Miku's vision booted up as her system proceeded with its initial checks. All systems were green and running perfectly. Her vision, motor control, and sense systems were all back online shortly. She felt around herself and noticed the cables in her body. She laid still like a statue in her chair until everything was ready to be disconnected.

Her hearing activated first before her vision had adjusted fully. A conversation was happening in the room she was in, something that had to do with her. The figures looked like blobs to her. She couldn't make them out clearly, but she could hear them just fine.

"It's not your decision, Rio," the figure on the right said, "it's not your property. It's part of the company, and their decision is final."

"But she shouldn't have to be put through any of this! She's like us, and the board wants her to be a guinea pig for something we haven't tested yet?"

"Rio, it's not a 'she,' it's an automaton. This has to stop."

"Are you telling me she shouldn't be recognized for what she's supposed to be? We built a copy of the human mind. She's real. Don't you get it?"

"I get it perfectly, Keiichi, but I don't make decisions around here, the directors do, and they've decided to go through with this. You might have some sway, but it's ultimately up to them what happens to this project. You knew this day was coming."

Miku laid still, keeping her eyes closed, pretending to still be shut off, not sure why Dr. Rio had woken her up like this. Did he want her to hear all of this? Because if he did, Miku felt uneasy knowing this was how everyone else felt about her.

"She's deserving of more than that," Rio said, "and the directors of all people should acknowledge that. I named every unit we've built, and yet now we treat them like animals."

"Machines don't have feelings, Rio."

"Like Hell they don't!" Rio stood up, his chair skirting along the floor. "You look at her and you tell me you don't see a human being there! She's as real as any of us!"

"Keiichi, please," the other voice said calmly, "this is final. They'll be here tomorrow morning to pick her up. The directors do still find your input necessary, so you will be coming along as well."

Rio sighed as the other man left.

"Animals. That's all we are to them," he muttered, but Miku heard him clearly. "You don't belong here. You deserve a real life."

Rio stepped over to Miku, and ran his cold fingers along her silky hair, and then her cheek. Miku tried her hardest not to react to the stimulation his bony fingers were giving.

"I know what I have to do," was the last thing Rio said to Miku before she opened her eyes.

Miku had been awoken by her alarm clock in her sleeping quarters. It blared until she tapped the "off" button on her built-in wall panel. Once off, calming music filled the room. A peaceful melody that reminded Miku of a bustling city with a repeating chime that reminded her of neon lights. She enjoyed the tune, but felt like she wanted a different vibe this morning, something more calming instead.

Miku switched songs, and the speakers played a soft, low tempo song that reminded her of the ocean. Though her music taste was varied, Miku especially loved songs that brought her to places, and slow ambient music filled that desire easily. It even had crashing waves as part of its soundscape.

Miku took herself to the bathroom, cleaned herself up, and did her hair. Her brush ran through her artificial strands and pulled out the knots that had formed in her sleep. Each time she had pulled out one, she wondered just how this could happen. Her hair wasn't any longer than Luka's, the only difference was that she kept her hair in pigtails that reached down past her shoulders. It wasn't exactly the most professional hair for the line of work she did, but that was mitigated by the digital wardrobe Miku could put on to change her hairstyles on a whim.

As the months passed by, everyone within the Operator Team discovered more and more about Interspace. With the advent of the I.S.C.A. and the Rangers starting to build up their forces again, things had managed to quiet down instead of heating up. Whatever the reason was, Duodecim wasn't as active, and the Hands of Unity didn't seem to make any moves with the recent development either.

And so things were calm, leaving the team to study up on Interspace, observing how it functioned. Gumi and a few members of David's team got to work performing expeditions and gathering information on Interspace. While David would oversee his own team, Miku and the other Vocaloids were allowed to hang back and relax a little, performing less extensive operations, leaving time for training and downtime. Miku worked on her flight skills while Griff would train himself, or in some cases, be brought into Gumi's engineering wing and learn how to better serve as the Vocaloid's "team medic."

Griff had grown quite a lot in the past few months. Not just in height, though Miku had noticed he was standing up straighter now. He slouched less and walked with confidence. His body was now muscular and not as average looking. The training he was doing was definitely starting to pay off, but Miku still saw him as the same Griff.

As Miku threw on her uniform steel gray jumpsuit, she knew it was time to start the day off, because while she had been able to relax, things were going to start getting noisy again. And while she knew there wasn't much she could do about it, she wished, just a little, that this could all be over. She enjoyed the somewhat normal life instead of the militaristic one that she had been thrusted into. As much as this was full of adventure, she worried the people closest to her would get hurt. And that was the last thing she wanted was for anyone to be in danger.

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

I walked up to Miku's door and tapped the back of my hand against the metal frame. Within a few moments, she answered and stood inside of her quarters, already dressed in her jumpsuit. Her hair was in her usual pigtails, and she looked at me with a bit of a surprise on her face.

"You're in your regular attire," Miku noticed, "are we not going today?"

I shook my head, "Not me. Akira and I started talking a few days ago. She's been worried sick about me."

"Oh, right," Miku said, "I hope she's been okay."

"She's been doing good, it sounds like," I said, "she told me she joined a softball team and has made a few friends with the girls on her team.

Miku smiled. "That's good to hear. I wanted to see her again, too."

"If only David would let you guys out, but that was the agreement."

"Right," Miku's voice trailed, sounding a little sad.

The agreement was that David's team would be mostly hands-off in interacting with us, only using the Stargazer base to monitor Interspace and send info back to their leader, Prometheus. Beyond that, Miku and everyone else were allowed to do as they pleased, but only within the confines of the base. Anything that could jeopardize that, such as going outside, being in public, or having any sort of public presence in the real world, and the group would step in.

