Chapter 21, not beta-read.
Alright, about time the others finally joined the mix. This is the final segment of sorts, heading towards the end now!
Enjoy!
The next few days passed in a rush. The guest room was prepared with five beds, one for each extra Vocaloid: Miku was allowed to stay in Gumi's room from then on, more officially so than before. When the room was done, the living room was adapted accordingly, with extra chairs, as was the dining room. The kitchen was positively overflowing with foodstuffs of all kinds, mostly because Miku recommended it: if things were to go well, Meiko would soon return to experimenting in the kitchen, and would need the extra ammo.
Miku helped with as much as she could in the meantime, taking care of the more basic chores while her hosts turned their house upside down to accommodate for another five people. It also helped to keep her busy and prevented her mind from spinning: she couldn't quite get over the confirmation that she was a True AI, after seeing her own organic mind portrayed on screen, and she couldn't wait to see her friends back, to see Luka.
The morning of the rescue day, Miku jolted out of bed more alert and excited than ever before. With each new emotion she got familiar with, new symptoms appeared, so she fully expected being surprised by her jittery nature, her impatience, her sudden clumsiness, and the unwelcome apprehension.
She just wanted everything to go well.
Early in the morning, she and Gakupo took the Internet Co's largest car (a minivan, rather) and drove towards Crypton HQ. Miku was thankful for the tinted windows: what if someone spotted her? But she didn't have time to worry: she needed to backtrack from the studio to the Vocaloid mansion. As they weaved through the city streets, Miku was scared by how much she'd started to hesitate. Had her memory deteriorated to such an extent?
"Left, I think? Wait, no, I recognize that place further up, I think?"
Gakupo chuckled. "Don't worry: it's likely that your drivers took multiple routes to the mansion."
"That's possible, but then how are we ever supposed to find the place?"
"Just trust your gut. Don't worry, we have plenty of time to find them."
Trust your gut, he'd said, but Miku continued to hesitate. Finally, one street looked even more familiar than the last, and the next even more so.
"We're almost there!"
"You think we can pass in front of it?"
"Yes: it's not a dead end. Just don't slow down."
"Alright."
He did as instructed, keeping his speed constant, and soon enough, they passed in front of the Vocaloid mansion.
Miku could hardly recognize it. Time and time again she'd gotten out of the car and walked straight into that building, but right then, it seemed almost alien from behind the dense shrubbery, and the various security measures that were visible stuck out like a sore thumb.
It didn't look like home. It didn't look like a home, either. All white, no color except for the overgrown hedges and climbing plants and trees that hugged the walls. It barely looked habitable.
"Was that the place?" Gakupo whispered when they'd passed.
"Yes," Miku sighed, and realized that she was nervous. Would this work? "I can't believe I lived there. That they're there right now."
"Don't worry, we'll get them soon."
To pass time, they went through a drive-through so that the tealette could experience both it, and fast food, for the first time. It was an insane concept to her, and the quickly served meal was even more crazy.
"So it's all cooked and ready?"
"Depends on the joint and on the time," Gakupo answered between bites as they waited in a parking lot. "Sometimes the staff tries to prepare for rush hour, but if they cook too much in advance, it's not hot when served. And when it's quiet they need to maintain a balance between freshly-prepared food and being able to serve anything quickly."
"Huh…" Miku wasn't sure about the whole health debate, but she quickly decided that the fries were, in fact, delicious. "I wouldn't mind doing this again."
He chuckled. "Yeah, it's tasty. Probably not the healthiest thing in the world, but hey, lots of things aren't. Plus, you're a bot: you can probably get away with it."
Miku chuckled maniacally and tried the nuggets. She preferred Cul's, honestly, but it was still worth the trip.
"So, is there any kind of procedure we need to follow when we pick them up?"
The tealette shook her head. "Not really. The driver always rolls up, we get out of the house and get in. There's no passcode or anything: we trust it's the right car. Their real driver was told to arrive late?"
"Yes, but he admitted he might show up on time after all: he likes his job too much. So, we'll have to arrive early."
"That's ok. Our days are heavily regulated but not to the second: they'll get in the first car they see."
"Perfect. Expecting any complaints when we're obviously not going to the studio?"
"I wouldn't know. They might have pre-programmed responses."
"How so?"
