As night started to fall, an unknown airship landed on top of the Connection Research and Development labs. Normally without prior identification, the C.S.F. installed anti-air cannons would take out aircraft that failed to make identification, but not this one. It had snuck right through the defense system and made its way over.

Two C.S.F. officers patrolling on the roof immediately noticed as the vehicle let itself onto the landing pad.

"Control, we might have a situation. Unknown aircraft landed at sector D-28, high roof."

There was no response from control. Something was wrong. The two officers moved to investigate immediately without any backup.

They moved close to the ship, and waited for whoever was aboard to exit.

"Unknown ship," one of them said, "identify yourself!"

Out stepped a figure clad in black and purple armor with a hexagonal shaped helmet.

The two officers put their weapons down.

"Hands of Unity?" One of them asked aloud.

"Not quite," the figure said as two Duodecim drones emerged from the ship carrying suppressed firearms, and both took out the officers in tandem. The two slumped over, dead.

"Take care of the bodies," Kallen said, taking his helmet off. "Once you're done, regroup and carry out the plan."

The two drones beeped in response, and Kallen waved for another group to follow, as well as the Mark II Elite drone.

Kallen walked into the roof access door and started down for the main research wing. The drone squads that Kallen brought with him split off, save for the elite drone that Kallen brought with him. He figured it would be enough to take on whatever security was waiting below.

Kallen walked into the elevator that would send him directly into the main research wing. The elite drone stood next to Kallen, its posture straight, its weapons systems ready at a moment's notice.

The elevator shut and headed down to the research floors.

Kallen put his helmet back on.

"Be ready," he warned the drone, "I assume they'll be trigger happy the moment that door opens."

The drone made an affirmative nod, and beeped.

"Good," Kallen said. "Glad you understand."

The elevator stopped at its floor, and the door opened. Immediately, the elite drone stepped out, identifying two guarding C.S.F. that stood in front of the elevator door. It walked out, and deployed arm blades out of both of its arms, stabbing both at the same time. Once they were dead, it turned invisible, and ran off.

"Contact, enemy contact!" A C.S.F. officer screamed, signing for the security teams to take point and for the research staff to find cover.

"No need to panic," Kallen said, coolly, reaching for something holstered at his back. "I would just like to speak to the research staff."

The security team immediately started shooting at Kallen without listening further. Kallen deployed a device right in front of him; a small personal shield that stopped incoming fire.

These tools are becoming very convenient, Kallen thought, I can't wait to see what else we can build.

Kallen pulled out a small pistol, and fired a couple rounds, hitting two C.S.F. officers.

"I've got wounded, I've got wounded!" An officer yelled. "We need backup!"

"Backup isn't coming!" Kallen yelled. "I'd suggest you stand down now, or this could get messy!"

"Circle him! He's alone!" Another ordered, but he was quickly taken out from behind by the elite drone.

"I was warning you!" Kallen shot another round. "If you put your weapons down, I'll be merciful!"

"Where's the other one-"

Another officer went down.

The C.S.F. numbers dropped quickly as the elite and Kallen both took out the security teams through their pincer move. Eventually, there weren't any left to defend the area.

The personal shield deactivated once its battery ran dry, and Kallen picked it up.

"Well, what perfect timing," Kallen said with glee. "And not a moment too soon. An absolute joke of a security team couldn't take on a few intruders."

The elite and Agent Kallen proceeded further to where the research team had evacuated to. Except, Kallen planned on the researchers attempting to evacuate.

The squadrons of Duodecim drones had managed to subdue the other remaining security forces on this floor, and moved to lock it down. The research team was left defenseless, leaving Kallen plenty of room to bargain.

The researchers were sitting in the lobby that sat outside the research wing. They were all crowded together, with drones pointing guns at them.

Kallen stood at the top of the stairs that led to the lobby, and looked down at all of them.

"Hello, hello, everyone!" He announced. "It is a pleasure to finally have an audience with some of Connection's best and brightest minds that occupy this city. In fact, I was quite delighted to comb through each and every one of your records, and I've decided to offer you a business proposal!"

Kallen made his way down to the crowd of researchers, all seemed to be in a panic, but sat there, not sure what Kallen would do to them.

"Is no one excited about this? I'm sorry, I guess I was coming in a little unannounced. Well, we can talk about it. Does anyone have any questions?"

One of the researchers, an older resident of Connection, stood up. His skin was gray and his veins glowed a solid white.

"Ah, yes, what is your question?" Kallen asked, almost intrigued.

"What do you plan on doing to us?"

Kallen scanned the man and his identity was flagged as "Dorman, J."

"Well, Mister Dorman! I'm glad you asked. The fact is, my employers need some hires for our Interspace offices and it just so happened I'm headhunting for them. It's a wonderful business opportunity, after all!"

Kallen signed for the drones to stand everyone up, and pointed towards the wall.

"I'm going to be picking out names and whoever I pick will come with me. The rest will be staying."

Kallen put up a hand signal and pointed at his wrist. The drones behind him spread out. One group stayed in the lobby and set explosive charges on the support structure. The research team members now realizing what Kallen meant by "staying," watched on in horror.

"Line up! Line up quickly now!" Kallen waved his hands. "There won't be much time now once I've made my picks. All I can say is that you should hope your name gets called."

Kallen started sorting through the list. "If your name is called, step up and you will be escorted out to the landing pad up top."

Kallen began reading off the names, taking some time to enjoy the fear across the faces of each person. Now that he had control of the situation, he thought he'd take his time with it. After all, he had plenty.

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

"Griff," Miku shook me, "Griiiiiff! Time to wake up!"

"Oh, what is it?" I stirred. "Did I sleep for a while?"

"Only about two hours or so," Miku said, "I know we might be here a while but I was starting to feel lonely without you to talk to."

I rolled over on my back, and sat up.

"Any updates?" I asked, stretching my arms out.

"Not quite yet," Miku said. "She's still digging into things. Said she's going to be a little while until it's done. But that really wasn't the reason I woke you up to begin with."

Miku sat down next to me and got close to me. "I had kind of an idea, and I was wondering, you know, if you wanted to hear me out."

"I guess I should," I said, smirking, "what do you have in mind?"

Miku looked around over at Luka and Meiko and Gumi, who were sitting near one another.

