I remember when I was in middle school when David would occasionally watch police dramas. Sometimes they'd have an episode told from an interrogation room as the plot unfolded, and the bad guys would always seem to give up information once they started to crack under the pressure.

It was starting to feel the same way for me as two agents had sat me inside of a room with the only source of light being a single lamp that hung above. They brought me in here, sat me down, and then left. Which was strange.

I was handcuffed to the table, and my wrists felt tight with the metal nearly cutting into my skin. I had nowhere to go, and I was being held captive inside of the very company that I had done a good job of making enemies with. I was in a bad spot, and I felt isolated.

The stinging pain of the tight cuffs continued. I tried to sit still because it would hurt less and less if I didn't struggle with it, but I wanted to be out of here so badly that I was willing to try breaking the cuffs if it meant I could free myself a little bit.

Before long, however, the two agents who had escorted me here had come back inside. It was two middle-aged men, one who had no hair, while the other had jet black hair tied into a ponytail. The bald one was clean shaven, and the other was scruffy. Both of them looked serious, like they were about to beat the answers out of me.

I tried to keep calm with them, my eyes darting between the two figures.

"I see you've been getting comfortable," the bald-headed man said, sitting down in front of me next to his partner.

I didn't say anything in response, and he leaned in closer, looking right into my eyes.

"I wouldn't try struggling if I were you. Makes it hurt less if you do."

I scoffed at him, still not saying anything.

"Well, I should start off with my name," the ponytailed man said. "I'm Agent Kaplan, and this is my partner, Agent Dominic."

Dominic just looked at me like an angry dog, ready to start gnawing me like a tasty bone. Kaplan on the other hand seemed to pull back the serious tone, and relaxed.

"Obviously," Kaplan continued, "we know who you are: Griff Darhen, age sixteen, no parents, one guardian. Person of interest in a recent case of missing property- our missing property."

I gulped a little bit as they had figured out who I was. It wasn't a shock that they did. D.N.A. evidence is all you need to find someone in a database after all. But the fact that they had a name to me now as someone who had just attacked one of their bases, it shook me just what else they would try to find out.

"I won't lie to you," Kaplan continued, "this doesn't look good. Tie in with the fact that you're now suspected with an old incident, and there's enough here that could get you locked up for a long time."

"A long time," Dominic echoed, and then whistled. "Would hate to be in your position. I bet it feels like you don't have a lot of options left, huh?"

I scowled at both of the agents, trying to figure out what it was they were both getting at.

"Of course," Dominic said, "you do have a few options. A couple in fact. One is we send you to be processed by the authorities and let them take care of you. There's plenty of evidence that stacks up here to put you away for a long time. And for a sixteen year old, I'd say that's not a good look."

I could feel my heart starting to race with his words, but tried as hard as I could to keep them from showing it.

"Or you can tell us everything you know right now, and we might be able to help you."

"Now why would I do that?" I finally spoke up.

"Because it's the only option you have left if you want to walk out of here," Kaplan explained. "We have multiple leads that point back to you. Do you think you would be able to dodge that? We already have evidence that you were at one of our facilities, what would stop that from being used against you? I don't care what happens to you either way, but you should care."

I didn't have an answer. All I had was a

"Really? No answer?" Kaplan sneered. "It's unfortunate you want to go this route, but that's your choice-"

Suddenly, the door to the interrogation room beeped, with its turning from red to green, and the door opened. All three of us looked over to see who else was entering: a tall woman with crimson red hair in a dark business suit. She wore glasses, and had a very piercing gaze with her steel gray eyes.

The two agents looked surprised to see her as she walked in.

"Gentlemen," she said, her voice sounding full of contempt, "might I ask what you two are doing with him?"

Dominic no longer looked angry, and stood up to explain.

"Routine interrogation, ma'am-"

"Did I say there would be an interrogation?"

The two looked at one another, confused, bewildered, even.

"No? So you decided to pull him in here without my say so?"

"Ma'am, we had orders to-"

"Orders that weren't from me," she cut him off, her words sharp like a knife, "and as of right now, my orders are to cease your interrogation, and return him back to his cell. Are we understood?"

The two agents didn't bother fighting her further. Who was this woman, and furthermore, what position did she hold in this company? If she could tell agents to take a hike, she had to be pretty high up on the pyramid of executives.

I wasn't the one even being yelled at and I was a little scared of her. Once two drones brought me back to my cell, I laid in my bed and replayed the scene that had just played out in my head, but it wouldn't be long until I would see her again.

In fact, shortly after I laid down, the door to my cell had opened again, and the same woman was standing in front of me. This time with less of a scowl, but with an inviting grin on her face. She held a box in her hands and greeted me.

"Mister Darhen," she said, her voice now far more cheery, "I apologize on the behalf of my agents. This is no way to treat someone that has been taken into our care."

"'Your care?'" I raised an eyebrow. "I don't understand. I'm a prisoner here."

She shook her head. "Not the way I see it. But where are my manners? I'm Director Laura Hildern."

Director!? One of the twelve that decide how this company is run?

"You seem shocked, though that isn't a surprise," Hildern said, planting the box next to my bed. "You and I will have plenty to discuss later tonight. The box has a change of clothes. I promise you there are no tricks I'm playing. I just want to talk."

I looked at the box she left in front of me, and back up at Director Hildern.

"What if I refuse?"

"Nothing. Though the prison meal provided isn't nearly as good as say, a pizza or a nice steak. That's up to you."

My stomach rumbled at the thought of eating something.

"Keep the clothes," she said, "it's a gift. I'll be back in a couple of hours to hear your answer."

Hildern stepped out and I opened the box. Inside sat a pair of jeans, a gray t-shirt, and a black jacket with a neon blue line running down next to the zipper.

"Definitely something I wear normally," I mused to myself. Though, despite it being a joke, I worried at the same time. The fact they had done their homework meant they knew plenty about me. If they knew my affiliation, I could bet they were looking for plenty more about me.

I needed to be careful. Hildern was after something herself. Whether it was information or something more, I had to watch myself and let her talk. That wouldn't be hard. I did a good enough job against my interrogators to keep my mouth shut while they talked.

I changed out of the prison jumpsuit and into the new change of clothes I was given. Definitely a better fit, and a lot more comfortable to be wearing. All I could do now was sit on my bed and wait for someone to come to my cell and tell me when I would be summoned for dinner.

Eventually, a drone would come back for me, its rifle in a resting position. It seemed risky to send only one drone to escort me. Considering I was a threat to this group, I expected they would bind me in cuffs, keep a cattle prod at my back, and have all exits covered. But they didn't. It was just one drone.