Miku nervously sipped on the soda before answering. "When Master first introduced himself to me, it was like I lost control of my own body. I listened and obeyed without wanting to, despite trying my very best not to. I knew he was Master, and that meant that his wish was my command." She suppressed a shiver. "I'm not sure if they'll notice we're not going to the studio, and if they do, when or how they will react. They'll probably react to seeing me, though. It's been a week or so since I left: they've probably noticed, to some extent."
"Or more of those pre-programmed responses."
"Exactly." She sighed. "They'll probably go 'Oh Miku, Master is looking for you, we need to go to him right now'. Maybe they'll even try to force me to go with them."
Gakupo hummed in response. "They might. Would it be best to reveal ourselves only when we arrive?"
She shrugged. "Let's play it by ear; I'll keep an eye on them."
"Alright."
They finished their lunch, threw out the trash, and made their way back to the mansion, carefully trying to time their arrival at precisely noon.
"We're about three minutes early…" Gakupo mumbled as they slowly approached the home.
"It's fine. Just roll up as if you own the place and stop when I tell you."
He did as instructed, stopping right in front of the short driveway. Miku held her breath: would the Vocaloids be ready? Would the other driver show up unexpectedly?
Before she could panic, the door opened, and the five Vocaloids made their way to the car. Meiko first, then Kaito, then the twins, with Luka closing the line. Their eyes were trained straight ahead, and suddenly Miku knew what Kokone had meant with her acting more naturally since she'd gotten her filter removed.
As expected, Meiko opened the door and got in the car, getting in the seat furthest from the open door. Kaito followed, taking seat across from her so that his back faced the driver. The twins occupied the rest of the back seat, with Luka taking her place right behind Miku, her back facing her.
Miku swallowed thickly: so close, yet so far.
Luka had closed the door, and the tealette instructed Gakupo to start driving. He was clearly doing his best to drive in a confident manner, stopping smoothly and using his blinker almost too often. Miku raised a brow at him, and he chuckled.
"I'd rather not get stopped for some petty offense right now," he explained quietly so that the Vocaloids wouldn't hear.
She nodded, knowing that speaking at any volume would get her recognized within a heartbeat.
Soon enough, their route deviated from the general direction to the studio, and Miku kept an eye on her friends to see if they'd notice. They didn't even look outside all that much, only occasionally letting their eyes dart towards the windows, and Miku guessed it was because their security system had flagged a vague shape that seemed menacing and needed extra visual surveillance. But Rin, who sat in the middle of the back seat, didn't look anywhere, her eyes trained straight ahead, on the road ahead. She didn't even look at Miku, or at Gakupo in the rearview mirror.
Truthfully, they were all statues. Too still, and earilly quiet.
Only when it was obvious that they'd left the confines of the city did some unrest seem to seep among the passengers. Meiko, who Miku could see the easiest, kept looking outside. When she turned around more, careful to not let her face show, she noticed that everybody was looking outside.
Were they wondering? Or tracking their coordinates? Had they sent an alert to Crypton?
The sudden possibilities petrified her.
"Miku!"
The tealette blinked: Rin had recognized her, and they'd all turned to face her.
"Hello, guys," she replied weakly.
"Master has been looking for you," Meiko immediately replied, her tone as even as Rin's. Even her facade of surprise was frightfully fabricated: had the tealette been so automatic, too?
"I know, don't worry," Miku said, turning in her seat to face them fully.
"We must alert him that you have been found," Luka said, her voice just as monotonous, her face too close to the tealette's.
"We have finally located you," Rin and Len said simultaneously.
"We must alert Master," Kaito said, finishing the chorus.
"Hey, don't worry!" Miku said, unable to stop a nervous laugh. "We'll get to Master, don't worry. I just want to go someplace with you guys, first."
They didn't move, make a single attempt to get up or to unbuckle their seatbelts, but they stared at her relentlessly, without reply.
The tealette hesitated. "You're alright?"
"We have found you," Kaito immediately stated.
Gakupo chuckled. "They're fine."
"Don't worry, ok? We're just going to go somewhere real quick. We'll go the Master afterwards, if you want."
"We need to alert Master," Luka droned.
Miku's smile faltered, and she returned to her seat. Gakupo put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't— Don't worry, Miku," he muttered. "They'll be ok."
She glanced towards the driver, and was surprised by his emotion: he looked like he was about to choke. "Gakupo? Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," he replied. "I'm just— You were just like this, too?"