"Well, are you maybe feeling hungry?" Miku asked.

My stomach growled a little in response to her question, almost as if on cue.

"Guess that answers that," I said. "I think I missed lunch, and it must be getting to be night time around here, huh?"

"Well, I was thinking you and I should go out and find something for you to eat. Maybe, I dunno, take a walk around the city ourselves?"

"You think that would be okay?"

Miku nodded. "Watch."

Miku stood up and walked over to the other three.

"Hey, so, I woke Griff up," Miku said. "He's telling me he's getting hungry. You think we could go out and maybe help him to recharge for a bit?"

"Hang on," Meiko argued, "it's a little risky after what just happened to us."

"The C.S.F. already cleared out, didn't they?"

"Still," Gumi added, "it's not the smartest idea to leave when they could flag us."

I stood up, walking right behind Miku. "I mean, if it's too risky, well-"

I could feel Miku's elbow slightly jab me in the stomach.

"Well I still wouldn't mind getting something to eat. My stomach feels pretty empty after everything we went through."

Gumi looked at Luka, then at Meiko.

"Besides," Miku added, "we can do a little bit of reconnaissance out there. You know, get a look at the rest of the city."

Meiko raised her eyebrow, "honestly, you could have just said you wanted to go on a date with your boyfriend."

"It's not like that!" Miku protested.

Meiko crossed her arms. "Then what is it, really?"

Miku slumped in defeat. "I'm just getting a little stir-crazy having to be down here for the past few hours. I just wanted to get some air."

After a little bit of hesitation, Gumi spoke up.

"Fine, I think we should allow it. So long as you two don't get into trouble."

'I'll try not to start anything," Miku said.

"Yeah, same here," I nodded. "I could really use something to eat, though. I feel drained."

"Fine, fine," Meiko said. "Just keep your communications open."

"You got it!" Miku exclaimed enthusiastically. "If anything happens, we'll let you know."

Miku turned around, and headed for a nearby tunnel exit.

"Had a little time to look around," Miku said as I followed behind her up a stairwell, "there's so many tunnels underneath the city. There's a way out this way here."

Miku pointed at a platform that sat next to one of the cables, and climbed up. Once she was up there, she offered her hand down to me, and I grabbed it. She pulled me up and right on to the platform.

"You see that up there?" She asked, pointing up.

I looked up to where she was pointing, and saw the skyscrapers and neon lights alongside the night sky. The stars weren't visible, if there were any there to begin with. The city's surface was right above us, all we had to do was climb up the cable to get there.

"You think anyone will see us climb out?"

Miku attached her hands to the wall and deployed her MAG-gloves. "You know, so long as we don't draw attention, I don't think anyone will notice. Now come on or you aren't getting fed."

"Yes, ma'am," I said, following behind her.

We climbed up and reached the top of the cable and emerged from the underground into a vacant alley. Lucky for us, no one was around.

Miku used her Watcher and changed into the hooded jacket she was wearing earlier. I did so as well.

"You know, I noticed earlier the vending machines seem to recognize our Watchers. I wouldn't mind a wardrobe change while we're out here."

"If you'd want to do that first, I can wait until then."

"Would that be okay?" Miku asked.

"Sure," I nodded. "Wouldn't mind seeing if there's clothes that let us have our faces out a little more."

"Yeah, I wanted to see more of yours."

I blushed underneath, but Miku noticed my posture had changed dramatically, and teasingly hugged against me.

"Now, come on, I promise we'll get this done quickly."

I wondered if this was the real reason Miku wanted to come out from underneath the city's network tunnels, but then again, her reason of just wanting some fresh air sounded just as plausible. After all, she had means to do both, so of course she was going to take advantage of it. I'd do the same thing.

We walked out into a more crowded plaza, where we were met with large dazzling figures dressed in bizarre outfits dancing next to the crowds. Audiences stood and watched, mesmerized by the figures that entranced them with every move.

I couldn't help but watch a little myself as the figure would change outfits at points, with each outfit as bizarre as the last.

Miku spoke, breaking my almost near-hypnotic daze. "Didn't think idols were really a thing in this city."

"Yeah, definitely interesting moves they're making over there, though."

"I saw you staring," she commented. "Do you like dancing?"

I shook my head. "I've never been much of a dancer. Don't really know if I'd be good at it."

Miku nodded. "I'll keep that in mind."

She looked back over where she was originally heading before I got my attention taken by a large digital dancer.

"Over there," she said, "come on, follow me."

I followed right behind Miku into a crowd of people and headed for a place called "Wonderful Wardrobes." An almost real-world sounding name for a place so digital. But I didn't question it if it meant we could see about changing our clothes a little bit.

Once we got inside, we were greeted by a non-human looking attendant that wore a nice suit. Its head was almost bird-like with small cat-like ears that perked up.

"Ah, welcome," it greeted, its voice male and formal. "Please take your time to browse our extensive line of clothes."

Miku nodded, and walked up to a terminal, and scanned her Watcher next to it. A small preview displayed Miku, with teal veins that ran all over her body. She started sliding options between, looking for different outfits, making combinations of her own, and saving ones that she might like.

The outfits she chose ranged from fairly normal to very eclectic, allowing her to alter even her hairstyle and its color. This place seemed to be able to do anything if you wanted to.

Eventually, she came up with a combination that worked: a sleeveless gray top with teal a teal collar, with separate black sleeves that ran above her elbows and down to her hands, along with a black skirt with a teal accent line to it, and black and teal thigh high boots.

She managed to also create a facial mask that imitated Interspace resident's and their glowing lines, allowing her to blend in even further. She looked almost like she was from another world, or even another time entirely.

"Well?" Miku showed off her new outfit. "I think I look pretty good."

"I'll agree to that," I said, eyeing the new Miku that was standing before me. "I wonder if you could put that together back home."

"I'll have to try to," she said. "Well, now it's your turn."

I walked up to the kiosk and started changing around my outfit. What I ended up with wasn't really all that different from my normal attire back in the real world. A standard jacket and jeans, though they were much flashier, with the pants being a mix of light and dark blue with a digital pattern. The jacket on the other hand was black with a dark neon blue line that ran around the collar and down one side of the zipper. Needless to say, this was a mix of what I would and wouldn't wear normally.

I walked back, my face also using the same covering that Miku was using.

