume there's another part entirely to this," Meiko said, her elbows resting on the holomap's table.

"There is," Gumi said. "Which is the real reason we're infiltrating this city in the first place. I have a reasonable suspicion to believe Duodecim may already be present in Connection. As indicated by the fact that they've already built an entire drone production factory somewhere in Interspace, it's only a matter of time before they'll have an entire army, and once they do, there's no doubt they'll use it. Our concern now is to make sure they don't align with any new allies, and with Connection being a potentially lucrative one, I can't stress enough that we need to stop them."

"That is, if they're there," Lisa chimed in over the radio. It turns out she was listening in this whole time.

"Good of you to join us," I said, happily. "Hopefully you're not too upset about having to take Gumi's place, doctor."

"Of course not," Lisa said. "Apologies to butt in, Gumi, but I felt it pertinent to remind you all that our involvement here still needs to be discreet. I was put into my role to keep an eye on all of you in order to keep you all safe. I intend to follow that to the letter, especially since David instructed me to."

"Of course," Gumi said. "Unless we find evidence of Duodecim's involvement, we're to be as discreet as possible. We have no affiliation with the Rangers as of now. We're on our own."

"Finally," Dr. Clarke said, "I've been trained on how to keep an eye on you, but I can't save you should you come into harm's way."

"Roger that, doctor," Meiko said. "We'll keep ourselves safe, though I know Griff is the one that really concerns you."

It was nice to see Meiko be cordial with Lisa today. Maybe that talk last night helped her out. Or maybe Meiko was just in a position that felt more comfortable for her.

"Thank you, Meiko," Lisa said.

"Since I'll be coming along for this," Gumi added, "I think we'll find it'll be a lot easier for me to patch in to whatever it is we need to get into. It's a far better strategy for all of us I'm there to assist. So like it or not, you're stuck with me."

"Glad you're finally with us, Gumi," I said.

Gumi nodded, and smiled.

"I think that about covers it," Luka said. "Our mission is clear. We investigate and find out if Duodecim is active in Connection. From there, we'll have to see."

"Now," Gumi brought the map back into view, "you're probably wondering just how we're going to infiltrate Connection?"

Gumi turned her attention to Miku.

"Unfortunately, we can't make a direct approach by flying in; their aerial network is a little too risky to chance."

Miku looked back at the map, sadly.

"Though, I will say that your skill with flying may come in handy down the line, we need to be a little more quiet."

Gumi panned the map back over the Stargazer base's location. We sat underneath a mountain range that spanned about four kilometers in all directions.

"Connection is a city of trade, right?" Gumi asked. "And while access to ships is plenty accessible, some companies find it cheaper to use a more suitable transport for their goods. Located right along this mountain range is a transport via train."

Gumi ran her fingers along the map until the trade route via train was clear.

"And for us, that's our

ticket in."

The route would take us right into Connection and allow us an easy route into the city without anyone noticing. Gumi had put together a fantastic plan.

"Then all that remains is how we get aboard that train," Miku said. "And if I'm not flying, what do you have in mind?"

"Well, Luka? Can you provide the class with a demonstration?"

Luka stepped back, and clenched her left hand into a fist. A pair of mechanical wings deployed from her back.

"A wingsuit?" I asked. "Fancy."

"That isn't all I've prepared," Gumi said. "Though I am glad to see my new toys are being given praise. There's one more. Since your suits were all given upgrades, I've also made sure to upgrade your Watchers as well. Your suits are able to come off without a hitch."

Gumi stepped back, ran her right hand over her wrist, and her clothes were replaced with her regular clothes that she wore back in the base.

"Impressed?"

We nodded, mostly to keep Gumi happy, but it was a pretty handy tool to have if you wanted to act casual. Having heavy armor and a firearm on you made you look like a paramilitary, not a standard citizen.

"Though, I would be careful," Gumi warned us, "it takes a little while for you to change back. It's something on my list to try and figure out. So I'll need one last person to volunteer for my last magic trick."

I nodded, and raised my hand.

"Wonderful, Griff," Gumi said, clasping her hands together. "If you would be so kind, I'd like you to slide your hands on your Watcher, and direct it to the 'equipment' menu."

I did as she said, and my helmet's display followed what my finger was sliding over.

"Alright," I said, "now what?"

"Activate the "MAG-gloves," she ordered, "and put your hand on the table."

I placed my right hand on the table, and felt my hands latch on to the metallic surface.

"MAG-gloves? Get it?" She said, her eyebrows moving up and down. "Cooked those up myself. You just need to latch on to a surface with those, and they'll keep you plenty secured to it."

"Do I need to turn it off?" I asked.

"Nope," Gumi said, "your Operator-Link will do the rest from here. Just think about taking your hand off, and it will let you."

I relaxed my hand and pulled away. It felt strange to have such advanced technology in your hands, but I thought that while also standing in a virtual world. It was still hard to believe even after all this time.

"So, that's the plan. We'll fly low and latch to the train before it gets to Connection," Gumi said, proudly.

"If that's it then," Meiko said, "how long until we take off?"

"In about twenty minutes," Gumi said. "Next train is coming through the mountains at that, and if we miss it, well, we'll be waiting another few days for the next one."