Of course, Miku detested the decision, but she agreed. The only reason I was allowed an exception was because David had sway, and argued that I needed to see the outside once in a while. I didn't think any of that was fair, but from where I was, I couldn't voice my opinion. I wanted to speak to Prometheus and see if I could change his mind, but that wasn't possible. Not at this time.

"Oh, cheer up," Miku said, trying to sound happy for me, "if anyone should be able to go outside, it should be you. You had a normal life before this after all."

I shook my head, disagreeing with her statement. "You know I hate hearing that."

"But it's true," Miku said. "Until things change, I have to be down here. But it's not all bad. If I ever need to relax, I have a simulation pod I can sink into, and hang out with you in there for a while."

And while that was true, I felt like something was still missing for us even when we did go into the V.R. pod, either for training or relaxing. There was still something missing, and not even a simulation could replicate that.

"Don't look so down, Griff," Miku said, "it's a day you get to hang out with Akira. Don't worry, when you get back, you can tell me all about it."

Behind Miku's words, though, I sensed regret. As if she really did want to come along and couldn't. It hurt to see her like that. I would have almost made the decision to stay behind and come with her instead, but Miku would probably scold me and tell me to go anyways, holding it over my head until I did go. Despite how cute I thought Miku was, she could give me a death-stare if she was really mad about something.

"Look," Miku said, probably sensing my unease, "all we're doing today is going over the flight plan before we set off to break into the Beehive. I need to test the flight system on the dropship. It's nothing more than that today."

"Are you sure you don't want me there?"

"I'd rather you weren't bored out of your mind watching me adjust controls for the next five hours. Go have fun."

Miku walked up to me and gave me a light peck on the cheek.

"Though, if you could get me a bottle of vegetable juice to make up for it, I'd be very appreciative."

She placed her hand in my palm and squeezed it.

"Alright, I get it," I said. "I'll go see Akira."

"Good," Miku said. "I'd be mad if you left her out to dry after months of leaving her like that."

"I'll walk you to the Operating Room," I said. "Then I'll head out. Sound good?"

"Wonderful," Miku said, and clinged to my arm for a second.

Certainly a nice start to my morning, nonetheless,

I left the facility, noting that the sky was very gray today. It looked like it was going to start raining any second. Lucky for me that my jacket was rain-proof, because I didn't have an umbrella.

Even if it did rain, the train station wasn't too far away. I just needed to get through the forest and cross a few streets. At most, it was a thirty minute walk.

As I walked through the forest, I wondered to myself if the city was as large as it is now when the underground base was built. It seemed like a strange idea to build something this secluded and still retain itself near civilization. Going so far as to build it into the storm drains. Someone would eventually have to find it, right? And yet, no one ever did. Even Duodecim, who likely had been searching for this place for as long as it existed, still had no luck in finding it. The only reason Gumi found it was because someone wanted her to. And whoever that someone was, they trusted Gumi and only Gumi with it.

I thought about that for a while as the silent green trees and the heavy gray clouds overhead went about their business. The world kept moving forward, and it would do so even if the base never existed in the first place. And that brought something else to contemplate as well: how much would the world change if Interspace were made a public discovery?

I remembered Mr. O'Connor's magazine, noting that the theories for this were already there. The very idea of this being public would change everything as we knew it for society and civilization. And how dangerous it would be for us to also pour in from the other side.

So many questions about this, and all while I was trying to meet up with Akira. Right, Akira, too. I pondered how she'd even react to a place like Interspace if she found out about it. Would she also not believe it existed until she saw it for herself? And not even just Interspace, but with Miku's secret as well?

These thoughts danced around in my head as I walked out of the forest and into the bustling city. Plenty of people were still out and about despite the unwelcoming weather.

Given that Palmview was a nice big city, it also didn't surprise me either. Winters here would get rainy, but never cold. Summers were worse, though. Always hot and humid, but we had plenty of beaches that attracted people as well.

The city itself reminded me of Connection. Plenty of people moving around, going places, leaving places, getting around in public transportation, or heck, rental cars they didn't even own. The plazas were draped in neon lights, attracting crowds that were enticed by the pretty colors. Despite how different the people looked on Other-Earth, they all still seemed to act the same as we did here on our world.

So maybe it wouldn't be all that unbelievable to think that our species and the residents of Interspace could integrate eventually. It would take time, but the possibility was there.

I hopped on the train, paying the fare, and waited until I'd stop at the Cross Station Shopping Center. Akira and I had decided the night before we'd meet up there this morning. Since it was a weekend, she was off of school, and actually had time to hang out. I missed her, and I really wanted to see her again.

I just hoped she'd want to see me, too.

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

Miku sat inside of the liberated Duodecim dropship as Gumi worked on inspecting the outside of it. Calmly waiting, Miku looked at the control panels and wondered how well this thing would actually fly after the crash landing it made during the Atraxis Dome escapade a few months ago. It flew decently okay to get them back home, but when Gumi assessed the damage, it was pretty wrecked, unable to leave the funnel that connected Other-Earth to the rest of Interspace if it attempted to.

Today, however, Gumi seemed confident this ship would fly like before. After weeks of diagnosis and repairs, and multiple test flights, it seemed today was the day things would finally work.

"Just need you to run the diagnostics in there, Miku," Gumi ordered. "It'll have you check everything is working."

Miku tapped the screen in front of her, and the diagnostic began. All Miku had to do was run through the on-screen prompts and make sure everything was in working order. From the wings, to the engines, to the landing system. All of it needed to be in working order if this plan to infiltrate the Beehive was going to have any chance of surviving.

Miku just followed the routine, but had a sudden urge to skip the diagnostic check and take the dropship out for a ride. At least then she wouldn't be bored out of her mind following the steps on a computer screen. But she knew how important this mission was, so she sucked it up, and kept going.

She occasionally looked out the window when the system ran automated checks. It at least gave Miku something else to look at. But she'd need to focus eventually once her helmets eye-tracking function had appeared.