"See? We blend right in!" She said, sounding excited. "Now, why don't we find you something to treat yourself with."

"Sure," I said, "I think I saw one of those vending machines nearby."

"Oh, no, those vending machines are boring!" Miku made a gagging noise. "I think I have a much better idea."

"And that would be?" I asked, not sure what she was getting at.

"Well, how about I surprise you?"

"Did you come up with this just now or was this what you were planning on doing?"

"Little bit of column A, little bit of column B. Now come on!"

Miku grabbed my arm, walked me over to the exit, and the attendant told us our total for the clothes.

"153 credits have been removed from your account. I hope you two have a wonderful day."

I looked at Miku, and mouthed, "geeze, that much?"

Miku shrugged. "Got to pay good money to look that good."

I rolled my eyes.

We left the clothing store and Miku walked me down towards another place further down the plaza. The buildings started to get taller as we walked ahead, ending with a large skyscraper that stretched up into the sky.

But Miku wasn't taking me there. Instead, she stopped and turned towards a place that seemed to be drawing many others to it. Its glowing neon alternated colors between red, blue, green, white, pink, purple, yellow, and back to red again. Loud pulsating music with a funky beat escaped from it, almost as if it was inviting passersby to come listen to what it had to offer.

This was definitely a dance club, or as it called itself, the "Cyber Beat."

I turned to Miku and looked at her face as she smiled, rather devilishly as to what she had dragged me into.

"I don't think I have the energy to dance," I said.

"Don't worry," she assured me, "I picked a place that had plenty to offer for food and drink, so you have no excuse."

"But, I'm not good at dancing," I said.

"Nuh-uh," Miku said, waggling her finger, "you said you never danced. And I won't take no for an answer, Griff. You're coming with me."

As always, I thought, once there's an idea in your head, you set off to do it. I'd be lying if I said I hated it, though.

Miku grabbed my arm, and escorted me ahread, confidence in each step that she took as we walked to the front door of the electronic rhythm house.

Standing at the front, a large armored figure sat at the front door, his arms crossed.

"Hang on," he said, "gonna need to scan you real quick, make sure you aren't bringing anything unnecessary inside."

"Oh, sure," Miku said. "Be careful, though. My looks are said to be pretty dangerous."

A small chuckle from the bouncer as his visor looked at each of us.

"You're clear," he said. "Enjoy the party, and don't try to have too much fun."

"Oh, don't worry," Miku said, "I can't ever have 'too much fun.'"

Even when it was with digital people, Miku seemed to bring charisma to everyone. The fact she could make someone as intimidating as the bouncer laugh was, to say the least, a little admirable.

Once we were inside, a new song had started playing. A high energy dance song that sounded much faster than the last one. The hallway would shift colors following the rhythm, and the lights would flash. Miku started swaying her hips a little as we walked.

"Seems like you're getting excited," I noted.

"It sounds like such a nice song, but I want to wait until we get into the dance hall before I really start showing off."

"Alright," I agreed, "I can't wait to see it."

"It'll be worth waiting, trust me," she assured. "I didn't get all prettied up to stand around."

Residents of Interspace sat on seats that stretched until the end of the hall. It seemed the hallway functioned as a rest area if anyone was tired out or just needed a break from the atmosphere that was on offer. People talked, ate, drank, and walked around in and out of the building.

Once we were at the end of the hall, we came across a stairway and walked down it. At the bottom sat a door that had a scanner attached to it. It read from our Watchers, beeped twice, and the door opened to us.

The music was much, much louder now. And the dance club seemed to stretch for about three floors, and each floor was filled with clubgoers that didn't seem to care where they were, they just wanted to dance to the music.

"Hey," I told Miku, "I really need to eat something. We can dance after we do that, okay?"

"I know, I know," Miku said, nodding, "come on, there should be a place serving food around here."

As we navigated ourselves through the crowds of people that filled the dance floor, we had found a place serving refreshments at a countertop. It looked like a bar, and even had multiple drink bottles sitting on shelves behind the server. Each drink had a unique color and brightness to them as they glowed against the bright lights surrounding them.

"Might as well," I said, and approached the server, who was another figure with a bird-like head with glowing yellow eyes, and ears that were shaped more like headphones.

"Ah," the server said, acknowledging me, "I can assist you in serving. Is there anything in particular you'd like?"

A small menu appeared in front of me, and I browsed the selection. It seemed the food was about the same as the one from the vending machines, all that you were paying for was the presentation. I wondered if the taste was different to people that lived here, and I could just think of what it tasted like because I was organic, but there wasn't any way to really prove that.

I selected the cheapest food option, and then looked at what drinks were available.

I looked up at the server and asked him a question. "Are there any drinks here that are specifically non-alcoholic?"

"'Non-alcoholic'?" The server asked, perplexed by my question. "I'm not sure I know the terminology for 'alcohol.' Are you perhaps from another colony?"

I shook my head. "Don't worry about it."

"If it would please you, I may be able to find ingredients for such a drink."

"Maybe another time," I said, and decided on a drink that held a light blue glow to it. "I'll just get this."

"Ah, of course," the server nodded. "One moment."

I placed my wrist at the payment screen and 14 credits were deducted from the account. I felt like I was spending like crazy at this rate, but it felt kind of nice to enjoy the atmosphere and get some time away from all of this.

Once the server came back, serving the glowing cube dish and the drink in a glass, I started eating. For some reason, my brain only thought of chicken when I ate it. Maybe it was the place I was in, but I always felt like that's what people ordered at sports bars or something similar. It tasted pretty great.

The drink on the other hand tasted like a sweet blueberry slushie. I wondered if the color influenced the taste to me, because I couldn't get it out of my head once I started drinking it. Sweet and sugary, I wondered why that was, but it tasted delicious.

Once I was done, I looked behind me, and saw Miku waiting with an expectant look.

"You done?" She asked, rather impatiently.

"Yeah, tasted pretty good-"

Miku grabbed my arm and dragged me to a free space on the dance floor. The floor had colored tiles like a checkerboard, but would change colors rapidly and almost seemingly at random.

"Now, come on! Dance!" Miku commanded.

Miku started waving her arms and moving her legs along with the rhythm, and tapped her feet to each consecutive beat, one after another. She'd switch moves depending on whether or not a song would slow down or speed up.