Maybe they were trying to keep my guard down. Fool me into thinking they were giving me an out, and then turn the tables. I could see that happening. It was probably better if I went along with Hildern's wishes instead of trying to bolt for the exit.

I was led to the elevator by the drone, and waited until we reached the top floor: floor 32. This building was definitely tall. Maybe I was inside of a skyscraper. The real question that followed was: where was this place in?

Was I in California still? Near Palmview? Or was this in another country entirely? I could have been in Europe or Asia for all I knew.

The door opened, and I was led out by the drone behind me. The floor we stepped on was painted in a golden yellow and crimson red flourish with black and white diamond floor tiles. This was definitely an executive floor, at least, what I imagined one would look like. It reminded me a little bit of Antrikanas' office back on Connection.

The drone led me towards a door that sat near the stairs. A label sat on a plaque attached to the door that read, "EXECUTIVE MEETING ROOM." The drone looked at a small identification pad next to the door, and after a few affirmative beeps, the door unlocked, and I was led inside.

Director Hildern sat at the end of a long meeting table at the end of the room. Behind her sat a window that displayed adjacent skyscrapers with the night sky.. Office buildings with the occasional lights that were left on. A helicopter flying off in the distance. And this building sat taller than the rest of them.

"Quite a view," I commented as I sat down in the chair that Hildern had pulled out for me.

"Magnificent view," Hildern responded, "I never get tired looking at it. It's my home after all, but it's still so dazzling to see all of the lights around me."

I tried to get a good look at the night life below from where I sat, maybe figure out what city it was I was in, and how far away from home I actually was.

"If you're wondering," Hildern said, her eyes trained on my gaze, "you're in New York, Mr. Darhen."

New York? Well, that explains the city we're in. I wonder if Miku was here once before they took her to Europe.

"So," Hildern said, "I take it you're hungry."

"Yeah, I-"

My stomach growled. Hildern let out a hearty laugh.

"Well, I can see your stomach decided to answer for you instead! Haha! I suppose that means you should eat something before we discuss anything. Not to worry, I can have our kitchen staff make you something. What are you in the mood for?"

I thought about it for a second. First thing that came to mind was comfort food that David and I would eat.

"A cheeseburger."

Laura nodded and smiled. "Alright. If that's what you want. Nothing else? No soda or maybe something on the side?"

"If I could get everything on it, maybe french fries and a cola…" I said, making myself hungrier by the second.

"Ah, wonderful. I'll put that all in for you and it will be up here momentarily."

Director Hildern swiped her fingers against a tablet, entering in a few messages and then closed it.

"There. It should be up shortly."

I nodded, and then added, "I don't think you brought me here for a nice meal just to get to know me."

"Perceptive," Laura said, and winked at me. "You're a very sharp kid, Griff. I like that. I'll get down to it, then: it's obvious my company and your group have quite a rivalry that we've formed, and I'm here to act as a mediary to see if I can maybe set the record straight."

I raised an eyebrow at her.

"I know, you probably think we're evil villains conspiring to bring the world to ruin. It's understandable. We're a giant security corporation that employs itself around the world. We have plenty of critics. But you have a bit more of a personal stake here, don't you?"

I thought about the mall incident, kidnapping Miku, and then the assault on Connection that happened. Not to mention the worrying presence of the Beehive on Interspace, as well as the bases that were scattered throughout Other-Earth.

"I'm not going to deny it. We were responsible for quite a bit of damage that our agents had employed. One agent in particular I believe you'd be familiar with."

"Kallen?" I perked up.

"Kallen, yes. He's no longer with our company after his actions."

"Oh, so Kallen was behind all of it," I replied snidely, "I bet that makes it all better now, doesn't it?"

Laura just nodded, and agreed. "He was responsible for carrying out his duties to reclaim our property. I understand you don't agree with that terminology, and I would have disagreed with you had I and the rest of my colleagues not known that V.C.D.-01 had advanced so quickly."

"What do you mean? Miku fooled me when I met her-"

"Yes. We didn't anticipate her personality matrix had advanced to such a complex degree. You have seen for yourself firsthand, I'd imagine, that she probably convinced you she was human from the start."

Hildern was right about that part. I did see Miku as a human from the very start. So how did Hildern or the other directors not know about that? They had to have had some idea, right?

"We're a big company," she continued. "All we had to go on from was reports sent to us by our research staff. All data was sent to us on a weekly basis, and we had assumed things were going smoothly. What we didn't know was that the data was falsified, and we were being fed highly inaccurate information. Contrary to what we believed, Miku and the others were functioning well beyond what we were told."

So Dr. Rio falsified the information? If he did, he must have had a good reason to do so. Considering he worked under Duodecim's thumb, he probably wanted to keep all of the "advancements" a secret from the people above him. It made sense considering what he'd do later.

"And that's what concerns me," Hildern added, "is who sold you the narrative you've bought in the first place."

I stared at Laura intently. She didn't look like she was lying, but I still didn't believe her. Or maybe I didn't want to believe her. These were my friends, and there wasn't any way I'd doubt what they told me. How could I? I saw firsthand what Duodecim had done. There was no way I'd trust this woman's words.

"Do you maybe know what happened to the head researcher for the V.C.D. project, by chance?"

I turned away from her, and nodded. "Dr. Rio, right?"

"Right. Do you know what happened to him?"

I didn't answer. It was bad enough I had just admitted to knowing critical information, and I didn't want to let more out.

"Sadly, he passed away during an assault on our convoy containing the V.C.D. units. A death caused by an electric charge. Stun round. Someone was trying not to kill him and ended up killing him anyway."

I didn't answer again. She must have been taking my silence as an affirmation.

"Are you sure you can trust the people closest to you with the information they gave you? I'm not saying you need to believe me, but maybe think that what you've been told might not all be entirely true."

David was telling the truth. He had to have been. I shook my head and didn't speak up any further. In fact, all I felt was frustration at the idea that David would do something like that.

But what if Dr. Rio had died by his hands? How could I know? There was no possible way I could see for myself. David simply told Miku that he had died, and he regretted that he couldn't save him.

I sat in my chair thinking hard about what it was that Laura was proposing here. The sheer possibility of my own caretaker being a murderer; I couldn't handle that. David wasn't a monster. He wouldn't do that even under orders… Would he?

I couldn't even begin to think that David would do something like that, but I didn't know who he was working for. Who "Prometheus" was, and how this group that David was part of really operated.

As I took time to collect my thoughts, the food Hildern had requested had arrived. I figured I'd eat it anyway since she went to the trouble to get it for me.