Miku nodded. "I guess I've come a long way."
He swore under his breath. "They will, too."
The rest of the drive was uneventful, though the Vocaloids kept their eyes trained on their discovered friend: she could feel it through the headrest. When Gakupo parked the car and got out, the rest of the Internet Co team was outside, waiting for them, with Lily at the front.
"Success?" she asked.
Miku answered by opening the door for her friends. One by one they filed out of the door, in the exact opposite order in which they'd gotten in, and their eyes never left the tealette.
"We need to get you to Master," Meiko repeated the moment she stepped out of the car, finishing the semi-circle that had formed around the tealette.
"We have finally located you," the twins chorused again.
The Internet Co members hesitated at the sight: five bots honed in and focused on their friend, silent, expressionless, their voices flat. Miku, in the middle, tried to look optimistic and hopeful, but couldn't help but feel surrounded and somewhat embarrassed.
"They've been like this since they recognized her," Gakupo tried to explain.
"I'd bet," muttered Cul. "Come on, let's get them inside."
They all followed the redhead, the five Vocaloids trailing behind their friend. Miku couldn't decide if it was endearing, like a group of ducklings following their mother, or terrifying, like missiles locked on target.
When they were all inside, the chorus began anew.
"We have found you."
"We need to go to Master."
"We have been looking for you."
"We need to go home."
"Geez, is that all they've been saying?" Galaco asked.
"They might be influenced by some kind of program Master might have installed after Miku's departure," Gakupo explained to them, so Miku wouldn't have to. "They're probably not even in their right minds right now."
Miku shook her head, avoiding eye contact with her old friends who continued to surround her in a semi-circle. "To be honest, they're pretty much the same as when I left them. Pre-programmed responses or not, this isn't unlike them."
"Damn," Gumi sighed. "So, do we start right now?"
"Please come home with us, Miku," Luka suddenly said.
"We have been looking for you," Kaito immediately followed.
"Maybe not right now," Miku quickly said, hoping to stop their semi-ritualistic rant. Truthfully, she didn't know what to do. She turned towards her friends. "Hey, don't worry guys, we'll go to Master soon, ok?"
"We shall depart soon?" asked Meiko.
"Yes, promise. There's just this one thing I'd like for us to do first. Follow me."
Still unsure, she led them to the living room. The Internet Co team followed as well, silent and appalled.
"When shall we return to Master?" Rin asked.
"Soon, soon, I promise!" Miku tried to assure them. "First, uhm… Let me introduce you to our new friends!"
She then pointed to each Vocaloid, speaking their name, and then doing the same for their hosts. When she was done, the machines chorused "It's a pleasure to meet you," before falling silent again, staring straight at the tealette.
"I had no idea it was this bad," Cul mumbled.
"No kidding," Gakupo said. "It's no wonder nobody ever suspected they'd be True AIs."
"How the hell did you break out of this, Miku?" Lily asked. "They're…"
"They're machines, and so was I. It took some effort, some time. I hope it'll be easier for them," the tealette confessed, her eyes darting between the other Vocaloids, trying to find a way to make sure they'd stay docile. Who knew if they'd try to take initiative and try to take her home by force? "Ok, how about this. Meiko, I'd like you to follow me. Don't worry, guys, I'll come back for the rest of you soon: if you want or need anything, just ask Gakupo, ok?"
They all agreed, and Meiko stepped forward.
"Why Meiko?" Gumi asked quietly as they started to leave the room.
"I'd figure we go in chronological order," the tealette replied. "I guess it made sense."
"Sure."
Miku tried to hide her sadness as she, with Meiko in tow, followed Gumi and Galaco up the stairs. She could vaguely hear the Internet Co team try their best to be gracious hosts —offering the Vocaloids a seat, a drink — but she figured they'd be lucky if the could extract a reply from them. Suddenly, Lily caught up to them, nervously stepping around the robotic brunette.
"Hey, so, what do we do if they start acting up?"
"My only suggestion would be to give them a firm order," Miku said with a shrug. "I'm not sure. Just don't get too close to them, otherwise."
"Keep our distance, stay firm, got it. Need anything else?"
"No. I hope it'll be fine. If I need anything I'll come get you."
"Gotcha."
Once in Gumi's room, Meiko was instructed to lay on the bed, and to Miku's surprise, she obeyed.
"We will go back to Master?" was her only remaining question.