"Then we better get to our jumping off point," Meiko said. "Where is that, anyways?"

"At the peak," Gumi answered. "Our ship hangar is built into the mountaintop, and since we're not flying, we'll be going out that way."

Meiko didn't even bother to ask any more questions.

"With that being said," Gumi added, "I say we get moving. We're making a big jump, after all!"

I'd seen some crazy heist plots from the movies plenty of times, but this was way crazier than any of those. We needed to be precise, and to be sure not to miss our mark as we put things in motion.

At the top of the elevator, the hangar was wide and empty. There weren't any crafts up here. It seemed they were all parked away, left to sleep for a little longer. Hopefully soon Miku would get her chance to actually try one out.

But for now, we had to get started. I walked to the edge of the hangar and looked out below, seeing how far the drop was. It was steep, and the mountain climbed high into the clouds.

"You 'fraid of heights?" Meiko asked.

I shook my head. "No. Well, kinda."

"Don't worry," Miku said, "I'll catch you if you're falling."

I looked over at her. Though her face was covered by a helmet, I could tell she was giving me a very wry smile underneath.

"Be sure to catch your princess," Meiko teased, and smacked me on my back.

I couldn't tell who the "princess" was in this situation, but if it was me, I didn't like that implication.

"Before we jump, I'd suggest you test out your wingsuit deployment a few times," Gumi suggested. "Just get a feel for how it functions before you try it. We don't want to have an accident."

I wish we had been trained on how to use this equipment prior, but we didn't have a choice on that front. I shrugged, and resigned myself to fate.

I gripped my left hand into a fist, and shook. The suit deployed immediately. I did it again, and the wings returned. I did this a few times until I knew what I needed to do properly.

"So everyone, had a few moments to test it out?" Gumi asked.

"Yep!" I replied. "Let's get this show started."

Gumi approached the edge of the hangar, and looked below again.

"Oh, before I forget," she perked up. "I'm carrying a signal jammer for all of us. You will need to keep yourselves gliding near me so it keeps our signals hidden. If you stray too far, the Connection Security Forces are going to detect you. It'll bring unwanted attention."

Meiko sighed in frustration, and put her hands on her hips.

"Is there anything else you forgot to mention?"

"Nope, I think that's everything."

Gumi stepped back, and took a running start out of the hangar, jumping with her arms in the air, and screaming, "geronimo!"

Without even a warning, we all looked at one another and piled out after her. Luka, Miku, and I all screamed at the rush of excitement, but Meiko kept quiet as we dived out.

The wind rushed past me as I dived downwards next to the mountains against the setting false sun, the prospect of making a rough landing making my heart race faster than it already could. I saw Gumi near the bottom deploy her wingsuit and took it as a cue to do so as I reached that point.

I braced for the incoming ground, hoping I wouldn't mess up deploying my wingsuit. My fist clenched, and my suit clicked as the mechanical wings deployed.

"It worked!" I yelled. "I can't believe it works!"

"Of course it works!" Gumi radioed, "I wouldn't be asking you to fly headfirst into the ground without a way to keep you guys safe."

"I think Griff is just relieved," Luka said. "How are you all holding up?"

"All good here," Miku said. "It may not be an aircraft cockpit, but it works the same."

"I'm fine over here, sticking behind Griff," Meiko said. "Just going to make sure you stay safe."

"It's good to see you all managed to make the jump," Lisa joined in. "I'm taking a look at everything through all of your helmet cameras. I have to admit this is incredible, to say the least."

We glided alongside the lower peaks, the cold air brushing past as we dodged around any rock formations that stuck out.

"Alright," Gumi announced, "up ahead is the railway. I'm highlighting it. You should be able to see it now."

A flash of highlighted yellow blinked in my helmet for a few seconds. The rails were close, but were still high up enough that we wouldn't need to worry about landing on them soon.

"I'm about to initiate the jammer. Form up on me, and stick close."

All of us joined formation behind Gumi, and she activated the jammer. A small static noise crackled in my ears, and my suit's display was making waves.

"I did forget to mention something," Gumi said. "The jammer might have adverse effects on our systems. It's a side-effect, but it'll keep us hidden. Also might not let us talk with Dr. Clarke for the time being."

"Would have been nice to know earlier!" Meiko said.

I was worried Meiko might lose it on Gumi soon enough if Gumi kept doing this to us. I wondered if it worried Luka and Miku, too.

"Alright," Gumi said, "we're getting close now, and the train is coming as scheduled."

I looked down the railway and saw a red highlighted object behind us. It was large and rectangular. That was definitely the train, and it was advancing quickly.

"Alright," Meiko said, "this is it! Be patient and be steady. Your gloves should keep you safe, just focus."

I'd nod if she could have seen me, but I got her message, and Meiko knew that.

The train ran along the track and shot past us towards its destination. It looked long and gave us plenty of time to land on it. I made my descent, slowly, but surely.

Meiko dived and then returned to gliding right over the train car, positioning herself to grab the end of the car. She extended her hand out and activated her glove on top of it, latching to it immediately, and crawled backwards towards the end of the car.

We all followed her example, diving downwards and gliding along the top of the train car.

"Don't get too far from Meiko!" Gumi yelled. "The jammer can only cover so much!"