Though she was having fun, Miku kept her eyes on me, as if she was waiting for me to join in. Eventually, the pressure became too much, and I started dancing as well. Mostly just shifting my arms from left to right and moving my legs. I had no idea what it was I was doing, and I was definitely embarrassed to say the least.

"That's a good start!" Miku yelled over the crowd and the blaring music. "But try to listen to the song and follow it."

I tried to follow what she was saying, and followed the beat as I stepped on the dance floor.

"There! there!" She said, "Now you're kind of getting it!"

I started shifting around left and right, sidestepping around back and forth trying to keep with the song. I could already feel myself sweating from how much I was moving, but I also started to feel motivated by both Miku's words and the atmosphere around me. Feeling like I was letting go of my doubts and just moved along to the world around me.

Miku grabbed my arm, and gave me a bit of a spin. A surprise to be sure, but I welcomed it. She was leading me around and I was willing to go along for the ride.

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It felt almost a little random what kind of moves I was doing, but at the same time, I think Miku was doing the same thing. Whether or not to try and make me feel better about it, she kept changing up her routine, leaving me guessing what she'd do next.

Eventually, the song changed again, this time again to another funky and upbeat song that I felt a little more comfortable dancing to. It had a far easier beat to follow, and Miku seemed to notice, getting right up next to me and rubbing shoulders with me.

Eventually, she grabbed both of my shoulders and brought me lower to her, and teased me by rubbing her nose with mine, before pulling back.

"I'm having so much fun!" I told her.

"See? You can dance. Anyone can! Just need to know how!"

We kept dancing until I started to slow down from using so much energy, but not until the song ended. Miku took the opportunity to grab me one last time, and this time brought me in again for a hug.

Once the song ended, she let me go. A new song didn't start playing, but a voice came over the speaker instead.

"Well good evening you funky dancers!" A man introduced himself. "I'm your host, Spinzter! And I wanted to thank you all for coming out tonight and enjoying our wonderful mixmasters! But the night ain't even over yet, either! Instead, we got a special plan. If any y'all wanna come up and show us your moves, we'll be opening the floor up to you. The best dancers will be voted on, and you can walk away with some nice prizes!"

I looked over at Miku with a look that said, "I think they want you."

Miku nodded, and added, "only if you're willing to stay longer."

"Sure," I said, "you might just end up wowing the crowd more than you did me."

"I'm only aiming for your vote," she said, laughing, "but sure. I'll give it a try."

Miku stepped up as others came to the center as well.

Each dancer would be given a number and picked at random, and select a song of their choice. Once made, they would have to perform the crowd as best they could, in which the audience's engagement would be recorded on a screen. Whoever could keep it going to the highest and for the longest time would be declared the winner.

Each performance ranged from middling, to exceptional, at least from how the audience reacted. For me, of course, I was just sitting on pins and needles waiting for it to be Miku's turn.

And eventually, Miku's turn would arrive as they called for her number. Miku excitedly took to the stage they had set on the dancefloor. With it empty, Miku picked a track from the list, after first previewing each one. None of the audience could actually hear the music she picked, however. It seemed only loud enough for her to be able to hear. I guess that was because it would allow the crowd to guess what kind of song she had picked.

Miku had made her choice, and stepped back as the countdown began before she would take to her routine.

She closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. Once the music kicked in, Miku started alongside it, stomping her feet and moving her arms, beautifully matching the song's rhythm. The crowd seemed to love it, as did I.

She looked so pleased, sidestepping and swaying herself in a circular motion while the song seemed to spin with her. Each beat brought more and more out of her, letting her show off and express just how much she truly loved to dance. Nothing seemed to stop her, and she didn't seem to want to stop, either.

The song slowed, and Miku lowered her upper half to the floor, touching it with her index finger, and once it started to build back up, Miku brought herself up, slowly, until the beat kicked back in, and invited the rest of the crowd to dance with her.

It had worked so far, but now everyone seemed to be really feeling it, and started going wild as the last part of the song started playing, and Miku took advantage of the crowd's energy.

"Come on, everyone!" She cheered. "Dance! Show the world you're not scared to move along with the beat!"

And everyone joined in, almost as if the music had never stopped to start the contest in the first place.

Once the song ended, everyone erupted into cheers and seemed to want more of the cute girl with the blue twintails.

Miku bowed, and spun around, and struck a pose. She had every right to show off with that performance.

"Well!" Spinzter announced. "I think we've found our winner folks! Guess we saved the best for last!"

Miku stepped off the dance floor, and walked back to where I was standing.

"Everyone, it looks like the numbers do not lie!" Spinzter announced again. "Our winner tonight is number thirty-nine!"

I looked at Miku, and she cheered from the excitement.

"Number 39?" I asked. "There weren't that many dancers, were there?"

"Nah, they just gave them out at random," she explained.

Just then, someone dressed like the bouncer outside approached us.

"Hey, you're the one that just put on that show, right? Spinzter wants to see you."

"Me?" Miku asked. "I would love to, but we kind of have to go."

"That's just fine with me," Spinzter, a man with a darkish gray skin and purple veins walked up to us, wearing a stylish pair of black glasses and a fancy coat. "I just wanted to congratulate you on your moves, that's all."

"Well," Miku said, "I appreciate your compliments. It was a lot of fun."

"If ya don't mind me askin'," he put his hand out, "can I get a name of the dancer that just rocked my dance hall?"

Miku shook his hand, and answered. "It's Miku."

"Miku, huh? Now that's a name I never heard before. Quite like it, it's very unique."

"Never heard of a man named 'Spinzter' myself," she shot back.

"Ha," Spinzter laughed. "I like your attitude. Next time you're around, you should drop on in, I'll let you have a V.I.P. treatment next time."

Miku nodded. "If we're ever in the neighborhood again, we'll be sure to drop by!"

Miku turned around, tugging at my shoulder, urging us both to walk away, and we took off towards the main exit.

Once we stepped out of the dance room and back into the entrance hall, I noticed the time. We had been out for a few hours already.

"We should probably get back," I pointed back towards where the network tunnel was.

"Oh, right," Miku said. "Could we maybe take a detour, though? Just for a little while."

I nodded, not wanting to disappoint Miku after such an enjoyable night together.

"I don't see a problem with resting for a second," I said, looking around, "after all that dancing, I need to rest my legs."