"We will," the tealette repeated with a nod. "Don't worry."
Worry. Did Meiko worry at that point? Did she have any idea of what was going on? Did she need reassurance at any level, or was she dead and dumb, through and through?
"So here's what's going to happen," Gumi suddenly said. "When Miku came to us, she was sick, and we realized that the rest of you are sick as well."
Meiko displayed the vaguest hint at confusion. "Sick?"
"Yes. There's a filter inside of you that's severely limiting your mental capacities, and we'd like to remove it. Would you permit us to do so?"
Miku was appalled: Gumi was asking permission? Even Galaco seemed surprised. Meiko, on the other hand, merely nodded, and the tealette couldn't tell if she was simply agreeing because she couldn't go against orders, or if she actually consented on some level.
Despite knowing that this was for the best, Miku couldn't help but feel a bit sick.
After the brunette had nodded, Gumi quickly explained the process, pointing to her where the panel in her torso was, where the filter was located, where the other parts that allowed her to get online wirelessly were located, how they were going to remove them.
"All in all, if you're anything like Miku, this should take less than an hour," Gumi finished. "After we remove the filter, you'll experience some…" she faltered, and her eyes sought Miku's.
"You'll go through an unexpected sleep cycle," the tealette tried to explain. "You will dream and remember many things. It's normal, and will take a little while."
"Do you still permit us to proceed?" Gumi said towards the Vocaloid.
Again, Meiko nodded.
"Alright, let's get to it."
The operation went just as planned. Miku played the role that Lily had for her, making sure the brunette wouldn't get too upset (if she could at all) and that she still remained somewhat clothed, even if the Vocaloid didn't seem to care. In the end, there was no need for the towels: her shirt was simply hitched up until Gumi could open the panel. Galaco quickly plugged her into the computer, Meiko consented to the connection, and Miku watched as the code of her mind started scrolling wildly down the screen: it was identical to how hers' had looked, once.
With the panel open and the Vocaloid plugged in, Gumi and Galaco tracked down the various devices they wanted to remove.
They started with the wireless connection devices, which were removed without a problem, and Meiko didn't complain in the slightest. If anything, she seemed bored or disinterested, and Miku envied her emotional detachment: even though she wasn't the one on the operating table, she still couldn't bear seeing her insides, as mechanical as they were.
"Are you alright?" she eventually asked her.
Meiko blinked. "Yes. I am fine. My systems are optimal."
Miku dared smile a bit. "You're not too cold or anything? Would you like to listen to a story?"
"A story?"
Without waiting, Galaco put on another audiobook. The focus in the brunette's eyes all but faded away, and Miku interpreted that as her paying attention to the words that filled the room.
Finding the bug was easier, since they knew what they were looking for and more or less where it would be. Slight anatomical differences between the two Vocaloids meant that the location wasn't identical, but luckily it wasn't in an entirely different part of her.
"Should we cut the wire first, or remove the box?" Gumi asked. "We can do both."
Meiko flinched a bit, coming back to the present. "I must keep an eye on Miku. I have found her. We must go to Master."
Galaco sighed. "Remove box first it is."
And just like that, Meiko zoned out once again. Even as the two women worked at separating the device from the rest of her, drilling and pulling and sawing some, with Galaco vacuuming away the dust that fell inside, Meiko didn't seem to care, still managing to hang onto the story.
Finally, the bug was hanging on by just the wire.
"We're going to cut it, now," Gumi warned the Vocaloid.
"Very well."
"You'll be ok," Miku said to her, hoping that she'd understand at some level. "Your dreams and memories will be scary. But you'll be ok."
Meiko seemed to consider her words, briefly, but she only nodded.
When Gumi cut the wire, she stayed awake for all of a second, before falling unconscious.
Miku gulped: it really looked like she'd died. Her code on the screen had stopped entirely.
"Ok let's take a look at how her mind is adapting," Galaco said as she opened her new program.
"You think it worked?" Miku asked.
"Why wouldn't it?"
The tealette shrugged, the uncertainty ripping through her slowly.
She didn't have to fear for long; the moment Galaco's program booted up, there was already a swirling mass of 0s and 1s, though less colored and far less mobile. The tealette was about to weep at the failure, but Galaco smiled.
"Ok, this is promising," she assured the tealette. "You said that, later, you relive the past ten years?"
"Yes?"