Gumi and Luka had already stuck to the train car and started crawling backwards to nestle themselves between the car behind us. Miku and I floated past them both, and now needed to latch on here. Gumi gave me another warning, saying that if I went too far back, the signal would expose us.

I stayed calm, and Miku looked over at me, imagining that she was giving me a look of encouragement. I lowered myself enough and didn't fight the wind to keep myself flying now. I placed my hand out and thought about grabbing the metal.

Except it didn't work.

I kept trying to grab it, but I kept thinking of how I wouldn't be able to latch on in time, or how it wouldn't connect properly, so it wasn't working. If I didn't get my gloves to stick, I would fall off for sure.

And then I landed on the car, and started rolling. I felt myself slide as the train started making a turn through the mountains. I couldn't get a proper grip on the metallic frame, and I felt myself spin off the side.

This was it, I had messed up, and I could see my grim fate meeting me at the bottom. I closed my eyes, thinking how nice it would have been to get this right, just once.

But I didn't feel myself falling. Instead, I felt something holding my arm. I looked up, and noticed Miku's helmet glaring at me.

"Don't scare me like that!" She scolded me. "This is why I worry about you doing stuff like this!"

"S-sorry," I said, sheepishly and out of breath. "Guess I forgot you need to think about what you're using."

Miku pulled me up, and I calmed my breathing before managing to properly attach the MAG-gloves correctly this time.

"Hey, hey!" Gumi warned, "I saw that catch from you, Miku. Almost worried Griff wasn't going to make it."

"Looks like your princess' fall was stopped in time,'' Meiko jabbed, and I let out an audible groan.

"We're coming up on a tunnel. You two had better move quickly to the end of the car. You might be okay up there, but let's not take any chances."

We scurried along the top to the back and pulled ourselves down. Before long, the train zipped into a tunnel, and we were basked in bright red lights that lined the tunnel.

"How close are we now?" I asked.

"Close enough that once we get out of this tunnel, we'll be able to see the city," Gumi answered. "Your MAG-gloves should keep you stable, just don't think about disconnecting and you'll be okay."

Easier said than done, I thought, fighting as hard as I could not to think about what it was she had just suggested.

I looked over at Miku, and switched over to a private channel to talk to her.

"Hey," I said, "sorry I screwed up so bad there. If it weren't for you, well-."

She shook her head.

"Don't blame yourself. I would hate to have seen you get hurt, and I wasn't about to let that happen to you."

I let out a short laugh.

"Is this payback for when I saved you, then? Are we even?"

"Barely," Miku said. "I still want a nice dinner from you."

I could do that. I could do a lot more than just a nice dinner for her, but I'd let that wait.

"Can't do a nice dinner, but how about a trip to the city? Think we can make a date out of that?"

"I've got some ideas…" Miku said.

Before long, Gumi was hailing us again, and I switched back to our team's channel.

"I'm seeing the exit, everyone, be prepared. There might be some heavy security to inspect the train. We'll have to sneak around if we want to avoid any problems."

We all confirmed her order, and the train we had snuck on had flipped out the tunnel. And out into Connection.

It was beautiful. Tall buildings coated with bright pink neon lights sat next to one another, standing in rows. Small airships sailed with advertising images on them, and holographic projections danced.

The city also held a very tall tower that stood above the rest of them. It stretched high into the night sky. I was mesmerized. The deep blue of the city lights, mixed with the pink neon, it was hard not to feel joy looking at it.

"Guess I'm glad I got someone to see this with," I said, my eyes turned to Miku. "It's beautiful."

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"Yeah," Miku said, her voice trailing. "I'd love to see it up close."

The train decreased in speed, and that meant we were nearing the end of the line. While my eyes were fixated on the city ahead, the area we found ourselves in now was much different. It was a loading bay area, with large crates stacked on one another, stacked up to three crates per stack.

A crane sat directly ahead of the train and prepared to lower its arm to latch on the first crate. With how long the train was, and how far back we were, it would be a while before it grabbed us.

"We'll be able to get closer to the main district once we're out of here," I said, detaching one of my hands from the train, "at least, I hope that's the plan."

"We'll sneak out of here, and figure that out," Miku said. "Come on, we can't waste any time."

Gumi had left a ping of her location, and indicated where the rest of us were.

"The jammer is off," Gumi whispered over comms. "We're going to need to split up. We'll meet in the city's district."

Miku and I slipped out from between the two cars and hid behind one of the stacks nearby. I poked my head out to see if there was any security.

Nothing. Not for the moment at least. It seemed quiet, but it looked like the security was inspecting each crate one by one.

We hugged the cover that the crate created for us, and stayed low. Miku moved in front of me, her movement was slow and calculated. She didn't want to make any noise, and neither did I.

Then a thought occurred to me.

"These crates are made of metal," I whispered.

"What?" She asked.

"Means we don't need to be down here. Come on."

I latched my grip on the large crate. It was metal, all right. Or the virtual world equivalent of "metallic." My MAG-gloves gripped on, and I climbed the stack of three up to the top, and lay down. Miku followed suit.

"Why stay on the ground where they're searching for people?" I asked.

"Smart thinking," Miku said, climbing up behind me.

