The girl in the crystal

He stopped right in front of the shining crystal, where light blue lines twitched around like flash on its edged surface.

They had sneaked around the first sentinel, skipped the second, eliminated the third, cut the wires of the security cameras and disabled the communication for support and all other safety arrangements. In exactly 120 seconds would the bomb open them their escape way.

Everything went according to the plan.

But until the detonation he had to improvise. Shibungi hadn't found any allusions to technical barriers in the system, which they would have to expect in room E-96. Nevertheless he had prepared himself for resistance, of course, but was now surprised about the missing guards and other security-mechanism. The room was empty – aside from this odd-looking shining tube, which ranged from the ground to the ceiling and was apparently made up of this sort of crystal.

In a fever of excitement he thought about what to do. Time was running out, the clock ticked. Was it really in here, what he was searching for? He wasn't sure about it.

While his eyes scanned the shining and continuously transforming surface for a switch or something similar which would open the vessel, he felt against his wishes more and more relieved. Perhaps he got some wrong information and the GHQ has never tried to …

His eyes fixed suddenly a certain point and his heart skipped a beat. This one thing he has just quickly seen through the deforming layer destroyed his last hope.

A pink wisp of hair.

So it was true.

"What now?", Oogumo asked. He had placed the bomb and now stood beside him again. "Is she in there? How do we get this thing open?"

Instead of answering the young man slowly reached out his hand.

"Don't …!", Oogumo exclaimed, but it was too late.

As his fingertips touched the crystal, a crack appeared which branched out in every direction for about a meter in height and breadth until it finally stopped. Then it clankingly burst in countless shivers, which slowly fell down to the floor.

"That is … Is it her?", Oogumo asked hesitantly. He had moved some steps back and came now closer again.

He wanted to answer, but he couldn't. He ceaselessly stared with eyes wide with fright at the girl in front of him. She sat on the ground, her arms hung slackly down and her head lightly bent over. Her shoulder-length pink hair flowed like silk over her naked body. Her eyes were closed, she seemed to sleep deeply.

She looks like her … In his mind's eye he saw Mana in front of him, how she smiled at him with empty eyes and blood-red lips, before she burst into flames. He wouldn't allow this to happen again. In this moment he swore to rescue this girl and to cross the government's plan.

For Mana's peace's sake.

For humankind's sake.

At all costs.

"80 seconds left until detonation", he heard Oogumos voice from far. "We have to hurry."

He nodded and hesitantly reached out for her. He clasped her shoulders and gently shook her. Her body was so tender that he was afraid that every small touch would shatter her like the crystal all around her. "Hey, wake up! Can you hear me?"

Before she opened her eyes, she lifted her hands and hold on to his arms. He quivered because of the touch which didn't come from him. Her grasp got stronger and stronger like she wanted to hold on to him and never let go. Involuntarily he wondered, if she possibly spent her entire life in this crystal.

"Do you understand me?", he asked again. More silent seconds passed by, then she slowly opened her eyes. As he looked in her red eyes, he was afraid of shreds of memories of Mana, in which he would lose himself again, but that wasn't the case. Her eyes were different, neither despiteful nor empty. But there was a deep sadness, which broke his heart.

"My name is Gai. Gai Tsutsugami." He took a deep breath and struggled for self-control. Pull yourself together!, he thought. If we don't stick to the plan, everything is lost.

"Gai … Tsutsugami …", she repeated hesitantly and looked up to him. "Gai …"

"We are here to release you. Can you get up?"

"Get up …?", she repeated with a motionless facial expression.

Gai signed to Oogumo to help her out of her prison, while he put down his rifle, which he had buckled on his shoulder, and took his coat off. After Oogumo had lifted her out of the crystal and softly had helped her standing on her own feet, Gai threw his coat around her shoulders and put the rifle back on.

"We have to –", he began, but an enormous explosion let the earth tremble and carried all three of them off their feet. Gai struggled to his feet, while Oogumo kneeled next to the girl, who frightened clung to his arm. "Oogumo?", he asked shortly.

He shook his head. "27 seconds left", he replied after a fast look on his watch.

Gai clenched his fist. "What's the matter, Shibungi?"

First the communicator in his ear just uttered a random noise and he was afraid it was broken. Then his friend's familiar voice answered.

"Gai …" Coughing. "Gai, they blew up the barricade! Base C got overrun. Invasion in hallway 11!"

"Understood", Gai answered. "Oogumo, abortion!"

With a shocked face and a bustling look on his watch Oogumo jumped up and rushed across the room to the wall, where he recently has fixed the bomb. After almost endless seconds he lifted his clenched fist in the air – signaling "everything ok".

"Please decide earlier on that next time, Gai!", he shouted and slumped down, leaning back against the wall and heavily breathing. "Only 4 seconds left and …!"

"Shibungi, retire. All of you", Gai ordered without paying regard to Oogumo's protest. "Only position A shall hang on as long as possible. We meet up there." He shortly hesitated. "Probably they disable our communication. If we aren't there in 10 minutes, plan B takes effect, understood?"

"Understood, Gai." It rustled again, then everything was quiet.

"Oogumo! Change in escape plan. They'll come towards us on that hallway, whose access you were about to blow up."

"Great." He approached them and helped the girl to stand up. "Where now?"

"Plan A46."

"Underground tunnels, understood."

Gai wasn't able to hide a smile. "After all you memorized them, how I demanded it from everyone." Oogumo didn't answer, but looked embarrassedly aside. "Back there should be the access. The floor plates are probably welded."

Oogumo nodded. "Controlled explosion, my subject area." He hurried ahead, while Gai took care of the girl. She stood so insecurely on her feet that she would probably fall down, if she didn't hang on to someone. In this state walking was impossible.

"Don't get frightened", he warned her in advice before lifting her up and carrying her across the hall on his arms. She was light like a feather. After only a few steps he noticed that her eyes were continuously aimed at him.

"Gai …", she whispered. "Gai Tsutsugami …"

In the distance shoots and shouts could be heard, then another explosion. They didn't have much time left, but it has to suffice. He set her down in a corner of the room and kneeled that way in front of her that fragments of the explosion, which possibly would fly around, couldn't hit her. She still stared at him with half opened eyes while lying motionlessly in front of him. She seemed weak, tired and fragile and her glance let his inside still tremble. Instinctively he grabbed for his cross around his neck.

"Gai Tsutsugami …", she repeated quietly his name again. "Who am I?"

Not Mana, he thought immediately. You are not Mana and you mustn't ever become her. She is the ruin and doom of this world, but you are the light and the hope. You are the saving grace of this world. You are the prayer of all humans for a peaceful future.

"Inori", he answered. "You are Inori."