"Judging by your expression, I think we've had enough of a discussion for one evening. I don't want to burden you too much with this. It's just something to think about. Nothing more."

Laura stood up, and pushed her chair in.

"Enjoy your meal. Mr. Rithers here will escort you back to your cell when you're done."

I looked up and noticed a well-built man near the corner of the room. He was so silent this whole time, I didn't know he was in here with us. He was tall, had flat black hair, sunglasses, an earpiece, and a nice black suit. His build was almost like a small gorilla with how muscular he looked.

"I need to make a call," Hildern said to Rithers in a low voice. It was just audible enough that I could hear her. "Make sure he gets back to his cell safely."

Mr. Rithers nodded, and kept his eyes on me. I didn't want to try to fight him anyways, but I'm sure that's what "bring him back safe" meant. He looked like he would break me in half if I fought against him.

I sat, ate my food and waited until it was time to be taken back. I wondered what everyone else was doing in my absence. I could only imagine.

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

"He's gone," Miku said, looking at the screen as Griff's status displayed as "inactive."

"They did," David echoed her sentiments, "and the question now is 'where?'"

"You don't think he's on Interspace, do you?" Meiko chimed in.

"No," Gumi answered, "I can guarantee you he's back on Earth now. Further supported by the fact that the Watcher broadcasted a signal that indicates when someone is leaving Interspace through a scanner. They only took his Watcher shortly after, at least, that's what I can tell."

"Either way, we have nothing," David said, "with Griff missing and in the enemy's hands, they might try everything to get information out of him."

Miku shook her head and stared at David with a scowl.

I stood aside, listening as everyone debated on what to do next. I felt a little useless, and not sure how I could help with this. I watched as everyone else gathered around while I stood off near the corner, my backpack still slung over my shoulder.

"We need to step back and allow ourselves to think," David said, his professional demeanor still maintained.

"How can you be so cavalier about this!?" Miku exploded. "They took Griff, and we have no idea where he is or where he might be!"

"Miku," Luka said, "I know it's upsetting, but we need to be rational. Hysterics are only going to distract us further."

"Damn it," Miku swore under breath, and then relaxed. "You're right. We need to plan this out."

"Take time to relax. Train if you have to," David advised.

Miku looked over at me and then back at the group.

"Akira's with us. She needs to train."

I raised an eyebrow, and then Miku approached me.

"Let's let her get settled in before we start anything like that," Meiko suggested.

"I'll train her," Miku said. "She'll work with me."

"She's your student then," David said. "Alright. I'll get in contact with our group. We'll see if we can't find something that will lead us to Griff."

"I'll help," Gumi said. "We've got plenty to do."

Everyone dispersed, agreeing to take up a role somewhere in this facility while Miku and I went down an elevator to the dorms. It was here I'd be staying for a good long while. And I wondered to myself for how long I'd truly be living here.

I didn't want to focus on it for too long. It upset me enough to know I had already lied to my parents to get here. But it would hurt even more if I thought about when they would find out I wouldn't be coming home for a while. And I didn't want to dwell on it because I knew that was going to be the reality no matter what I did.

Miku walked me to my new living quarters, her face was rather intense, but considering what had happened, I couldn't fault her.

"Hey," I said as Miku opened the door to my new room, "I'm sorry about what happened."

Miku just sighed and shook her head. "You didn't do anything. If I should be mad at anyone, it's myself. I shouldn't have let him stay behind."

"I'm not sure how it all works, but it sounds like he didn't have many options left."

"No, he didn't," Miku said, stepping into my room. "But we'll get him back."

I stepped in behind her, noting the bluish gray walls with the small black sheets that lined my bed. A small coffee table sat next to it, with a desk that had a terminal built into it sitting on the other side of the room. A bathroom entrance sat at the very end.

"And I'll be staying here," I said, taking in my new home.

"You will be," Miku replied. "Sorry."

"There's no need," I said, laying my things down next to my bed, and sitting down. "I'm here and part of what feels like an underground military operation where the best you could get was a couple of teenagers and fugitive androids. I still believe any of this is real."

"You and Griff both," Miku said, sitting down on the chair by the terminal. "I guess I'm sorry he didn't come back with us and that we took you away from your home on the whim of someone who isn't even in charge here."

"Do you have a problem with David?"

"In some ways," Miku replied, looking down at the floor for a second. She turned her head back up and added, "I'm thankful he took care of Griff, but he's made decisions I find questionable. And he's still not fully transparent about the group he works with. No name or anything. And I couldn't really tell Griff my concerns to begin with, but I felt like I needed to get it out."

"You seemed pretty fed up with him," I commented.

"With how he was acting? So… Cold and calculated? I couldn't stand it. Griff is in his

care and he's acting as if this is another job for him!"

I nodded sympathetically.

"Griff didn't deserve it," she added. "And for him to be treated as no more than a

'mission objective.'"

"Sorry," I said.

"No, I'm sorry," Miku said, and leaned forward, letting out a stressed out sigh, "I'm not

sure where to go from here. As it stands, David is probably the best option to find Griff."

"I think you need some rest," I said. "I've had a long day myself, and I can't imagine what it's been like for you."

Miku just looked at me for a second, and then a smile crossed her face.

"Thank you, Akira," said Miku.

"For what? I didn't do anything."

'For listening to me. I know it doesn't seem like much, but it helped."

I nodded, "I want Griff back too. Trust me."

"Still so funny how you two met," Miku said, placing her hand on her cheek.

"Oh, you mean bumping into me because he was so focused on his phone?"

Miku giggled. "That isn't the first time he didn't pay attention."

"No way. Is that how you two met?"

"Yep," Miku said, "he crashed his bike into the fountain and was absolutely soaked."

"Wow," I said, and laughed. "He hasn't really changed that much at all."

"He'd be so red right now, you wouldn't believe it. But I like him that way. He's sweet."

"Sounds to me like you care about him," I said. "I hope he comes back soon."

"Yeah," Miku said, "but for now, I'd say take a rest tonight. We'll be training tomorrow."

Before she left, Miku turned back to look at me from my door. "Have a goodnight, Aki."

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

I nodded at her, and opened my backpack to take out my stuff. I noticed Satsuki's tie, still packed inside of it when I took everything else out.

"Hope you like it here," I said, "we're going to be staying here a while."

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

Gumi sat at her computer while David was nearby looking over at his laptop. While they were hard at work looking for possible signs of where Griff might have gone, the other members of the Interspace Operators sat in their places, trying their hardest to wait patiently for what would come next.

Dr. Clarke sat in the medical bay, looking over the recent debriefing that had occurred. It pained her to look at Griff's file with the words, "Missing In Action" sitting next to it. Nothing sat right with her as she tried to also figure out what it was that could be done about this.