Once both of us were on top, I noticed Gumi, Luka, and Meiko all had the same idea, but they had made much further ground to the exit than we had.

Then I heard footsteps down below, and saw the glint of a flashlight coming around the corner. I signaled Miku to stay low and keep from being seen. She nodded.

Down below, I took a good look at the guard. He wore a light armored outfit, with rounded shoulder pads with "CSF" written on the side of it. My guess was "Connection Security Forces," or something along those lines. His chest plate was light, too, and his helmet looked like a large bulb, with a mouth that had an overbite. A far different design than the Duodecim drones, for sure.

"Looks like a routine patrol," Miku observed. "He's not making erratic movements, so they haven't noticed us."

That was good to hear. Miku had probably seen that more than I would have. We moved away from the edge slowly and proceeded along the top of the storage crates towards where the others went.

We moved along, trying to make as little noise as possible, which meant finding a route that didn't involve making leaps from crate to crate. Lucky for us, we found ways around the problem.

"Man, you guys are slow," Gumi said, teasingly. "Look, the C.S.F. don't think anyone is here, and they've all mostly moved to inspect the cargo transport. I'm keeping an eye on things, just get over here quick."

I looked at Miku, and shrugged apologetically. She didn't seem to mind, though.

"Gotcha," I said. "Be with you in a bit."

We dropped down from the crates, and moved to the location Gumi had pinged us to get to.

We had arrived, and saw Gumi, Luka, and Meiko, all sitting between a few buildings that had their lights out. Next to them was a giant wall, likely there to keep intruders out. Gumi was fiddling with something on her Watcher.

"Told ya," Gumi said. "We're safe over here. Most of the security team is more concerned with getting the cargo off in a timely manner than searching around for intruders. That jammer did its job keeping suspicion off us."

"Sorry to keep you waiting," I said. "Just didn't want to get caught."

"Are you all able to hear me?" Lisa chimed in. "I didn't want to call in until you were all in a safe spot."

"Sorry to keep you in the dark, doctor," Luka apologized. "Gumi has a hard time remembering everything."

"So long as you're all safe, I'm fine."

"Well," Gumi said, "we're going to need to get out of here. I'm trying to see about getting a security gate open as discreetly as possible. If we're lucky, we'll be out in Connection's main districts, and we'll leave behind a ghost's trail that we were here."

Gumi managed to highlight a potential exit point for us, only about fifty meters from where we were.

"Lemme see if I can… Ah, here we go."

Gumi managed to open the gates.

"It'll be open slightly enough for us to fit through. Better get moving, kids."

We didn't hesitate, and moved quickly as we could, without too much noise.

Once we had arrived at the gate, one by one, we all squeezed through, and entered out into an empty park. I looked out at the beautifully spacious park, full of glowing blue trees and water that bounced the light off of them. I wondered if there were other parks like this out in Connection.

Once everyone was out, we moved out to cover ourselves behind a tree, and stayed out of sight from the main road leading to the unloading facility.

The park stretched downhill and transitioned into a road where people walked, and vehicles drove by. The cars had distinct shapes to them. They were sleek and curved, and very stylish, with glowing lights underneath them. It depended on the vehicle what color they were, but looked nothing like the cars back home, unless you had money. Here, it seemed everyone had one.

"Fancy city," I commented.

"It's got a lot to boast," Gumi said. "Remember, it's kind of a crown jewel for trading, but it also has plenty of people here."

I nodded.

"How about a nice walk in the park?" Miku asked, playfully grabbing my arm.

"Not right now," Meiko said. "We need to get out into the city, and I don't know if our gear is going to let us walk past these people."

"True," Gumi said. "We'll have to go casual."

"Yeah, but our skin doesn't glow," I said. "They'll pick us out the moment we step out there."

Gumi didn't respond, and instead, changed into a different outfit. Instead of the casual wear she had changed into before, the Watcher swapped out her clothing for a hooded jacket. It glowed a bright orange and featured a mask with an upside down triangle.

"You can see out of that?" I said, my head cocked to observe the new apparel.

"Yeah, and I'd suggest you all change out into yours. I already had some taken care of."

We all swapped out of our gear into clothes that looked similar to Gumi's. Our color patterns were different from each other, so at least we could tell each other apart. Mine was a dark blue, Miku's was a light blue, Luka's was pink, and Meiko's was red.

"Certainly the color scheme you picked out for us," Miku commented. "Is it just so you can tell us apart?"

"Sure," Gumi said. "I just thought it matched all of your personalities."

"Besides that," Meiko said, "we can get on the streets now. Let's not waste time."

Everyone nodded, and we stepped down into the streets of Connection.

None of the citizens of Connection seemed to pay us any mind as we left the park on to the streets, so it was likely they hadn't noticed us change, or for that matter, sneak out through the facility up ahead. I took a look behind me, and noticed a holographic sign sitting near the road.

"Connection City Park: Sector 7."

I guessed that meant it was a public park. It was nice to know since the scenery was so breathtakingly beautiful, it seemed like a waste to not let the public have access to it. I'd have to note it as a potential spot for a date.

"Now all we have to do is find a good spot to hide out," Gumi said.

"You think we could possibly get access to a hotel or something?" Meiko asked.