"Everything's looking good so far," Gumi said. "If this works out, it'll be good as new!"

Miku just gave the thumbs up from the cockpit, and let her helmet calibrate to her eyes. Noticing that her eyes, while synthetic, still functioned like human eyes. The system followed them perfectly, even identifying when she would blink and indicating how strong her vision was.

"No need for glasses," she mused to herself. She laid back and rested her head against the seat. It was a strange feeling for Miku to feel "exhausted," but that was exactly what this was. Or maybe it was "fatigue." And not routine fatigue one would get from exercise, but mental fatigue. Like all of this wearing on her. Day in and day out it was an exercise, or training, or handling something related to the planning phase of Kaito's rescue.

"Kinda wish I had gone along with Griff," Miku said to herself. "Even if it meant getting yelled at for breaking the rules."

"Everything's looking good," Gumi interrupted Miku's thoughts. "Nothing seems to be coming up on the diagnostic checks. I think we can say this is a success!"

"Any chance I can take it for a ride?" Miku asked.

"No can do. The last thing we need is a reported sighting of a craft like this flying around."

"Right, right," Miku said, laying back again. "Am I done now?"

"As far as I can tell, yes. Now we should get back to the planning room. The others are waiting."

"We've been listening this whole time," Luka said. "We were starting to get bored. I can only imagine how Miku feels."

"Bored doesn't even begin to describe it," Miku said, letting out a loud sigh. "If I have to sit in this any longer, I might just die of boredom."

"Don't be overly dramatic," Luka said, "it can't have been that bad."

"Sit in the same spot for an hour without anything to do and tell me that," Miku said, stepping out of the ship. "Now that we know it works, I don't want to sit in there again unless it's taking off."

"Don't worry," Gumi said. "It's all set. Now let's get down and finalize our plan, yeah?"

Miku nodded, following behind Gumi towards the elevator.

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

Akira was waiting for me inside of the station, sitting at a fountain. Despite the weather, the place was crowded. Families, cliques, and individuals all walked around the shopping center as the rain poured over the arched windowed roof of the building. Despite the weather, the general vibe felt rather energetic and cheerful.

I walked up to the black-haired girl that wore the same brownish orange hat that she wore regularly. It made her recognizable, but it also would feel abnormal if Akira never wore it. She looked over in my direction as I stepped closer.

"No way," Akira said. "I was starting to think you weren't going to show up!"

I shook my head. "And miss out seeing one of my best friends?"

Akira didn't hesitate, and gave me a light hug. "You disappeared a few months ago. I hope you've been okay."

"Sorry," I apologized, "it's been a bit hectic the past couple of months trying to get everything organized. I don't think I can tell you everything, and if I did, I don't think you'd believe me. But I'm not here for that. I'm here to catch up with my best friend."

Akira shook her head. "I'm willing to believe anything at this point. But where have you been? Doing okay?"

"Just fine," I said. "Been a little crazy lately, but I've been managing."

Akira shrugged. "Well, you're here now. I'd say we enjoy that."

Something felt a little off with Akira. Like there was more she wanted to say, or wanted to ask me about. It ate me up a little bit thinking how much I wanted to tell her what the real story was, what was going on, and where things had taken me. Considering the last encounter we had with Miku and Meiko, Akira had to know something was going on. Enough to know I was in something deep.

"Come on," she said, yawning. "I need coffee. I'm sure you haven't had breakfast this morning either, yeah?"

"Had to be up early," I said, "so I missed having food myself. Coffee and something sweet sounds good."

Akira and I walked over to a coffee shop in the food court and grabbed a few seats for us while I ordered for the both of us. It was my treat, considering how long I was gone, it was the least I could do.

As our food had finished, I grabbed two muffins and the two drinks I ordered, and sat down across from Akira in the booth she grabbed. She put her phone away and we started talking.

"So, what have you been up to lately?" I asked her.

"Well, so far, I've been studying in school. Joined the softball team and made a few friends with the girls I play with."

I drank my coffee with a raised eyebrow. "Oh yeah? What are they like?"

"They're nice. Our team leader Adriana seems to enjoy having me."

"Didn't take you for the sporty type," I said. "You're usually so quiet that I didn't expect you to want to be around other people."

"I used to play softball when we lived up north," Akira explained. "A year after Satsuki died, we moved out here. I still wasn't entirely over it, but my dad suggested I take it up to get my mind off of things."

Akira looked off for a second, a little sad.

"I don't think Dad wanted to admit it, but I think he was still hurting, too."

"What exactly happened to Satsuki, anyways?"

Akira hesitated to answer.

"It's alright," I said, "not worth getting into if you don't feel up to it."

"Drunk driver," Akira answered, shifting uncomfortably.

"Oh," I said. "That's awful."

"Not much you can do about it. I've moved on, and that's really all there is to it."

I spun my coffee cup a little bit, thinking how I could make this less awkward.

"Hey, how about we go check out the arcade?" I offered. "We can kill time and chat over some games."

Akira lit up and smiled. "I think I'd like that."

We finished breakfast and got out of our booth, making our way back towards an arcade in the shopping center. It was nice to see Akira again, and I'm sure she still wanted answers out of me, but I couldn't tell her anything. Not now, at least. Maybe if things cooled off and it meant that I was walking with a target on my back. Heck, me being out like this was probably a risk all of its own. I still wasn't sure why David agreed to this, but he did.

The arcade was probably the most lively place in the entire shopping center. Plenty of people of all ages were crowded around various machines- most of which were older than even I was. Each game varied from light gun games, dancing and rhythm games, racing arcade cabinets, flight simulators, fighting cabinets, and some pinball machines. With the dated graphics and archaic sound effects. The place was baked in nostalgia, but it was still a popular enough attraction.