Miku giggled, and winked. "I see what you're saying. Come on, there's a lovely little spot I saw as we were heading towards the dance club."

I followed Miku again, this time towards a corporate park with a tall skyscraper that was lit up against the dark sky. The park had a lower level with shops that still had plenty of residents going to and from each place, walking around.

"City's still lively," I said, resting my arms against the guard rail. "Seems like we picked a good night to come up."

Miku stepped in next to me, and watched the citizens of Connection make their way to where they wanted.

"Have fun?" Miku asked. "Because I thought tonight was wonderful."

I looked at her, and smiled. "I didn't think you could get me to do so much tonight, but here I am. I enjoyed every bit of it."

"Heh," Miku laughed slightly, "well you weren't a bad partner to bring around tonight. It was a lot of fun to share it with someone."

I looked up at the sky and over at the false moon that shone with the skyscraper above.

"Thanks, Miku," I said, looking back at her.

Miku nodded. "Oh, but one more thing."

Miku leaned in and kissed me on my lips.

"I got a little too embarrassed earlier when we were dancing, but now felt like the best time to take advantage of it."

I blushed and rubbed the back of my neck. Miku giggled again.

"I'm going to remember this night for a while," she said.

"Well," I said, "should we get going?"

"Yes, let's-"

Then, a loud thunderous boom rocked the ground we stood on, and rattled against my eardrums. A bright, fiery glow lit up the sky and pieces of debris started falling from the building above us. Residents began screaming and running as the pieces of the building fell and crashed against the ground.

Miku acted fast, and pulled me away from the falling debris. A massive piece of the building crashed right into the lower level, shattering pieces of glass and breaking supports as it landed.

"Oh no…" Miku said, looking up at the building, and I saw what she saw. Smoke rose into the sky and the fire burned on it.

"What the Hell?" I asked.

"We need to check it out," Miku said.

"Right," I said, not hesitating in the slightest. "Too big not to."

Miku radioed Gumi as we ran for a good place to take cover and change into our combat suits.

"Gumi! Gumi!" Miku yelled. "Something just happened. Sorry, but we might not be able to make it back. The C.S.F. might seal off the whole area if we take off with the rest of the evacuees."

"Understood," Gumi said. "I'll keep an eye on the reports and try to figure out what's going on."

"Just keep us posted. Backup might be necessary, but with how big this is, the C.S.F. might find a way to keep all of you out."

"Just be careful," Gumi advised.

"Don't worry," Miku assured her, and clicked off her communications.

We moved back out of the alleyway as crowds ran off away from the destruction.

"I have a hunch I know what's going on," Miku said. "But I want to be sure."

I wondered what she had meant by that, but we had to climb, and we'd find out soon enough just what was happening.

We moved as fast as we could to the side of the building, and deployed our MAG-gloves. It was risky to climb up when there was potential another blast might rain down more debris if it went off.

"All citizens of Connection!" An announcement blared behind us. "Lockdown is in effect for this sector. Lock your doors and remain safe! The Connection Security Forces remind you that your safety is top priority. Repeat. All citizens are to be locked down."

We climbed further up as pieces of flaming debris flew past us. Embers fluttered about as we climbed higher up, and the smoke started to mix with the air, making it harder to breathe. But I persisted and climbed up right next to Miku, keeping pace with her.

Higher and higher we climbed until we were close to where the explosion had gone off, and Miku smashed the window near it with her knee, waving for me to climb in.

Once we were inside, the sounds of gunfire and screaming could be heard as we made our way into the facility.

"This is awful," Miku said, looking around for what happened.

Lying against the wall sat two dead C.S.F. guards, with large holes in their chests as blue glowing liquid and fragments started to decompile them. They still had their guns on them, and Miku ran over to grab them.

"Sorry about this," she said, prying the firearms out of their lifeless hands.

Miku tossed me a rifle, and I checked the charge on it. It wasn't much to take on an army, but it was better than nothing.

We both loaded the weapons and left the room. We ran down a hallway and into a stairway annex that led to an upper floor.

"Gumi," Miku radioed.

No answer.

"Gumi, come in!"

No answer again.

"Damn it," Miku said. "We'll have to switch communications to be local between us. I think they're jamming this place."

I nodded.

More gunfire and screaming was heard further up. We didn't waste any time to find it.

Once we were further up, we found the "research labs" of the facility we had entered in. From inside, the yelling sounded like orders being made to coordinate against an attack.

"Left flank! Left flank!" One yelled. "Keep them away from the door-"

Miku opened the door and we ran inside for cover. I looked up at the second floor where the firefight was taking place.

It looked as if the C.S.F. was fighting against an intruder. There was no mistaking who it was, either: Duodecim Security Drones. They had outnumbered the C.S.F. but were still putting up a decent fight.

Miku took initiative and started firing at the assailing drones. She managed to get one square in the head before it fell over.

"Figured we could help out!" Miku said, grabbing the attention of the drones. "Heyyyy!"

A few of the drones started firing back in our direction, and we took cover. The C.S.F. seeming to take the hint, started firing on the attackers.

"Two down, two down!" One of the officers said.

Miku poked back up, firing again. I peeked out and fired a few rounds, managing to get one of the drones in the arm, but it was still standing. I pulled back down.

The drones dispersed, and tried to move to a better vantage point to hit us from behind our cover, but Miku shot at each one as they tried to move in. I fired at one as well, destroying its head, and it fell off the side of the guard rail.

"Clear!" One of the officers yelled.

We stood up, and pointed our weapons at the C.S.F.

"We're here to help," Miku said. "We mean no harm to any of you."

The leader of the squad ran down the stairs and met up with us.

"We appreciate your help," he said. "If you hadn't come, we might have been done for."

"Mind telling us what happened?" I asked.

"Yeah, from what we can gather someone managed to get in here and shut off our communications. Managed to take the place within minutes. We've been trying to rescue our people and get out of here."

"'Your people?'" Miku asked.

"The people that overtook this place locked three different groups into rooms and left charges with them. As you can see, one of them went off prematurely."

"Oh no," I said. "Don't tell me."

The officer shook his head. "We were on our way to see if we could find survivors."

I looked at Miku, and thought of something.

"I'll go check on it," I said. "Miku, why don't you go with the officers and see about helping the other two groups?"