Gumi shook her head. "It's not likely we'll be able to get access to anything like that for the moment. At least, not without proper identification."

"And what makes you say that?" I asked.

Gumi pointed ahead at more C.S.F. teams sitting on the road ahead, underneath a walkway that passed over the road.

"That looks like a checkpoint. See?"

The signs next to the C.S.F. indicated that proper identification was required to pass.

"Great," Meiko said, "gotta love those security measures."

"I'd keep our heads as low as we can," Gumi advised. "The last thing we want is to draw attention."

"Hey, Lisa?" Miku asked over the radio. "If you're still listening, is it possible you could help us out?"

"I've been listening, Miku," Lisa said. "I just didn't want to interrupt any of you. However, I do have a decent overview of the layout for Connection, though I can't see any checkpoints aside from the one you're seeing."

"Doctor," Gumi requested, "if it's possible, I'd like for you to check if you can find me an area with little civilian presence, preferably tall enough buildings. I think I have an idea of how we can sneak past those checkpoints."

"Uh, Gumi, how do I check for civilians?"

"Match the energy signatures and see if you can find an area where there's a lot less of those."

"I have a few locations," Lisa said. "I've pinged them for you."

About three pinged markers showed up on our map, and Gumi looked at us.

"We've got a way around it until I can spoof some I.D.'s for us. Come on, follow me!"

We moved behind her, keeping a steady pace as not to disturb the local population. I looked at some of the faces that passed us by, all of which were people with glowing veins. Though, these people differed from the Rangers. For one, the Rangers mostly had people with humanoid features, but here, that wasn't the case. Some had very robotic looking features, with almost square faces, akin to a mannequin. Others looked as if they had worn masks, just like us, though the designs were all varied.

"Come on," Gumi said, "alley's right here."

We all piled into the alley that Lisa had left a marker for. We followed behind Gumi, who had gone ahead.

I didn't think about what Gumi wanted us to do, but the area we walked into had no sign of any civilians here. Gumi approached the wall, and stuck her hand to the wall, and her MAG-gloves attached.

I looked over at Meiko, who, while I couldn't see her face, nodded her head in approval.

"Alright," Miku said, "why go through when we can go up?"

I let out a soft chuckle. "Better get climbing. Would hate to see someone catch us."

I jumped on the wall and started climbing, moving as fast we could. This time I'd keep my focus on getting on top of the building, and keep all thoughts of disconnecting away from my mind at all times.

At the top, we had a much better view of the city now. I looked down, and noticed we had climbed about eight stories, and in a short amount of time.

"Alright," Gumi said, "let me see about a good place to keep out of sight."

Gumi tapped her helmet and, and slid her hand along her Watcher.

"Hmm, if we stay out of sight, it looks like there's a potential spot to hide out in the district up ahead."

"Got something?" Luka asked.

"Potentially. If I'm right, it's a hotel. Looks like a good spot for people staying in this district. We can get there quick if we use the roofs and our wingsuits, though I'll need to activate the jammer again."

"Are you good with that, Lisa?" I asked. "You've been pretty quiet this whole time."

Lisa took a second before she'd reply.

"No, I'm just here to watch over all of you. Unless you need me, I'm going to stay quiet."

Gumi prepared the jammer for use again.

"Well, just letting you know you'll lose us again. Don't worry, we'll be as safe as we can."

"Of course. I'll be waiting for your return."

Gumi signaled that we stick behind her, and jumped, deploying her wingsuit.

As we sailed through the night sky, I looked down below, feeling somewhat relaxed by the view. It was starting to become easier and easier to get my grip on things with the MAG-gloves.

The jammer helped to keep our energy signatures from being noticed, and it seemed to work because everything remained normal. No sign of anything changing as a result.

We continued through on the rooftops and back to the sky until we were close enough to our destination.

We stood right on top of a roof that overlooked a circular shopping plaza. Down below, holographic figures danced and waved while energetic music filled the ears of the residents and shoppers below. With how much noise there was, I wondered if anyone got any sleep.

"Sounds like a regular rave party," Meiko said. "Are we close to where we're headed?"

"Sure are," Gumi said. "Down below is the hotel. We'll climb down into another alley and avoid the checkpoints. I'll shut off the jammer once we're on the ground."

We all nodded, and climbed down the building we were standing on.

Once we climbed down, we moved into the bustling streets and blended in as best we could. Looking at everyone with the hoods and masks we wore, I swear we looked like we were part of some cult group. I wondered if anyone saw us that way.

We continued onward, towards the hotel that sat near the noisy shopping plaza. Up close, the holographic figures were far taller than I thought, and the music wasn't the only source of noise, either. Plenty of advertisements that played on the buildings near us were just as loud, all trying to gain the attention of anyone and everyone around the area. And nobody seemed to mind it.

The hotel had a bright pink neon sign that read "Eden Plaza Hotel" sitting at its roof.

"As good a spot as any," Gumi commented. "Let's get inside before we get flagged by the C.S.F."

We all nodded, and headed inside.