"This wasn't supposed to go this way," Lisa said to herself. "Not like this."

She rubbed her tired eyes as the clock ticked away. She figured it would be better to turn in for the night after her latest report was sent to her higher-ups. That was top priority before anything else.

But just as she was finishing her report, a familiar voice spoke to her from outside the medical bay.

"Up late, Dr. Clarke?" Luka asked, walking in.

"Oh, Luka," Lisa laughed. "What can I do for you tonight?"

"I couldn't sleep. Something had been on my mind. Felt like I needed to talk to someone about it."

Lisa cocked her head, and invited Luka to sit down.

"I was about to head to bed, but if you need someone to talk to, I'm available."

"Oh, sorry," Luka said, "it can wait another time."

"Can it?" Lisa asked, "it seems like something is troubling you."

Luka shifted a little, and then looked back at Lisa. "No I guess it can't. It's been on my mind for a while."

"Then let's talk about it. I'm here for that reason, after all."

Luka sat down in the chair and crossed her arms, and let out a sigh.

"I guess I should start with feeling troubled by, well, all of this," Luka began. "We still don't know anything about your group, or what you intend to do with us now that we've refused to go along with the initial plans your group seemed to have for us."

Lisa sat back and adjusted the frames of her glasses.

"Understandable, to say the least. And after all of this, you're expecting something from us, right?"

"How can you rescue Griff?" Luka questioned. "If he's been captured, how do we know where to find him, and how do we know your group is capable of rescuing him? How did you even break us out to begin with?"

Lisa laid her hands on her desk, and pondered that question.

"David and I, as well as our higher-ups agreed that it would be better to keep you all in the dark so you wouldn't be able to divulge our involvement. They may know you have outside support, but it's better they don't know the name of that support."

Luka, not satisfied with that answer, stood up and planted her hands on Lisa's desk.

"And we should just trust you that you have our best intentions in mind?"

"It was agreed for your safety," Lisa said, trying to keep her composure. She understood Luka's frustration, truly. But she had her orders to maintain.

"We've been sitting in our base feeling as if we're being monitored. Nonstop. And I suspect your group might be after something more than just our safety."

Dr. Clarke sighed, and looked back up at Luka.

"Obviously," Dr. Clarke said, "there is a lot we have kept from your team. I understand why you would want some more transparency-"

"I want more than transparency," Luka said, "I want to know I'm working for the good guys."

Lisa looked down in response to Luka's comment, and then gazed back up at her.

"I see. I guess we didn't consider that from our perspective."

"It's been hard on us," Luka said. "I want to trust you and your group, but keeping us in the dark will create tensions, and what we need right now is some unity between us.."

"You are absolutely right," Lisa said. "Fine. I will talk it over with David."

Luka nodded and stepped back.

"I apologize for coming off so strong," Luka said. "I needed an answer. Even if I didn't get exactly what I'm looking for, I'll take your cooperation as a good start."

"I'm sorry I can't tell you more," Dr. Clarke said.

"Hopefully you can tell us more soon. Thank you, Dr. Clarke."

Lisa nodded. "Of course. Was there anything else you wanted?"

Luka shook her head, and stepped out.

I just want to know I'm working for the good guys.

Lisa kept thinking about that for a long while after Luka had left.

"I hope I am too, Luka," Lisa said to herself. "I hope I am too."

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

Laura Hildern laid back on her couch with her feet atop her ottoman. She sat and watched the news on her wall-mounted television in her New York penthouse apartment. With her work done in regards to Duodecim, she returned home, with Mr. Rithers in tow. Though he was employed to Duodecim, he was Director Hildern's "personal assistant." She kept him around acting as something akin to a bodyguard than just a regular agent.

This also meant he employed his duties to escort her to and from the facility, and acted essentially as Laura's personal bodyguard. And Rithers wouldn't admit it up front, but he quite liked working for her. And he did so without question to his boss.

While Laura watched the news from her couch, Rithers would stand by and keep an eye on her home. Though it wasn't likely, Director Hildern was a potential target for Duodecim's new adversaries. Considering that they had managed to capture one of the members of said group, it was entirely possible they had figured out where he was being kept. Laura didn't want to keep anything to chance, and asked Rithers to ensure her safety.

Rithers sat by the bathroom door as Laura watched the discussion between two political talking heads. It wasn't so much important what it was they were debating, but just that it served as something for her to watch as she relaxed for the day.

As the television droned on , Hildern called to Mr. Rithers as a thought crossed her mind.

"Quite a day, wouldn't you say?" Laura said, letting out a small laugh.

"I would agree, ma'am," Rithers nodded as he spoke back, checking through one of the security cameras.

"The boy," she continued, "he's quite naive. He trusts his friends too much. Obviously it makes sense. They're the only people that offered him answers after an incident caused by our own people, but it would be so much easier had Kallen not foolishly caused so much damage."

"Agreed," Rithers said, echoing her sentiments.

"But, as it stands, we're his enemies. I wish that wasn't his view, but so far he's listened to what I've had to say, so at least we have some common ground.."

Laura went silent for a second, and spoke up again. "He reminds me of Matthew."

Rithers listened as Laura went silent again, taking pause in her words. Her mood turned contemplative to regretful as she mentioned that name.

"Mr. Rithers, is there a chance he's tried contacting me today?"

Rithers had checked the phone earlier that evening. Not one voicemail or call had come in from "Matthew Hildern."

"No, ma'am," Rithers answered regretfully.

"I see," Hildern said, followed by silence.

She would not speak to Rithers, or anyone else for that matter, for the rest of the evening. Once the news had concluded, she would stand up, get changed into her nightgown, and head off to bed.

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

I had just climbed into the egg-shaped simulation pod that Miku wanted to train me in. At first, I didn't believe her when she said this would be the perfect way to train me, but she was confident that by the time we got done today, I'd know a lot more about defending myself than before.

"It'll just be target practice and maybe a quick combat simulation," Miku said, prepping my pod. "I'd advise you to relax. There's nothing you need to worry about."

"Was it that obvious?" I asked.

"Yeah. I was almost worried you were squirming because your jumpsuit was tight, but you've also been taking deep breaths. Just relax, 'kay?"

I didn't think Miku noticed that, but my heart was beating a little too fast. I admit, I was anxious. Scared, even. I had no idea what this thing did, or if it really worked. How did a simulator pod work exactly? Was it one of those virtual reality things? If so, why an entire pod, and not just a helmet?