Miku hesitated. "Are you going to be okay?"

"I should be fine. So long as I don't run into more drones."

"Fine, just be safe."

"I will," I said.

I turned around, heading towards the area where the bombs detonated.

Once I arrived back, I opened the door and saw the fire had mostly died away. It seemed the room was the only thing that had taken major damage.

I looked around, seeing if anyone had survived. From the looks of it, no one had. All that had lined the floor was corpses of dead Interspace residents. Their bodies decayed slowly.

"Damn it," I said to myself.

I looked up, and noticed there was another floor that the blast had torn through. I jumped up and grabbed it, and climbed up. The blast had ripped open about three floors. The floor I had climbed up was much worse off, and seemed to be the origin point of the blast. Whoever had locked these people in here planned on taking this many floors with them. If there were more charges, did they also plan on taking the entire facility with it?

I couldn't worry about it, not now. I had to look for any survivors, if there were any left.

Then, I heard something from above the floor I was in. It sounded like someone yelling. Very angry yelling.

"...Well our timetable changed. It seemed like one of them tried to disarm the charges. We need this data and we need it now."

The voice sounded familiar.

"Kallen," I said. "So you're behind this."

I hailed Miku over the radio.

"Miku," I said. "Miku! I think I know who's here."

"Who!?" She asked.

"Kallen. He's the one leading this attack. He's on the floor above me. I'm going to head to him."

"Griff, wait-"

"If I wait, he'll already be gone. Just worry about the hostages. If we take him alive, we can get info out of him."

"Fine, but please be careful."

"Don't worry," I said. "I'll be okay. I love you."

I clicked off, and dashed towards where Kallen was.

I ran up the stairs and found a room named "Data Center." From what Kallen said, he had to have been in here.

I took a deep breath, and opened the door. Inside, Kallen stood over a computer with two Duodecim drones that stood in front of a terminal. Kallen himself was dressed in familiar attire, one that I remember the Hands of Unity wore when Meiko, Luka, and I first came to Interspace.

"Oh, and who might this be?" Kallen yelled, immediately firing at me. I took cover behind the doorway, and fired back inside, managing to hit one of the drones.

"Damn it," Kallen cursed, firing more rounds through the door. I peeked out again and aimed, but he charged at me before I could get another shot off at him.

Kallen rammed into me, and shoved me into a guard rail that sat over the stairway annex. The guard rail broke with the force, and Kallen and I hurled into the ground.

I landed on my back and Kallen started pummeling me with his fists into my helmet. I couldn't get him off of me, but I grabbed both of his hands to get him to stop.

"And just who do you think you are to come step in between my business!?" He snarled.

I didn't respond. The last thing I wanted was for Kallen to know who he was up against. He'd probably get even more angry if he knew who he was up against. I just needed to get away from him and see about putting him down.

I freed one of my grips on Kallen and swung at him, knocking him off of me. I rolled away, and recovered. My gun was knocked out of my hands and I looked around frantically for it.

Kallen still had his handgun, though, and fired it at me. I ran for cover back into the room that had been blasted apart. He followed close behind me, looking for me.

I grabbed a piece of debris off the ground and used it as a bludgeon as Kallen walked in, trying to get him off balance. If I could manage to knock him off his feet, I'd be able to knock him out, too. And then we could put an end to this mess.

"Griff! I managed to get the first group of hostages out. We're moving to the second group now. Did you find Kallen!?"

I couldn't answer her.

"Griff! Are you okay!?"

I swung at Kallen and hit him in his stomach, and shoved him to the wall, and then charged at him with everything I had.

I kept punching, harder and harder, seeing if I could do just enough damage to make him hit the ground.

But then, Kallen turned the fight around, grabbing one of my fists, and twisting my arm.

"Agh!" I screamed.

"Amateur mistake," Kallen said, and smashed his head into my helmet, knocking me backwards. I was still standing, but not very well.

"Just who do you think you are to come in here and play hero like that?"

I grabbed my wrist, though it wasn't broken, it stung like crazy. Kallen took advantage of where I was kneeling, and kicked me square in my visor. It cracked, and I fell over.

"Looks like your helmet is broken," Kallen laughed. "Here, let me help you take it off."

He grabbed at my helmet, and pulled it. I tried my best to stop him, but he pulled it off with ease.

It wasn't any use; Kallen could see exactly who it was he was fighting now.

"Oh, well isn't this a surprise?" He said, towering over me. "I didn't think I'd ever see you again. Not here of all places."

"Miss me?" I asked, smugly.

Kallen wasn't amused, and kicked me in my side.

"That attitude of yours won't be lasting you long once I'm through with you. But if you're here, maybe you can answer a few of my questions?"

"I'd rather I didn't have to," I smirked.

Kallen shoved his fist into my stomach, and knocked all of the wind out of me. I coughed and spat out some blood.

"You've caused me plenty of trouble, already, boy. Turns out, I was right to suspect your involvement with her rescue. Would you mind telling me how you managed that?"

"Why? Dying to see an old friend?"

Kallen gripped his hands on my suit, and dragged me.

"If you want to act smart, I'm sure I can just throw you off this building and let you fall down to your death."

Kallen didn't know I had the wingsuit. At least I'd have an escape route if he tried that.

"Go ahead," I said. "I'm not telling."

Then, another explosion rocked the building. Kallen let go and stepped back to find a place to keep his balance.

"Another one?" He muttered to himself. "Looks like they're all taking their chances."

I tried to get back up, but Kallen walked back over, and stepped on my chest. Then, he pulled out his handgun.

"Keeping you alive is more trouble than it's worth," he said. "I should just do you a favor and put you down."

I grabbed his leg, and pulled as hard as I could, seeing if I could get him to fall over and out the building. I threw another punch right into his knee, and managed to get his foot off of me.

Kallen stumbled and I pulled myself up, and this time, charged into him again.

"Oh, not this time," Kallen said, and used my momentum against me. He grabbed me, and flung me towards the wall. My head collided with the wall behind me, and I fell over, and things started to go dark.

"You've become too much trouble to deal with," Kallen said. "This place is already going to fall apart. I can't waste my time playing with you anymore."

And that was the last thing I could hear before my consciousness faded.