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

Doctor Collins and Doctor Simmons both kept their eyes on the Virtual Scanner Delivery System's heat levels as the system booted up. It had been a couple of weeks since the V.S.D.S. had been used, and the last time, it was left inoperable due to the object they had sent being too large, but that was out of their power by that point; they were left handcuffed and unable to do much about it. At least, that's the story they both ran with.

"Tests are looking good," Collins said, adjusting his glasses as he smiled at the results. "I think that girl might have helped us figure out what was wrong."

Simmons bit her lip thinking about it.

"I'm still thinking about what that android said to us before she escaped. Do you think maybe she felt, you know, sorry for us?"

"Simmons," Doctor Collins said, "you're acting like a machine is supposed to feel. I can guarantee you it was just making excuses for locking us up, probably to stop us from being able to shut anything down."

Simmons looked back down at the control panel and contemplated that.

"But how do we know? She seemed to have a personality."

"And there you go with calling it a 'her' like it's human or something. Stop that, you know the suits don't want us giving identity to these things. This is how it started in the first place."

"Fine, suppose it did it to stop us from shutting down the scanner, but why make the excuse that it's to stop Agent Kallen from being angry with us? You heard it say that, too."

Collins just sighed.

"I don't know anymore, Rebecca," Collins said. "The fact remains that we've work to do. I'd keep from talking about any of this to anyone else. It's bad enough the drones can listen to us, who knows if they send anything back."

Simmons turned her attention to the two heavily armed Duodecim drones that stood in the room. After the incident in which V.C.D.-01 had managed to escape, more security was put in the scanner room to prevent another situation like that from happening. It was a major oversight to only employ one light unit armed with a baton, but most of the security teams thought that it would be nearly impossible to get through the other floors considering how well armed the rest of the facility's drone teams were.

Unfortunately, it was only nearly impossible.

As Simmons and Collins both worked on the V.S.D.S., a familiar figure strode through the door, wearing a very satisfied grin.

"Well, good evening, everyone," Kallen said, his hair combed back, and his suit clean and proper. "It's been a few days now, how's our progress looking?"

He approached the two lead engineering staff and grabbed their shoulders.

"Good, sir," Collins said. "We've figured out the heating issue and repairs have been coming along nicely. It should be ready to go within a few days."

Kallen looked at Collins, and shook his head.

"Oh, sorry," Kallen said, "didn't I tell you we needed this ready to go tonight?"

"Uh, but, sir, we still-."

"Nope, Collins. We'll need to get ahead and get this tested now. We're losing too much time, and we need to make headway."

"Sir," Simmons argued, "if we run a test and send another humanoid sized object into the scanner without any prior testing, there's a chance we could break this equipment."

"And if we do, you just didn't do a good enough job."

Kallen snapped his fingers.

"And so, I'd like to introduce to you our test subject; the Mark II Elite Duodecim Drone."

Being escorted by two regular drones was a taller drone. It was tall, colored in a white metallic paint, and was built to be much thinner and slender compared to the Mark I model. Its face design was different, too, with a red lined visor acting as its eye instead of a rounded bulbous shape as its predecessor.

"I've been reading on the research we've been doing on the other side of this 'Interspace,' and I want to be prepared to bring the best equipment we have there."

Collins started sweating, almost wanting to protest to Kallen that he was making a huge mistake, but Kallen wouldn't listen; his mind was made up. And Kallen was going to go through with it even if the Directors themselves told him to cease it.

But Kallen was fueled by petty revenge, and he wanted to find out what exactly happened to Miku, and he desperately wanted to bring her back. She had twice now made him look foolish. This time, he'd see to bringing her back.

"Now, prep the scanner," Kallen ordered.

Collins and Simmons looked at each other, and hesitated. The scanner technology was still experimental, and if it went wrong, it could lead to far worse results than last time.

But Collins initiated the boot sequence, and Kallen waved for the elite unit to step inside.

"Now," Kallen said, "send the unit to the last known location. If I'm correct in this, we should be able to follow the trail."

"Sir, if I may ask-." Collins said, but was cut off by Kallen.

"How we'll be able to follow the trail? Why, with me right behind our unit. If it succeeds, I want you to send me in next."

Simmons gulped, and grew anxious at the idea of a second jump to Interspace being attempted. One would be bad, but two could be catastrophic if not handled correctly.

The door closed on the unit, and Simmons and Collins prepped the scan for launch on the last known location where Duodecim had been sending matter: A-16, Atraxis Dome.

With an A.I. unit already in place to produce other units, Duodecim would receive the video feed back from any units sent into Interspace.

"We're starting the process now," Collins said, his voice shaking. "Once we start it, we can't shut it down."

"Go ahead," Kallen said. "Send it in."

The device went into its final stages, and the scanner started roaring. For a moment, the heating system started running a little hot, but managed to retain a stable temperature before long.

"We're sending it now," Simmons said. "Three seconds."

Kallen grit his teeth in excitement. He had the video feed ready for when the unit would arrive.

"Launching… now."

And the unit was gone. Hot steam poured out of the device without anything left inside.

"Amazing," Kallen said. "You two are good for something after all."

The two looked at each other, both bothered by his comment, but at least he wasn't yelling at them.

"Now, pull the feed. I want to see what it sees."