I imagined what it might be like to bring Miku here. She'd probably gravitate towards the flight arcade games, or maybe she'd crush it at the rhythm and dancing cabinets they had. She seemed to love dancing, after all. Even more than flying in an aircraft. If Meiko came here, she'd probably earn the highest score on the light-gun games, or possibly get extremely competitive at a fighting game. Though the only ones I couldn't really see getting into games at all were Luka and Gumi, but Gumi especially. Luka seemed like she would probably join in once the fun started.

But even without all of that, I still pictured Miku coming here with us and enjoying herself just as much as we were. I wish I could have dragged her along, breaking the rules a little in the process. At least then she wouldn't have to be cooped up in the base. I saw how she looked earlier, her eyes saying how much she wanted out. She tried her best to cover it, but I could feel it.

Miku may have been an android, but more and more I was convinced otherwise. If she was capable of making friends with someone like me, she would have no problem making friends with people who had a bit more energy and charisma. But maybe she didn't mind so much having the friends she already had. I still wanted to let her meet more people. Maybe one day that would be possible.

"Griff," Akira said, waving her hand at me, "you okay? You seem to be spacing out there."

I shook my head. "Sorry, just lost in thought."

"Thinking about your girlfriend?" She teased.

"How'd you know?" I replied, shocked.

"Because it's the same look you get when you look at your phone and talk to her. Speaking of which, where is she?"

I wanted to tell her that it wasn't really possible for Miku to be out and about, that the situation was too complicated. But I just lied instead.

"She had other plans. Her parents are a little strict."

"You're a terrible liar," Akira said. "Don't think I haven't forgotten about what happened the last time we met."

"You agreed to meet with me," I said. "Have those agents ever tried to talk to you since I disappeared?"

"Not really. They have backed off since. Principal Leonard asked about you, and then they just stopped."

That was when Akira texted me, but that was a little over a few months ago. Did those two agents really back off after that? The timing was a little strange. But it wasn't entirely out of the question. Considering that after the Atraxis Dome had been destroyed, it basically knocked out a core element in Duodecim's plan for Interspace. They quieted down after that. I just didn't expect them to back off in the real world, too. I was almost certain they would have started applying more pressure afterwards, not less.

But then again, those two agents were working under Kallen, so maybe once he was gone, they pulled back. I didn't want to dwell on it, considering I was one of the last people Kallen ever saw before he, well, "disappeared."

"And so here we are," Akira continued. "I ended up going about my life until you decided to start talking to me again. I should be mad, but I get the feeling the way things have been going for you, there has to be a good reason."

"It's nice that you're so understanding," I said. "Maybe I should tell you what's going on with me."

"It's up to you," Akira said. "It seems like you didn't want me involved, and somehow, I've managed to keep out of your business. I almost might prefer to keep it that way."

"Fine then," I said, looking around the arcade. "Instead of dwelling on it, why don't we play some games a little and relax?"

This novel's true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

Akira nodded. "I'd like that."

I hung out with Akira, playing a couple different games. One game went head-to-head in a racing game, where she managed to beat me all three times I challenged her. And here I was thinking I was sorta good at driving, but Akira was a much better racer. When she got competitive, she didn't let anyone beat her.

"And I almost beat you that third time," I said, losing by only point-five seconds.

"Yeah, almost," Akira laughed, "if you want to be faster, maybe use the accelerator."

I rolled my eyes. "I think I've learned my lesson. Do you want to try something else?"

"Well, instead of playing against each other, we could do something more cooperative," she pointed. "There's one you might like."

I looked over and saw the "Recon: Ghost Unit" arcade game. An arcade game from the year 2017. I remember playing it a few times when David would take me out to an arcade for my birthday. I wasn't all that good at it, but I remembered how it played well enough. I put in a couple credits for Akira and I and we started playing.

And I didn't know what it was, but I was doing a lot better at the game this time around. My reactions were a lot cleaner, and my shots landed. For every one enemy Akira downed, I would get two. I wondered if it was because I knew how to use guns now, and maybe I had a little bit more training than Akira did.

Akira would look over occasionally, and then back at the game.

"You're doing pretty good," she said. "Maybe we should try a higher difficulty mission next."

I didn't respond. I was a little bit too focused on the game itself. Flashing back to the firefights I've been through. The game itself didn't really feel real to begin with. It was silly and over-the-top in how it presented itself mixed with a tactical military feel to it, but I treated it like it was real, doing whatever I could to make sure shots landed and didn't waste any ammo.

Finally, we got to the conclusion of a harder mission with a boss enemy: a hostage situation wherein the antagonist, a terrorist named Jin, was holding a female scientist hostage with a gun to her head. He would move backwards slowly towards the rear of a helicopter, and it was up to Akira and I to stop him. I remember failing at this as a kid a lot.

"We almost got this," Akira said encouragingly.

I aimed down the electronic rifle, steadied, and before the timer ran out, pulled the trigger. Jin fell over, and the game's ending scene played. Credits rolled and we left our names on the leaderboard.

"That was pretty good," Akira said. "I don't think I've ever seen you play before, but if you're that good with a gun, I worry what you're like with a real one."

I rolled my eyes at her again. "Couldn't tell you. It was fun though."

"You sure looked pretty into it."

I laughed and shrugged at her, and eyed on the flight simulator game that caught my attention. The game functioned as a pod where you would sit inside of it as if you were inside of the cockpit of a real aircraft. Akira noticed and tugged at my jacket.

"Fan of flight games?"

"I told you about the Viper Team games," I said. "I always liked playing those, but there's someone I know who's really good at them."

Akira cocked her head.

"Miku," I said, "she's actually really good at those."

"Huh," Akira said, "I'd like to see how good she is."

"Don't doubt her," I said. "She's good behind those controls."

I looked out through the arcade as people enjoyed themselves, and flashed back to the night in Connection I shared with Miku inside that dance club. Though the atmosphere wasn't quite the same, something in here reminded me of it. Maybe it was because people in here were just having fun, not worrying about life outside for a little bit, the same way the dancers weren't either.