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

Miku started heading back towards the place she and Griff had entered to see if Griff was still there. She had left the C.S.F. to free the last group of hostages while she returned to where Griff was last located. Lucky for her, she could find him easily with the Watcher's ability to track others, but she needed to get back as quickly as she could. Griff failed to answer her calls earlier, and she had feared the worst might have happened to him.

She found Griff's vitals were still active, and saw his Watcher was still pinging on her compass, but there was a chance he was still in trouble.

As she made her way back to the stairway annex, the facility shook as another blast rocked it.

She couldn't radio the C.S.F. team but had hoped they managed to get away before the bomb had gone off. She couldn't fret about it, and could only hope for the best. Things were bad enough as it stood. All she could do was hope.

She regained her balance and looked again at the stairway annex, and could hear a voice down on the lower floor. She focused her audio sensors on it.

"This place is already going to fall apart. I can't waste my time playing with you anymore."

Miku knew that voice, and felt something well up inside of her. She ran as fast as she could down the stairs, and straight for the door at the end of the room.

She noticed Griff's vitals were changing. His heart rate had decreased, and his location stood still. He wasn't moving around anymore like he was earlier.

She sprinted, and rammed herself through the door.

Kallen was right there, his handgun pointed at a figure against the wall. Griff was lying there, unconscious.

"No!" She screamed.

Kallen turned his attention to her.

"I know that voice!" He said. "So glad you could join us!"

Miku didn't bother to banter with Kallen, and aimed her rifle at him, and fired.

Kallen rolled out of the way before the two bolts she fired could hit him. She tried again, but the weapon was out of ammunition now. She had just spent her last shots trying to hit him.

"Guess you're out!" Kallen taunted.

Miku tossed the gun aside and charged at Kallen. Kallen welcomed Miku instead of trying to dodge her.

She threw a punch, and he grabbed it.

"Sorry," he said, "but I'm not letting you beat me."

Kallen swept the leg, and knocked Miku over, but Miku rolled away, and recovered.

"Why don't you just come back willfully?" Kallen offered. "I promise, I'll just leave Griff here to die as the place falls apart."

Miku hated how Kallen tried to toy with her, but she wanted nothing more than to take him down. His smug attitude and his overinflated ego made her angry, but seeing what he did to Griff, she was going to make Kallen beg for her to stop when she was done with him.

Miku got in close, and threw another punch at Kallen's stomach, and then another, and then another, and then swung at his face. He reeled over, but recovered, and struck back with a haymaker at her face.

Miku ducked down and kicked at Kallen's knee, aiming to knock him off balance. Then struck at his chest with another set of consecutive strikes.

Kallen grabbed her shoulders, stopping Miku from moving her arms, and kneed her in the stomach, and pushed her backwards.

Miku stumbled for a second, but wasn't anywhere near as tired as Kallen was getting. She was going all out to bring him down, and hopefully soon. If this place really was falling apart, she needed to do it fast.

Kallen came in with another kick aimed at her face. Miku grabbed his leg, and jammed her elbow into his sternum. Then, used all of her strength to throw a punch right into his helmet.

Something must have given, because Miku managed to crack Kallen's helmet, and exposed one of his eyes.

Kallen felt around his face, and noticed he was bleeding under his helmet.

"You…" He said, hatred in his voice.

"Come on, Kallen," Miku said. "I'm ending this."

"The Hell you are!" He shouted, and charged at her.

Miku ran at him as well. Both grabbed each other, and Miku stared into Kallen's exposed eye hole. His eyes looked bloodshot and enraged.

Miku headbutted Kallen, knocking him backwards, and once he was stumbling, she kicked him, then flipped in mid-air, making another kick at his face, her foot slamming right into his jaw.

Kallen, reeled back, with no stamina left, and flopped onto the floor.

Miku breathed heavily as she had just finished Kallen off, but she wasn't done yet. She was going to put an end to this.

Miku was angry, and now she had a perfect opportunity to finish what Kallen started.

She placed herself on top of Kallen, and looked into his faceplate. His eyes were closed. Then they opened, and Kallen managed to get a surprise attack on Miku.

Kallen deployed a blade from his right hand, and jammed it right into Miku's helmet.

The blade managed to pierce through the helmet, and stuck right into her cheek. Miku felt a surging sting of pain as her mouth was stabbed.

She did everything she could to rip the blade out, and screamed as it retracted. Kallen tried to take advantage of the moment, but Miku fought back, her fist slamming into his helmet. Then again, and again. Strike after strike, Miku started pummeling him, feeling herself tiring out, but persisted. All she wanted now was to see Kallen scream, and suffer for everything he had put her through.

Miku ripped off her helmet, and started bludgeoning Kallen with it. Kallen's faceplate started cracking further, and Miku hoped that it would shatter, maybe even with pieces of it getting into his skin so she could do even more damage to him. Maybe even give Kallen the same treatment she had just received.

She kept smashing her helmet against his, almost without any second thought as to what it was she was doing. She didn't care anymore, she was just angry. And then a voice called out to her from behind.

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

"Miku, stop!" I yelled, holding my hand out to Miku.

Miku looked behind her, and saw me.

"Please…" I pleaded with her. "You're scaring me."

She looked back at Kallen, and then shook, and moved off of him. Kallen didn't move, and I worried she had actually ended him.

I tried to pull myself up, and walked over to her, noticing immediately what was wrong. Miku's left cheek was torn open, exposing metal and teeth and her tongue inside of it.

"Oh, God. Are you okay, Miku?" I asked.

Miku just glared at me, and nodded.

"Can you talk?"

"I can," she said, pained, "it just doesn't feel great to."

I nodded, and then Kallen started laughing.

"Oh, come on now, Miku," Kallen said. "Stop with the act, we both know you don't actually feel anything."

"Stow it, Kallen," I barked. "You've lost."

"Haven't lost yet," he said. "Though I am a little disappointed you stopped her."

"And let her kill you?" I said, squatting down next to him. "I don't think so."

"No, but you saw with your own eyes just how monstrous she is. My point is already proven."

Miku just stared at Kallen, almost looking a little sad more than angry. Regretful, even.

"Why'd you do it, Kallen?" I asked. "Why all of this?"

"It wasn't supposed to go like this," he said. "But what does it matter? This place is going to fall apart."

I just looked at him as he struggled to get up. I stood up and put my foot on his hand.