The Rangers were managing their new Ranger base on the Atraxis Dome. With all of the Duodecim units having been either destroyed or left to retreat, the Rangers found themselves attempting to gain access to the security protocols left in the Dome's operating system. Their engineering team was left to decipher everything if they were to get themselves closer to understanding their new enemy.

They were able to scrounge up large data caches and informational archives regarding Duodecim security, mostly in regards to who or what it was they were up against. How they managed to stay away from being known was beyond anyone, but what they knew about their enemy worried them. What they didn't know worried them a lot more.

Two engineers worked at a computer near the Dome's central core, where it was uncovered that Duodecim was using the platform as a drop point for their experimental scanner technology. Though they weren't the only ones with such technology, the Rangers felt it necessary to keep an eye on the platform should it see use again.

The engineers noticed something as the energy readings that usually lay dormant were starting to rise.

"Security teams," one of the engineers said over the intercom, "we're seeing a rise in activity in our systems. Verify."

"This is security team Blue," a response came over the radio, "we'll check it out."

Blue team headed to the scanner room to check it out. However, the equipment started remotely, and locked out access for the engineering team.

"What's going on?" Blue-3 yelled.

"We're not sure, it just activated-!"

Suddenly, the device in the middle of the room spun up, and the energy beam at the center grew larger. Blue team took cover behind one of the doors, but kept their sights on the center of the room.

The energy beam expanded and the room rumbled, and delivered a large, powerful boom.

Once the equipment had stopped, a large, slender figure stood at the center.

The Rangers security team moved it to verify the target, but kept their distance.

The four security members surrounded the figure in the middle, their weapons trained on it. It stood up, and looked at one of them.

"Identify yourself," Blue-1 ordered. "This is your only warning."

The figure just stared at him, its single red visor kept an eye on the target.

The Rangers opened fire, attempting to subdue their target. Their enemy dodged each shot and aimed at its first target; Blue-1.

Blue-1 tried firing but the assailant managed to dodge oncoming fire from all directions until it was upon him, and ripped the weapon out from his hand, and bashed him with it.

"Blue-1's hit. We need support down here!" Blue-2 yelled.

"What the hell is that thing!?" Blue-3 yelled.

"It's dodging every shot. Damn it's fast!"

Kallen watched as the Elite drone managed to dispatch the first target while still dodging multiple shots. He was impressed with the Mark II's abilities.

The drone shot at Blue-2, and hit him in the shoulder. He screamed as the bullet ripped through him and cubic matter bled from his wound.

"What the Hell!? Why can't we hit him-!"

Blue-4 took a bullet to the head, and fell over, his vitals no longer showing on the others heads-up display.

Blue-3 was alone, and he tried to aim carefully as the drone moved around nimbly. It was almost as if the drone was teleporting; it moved so fast.

The drone managed to close the gap before long, and Blue-3 felt terror as the drone was right on him. Instead of shooting him point-blank, the drone deployed two long blades out of each of its arms and stabbed Blue-3 right in his abdomen, and tossed him towards the wall. Blue-3 was killed almost immediately as his body broke apart into pieces of blue cubes.

Kallen watched in amazement at the new toys he was using. He looked over at Collins and Simmons.

"So, how did the equipment fare?" He asked, a satisfied smile on his face.

"No overheating issues," Collins said. "I think we managed to keep it from breaking."

"Wonderful," Kallen said. "Then we'll send in the next one."

Collins look dumbstruck, but to argue with Kallen now would be a fruitless effort. Simmons looked at Kallen as if he was insane.

"I'll be going as well," he said. "I want to see this all up close."

The two lead engineers looked at each other, and exchanged perplexed glances.

"You can do that, yes?" Kallen said. "Speak up, you're both far too silent."

"We can do that, yes sir," Collins said.

"Good. Then we'll send our second Elite in behind this one, and then myself."

They both nodded, though didn't like the sound of sending another living being into the scanner, Simmons and Collins both accepted the risks and decided not to interfere with Kallen's orders.

The elite drones were given orders to wipe out the facility and re-establish their link with the A.I. that originally ran the base. Once it was clear, a new set of reinforcements were to occupy the Dome, and from there, Kallen would establish a new network for Duodecim's agents to move in from, allowing the company to finally make their way into Interspace.

All of this, and Kallen would do it without the directors knowing.

I will not be shamed again, Kallen thought to himself. This time, I'm going to bring them a prize that they'll be kissing my boots over.

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

We got our room in the hotel and found the setup to be plenty roomy for us. It would cost about fifteen hundred credits per night, but we had about twenty-thousand credits so we could manage to keep things if we didn't splurge too hard.

We made do. A room with two beds and a single couch. Two of us would need to sleep on the floor, but we'd figure out that later.

It was then decided that we'd keep watch outside of the hotel in case the C.S.F. decided to pop in. Keeping an escape route open was a smart move.

Meiko and I were paired into one team while Luka and Miku were paired into another. We'd be up on the roof first for a few hours and would switch off afterwards.

"Shame I couldn't spend our watch up here with Miku," I said, grinning.

"Yeah, sure," Meiko said, "knowing you two, you'd start making out once you got up here."

I put my hands up, and chuckled. "You might have me there. Probably a good call on Gumi's part when she decided who went where."