I shook my head as Miku worked at the main terminal. She was right; I needed to relax. I took another deep breath and settled into the training pod as it did its job. Though I tried to contain my anxiety, my fingers still tapped against the arm rests. It was a lot to take in.

"Looks like it's set up. Dr. Clarke just updated your medical information," Miku said, looking back over at me, "I'm going to start the simulation and will meet you inside."

As the door closed, I felt my claustrophobia kicking in. I hated tight spaces. Crowds or otherwise. It was something I never got used to. Being in here was no exception. It didn't really occur to me how close everything felt until I was sealed inside of the pod.

But the pod activated, and I followed its instructions and put on a red mask that deployed from the top of it. Once everything was set up, I started feeling lightheaded as everything flashed a green color. The room was almost spinning, and before I knew it, I wasn't sitting inside of the pod anymore, but instead standing and gazing out towards a dark blue and purple horizon. I looked around, noticing that I was sitting over a rooftop that stood atop of a great big city. It was one of those kinds of futuristic metropolises you'd see in movies or games. But I was standing over it and seeing it all for myself.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Miku asked, seeming to appear out of nowhere. I jumped.

"Miku!? Where'd you come from?!"

"It's a simulation, silly. I know you might be awestruck by it, but this is just a simple training program. We haven't actually taken you to Interspace quite yet."

I shook my head, making sure I wasn't dreaming.

"However, this is a city that is in Interspace," Miku continued, "specifically the city of Connection. We managed to copy some of it so I can show you a little of what it is we've gone through."

I listened as Miku explained what our lesson would be today.

"You'll need to know the basics of fighting," Miku said, locking herself into a fighting stance, "it's fundamental to everything else. The basics come first."

"Okay," I said, mimicking her, "so am I fighting you?"

"Not fighting," Miku corrected me, "I just want to see how you throw a punch first. We'll work on everything after."

I took a deep breath, and locked myself in tight. I didn't ever do sparring practice when I was in any sports club, but I felt like the idea was the same somehow.

"Throw a punch," Miku said, fanning her hands at me, "don't worry, I can take it."

I closed the distance between Miku and I and threw a punch at her. My fist smacked against her cheek and sent her reeling back. She recovered quickly and stood back up.

"That was a good swing," Miku said, "you sure you haven't fought before?"

"I've swung a bat a few times," I said, "that's it."

"You should be able to hold your own," Miku said, impressed, "but don't let that go to your head. We've still got a lot of ground to cover."

"Then let's not delay," I said, getting back into my fighting stance, "throw everything you have at me."

"That's what I like to hear," Miku said, a grin on her face.

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

I woke up the next morning with a knock rapping against the door to my cell. It was odd that someone would even knock in the first place considering I couldn't open the door to begin with. I looked over in surprise as Director Hildern stepped inside, holding a cup of coffee and a small brown bag with what I imagined held food inside.

"Good morning, Mr. Darhen," Hildern said, "I figured you'd want something to start your day."

I shook my head and blinked a couple of times before looking back up at her. Was she really bringing me more food? I was her enemy, and she was still treating me with kindness and hospitality.

"I know, strange considering we're not exactly friends, but I wanted you to be prepared for today. I'll give you time to eat up, and then we can have a further discussion together. Would that be okay?"

I hesitated to give an answer to her, and then nodded.

"That would be fine," I said, and accepted the food and drink she had brought for me.

"It beats being cramped in a cell," Hildern mused, "I will be waiting for you. Just knock on your cell door and Mr. Rithers will be ready to take you to meet me."

"Okay," was all I answered back, and Hildern left.

I looked inside of the bag she had given me: it was an egg sandwich with an English muffin and ham, tomato, and cheese. Also in the bag were four vanilla creamer cups, and a stir. She had done her homework on me, and that left me with a sense of unease as I ate the food Director Hildern had given me.

Just how long was I being watched before they finally decided to pay attention to me, I thought to myself, it could have been any point. But just how much do they know?

I couldn't know for sure, and there wasn't much I could really do about it. This was where I was, and I was going to be stuck here for a while. How long that "while" would be depended on if I'd ever be let go. And I doubted that was going to happen.

I thought about the conversation Hildern and I had last night, and I couldn't really put my finger on it, but this strange feeling of doubt had surfaced. What that doubt was in relation to, I couldn't figure out, but it sat with me, gnawing at me.

Maybe Hildern was trying to help me. Maybe she knew what was really going on, and couldn't say it. Be it surveillance, her colleagues catching wind, or something else, there had to be some reason she was being helpful. Just what was she playing at?

I finished my food and coffee, and stood up to inform the Agent, Mr. Rithers, I was ready to see Hildern now. He opened the door, led me out of the cell, and down towards the hall. It wasn't a drone she was using to escort me this time, but instead this burly gorilla of a man . Maybe it was a way of sending a message.

I knew how to fight, but there was a limit to my abilities. Meiko was strong, but she tested me at my level, not hers. She could probably take on Rithers with ease, maybe a bit of a struggle, but I wasn't Meiko. I was Griff, and on my own, Rithers would probably break me in half with how he was built.

Instead of giving me another opportunity with a drone like she did yesterday, she had someone escort me who would be a challenge for me. I wouldn't have tried either way, but it felt strategic what Hildern was doing here.

Or maybe I was overthinking this, and Hildern just needed Rithers to wait until I was finished eating my breakfast. And that could be the explanation, but I was trying to figure out what Hildern was planning. No matter what, she was still part of Duodecim, and until I could trust her, she was my enemy unless I was proven otherwise.

Rithers led me to Hildern's conference room, the very same one we had spoken in yesterday. She was standing with her attention to the window and the outside. It was raining out.

"Quite a gloomy morning," Hildern said, and then turned over to look at me, "wouldn't you agree?"

"Now that I see it, yes," I said, watching as the rain hit against the windowsill, "I couldn't even hear it from my cell."

"They're soundproofed," she said, "it is a precaution we take. Those cells don't even really exist for 'prisoners,' but act as isolation units for agents under heavy stress or for internal affairs."

"Internal affairs?"

"Suppose someone were to steal equipment from our facility? We would need to conduct an investigation, and we legally are allowed to apprehend and detain anyone suspected of such a crime."

"Then what about Miku? You kept her in those, right?"

"What about her? She was in our containment cells, yes. It was our agreement she be kept under surveillance, but understand this, Mr. Darhen, as I had stated to you yesterday, we were unaware of her advancement. Were things at the point they are now, we would very much have tried to open a more understanding communication with her. An open dialogue, if you will."

"I don't get it," I said.