More and more I would think of how similar life was like over on Interspace, and how different it was, too. In both instances, I was taking risks by being out in public, yet for some reason, things felt less risky once I was actually out and about in the public.

"You're looking lost in thought," Akira noticed. "Something's definitely on your mind."

I sighed, and thought for a second that maybe, just maybe, Akira should know what was going on with me. And as much as I believed she should know, I wondered when she should.

"We got plenty of time," Akira said, "why don't we give a few more games a try?'

I nodded, and followed Akira to another game in the building. If only Miku were here, she'd probably have a lot of fun, too. Maybe that would change, and Akira, Miku, and I would all hang out together. I just wished that Miku didn't need to hide away. The way she looked this morning; that almost wanting to see if she can sneak out with me to tag along. I could feel it. And I wanted so desperately to ask her to come along without anyone knowing. But I didn't want to risk her getting captured again, and I don't think she wanted to get captured again either.

As Akira and I winded down to take a break, we both left the arcade for a little bit to look for a nearby vending machine to refresh. I was starting to feel myself sweat from all of the moving around I was doing. Not nearly as much as I would when I would enter the simulator, and definitely not as much as when I had seen action on Interspace. But it was still something, and I couldn't neglect needing rest when I could take it.

We grabbed our drinks from the vending machine and relaxed for a second. It was nice and quiet over where we were standing, and I wanted to relax when I could. Considering where my life was, rest was necessary.

Akira and I drank our beverages, enjoying the quiet ambience as the people walked by.

"Thanks for coming out," I said, smiling.

"Glad we could hang out. But I do have to wonder: will you have to go back into hiding after this?"

I nodded. "Until things are done, I kinda can't really do this very often. I got let out because I was told to take a day for myself. I can't tell you what it is we're doing, but it's big."

"I understand," Akira said. "One day I hope I can see it."

I understood, too, and I wanted to tell her it all myself, but Akira had enough happen to her because of me. It wasn't fair to bring her in further. But the idea of telling her had crossed my mind plenty of times. Plenty.

"Well," I said, "I think we should get back to hanging out. You down for anything?"

Akira shook her head. "We could just relax. Take a walk and see if anything sticks out to us."

"Sure, I would like that-"

My phone started buzzing immediately. It was David calling me. I answered, but before I could get a word out, David cut me off.

"No time, Griff," he said, "you've got those two agents fixing on your position. I need you to get out of there. And take Akira with you.'

I looked around where we were standing, seeing if any figures were looking for us.

"Any ideas where we should go?" I asked.

"Construction site right near the Cross Station. You've got zero time to ask me anything else. Get moving, and don't look behind you."

The phone call ended, and I looked at Akira, who was no doubt already wondering what that was about.

"Follow me," I said, my demeanor more serious, "and don't ask questions. If you lag behind, they'll get you."

"Griff, wait, where are you-"

I looked into Akira's eyes, and made it very clear to her.

"Don't. I'll explain later. But if you don't follow me, you're going to be in danger, and the last thing I need is for you to get hurt."

Akira nodded, and followed close behind me.

"We're heading to a nearby construction site right by the station. We should be safe if we get there. I promise, I'll explain everything then."

Akira didn't say anything, but kept close. It was good that she trusted me, but I didn't want to violate that trust. She didn't deserve this, and here I was dragging her into all of it. I couldn't kick myself over it, but I didn't like any of it either.

We pushed out into the street in front of the shopping center, and looked over to see the building nearby that was still being worked on. It was still raining hard outside, but now distant thunder could be heard and seemed to be moving towards us. It was a shame I didn't have an umbrella today, but we could take cover in the construction site nearby.

A fence blocked off access from it, but we needed to get in there. David's team was apparently waiting for us there. We'd escape through that way, hopefully avoiding the pursuing agents in the process.

We walked around the construction site, trying my best not to look suspicious. Lucky for us, the rain seemed to send a good deal of people inside for cover, giving us a bit of breathing room to sneak in.

"Right here," I said, grabbing at the fence. "We're hopping over."

"Won't we get in trouble?" Akira protested.

"We're already in trouble. Now come on, I need you to climb, and quickly."

Akira gulped, and dug her hands into the fence, looking around as she did so. This was obviously a lot for her, and I couldn't blame her. I climbed behind her over the fence, and jumped down. Looking around, I didn't see anyone around us; it was empty.

Just where was David or his team? They were going to meet us here, right? They had to be nearby. I walked further ahead with Akira to see if anyone was waiting for us. There probably was a car hidden nearby somewhere. It was a big construction site after all.

Three figures emerged behind us, all carrying rifles, but they didn't look anything like David's team. They didn't look human at all, even. And then it hit me. It was an ambush. Without thinking, I grabbed Akira's wrist, and pulled her, pointing further inside of building.

"It's an ambush!" I shouted, and bolted off running. The drones didn't fire their weapons, and I didn't bother to stay and find out why.

We ran up the stairs of the building, hoping to look for a hiding spot. If David or his group were going to be here, they'd have planned for this, wouldn't they?

Further up, the building was darker, with the gray cloudy sky outside being the only source of light. It was good of a spot as any to take cover, but our time was limited, and our window was closing. But then, something happened as we kept going further in. Something cold and metallic was put against my head, and a loud click stopped me in my tracks.

"Didn't even need to tell you to freeze. That's good," a man said next to me. "You really ought to be more careful."

"Griff! What's going on!?" Akira struggled. I couldn't look behind me, but it sounded like she was grabbed.

"What do you want?" I asked.

"You," the man next to me said. "We were tailing you and figured out where you'd be going. Good hiding spot. Cozy. Spacious. Figured we'd beat you to it."

He slugged me in the stomach, and sent me to the ground.