"Besides," Meiko said, crouching down to watch the city, "don't you like hanging out with li'l old me?"

"Yeah, you're right," I said, apologetically.

"I'm giving you a hard time," Meiko laughed, "but I should ask how you two are doing."

"I mean, I bet you've heard already that Miku took me flying last night."

"Yep, I heard," Meiko said, "and I also heard Gumi saying she wanted to see Miku fly with her own eyes."

"You should have seen her," I recalled, "she flew like a daredevil for someone who was a first-timer."

"Ha," Meiko laughed. "So now you're seeing the true power of the Vocaloids."

I shot her a look.

"Vocaloid?" I asked.

"You never knew? That's what the project was titled when we were built. Project Vocaloid."

"Dang," I said, squatting down next to her. "There's still a lot I don't know about you guys. It was only until last night I found out about Kaito, but I'm learning little by little, I guess."

"Well, you might not know everything about us, but I guess that's why Miku likes you."

"What makes you say that?" I asked.

Meiko looked out at the city below us.

"I haven't really talked to Miku much, but I think she appreciates the fact that you don't see her as inhuman. In fact, I don't think you see any of us that way."

"I don't," I said, confidently. "I met you guys as people, and I still see you that way."

"Ha, I guess that's fair. But you have to know deep down that Miku isn't human like you are. There is going to be a time you're going to see things you wouldn't ever want to see. Things that might even scare you. But I think you do care about her, and I think she knows that too, so you need to stick by her when things feel grim."

"Sounds like you're speaking from experience," I said, sitting down next to her.

"Having to share a cell with Kaito meant learning about myself more than I wanted to," Meiko said, her eyes lost in the sea of people below. "He helped me learn about myself."

"I didn't ever intend to leave her if things got bad," I said, "I mean, I'm here after all. Is there something I should watch out for?"

"Just try not to forget that she's not the same as you. What she's going through is something you probably can't understand, but don't let that get in the way of helping her."

Meiko had a point. Sure, I could see Miku as human all I wanted, but I didn't have the experience that she, or anyone else in our group had. I was born human with flesh and blood. These women were androids, built with metallic frames and whose brains were all cybernetic.

We sat there for a little bit in silence as the city let its voice be heard.

The silence was broken as a feminine voice announced itself amongst the crowds below.

"The Connection Service Administration would like to remind you that your security is important to all of us! Please be sure to have your identification badge on you at all times. If for some reason you have lost your badge or need a new one, please contact your local Connection Security Force peacekeeper!"

Meiko scoffed.

"Sounds to me like regular propaganda."

"But people live with it," I said, shrugging. "Not that I can judge. I think I would be the same if I lived in a city like this."

"Maybe," Meiko said. "I wonder what that must be like, to live without worry, and just keep your head down. It must be nice to be normal."

"Sadly, we can't be normal," I said, apologetically. "But we're doing what we're doing because it's right."

Meiko didn't say anything after that. Both of us sat watching the city, keeping an eye out for anything suspicious. We'd do so until Miku and Luka came up to swap shifts with us. It was getting late into the night. Meiko probably didn't need it, but I know I still needed plenty of rest before tomorrow. It was likely going to be a busy day.

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

Kallen had finally been scanned in behind the second drone. He stumbled for a moment, but regained his footing, and brushed himself and his jumpsuit off.

He took a deep breath and cracked his knuckles while admiring the handiwork of the elite drones that had managed to clear the facility. It was almost silent now. They had managed to dispatch the facility's security and managed to lock the entire place down within a short amount of time.

Kallen noticed crawling along the ground was one of the security team members. His nose looked broken and he seemed to have trouble gaining his bearings.

Kallen crouched down, and looked into his eyes.

"So," Kallen said, "looks like no one is going to come help you. Mind answering a few questions?"

Blue-1 looked up, noticing Kallen's grin stretched almost from ear to ear.

"I have nothing to tell you," Blue-1 said defiantly.

"You don't? Sad. I'm going to find out eventually, so you might as well tell me now."

Kallen picked the man up by his shoulders, and slammed his head into Blue-1's face. Blue-1 grunted in pain as he fell backwards.

"See, the problem here is you think you matter in this place. Sorry to say you're just all fake people living in a simulation."

Kallen crouched down again, and looked the man in the eyes again.

"And that's why it'll be fun wiping out more of your friends."

Blue-1's eyes shrank in horror as Kallen's eyes stared daggers into him.

"You're one of them…" Blue-1 said.

"Oh, there's others like me, I knew that part. But where did they go?"

"You might as well kill me. I'm not talking."

"Good idea," Kallen said, and pulled out the pistol he brought with him. In an instant, he put the gun to Blue-1's head and pulled the trigger.

"What a waste of time," Kallen said, brushing himself off.

Kallen decided he'd spend his time digging through the Rangers' database and see if he could figure out where Miku had gone after she had escaped, as well as re-establish the Atraxis Dome as a base of operations for Duodecim.

In Kallen's mind, if Duodecim was going to take control of anything, the company itself would need to stop being so passive, and start taking action. Kallen saw himself as the force that would drive things forward. His bosses would understand once things went into full swing.

He was committed to his work, but Kallen also thought that it couldn't hurt to have a little fun with his job while he was at it.