It was difficult to think over the sound of Mikuru's sobbing. Because she was unable to do so, Itsuki had assumed the task of preparing tea for the SOS Brigade. He only bothered to remove three cups from the cabinet; there would be no use for the final two tonight.

"I suppose you sensed it too?" He asked, setting a teacup in front of Yuki. It was rare see her without a book in her lap.

"Yes," she said, accepting the cup. Itsuki set his own on the table, then proceeded to kneel in front of the balled-up Mikuru to offer hers.

"You too, Asahina-san?"

She nodded once amidst her loud weeping. Her face was buried in her hands and her knees drawn to her chest.

"Please try to calm down," he told her gently, offering her a teacup. "Drink this, it will help you feel better."

She nodded again, taking the cup from Itsuki with shaking hands.

"I'm s-sorry," she sobbed, wiping a stray tear from her pretty face. "Thank you, K-Koizumi-kun. I…I…" Before she was able to take the first sip of her tea, she burst loudly into tears again and buried her face in her arms. The cup fell to the ground, spilling its contents all over the clubroom floor. Itsuki knelt patiently, petting the hair atop her head as he waited for her crying to subside.

"There, there," he muttered softly. "It'll be all right…"

"It's not all right!" she cried. "They're gone! They're gone and we'll never see them again and it's all my fault!"

"It's not your fault," Itsuki assured her.

"This fruitless display of melancholic emotion will solve nothing," came a monotone voice from above them. Yuki had, at some point, moved from her usual spot and was now standing over them. "If the situation is to be dealt with, it must be before it is too late."

Mikuru sniffled. "We…still have time?"

"An estimated T minus two hours, fourteen minutes and thirty-seven seconds, according to Earth's time measurement system."

Itsuki stood to face her at eye level, and Mikuru mimicked him.

"You understand," said Itsuki, "that this is not a normal instance. I can't enter the closed space that they're in."

"You require more power?" she inquired. Itsuki ran his finger down the slope of his nose.

"Something like that," he muttered. "I suppose I could contact my superiors, but I'm not certain that they could…"

"Do so now," Yuki instructed, then turned robotically and took a seat in front of the computer. Itsuki inclined his head and moved towards the door.

"I'll be back momentarily."

"P-please hurry!" Mikuru called after the closing door. He waved his hand for her to see just before he disappeared behind the doorframe. She watched the motionless wall for a moment before turning her attention towards Yuki, who was already banging away at the computer keyboard.

"Ano…what are you doing, Nagato-san?"

"Preparing to convey a message," she replied blandly.

Mikuru blinked. "You can send them messages with that?"

"I can."

Mikuru watched, entranced. She could feel her hopes lifting a little.

"Then…we can bring them back, right?"

"Probability of success is 0.847923 percent."

Those hopes crashed back into the floor.

"But…if we can talk to them…"

"The one who will control the outcome is Suzumiya Haruhi. Everything is dependant upon her will."

Mikuru chewed on her lip. She felt like crying again.

"I suppose you're right…"

She could faintly hear Itsuki outside the door, speaking on a cell phone.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled. Yuki didn't answer her, so she continued. "I don't have anything to contribute…"

"A contribution of effort has already been made on your part," said Yuki. Mikuru had no idea what she was talking about. She opened her mouth to ask about it, but Itsuki re-entered the room before she could do so, smiling his usual enigmatic smile.

"Excellent news," he said. "My superiors are already aware of the situation. I'll be able to borrow power from every other member of my agency as a means of visiting the closed space." He folded his arms. "It won't be enough to make a much of a difference, but I'll be able to speak to them. Perhaps Suzumiya-san's mind can be changed."

"Probability of success is 0.847923 percent," Yuki repeated for Itsuki's benefit, still typing furiously.

"I'm aware," he said, still smiling. "But isn't that better than zero?"

Unable to contain herself any longer, Mikuru sprang forth and latched herself onto Itsuki's waist.

"Koizumi-kun!"

He patted her shoulder, and she looked up at him with teary eyes.

"You'll bring them back, won't you? You'll make sure the world doesn't end, right?"

"I can't make promises," he told her. "But I will do what I can."

Mikuru loosened her grip on Itsuki's waist. For a long moment, there was nothing but silence, filled only by the furious clicking of Yuki's typing.

"I must confess," said Itsuki, his tone suddenly darker. "I'm a little angry at myself right now."

Mikuru pulled away to better look at him, her eyes inquisitive.

"Not long ago, I pulled Kyon aside to demonstrate my abilities," he explained, wandering towards the side of the clubroom. "I told him everything about Suzumiya-san's true nature. When I spoke, I feel now that I treated the two of them as some kind of science experiment." He turned to face the wall, his arms akimbo.

"I wonder now…it's as I said that day. Suzumiya-san is, underneath everything, an ordinary human girl. That's why…is it okay to talk about 'stimulating' her? Is it all right for us to manipulate her, just to keep her satisfied like some kind of dangerous zoo animal?"

Mikuru bit down on her lip and looked at the floor, clutching at her skirt.

"We bend over backwards to keep her powers in check. We 'observe' her day in and day out. We call her 'God,' but in the end, our treatment of her is subhuman."

"Stimulation of Suzumiya Haruhi is a necessity for the survival of this planet," said Yuki. "Ethical factors are insignificant."

Itsuki laughed weakly. "Perhaps," he mumbled quietly, turning back towards his fellow Brigade members. "You may be right. But…"

He tried his hardest to put on an earnest smile. It had never been harder to do so.

"Right now," he said, "it's not my duty that's driving me to bring those two back." His smiling eyes turned upon Mikuru, and she blushed.

"M-me too…" she said quietly, her eyes glued to the floor. Slowly, her face turned upwards, and her expression grew more confident "I want Kyon-kun and Suzumiya-san to come back!" she said boldly. "Because…they're our friends…" She looked hopefully towards Yuki.

"Right?"

Yuki's typing abruptly stopped.

"I too…" she said quietly, "wish for their return of my free will."

Mikuru smiled at her. The sound of a cheerful ring tone resounded throughout the SOS Brigade's clubroom, slicing through the silence. Itsuki drew his phone from his pocket and read the glowing text message on the screen.

"It's time," he told them. "Shall I deliver any messages?"

"Please have Kyon turn on the computer," said Yuki.

"Ano…" Mikuru mumbled. "Please tell Kyon-kun for me…I'm sorry. It's all my fault."

"All right then. Wish me luck."

Yuuki nodded once and returned to her typing. Mikuru watched nervously as he chose a spot within the clubroom to stand—supposedly the specific place where he was to receive his additional power—and closed his eyes, becoming immediately unresponsive. He looked to be entering a meditative state. Yuki continued to type. Mikuru pressed her back against the wall, hugging herself as tears once more began to leak from her eyes.

Never had the silence in the SOS Brigade's clubroom been more maddening than it was that night.

Never had it been more terrifying to put all of their faith in God.