"You got your hands on her, Navarro?"

"All good here, Stanley. Let's get these two squared away, huh?"

Stanley picked me up, and latched handcuffs to me.

"Let's go," he ordered, and the three drones walked closer to me.

"How did you-"

"Know you'd be here? Oh, you know, just an educated guess," Stanley said, stopping to talk to me. "We had a few drones set around the area. Figured once you picked a hiding spot, we'd find you. And so we did. Gotta say though, you're slippery. Almost had us there."

I grunted as Stanley shoved me to the ground.

"You really don't get it, do you, kid?" He taunted. "We know what you're doing, and we know you're hiding something. You might as well tell us."

"Hey, leave him alone!" Akira shouted.

"And what about her," Navarro asked, "she know anything?"

"Nothing," I said, "she's got nothing to do with this."

"She knows you, so she's got everything to do with this."

I struggled as the handcuffs had their tight grip on me.

"Look, we're going to have a nice chat down at one of our offices about all of this, but if you give us some information- not a whole lot- but enough, we'll go easy on both of you."

Akira looked at the ground as the handcuffs were latched behind her as well. The hard rain outside and the thunderstorms seemed to cover any noise we'd make. This was it, wasn't it? We were trapped.

"Look," Stanley said, "we tried being nice. Cordial, even. You just didn't ever want to work with us, did you? And now here we are having to play rough. This could all be resolved if you told us what it is you're doing, Griff."

"I can't do that. Not for who you work for."

Stanley rolled his eyes. "Always the hero act, isn't it? Just like the robot girl. You've been hanging out with her, haven't you?"

Akira looked at me, wide-eyed, almost asking me what Stanley meant by that.

"Oh, huh, guess she didn't know that," Stanley said. "No matter."

Suddenly, my phone started buzzing in my jacket pocket. Stanley looked at me and reached into it as I struggled to fight against him, but he pulled it out as it kept ringing.

"Huh," Stanley said, "you know it's pretty rude to leave your ringer on during an important meeting."

"Give that back," I said, angrily.

"Nah. Isn't this the second time someone's taken your phone? I remember when it happened the first time."

I looked into Stanley's eyes. It occurred to me who these two were. Back at the mall, when we were attacked, they took Miku. These two were the ones who ambushed us at the exit in the mall. It was the same thing all over again, except this time without their boss.

As these two held us here, the three drones from downstairs came up, likely here to escort us away from here. I shook my head, feeling foolish for coming out here, and now I was paying the price.

"Looks like he's starting to figure it out," Navarro said. "Funny how things work out."

Stanley nodded, and instead of declining the call, answered the phone.

"Hi, Griff isn't able to answer, can I take a message?" Stanley looked at me, a smug expression across his face.

I couldn't hear who was talking on the other side, but Stanley's expression quickly changed when the person on the other end spoke to him. He didn't look confident anymore, but instead fearful.

A set of small red dots appeared on Stanley's black jacket. He looked down and then realized what was going on.

Then a shot rang out in the air. Though it was faint, and covered by the rain, it landed square into one of the drones, blasting its head to pieces. Navarro, flinched, and Akira let out a small yelp of fear.

Stanley pulled out his handgun, and tried to figure out where the shot came from. Suddenly, two small cans landed inside of the room from the open windows, and smoke started filling it.

"Go, go go!" A husky voice shouted as the sound of boots started hitting the ground. I felt a hand against me that started dragging me away.

Another two silenced shots filled the room, and then the sound of a struggle as someone was hit with a large object. I could barely see, but Agent Stanley had slumped in front of me, dropping my phone.

When the smoke had cleared, the drones were laying on the ground, and the agents were being dragged towards the wall. Their eyes closed, but they still appeared to be alive.

Then someone stepped in front of me in a black tactical military outfit, equipped with a mask and a monocular goggle on his left eye.

He held out his hand and pulled up his mask. "Sorry to keep you waiting."

"David!" I said, happy to see him. "How'd you get here dressed like that?"

"Part of the plan," he answered, picking my phone up off the ground. "Don't worry, you're safe now. Akira looks okay too."

Akira looked a little confused and shaken by the whole ordeal. Her face looked a little scratched from the ordeal, with a bit of blood running off her lip.

"You're not hurt are you?" I said as David's group undid our handcuffs.

"I'm- I'm fine," Akira said, taking in the situation around her. "I just don't understand what's going on."

"We'll explain," David said, "my team will stick behind to take care of the agents and dispose of the drones. I'll take you both back to the base. We can lay low for a little bit."

I rubbed my wrists and let out a sigh. I guess Akira was going to get those answers after all.

I got into David's car- the same midsize Sedan he used to drive me around in for years. Akira hopped in the back, and David and I took the front seat.

As the car started and we pulled away from the scene, David turned on the windshield wipers and drove like nothing happened. He was out of his tactical gear, left only with a black sweater.

"You didn't kill those agents, did you?" Akira asked, concern in her voice.

David shook his head. "No, our job was to get them out of your hair, not kill them. It should send a message to their handlers, hopefully."

Akira laid back in her seat, and took her hat off to pull her hair back. She looked like a mess after all of this, and to see the situation she was in, I could understand why.

"Sorry," I said. "I didn't know this would happen either."

"I intended that," David said. "We needed a way to bait them."

I cocked my head at David. "What do you mean 'bait?' Are you kidding me right now, David?"

"I had the situation well in hand," David said, waving away my concerns, "I understand you would have objected to this, but Duodecim needed to stop looking into you."

"Are you kidding me?!" I raised my voice. "We were bait for you?! As if this is going to stop them from wanting Akira, now they have even more reason for that!"

"And we accounted for that," David said. "Akira should know what's going on."

I looked back over at Akira, who was staying quiet about all of this. She looked upset, but didn't say anything.

"So then, you intended to recruit her?"