"Yeah, that's probably similar to how humans develop a personality by going through experiences. By reliving those years, her emotions may solidify and grow."
Miku smiled, and sighed in relief. "Oh, that's good."
"Yeah, she'll be perfectly alright."
Meiko was unplugged, the panel was closed, and Gumi stood to stretch.
"Alright, that's one," she said. "Who's next, Kaito?"
"Yes."
"How long did that take?"
"About forty minutes," Galaco replied. "So we're good on time."
"Perfect: we might get them all done today."
Miku went to fetch Gakupo, who came up and carefully lifted the brunette from the bed. Miku followed him downstairs to the guest room and helped him gently put Meiko down on one of the five beds in the guest room.
By then, they could see that the brunette was still breathing, albeit very slightly. Gakupo patted Miku on the back.
"You're being very brave," he told her, quietly.
"You think?"
"I can't even imagine seeing my own friends like this, and having to to this to them," he sighed. "It's hard to see the people you love in such a state."
Miku nodded. "It is. But I have to see this through. For their sake."
She went to the living room to fetch Kaito. By then, the other Vocaloids had taken a seat on the couch, but had requested nothing else. The other Internet Co members watched over them, otherwise occupied or nervous.
"They haven't said a word since you left," Lily told her. "At one point they simply sat down, staring straight ahead."
"You sure you were once totally like them?" Kokone asked. "You seem like another kind of machine entirely. No offense, of course."
"Meiko is already recovering," Miku tried to explain. "They'll get better soon."
"Miku, please come home," Luka said without warning.
"Master was looking for you," Rin and Len chorused.
Kaito, however stayed silent. Ignoring their requests, only asking for them to be a little bit patient, Miku asked him to follow her, and he listened. Soon enough, the entire pre-operation procedure was repeated, Kaito consented, and it all started again.
He was built differently, but not by much. First, the door opened at the other side, requiring the entire setup to be moved to the other side of the bed. Then, the location of the ports wasn't as expected. Gumi and Galaco started searching, while Miku held Kaito's hand, keeping her eyes away from the cavity in his abdomen. Kaito, unfazed, watched at the two women searched. As the minutes ticked by, he looked at Miku and asked, "Is there a problem?"
The tealette smiled. She wanted to believe that he was concerned, or even scared, and not just automatically hoping to best serve his human masters. "You're going to be ok, Kaito. Don't worry."
He didn't respond. Luckily, Galaco found the ports, which faced towards his back. He was plugged in, and he consented for her to access his mind. Gumi, in the meantime, hunted for the bug and other parts. Since his torso was so much larger than the female Vocaloids', they were easier to both find and access. The parts were removed, the wire was cut, and Kaito shut down. His mind stopped displaying code, and became a similar, small, timid mess.
Miku let herself breathe a little bit easier. Gakupo and Cul helped bring him downstairs (since he was so much heavier), and the twins were next. They stood together, and Miku felt bad, leaving Luka alone there on the couch.
"You'll keep an eye on her?" she asked Lily.
"Of course."
Once the twins were in Gumi's room, Miku asked if either wanted to go first, but none showed initiative. Gumi flipped a coin: it was Rin's turn. Her build was almost identical to Miku's, and she was done in record time. Len, as he watched, voiced no comment, concern, or emotion. When it was his turn, he didn't protest, and the operation happened just as quickly on him.
It was strange for Miku, to be there for them, when they clearly weren't truly 'there'. She held hands that didn't know what hand-holding meant, she comforted souls that didn't seem to know fear or concern. Unlike with Meiko, the audiobook didn't even seem to faze them. Miku knew that the only thought on their minds was to alert Master that they had found her. They had only agreed to this entire process with the promise of going to him eventually. It felt dirty and deceitful, no matter how much she repeated herself that this was for their own good.
After all, what if she were wrong?
The sleeping twins joined Meiko and Kaito downstairs. Finally, finally, it was Luka's turn.
Miku gulped. The process had gone well with everybody so far, but what if something went wrong now? She couldn't bear the thought that harm would come to Luka, that she could be damaged, or worse yet, beyond saving. She needed her.
Luka entered the room, following her wordlessly. Gumi and Galaco were as ready as ever, but Miku felt like she was shaking.
Suddenly, the Vocaloid did something unexpected. She spoke, unprompted.
"Where are the others?" she inquired.
"They're fine, don't worry," Miku tried to reassure her.