"Why?" I asked. "You said something about getting data earlier. What data are you after?"

"The same thing you're after," he answered. "This place, everything. Duodecim wanted to know what made it work, and what we could do to take advantage of it. I just pushed their plans forward sooner than they wanted."

"And the charges?"

"To send a message. I wanted the people in charge to know they had a new threat and that we meant business."

I shook my head. "So you were going to kill them regardless."

"Of course I did. They aren't people anyways."

I wanted to punch him, but I worried if I did, I'd knock him out. He seemed in no condition to be moving, so I didn't have to worry about him fighting back anymore.

"Fine," I said, and stood up.

I looked out the giant hole that was left in the building.

"The C.S.F. are more likely going to be here soon," I said. "We Should get going."

"In the end," Kallen said, "you still run away, knowing you can't finish me."

I looked down at Kallen, and just felt pity.

"I'd take you with us," I said, my voice cold. "But I worry that I'd drop you, and then I'd feel bad. But not for you, I'd feel bad for the people who would have to clean up after you."

Kallen laughed weakly. "Now that's a good boy. Maybe if you stick with it, you might be as good at acting as Miku is. Seeing as she's so good at acting human, after all."

I was about to punch Kallen, but Miku grabbed my hand. She looked down and averted her eyes from mine, almost as if she was about to start crying. I think I was scaring her as much as she was scaring me.

I pulled my arm away, and nodded. "You're right. We have to go."

I looked back at Kallen as I prepared to leap out of the building. Kallen stopped moving, but he seemed to still be breathing.

We both jumped out of the building and deployed our wingsuits, trying our best to keep from being seen by the C.S.F., and anyone else.

I kept my mind on just getting out. If anything came from this, I would worry about it when the time came.

We glided on our wingsuits until we had found a roof to land on. If we descended any lower, we'd be on the streets, and the C.S.F. seemed to have taken every block.

I didn't doubt they would have patrols on the roof, but for the most part, everything was quiet, and we managed to stay right where we were for the time being.

"Griff!? Miku!? Are you two okay?!" Gumi spoke up. "I finally managed to get a signal out to you. Please tell me you both made it out of that mess."

"Yeah," I said, looking at Miku. "We're both fine, if you can call it that."

"We were watching everything," Meiko said. "Do you know what happened?"

I looked at the burning building and saw how damaged it was. Another charge detonated shortly after, and the building started to fall.

"Duodecim. Duodecim happened."

Everyone fell silent.

"So it was them."

Miku looked at me, and tried to speak.

"I had a hunch," she said. "Just somehow knew it was him up there."

"Right," Gumi said. "Well, good call on your part. Did you happen to figure out what it was they were after?"

"Yeah," I said. "Kallen said Duodecim wanted data to study this place. I think he intended to take the facility down as a show of force. There was still another drone in there that we couldn't get to, so no telling what kind of data they got their hands on."

"I see," Gumi said. "Well, I managed to scrounge up something as well. Dimitri's group managed to get us some data involving the Connection Service Administration and some stuff about the Rangers."

"Okay, what?"

"The short of it is this: Antrikanas intended to start a war with the Rangers, but Unity's Hand decided instead to outright take out their main base and deal with the stragglers. With the Rangers out of the picture, Unity's Hand would do as they pleased. This actually upset Antrikanas, and he intends to find a way to start a war effort with someone. I think Duodecim just inadvertently opened the door for that. He even set up the C.S.F. to act like an army, pouring millions of credits into weapons research. That facility Kallen just bombed was part of that research."

"Damn it," I said. "Looks like this just got a lot messier."

The building crashed down, leaving behind nothing but a cloud of dust and smoke.

"A whole lot messier."

I sat down, and grabbed my hair, trying to figure out what was going on.

"Look," Gumi said. "It's not a whole wash. We might be able to confront Antrikanas ourselves. At this point, it's all we have left. Lucky for you, his office is the tallest building in the entire city, and you're not too far away from it."

I looked up and saw a massive citadel sitting towards the sky.

"Hang tight," Luka said. "We'll head over to you. Maybe try to get some more rest in."

"Alright," I said, and everyone disconnected.

Miku knelt down next to me, and wrapped her arms around me.

"Sorry," I said. "Feels like we were having such a good night until, well, this happened."

I looked up at her and wondered if I should try giving her a kiss to make her feel better. The moment I tried, though, she shook her head and waved me away.

"I get it. Probably hurts like all get out."

"Y-yeah," she said, weakly. "I'm sorry I worried you."

I shrugged. "Kallen did that to you. I'd have lost it if I were in your shoes."

"I know, but I worry so much about all of this changing you. I should have remembered the same could happen to me."

"I'm not going to let that happen," I said. "It's my job to take care of you, the same way it's your job to take care of me."

Miku's hug got tighter, and pushed her head into me.

"I promise," I said, "I'll keep you safe, just so long as you can keep me protected, too."

"Okay," Miku said, "I'll hold you to that."

I nodded, and looked up at the sky as the sirens blared and the world seemed to turn upside down.

As will I, I thought to myself, because I love you.

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

Kallen shifted around trying to get himself back up. The facility was about to fall apart, and if he didn't make it back to the ship soon, he would go with it.

He kept trying to recall the elite drone back to him, but it refused his calls. Almost as if it had a mind of its own, or perhaps it had gotten caught in a blast. Even though they were advanced killing machines, they were still vulnerable to plenty.

It didn't seem that way, though. The commands went through. They went through and a response would return.

"Error: Insufficient privileges."

Kallen tried again.

"Error: Insufficient privileges."

Again.

"Error: insufficient privileges."

And again and again and again.

And then it dawned on Kallen as he looked out the door of the room he was in. He had been abandoned. His own employers had now turned on him, leaving him behind. To the leadership of Duodecim, Kallen was no longer useful, and only served as a loose end.

He lay there, angrily cursing each and every one of the directors that had done this to him.

A sudden blast from beneath the building caused it to shake. Kallen couldn't move; his body was too weak.

He attempted again to recall his drones to pick him up, and again the commands would come back with an error.

And then, just as another blast caused the building to shake again, the facility crumbled, and with Kallen inside. The last thing Kallen saw before everything went black was the ship he had arrived in.

The building collapsed, and with Kallen inside.