David didn't say anything.

"Recruit… Me? Griff, what's going on?"

I sighed, and looked at David, still annoyed, and turned back to Akira.

"The reason I disappeared a while ago was because of all of this. And now you get to see it."

"I get to see what?"

"All of it. It's hard to explain really. But do you remember what Mr. O'Connor and I kind of briefly touched on during your first day of school?"

"That whole business about virtual worlds. You denied it being possible, but what does that have to do with it?"

"Well," I started, "Mr. O'Connor's excitement wasn't exactly misplaced. At the time, I was seeing one for myself."

Akira's jaw dropped. "You're messing with me, right?"

I shook my head.

"That has to be the craziest thing I've heard today."

"What about that 'robot girl' one of the agents mentioned? I noticed you reacted to that."

"I'm almost afraid to ask who he meant by that."

"You remember my girlfriend, don't you? Miku?"

"The girl with that bright blue hair? You don't mean-"

"I do mean her, and Meiko, too. You know, the one who yelled at me?"

Akira leaned over, her eyes locked on me with interest.

"You're not lying to me," she said, "and I don't know if that's better or worse."

"I hid it from you because you should be able to have a normal life," I said, shaking my head, "but I guess some people didn't want to let that happen. I'm sorry for putting you in danger like this. If you never want to talk to me after this, I get it."

"Danger? This is the most exciting thing I've ever been through in my life!" Akira exclaimed. "If you think I'd ignore you over all of this, you must really think poorly of me!"

I looked at David, a little surprised.

"It all makes sense. The secrecy, the agents going after you, you trying to duck away from them. They want you because you know something, and you're their enemy. Now I get it."

Akira crossed her arms triumphantly, and smiled a little. "I can't believe it. But I have to, because if you're lying to me, then none of what happened today makes sense."

"You catch on quick," David said.

I figured Akira would get caught up to speed once we got back to the base. But it was nice to know she was taking this better than I was. And to add, I had never seen her this excited before, but now, at least, I could get this off of my chest.

"Again," I said, "sorry for keeping you from this for so long. I couldn't tell you how weird it was for me to find out Miku was an android at the beginning, too."

"It explains why she wasn't here or at school," Akira said. "So does that mean she stays at this 'base' of yours?"

"Yep," I answered, "and before I met you, I had joined because of her."

Akira listened intently as I explained what happened to Miku, how all of this started, and how I ended up here, and what Interspace was, and who Miku and her friends were.

The fact that she listened in the first place was a good sign, but the fact she believed me was even better. I almost thought she'd laugh this off, want out of it, and would walk away.

But that was definitely not the case at all. With how everything had gone, an explanation like this must have relieved her in some way. At least now I could tell her. Any other time before and she probably wouldn't have believed me.

"And you used a virtual world to get to Miku?"

"Yep, and how we pulled it off was crazy. A whole raid on this big facility. One of us had to lead her through a whole mess of hallways and elevators in order for her to get to us, and we didn't think it would work!"

"Interspace…" Akira said, "that's what you called it, right?"

"Yes," I said. "A digital frontier, designed and modeled after our universe. We're still not sure who built it, or how it came to be, but we know it's there, and I've been on it."

"Wow…" Akira said, looking outside the car window. "And you want to bring me into this?"

"Are you sure you want to join?" David asked. "That's what we want to ask you."

Well David, I thought, you kinda invited her in without question, huh? You could have stopped me from blabbing about all this, but something tells me you want her close to us.

"I don't know," Akira said. "It sounds exciting, but what could I do for you?"

"At the moment," David replied, "you wouldn't do much. A little bit of training here and there, but you could work right along with Griff and his friends if you wanted to."

"But what about my parents? And school? They're going to get suspicious eventually if I start showing up here."

"That is true," I said, turning to David. "With me, it helped that you already had some knowledge, but Akira's parents are normal people. The last thing they need is their daughter missing."

"For now, let's aim to just have Akira duck in here to train."

"I might need to think about it," Akira said.

"Take your time," David said, turning the car into the park near our base, "we're not going anywhere."

Akira and I got out of David's car and headed off for the base. David left to stash his vehicle somewhere else so he wouldn't attract attention. After what we had just gone through, it was better to play it safe than to take the risk of us being followed.

"Secret base, though, huh? And I'm going to assume you also didn't know who built this, either?"

I shook my head. "There's a few possible theories, but we're not sure. I've been living here ever since, though, and it's a strangely comfortable place despite it being mostly metal and wires. You get used to it. Helps that my room let's me customize it."

"This place sounds like it's from a game."

"Could be," I said, "someone wanted to be down here for a long time. Needed plenty of resources to survive. You'd think it was made as a nuclear bunker or something."

I escorted Akira into the abandoned power station, and approached the large power box. I pressed the combination of switches and the elevator was summoned.

"This is-"

"Nuts," I said. "Trust me, it gets better. Step inside."

When we had gotten to the bottom of the elevator, we were greeted by the rest of our team, excluding Dr. Clarke, who was probably unaware all of this was happening. And none of the others seemed to know what was going on.

"And what exactly is she doing here?" Meiko asked, her voice loud as always.

"Hang on," I said, "before we start going off again, we have an explanation."

"Well it better be a good one," Luka said.

"It is," I said, waving for everyone to follow me inside to the Operating Room.

"Wait wait wait," Meiko said, "so you're telling me David used you both as bait to deal with those two agents? And he didn't tell any of us?"

"Trust me," I said, "I'm pretty mad at him myself. He wanted to take care of those agents to 'send a message,' but I feel like he just put a target on Akira's back."

"Not entirely," Gumi said, leaning back in her chair, "it's possible that David prevented information from getting out. The agents disappearing would be a clear sign that there's someone watching over Akira, and that Duodecim will need to be careful in their approach next time should they decide to move in on Akira."