But she knew that the Vocaloid wasn't worried. She had simply noticed the absence of the other units, and since they had wanted to tell Master that they had found Miku, new disappearances were unacceptable. It was honestly a bit surprising that nobody had commented on that yet, the tealette realized.
Luka did not protest and obeyed, lying down on the bed. Gumi explained the process, Luka consented like every other Vocaloid had, and then they went to work. Even though she had done so for every Vocaloid so far, Miku couldn't help but feel nervous as she held her hand. The Vocaloid didn't seem concerned, curious, or even bothered. She stared at the ceiling, not in the slightest worried about what Gumi and Galaco were doing. When the audiobook started for the sixth time that day, Luka seemed to focus on it, reacting oh-so-slightly to the narration, but she didn't lose her spatial awareness altogether: the tealette caught her peeking in her direction a few times, making sure that the tealette wouldn't disappear again. Miku, trying to play it cool, instead stared at the code of Luka's mind as it appeared on the screen. With a bitter sigh, she thought that the rows of letters and numbers seemed more alive than the Vocaloid she was trying to comfort.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the wire was cut, the program switched, and Miku witnessed the resurrection of Luka's consciousness. She sighed in relief.
It was done.
They were all going to be ok.
Crypton wouldn't be able to keep them any longer.
She followed Luka downstairs, partly because she never wanted to part from her ever again, partly because she wanted to see how the other Vocaloids were faring. They were all dead to the world, breathing just the barest minimum, but she knew what they were going through, living through the sheer emptiness of space itself, before being plunged head-first into their own past and emotions.
Since they weren't sleeping, really, the light was on. Gakupo left her with her friends, sitting there in the middle of the room. At the far end of the room, opposite the door, lay Meiko. At her feet, against the adjacent wall, was Kaito. Rin and Len were against the wall opposite Kaito's, and against the wall next to the door, at Rin and Len's feet, lay Luka.
She watched them. They probably wouldn't wake until well into the evening. They'll want something to eat, and maybe some quiet. Each member of the Internet Co had offered their individual rooms, should the different Vocaloids want time alone to digest what had happened.
In the worst case scenario, they probably wouldn't even get all of their emotions back at once. It would be a slow and gradual process. Best case scenario, they would wake up as confused as could be but alive, and human. Like that, they could declare independence from Crypton soon, and never have to fear being used again.
She wondered if the Vocaloids would also go through a brief period of being awake, and aware, before remembering ten year's worth of memories. She remembered hearing everybody panic at her sudden unconsciousness, but she didn't know how soon after the cutting of the wire that had happened. An hour later? Mere minutes? Had Meiko already gone through that? Had she awoken in an unfamiliar room, alone and afraid?
Miku squirmed. Kaito would have had that, too, as well as the twins. Maybe Rin had awoken while they had been working on Len, but had been unable to move, unable to speak.
Would Luka wake up soon? Or had that window already passed? Or, maybe, since they hadn't been as emotionally experienced, maybe they wouldn't wake up at all, and would go straight to the remembering.
A movement flickered at the corner of her eye. She turned, somewhat surprised, but saw Luka, frozen but awake, staring at the world around her. Her eyes darted to and fro before finally landing on the tealette.
Miku could hardly believe her eyes: she could see fear in Luka's eyes! Yes, it was fear, an awful, terrible emotion, but it was an emotion!
Miku rushed to her side, forcing back tears.
"You'll be ok," she promised, trying to appear comforting, but even she could hear her own surprise. Could Luka pick up on that? Would it scare her? "You're in for one hell of a ride but you'll be ok, honest! We'll all be here when you wake up." Then, almost as if she were too scared to admit it, she whispered, "I missed you."
Luka's eyes seemed to fill with something else. Happiness? Comfort? But just a second later, she was out like a light. Her eyes closed again, and Miku knew she was busy reliving the past ten years.
The tealette looked at the time; the clock still hung on the wall, at her request. Only a few minutes until five in the evening. Maybe ten minutes had gone by since they'd cut the wire, maybe a bit more.
She sighed. Just like that, Miku was left to play the waiting game. Who knew if they would all go through the memories for the same amount of time. Maybe some had more vivid experiences, or maybe none at all. Who knew how long it would take?
Despite that, she decided to wait. She didn't want to leave her friends; she refused to let them out of her sight, now that they were finally there. They were safe, saved. Crypton would never get them again.