"It's about perspective, Griff," Laura said understandingly, "from where you're sitting, yes, I would understand the issues you would take with our company: a girl you know is scooped up and taken away from you and your life is drastically altered by such events. I still believe Kallen made a rash and reprehensible decision. Had it been me in charge, we would have tried for things to be far more cordial and professional."

"Kallen was a bit of a hothead, wasn't he?" I joked.

Laura raised an eyebrow and then smiled. "I take it you two had previous interactions?"

I shook my head. "Not particularly. I don't really know much past his name."

I lied, of course. I still remember the battle Kallen and I had in the Connection research facility, but Hildern shouldn't have known about that. She couldn't, right? If Kallen was acting on his own, then it meant that Duodecim didn't keep tabs on him when he went rogue.

Or maybe they did, but I had no way of knowing. All I remember was Kallen hated me, and he hated Miku. And our fight was bitter and brutal. And I still remember how Miku looked after all of it. She was so angry. If they were watching somehow, there was a chance Hildern and the others had seen Miku act out of emotion. It was a possibility.

"Well," Hildern said, "I'm sure you've had enough of this boring conference room. Would you maybe like to have a walk through the rest of the facility for a change?"

I tilted my head, not really sure why she wanted to do that.

"I've been making a few decisions you probably don't get, do you?"

"It feels less like I'm a prisoner here, and more of a guest."

"I believe you deserve a chance to be heard," Hildern said, walking up to me, "now come on, why don't I show you around?"

I nodded, and followed behind her.

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

Meiko sat in her quarters and watched as the fake aquarium played. Fake fish swam by while the floor rippled as if she was sitting underneath the sea. It calmed her as the sounds of the ocean played as she and Kaito rested next to one another.

Meiko took a deep breath as she rested for a while, her mind caught up on all that had happened. It was because of Kaito however that these two were resting with this background at all. He wanted something that would keep him calm, and by extent, keep Meiko calm. But Meiko was still hung up on what happened to Griff, and couldn't get her mind off of it.

She took a deep breath, and Kaito opened his eyes to ask her, "what's wrong?"

"You know what's wrong," Meiko said, "even though you're back, we're still down a member. Griff isn't here, and everything still feels off."

Kaito sat up next to her on the bed they were sharing, and nodded. "I understand. You pulled me out only for you to leave someone else behind."

Meiko shook her head, and watched as a flounder and an angelfish swam by her. "I wanted so hard to get you back, and I convinced myself that once you were home and settled, I would pack my bags and we would leave this place for something better. We could live out in the woods where no one would find us."

"So why haven't we?" Kaito asked, not sure if he was actually comfortable with the idea Meiko was suggesting, but he wanted to know more.

"Because none of it would be right, and it's not how I feel anymore. Griff's my friend, and so is Miku and Luka and Gumi. I couldn't do that to them."

"So what's wrong then?"

"I feel guilty," Meiko said. "I wanted to leave with you and be alone, and it was selfish and wrong. But what good would it do if we just lived our lives on the run all the time?"

Kaito grabbed Meiko's shoulders and rubbed his hands against her skin. He kissed her on the cheek and hugged her before adding, "it's okay to want something. That isn't selfish."

"I wanted you," Meiko said as tears started forming in her eyes, "I wanted to bring you home and I wanted to keep you safe. I wanted us to be happy. But look what it cost everyone because of my selfishness!"

Meiko burst into sobs as she held her head in her hands.

"Meiko," Kaito said, trying to console her the best he could, "it was a tough call to make, but Griff stayed behind because he had no other choice. You can't blame yourself for that."

"But he didn't need to. There had to have been another way."

"But you and I both know that it would have risked us getting captured too. And then it would be an even bigger mess."

Meiko cried for a little while, feeling a mixture of guilt, but also a feeling of comfort as Kaito ran his hands across her hair.

"Without you," she said, clearing her tears up, "things just didn't feel right."

"I waited for you every day," Kaito said, "and you eventually found me."

"I'm so sorry you had to wait so long," Meiko said, her body hugging against Kaito. "I promise, I'm not going to lose you again."

"Don't worry," Kaito said, "I'm not going anywhere."

"You better not," Meiko said, letting out a small laugh as she closed her eyes. "It was hard enough leaving Griff behind. I don't want to leave you behind again either."

"We'll get him back."

"We have to," Meiko said. "I owe him that much."

Suddenly, a knock sounded at Meiko's quarters, interrupting the intimate moment, and Meiko wondered who it could be.

"Oh, Dr. Clarke," Meiko said, sounding somewhat surprised seeing her.

"Sorry to interrupt," Lisa apologized, "there's something we need to talk about."

Meiko nodded and let her in, shutting the door behind her.

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

I had been sparring with little more than humanoid punching bags during the time Miku had me inside of the simulation. Most of them didn't fight back. Miku just wanted to see how it felt to throw a punch at something, and feel feedback between each hit before moving on.

She taught me what the proper fighting stances looked like with help from the simulator's built-in hand-to-hand training module. Along with how to keep cool in the middle of a fight with controlled breathing. All of this was so I could maintain a cool head while still being able to fight back. It mattered more about control than power, and I needed to not let the adrenaline get to me.

"Funny thing is, Meiko had a similar method when training Griff," Miku commented as I took another swing at a static enemy. "Though her methods were a little more… Rough."

I took a jab at the enemy combatant with my fist landing in its gut, and then kicked it away from me before I ran up, grabbing its head, and slamming my knee into its chin.

Miku appeared in front of me and gave a slight clap at my effort.

"Doing good," Miku said, "though, most of these guys don't really fight back."

I shifted my gaze to Miku as she put her hands on her hips and cocked her head.

"What do we do now then?" I asked Miku, sitting down to relax for a second.

"Now," Miku said, "how about you show me what you learned."

Miku looked down at me and took the opportunity to throw a swift kick my way. Caught off guard, I rolled backwards and did my best to stand up quickly.

"I see how it is," I said, a grin on my face.

"Come on, Aki," Miku said, "time to spar with a real opponent. One that'll fight back."

I stood up, tightened my fists, and waited for Miku to swing at me again. She didn't hesitate to throw another punch at me, but I blocked, feeling her hit against the back of my hand.

"Good block," Miku complimented, "but you can't block forever."

She was right. She'd wear me down before long if I kept trying to block or dodge her attacks. If I didn't fight back, I was going to get knocked out

Miku took another swing, and I dodged under her attack, and took a swing at her abdomen. Then another at her chest, and finally hitting her in the face.

Miku grabbed my arm as I took another swing, and shoved me away from her, knocking me to the ground. I pulled myself back up and tried to get close to Miku again, but she was bobbing and weaving with each punch I threw this time.