"Well," Luka said, "this is certainly a predicament."

"It is," Miku said, "but a welcome one. I don't mind seeing Akira again."

Akira blushed, and held her hand up.

"I still didn't get the rest of your names."

"Sorry, sorry!" Gumi said, and held out her hand. "Gumi Megpoid. World-class hacker, technical whiz, and lover of carrots. Nice to meetcha!"

Akira shook it, taken aback by the green-haired girl in front of her. She shot me a look that said, "is she serious?"

I nodded, and then Luka held out her hand.

"Apologies," Luka said, "we're a little shaken up here. It is nice to meet you, though. I'm Luka. Luka Megurine, and I'm very happy to meet you."

"And you've met Miku and Meiko."

Miku grinned, and shook Akira's hand. "I never actually did get to greet you formally. But it's nice to know you might be part of the group!"

Akira smiled warmly. "I'm glad you're all okay with me seeing this. If you're wondering, I know the big secret about all of you…"

All four looked back over at me. I shrugged.

"Sorry, caught up in the moment."

"And you can trust me," Akira assured them, "after all I've seen today, Griff has made it clear he wants me to keep this a secret."

"Well," Gumi said, "that's wonderful! Because if you didn't I'd have to destroy this base and then you."

Akira looked at Gumi, wide-eyed and terrified. Gumi just smiled like a puppy dog with her big, blue eyes.

"Don't pay attention to Gumi," Meiko said. "She may be a good hacker, but she's mostly harmless."

"Unlike you," Miku teased. "Seeing how you're the brute force here."

Meiko just smiled and flexed her left arm like she was a bodybuilder.

"So," Akira added, "you're all one big group, huh?"

"Sure are," Miku said. "And since you know about it, I guess that leaves the question as to whether or not you'd like to join us."

Akira leaned back against the wall of the Operating Room, and let out a deep breath.

"That's hard to say. This seems like such a big operation. I don't know if you could really use me."

"We could use all of the help we can get," I said. "We may have all of this, but we're a small team. David's group isn't officially part of us, either."

Akira looked around, her eyes fixed on the many monitores, cables, and the bright blue energy core that powered everything in the facility.

"I get it," Miku said. "You have a family."

"Just my parents, but they'd be worried sick about me if I disappeared."

"No one said anything about disappearing," Luka assured Akira, "in fact, you'd be perfect to be here just to train for the time being. No need to go out on expeditions in Interspace. We might not need you if this next operation pans out."

"That's right," Gumi said.

Akira looked at everyone quizzically. "Operation?"

"Something we've been planning for a while," I said. "There's one more member we still need to rescue."

"I see," Akira said. "I guess I wonder what you could use me for."

"Plenty," Miku said. "Plus, I'd be so happy if you could hang out with us. It gets really lonely down here."

There Miku went again, giving sad puppy dog eyes to Akira as if that would convince her to join.

"We can't force you," I said, "but since you already know, it's better if you have somewhere to be if things change."

David stepped into the room, not saying anything, but waited for a chance to speak.

"What if I could… Maybe… Try out?"

"Try out?"

"I want to see if I'm a good fit. Maybe you could let me come here after school and we could give me a trial run?"

Miku and I looked at each, and then over at David.

"We'd be happy to," David said.

Akira nodded. "If you're serious about me joining, I want to prove to you I'm worth it, and that I won't be dead weight for you."

"Well," Meiko said, "I don't go easy."

"I think maybe Miku and I should train her," I suggested. "You're a little rough with rookies, Meiko."

"Just a tad," Luka said.

Meiko rolled her eyes. "But it worked, didn't it?"

I didn't deny that.

"What if Akira needs to hide here permanently?" I asked David.

Akira looked concerned with that question.

"It might come to that, and if so, we might need to do what we did for Griff."

"Pull me out of school?"

"Potentially."

Akira sighed, looking away from everyone, her eyes fixed on the room she was in.

"All of this is incredible," she said, "but I'll admit, I'm a little scared. Mom and Dad are going to be worried sick about me if they find out what happened to me today, but I can't imagine how they'd react if they saw I disappeared."

"We're not going to force you," David said. "But it's a very real reality that you have to face should it come to that."

"Seeing how this is going, I'm going to have to cut softball practice."

"Potentially," David said, and then a thought struck him. "We may also use that as cover for you to come here instead."

"And if we have to take me out of school?"

"Would you be willing to do that?"

"Looking at everything you're doing, and how you all ended up here, I feel like it would be wrong for me to deny your offer. It's clear you're up against something big, and need all the help you can get."

"So is that a yes?" Miku said.

"It is," Akira said, with seriousness in her voice. "If you want me, I'll take it. I promise not to let you all down."

David nodded. "Should anything happen, we'll keep you safe and out of harm's reach."

"Should you need to live here permanently," Gumi added, "we've plenty of dorms for you to sleep in, a nice place to rest up, and plenty of food."

"But you will have to keep your parents out of this," I said. "So again, are you sure?"

"I'm sure," Akira said. "This feels too big to walk away from."

"Alright," I said, holding out my hand, "then welcome to the team, Akira."

Akira held out her hand, and shook it. With that, we would begin her training. Things were moving fast, but that seemed to be how it went for us in this place. With so much happening, it was looking like things were really starting to get crazy.

"Thanks," I said, "we're glad you could join."

Akira smiled, and Miku looked at me, a mournful smile on her face. I couldn't tell if she was trying to say something to me or not, but I was glad Akira could join.

I just wondered what lay ahead for this team. Whatever it was, I would want nothing more than to see our mission reach its completion.

Within the next week, Operation Beehive would commence, and David would work out a plan for Akira to relocate here. But it would be a long way off.

But I would be lying if I said it wasn't a little nice that she finally knew our secret. Seeing her here, that changed everything for us, and it was for the better.

Welcome to the team, Akira Fujita.