I took another swing at her, and she grabbed my head before shoving me back, causing me to roll over.

"You're definitely a real opponent," I said. "And you said Meiko was 'more rough' with Griff!?"

"She taunted him to make him angry. I'm not going to do that to you here," Miku said.

"Thanks," I said, "how considerate of you."

"Don't hold back with me," Miku said, "I need you to be ready for combat once we're out fighting."

I rushed at Miku, noticing a grin on her face as I charged at her with a loud yell. I swung as hard as I could, and Miku raised her arm to block it immediately. Then another block. It would exchange between punches and blocks as if she was able to read when I was throwing my attacks at her and which attack would come next.

Then Miku raised her right leg and tried to kick me. I dodged it and grabbed her leg. Her eyes grew wide as I lunged forward, slamming my elbow into her face. Miku lost balance, and flew backwards.

She landed on her back and then I panicked as I saw her body roll away from me. I ran over and took a look at her.

"Oh God, Miku, are you okay?"

Miku laid still for a moment, unmoving, and then let out a heavy laugh. It took me a second to remember that this was a simulation, and that Miku wasn't really "hurt" physically. Even though the pain felt real, it didn't mean it was real.

"Good job," Miku said, finally looking up at me. I held out my hand to let her back up.

"How did I do?"

"Better than I thought. You sure you never fought before?"

I shook my head. "I didn't get into scuffles much. Maybe a few times where I almost fought with some girls in my old school, but never something that got overly physical."

Miku raised an eyebrow. "So you didn't get into a fight in school or anything, but you got close?"

I blew a piece of hair out of my eye. "I never threw a fist at anyone. How does that sound?"

Miku nodded. "I see. But it does look like your background in sports helped you, I bet."

I nodded at that comment. Softball was something fun I liked to do, but I wasn't exactly the M.V.P. when it came to playing, but I did play as hard as I could when I was out there.

"Well," Miku said, "I say we did good today, what's say we-"

Then, suddenly, the simulator feed glitched out as everything turned pixelated, and suddenly the simulator pod disconnected and opened up. Standing outside of it was David, looking at both of us expectantly as we crawled out of the pod slowly.

"Is something the matter?" Miku asked as she stepped out of the simulator pod.

I crawled out slower than she did, and listened as best I could as David replied to her.

"We're leaving tonight as soon as possible," David replied. "We know where Griff is, and we're leaving as soon as possible to get him."

Miku shook her head. "That quickly?"

"We don't have time to argue," David said. "Prometheus found his location. He sent it to us as soon as he could, and has arranged for us to fly out to New York where Griff is being held. We're going to rescue him."

"So, when are we leaving? As soon as possible?"

"Yes, but there's something else I should add," David said.

"What is it?"

"In Gumi's report, it was noted that you had recovered the body of a Duodecim Elite and brought it back here. Gumi mentioned it was possible to swap parts out of your chassis."

"What are you suggesting?"

"Miku," David said, "it's likely things are going to get hairy during our rescue for Griff. We might need the help of you and your friends to get him back. This might be the best edge we have. Gumi wants to give you and Meiko separate modifications that would ensure we can push into their facility."

"What modifications?"

"A blade arm. The one that was ripped from the Elite."

Miku cleared her throat and rested against the wall, crossing her arms.

"Seems sudden to drop this on me," she murmured.

"I'm sorry," David said. "You can say 'no' and I will understand. We have others who will also be willing to volunteer."

"No," Miku said, "I want to be there to find Griff. If it means I have to swap out something so I can make sure we actually have a chance, so be it."

"Gumi said we'll need to get started right away then. I already have Lisa talking to Meiko about it."

"Fine," Miku accepted. "Take me to where we need to go. I'd rather do it than put it on someone else."

"Gumi is already getting prepared to swap your right arm out. We'll take you to the repair bay and get it taken care of. We're short on time so we have to be quick about it."

Short on time, huh, I thought to myself, guess I'm glad I haven't unpacked my stuff yet.

I followed behind Miku and David, and we went up the elevator towards the repair bay. Things were moving fast, and it felt like we were going to be busy for the next few days.

What I didn't know was just how busy things were actually going to be, but I'd find out soon enough.

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

Miku lay on the operating table in the maintenance bay as Gumi prepared her and Meiko on separate tables. Things moved fast after David had announced they had found Griff, and there was little time to waste on actually getting to where he was.

"A private jet at the local airport is already being prepared for us," David said, "they're taking off at 9 P.M. tonight. I need Miku and Meiko prepared well before then."

"It'll be close," Gumi said, "but the day is still young, and I like a challenge."

It was decided then that Gumi would use the blade arms of the dead Duodecim Elite that Meiko had taken out a few months ago. Though it had taken considerable damage, the arms were still usable, and this would make for a good tactical advantage against Duodecim's drones should it be necessary to fight in the mission to rescue Griff.

Miku looked at the arm that Gumi had prepared from the dead Elite: it was the right arm, with all of the armored pieces stripped off and made bare. The carbon fiber that the arm was built out of looked like muscle tissue in terms of how it was constructed, with the finger joints exposed.

Miku didn't want to look at it for too long. She hated the idea of swapping her own limbs already, but to swap it with something that didn't even look like her arm to begin with grossed her out. Or in the least, left her feeling discomfort. Miku wanted to always push the thought aside that deep down she was a machine, but right now, that reality was staring her in the face, and she didn't want to look at it.

"Well, you heard David," Gumi said, "there isn't a whole lot of time left, and this is my first time, but hopefully it won't be too bad."

Miku laid back and took a deep breath. She at least knew Gumi was talented enough to work on her chassis, she just wasn't sure she wanted to be experimented on to have a parts swap. In any case, if it worked, it worked, but with how limited the window was, Miku couldn't really argue about it. She agreed to volunteer for this, and it was too late to back out now.

"I'll be powering you and Meiko off until the transfer is complete, okay?"

Miku nodded and looked over at Meiko, who was also sitting on another table that was brought in from the medical wing.

"Alright," Gumi said, grabbing a pair of cables and plugging them into the back of Miku's neck, "ten seconds until power off. All secondary systems are going to cease."

Miku's vision went black, then her hearing muted, and then her main system powered off. Though she was put into a "powered off" state, there were still plenty of systems running on a secondary auxiliary system that cycled her thoughts and still let her maintain a state of being "functional" but Miku couldn't process anything like time or create visuals in her head. She was aware, but also the equivalent of being vegetative.

And Miku would sit there, unaware of what was going on outside until she would be reawakened. It was as if she had never really fallen asleep at all when Gumi had pulled the cables out and activated her systems again.

Miku's vision blurred as she started waking up in what felt like mere moments after she was put to sleep. Everything was still taking time to activate as her interface began listing off various systems being checked. On the right side of her vision, a small pop-up appeared with "Installing New Firmware…" with a loading bar and an illustration of the new arm that was swapped with her old one.

An audible whirring played in her ears as she moved her fingers. This new arm was noisier than the old one, and Miku looked at the jointed fingers as she tried to make it work. She started counting each finger and pointing them up before curling her hand into a fist.

When the firmware installation had finished, Miku sat up on the operating table, and looked over at Gumi who was still finishing up on Meiko's arm.

Gumi looked over at her for a second, smiled, and got back to work.

"It looks like it installed all of my firmware," Miku said, laying the arm on her leg, "am I free to go?"

"Not quite yet," Gumi replied, "I have to make sure the actual arm works."

Miku looked at her arm and thought about what she meant by that, and then clenched her hand into a fist again, and suddenly the blade deployed with an audible "ching!" The blade then retracted back into the carbon fiber arm, and a popup appeared again on Miku's interface that said, "RE-SHARPENING BLADE."

"Re-sharpening blade," Miku read aloud.

"Aha," Gumi said, "so that's how it works. I thought so."

"Huh?" Miku tilted her head.

"The blades automatically sharpen inside of the arm. From what I can guess, it's from a nanomachine system that sharpens it automatically each time the blade is used."

Miku looked at her wrist, flicked her hand back, and the blade deployed underneath her palm.

Gumi added as she continued her work on Meiko's arm, "the blade has three deployment points: from the top of your hand, your wrist, and your elbow. It allows you to make use of it as you see fit. It knows where your hand is located at all times so you won't accidentally slice off your fingers, either. You could try to do that, but I don't think you really want to do that."

"And it activates when I decide to use it," Miku observed, "what a bizarre system."

"You'll get used to it," Gumi said, "Meiko will probably have an easier time considering this is her specialty."

Miku shook her head, not taking offense to Gumi's comment. She was already a little used to having it, and didn't like that feeling at all.

"Oh, you're free to go, by the way," Gumi said, "just be careful about that arm. It's not a toy, and those blades can cut through anything. I'd rather you keep it offline until we're actually in New York. For the sake of the base and everyone around you."

"Of course," Miku said, and slid off of the table, "is there anything else I should know?"

"Just that you should probably pack your things as soon as possible. We leave in a few hours."

Miku nodded, and left for her room.

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

I emptied my bag and pulled out only the necessary stuff I would be needing for the next couple of days. If I was actually going to be coming along with everyone else, I should have a few changes of clothes or something to keep myself busy if we ever had downtime.

Here I was, Akira Fujita, about to embark on a dangerous adventure, and I only joined this week. I was excited, sure, but I was also a little hesitant. I thought most of the work we would be doing would be inside of Interspace, but it seemed as if that was on hold until Griff could be recovered. It made sense, considering Griff was a core member to this team to begin with.

I looked through my bag and made sure I had everything I would need. A few changes of clothes and something warm. If New York was anything like Japan in the winter, I assumed it was going to be plenty cold. I didn't really think I'd be packing up again so soon after leaving home, but here I was doing just that.

I sifted through everything, grabbing my essentials, and pulling out the stuff I wouldn't need. I was packing pretty lightly compared to when I came here. I had to, it wasn't like we would be taking a fancy hotel stay or anything like that. We were going to be rescuing someone.

And then I wondered if David was even going to bring me along. Would he have me stay here at the base while the rest went along with the mission? He didn't tell me otherwise, but he seemed to have his hands full.

I shook my head, and focused on packing, and then felt my hands against the familiar necktie inside of my bag. Satsuki's tie came with me, and I debated on whether or not I should bring it with me.

"Wouldn't really be coming along with me if I left you here, huh?" I said.

I packed the necktie snugly into the small pocket and patted my hand against it.

"It'll be fun," I said, letting out a slight chuckle, "I remember you saying you'd love to travel the world. It just wouldn't be fair if I got all of the fun-"

Suddenly, a knock at my door echoed in my quarters. I stood up and walked over to it. On the other side stood Miku with her newly installed right arm.

"Oh, Miku," I said nervously, "what brings you here?"

"Just coming to check up on you. Making sure you're set for tonight. May I step inside?"

I nodded. "Sure, sure. I was still packing."

"I can see that," Miku said, "I heard you talking to someone."

I shook my head, and walked back over to my bag. "I was just talking to myself. I do that sometimes."

"Ah, I understand," Miku smiled, "so what were you talking about?"

"Just sorting out my stuff before we leave this place," I said, stuffing Satsuki's tie further down my bag.

"Sorry if you were just getting settled in," Miku said, "I still feel like this wasn't exactly fair to bring you into all of this."

"It was either that or keep a target painted on my back," I shrugged, "Mom and Dad will probably ground me by the time this is over, and I'll be in my twenties before they let me back out."

"They worry about you, don't they?"

I sat on my bed and looked down at my bag I was packing, sighing as I thought about that.

"They worry about me and I just convinced them that they should trust me a little bit more. And here I am violating that trust as soon as possible."

"That isn't your fault," Miku said, crouching down and looking up at me, "you of all people should know what you're doing is important."

"I know," I said, "it's for my safety, but what if Duodecim goes after my parents?"

"I'll make sure it doesn't come to that," Miku assured me, "I promise."

"I don't know how that'll work," I said, "but okay."

I stared at Miku's arm for a while as she rubbed it. I noticed she had been doing that almost the entire time we were talking. It was odd to see her keep running her fingers against the black carbon fiber material like it was something she couldn't stop thinking about.

"Sorry," I said, "I don't mean to stare."

"What? Oh, the new arm," Miku said, and stood back up.

"How does it feel?" I asked.

Miku shrugged, and kept her answer short: "It feels like an arm."

She didn't seem to want to talk about it, so I backed off. There wasn't any point in digging into it if she was comfortable talking about it.

"Look," Miku said, changing the subject, "you don't have to come along if you feel you aren't ready. It's more than likely that you will be staying back anyways. Are you sure you want to still tag along?"

"If you're trying to tell me I shouldn't go, I'd rather you tell me outright," I said. "I want to help you guys in any way I can."

"Okay," Miku said, "if you're really sure about it."

"I am," I said, zipping up my bag. "All I have to do now is wait until we're told we need to head out."

Miku bit her lip, and nodded.

"Don't worry," I said, "I'm stronger than I look."

"I didn't say you weren't," Miku said. "Just be careful."