Episode 16: Confessions

"Return complete," the computerized voice announced. Once the door opened to the F.B.S., I dashed out as quickly as I could to meet up with Gumi and Luka. They were both sitting in front of the main computer, but Luka was holding a wet towel over Gumi's head.

"Gumi," I said, "are you okay?"

Gumi didn't speak. Like Miku, her eyes were closed, and she had passed out.

"Barely," Luka said. "She messed herself up pretty bad trying to get Miku out. The fact she was still awake even after Miku's recovery is incredible to me."

"She sounded fine earlier," I said. "What the hell did she do?"

"Plugged herself into the main computer," Luka said, and pointed to a set of cables that lay on the ground. I walked over and picked them up. They were still warm, and the coating on the outside had melted a little.

"Jesus, Gumi," I said, "is she okay?"

"She'll be fine," Luka said, as Meiko left the scanner's chamber.

I stood up, and looked at Meiko.

"Look," Luka said, "I need to take Gumi to the repair bay. She needs to cool off. Could you two take Miku back to her quarters?"

"Sure thing," I said, excitedly.

"Okay," Luka said, "she's being put through now. I wanted you two to be back first before I had her come back."

"We'll be right here," I said, "just send her to us."

Luka punched in a command on the computer console, and the return process started. I could hear the loud whirring immediately.

Huh, I thought, so that's what it sounds like.

Shortly after, the spinning slowed down, the locks on the scanner room disengaged, and the door slid open. Inside, Miku was slumped on the floor. Lucky us, we could get her through even while she was sleeping.

Meiko and I walked in, and picked her up by her arms. Looking at her face, Miku looked almost like she was smiling.

"Come on," Meiko said, "let's get her back to her room."

"Oh, Meiko," Luka said, "I left a change of clothes on Miku's bed. Could you, maybe, get her changed? I think she'd be happier sleeping in her P.J.'s."

Meiko nodded.

"Yeah…" Gumi said, faintly, "orange is not a good color for her."

All three of us looked at Gumi.

"Oh, jeez," I said, "I'm glad you're awake, Gumi. I wanted to say thanks."

"Save it," Gumi said, exhausted and dreary. "I'm too tired for your compliments. You can thank me by buying me a gallon of carrot juice."

"Carrot juice it is," I said. "Thanks Gumi. Hope you feel better."

Luka picked Gumi out of the chair, "I'll let you guys take Miku to her room."

"Thank you, Luka," I said, "you also did great today."

Luka nodded, smiled, and scurried off with Gumi in tow down to the repair bay.

We walked into the elevator, and took it down to the crew quarters.

"You think she'll be alright?" I asked.

"I dunno," Meiko said, "but you couldn't kill Gumi if you tried. What did she even do?"

"Plugged herself into the computer." I said.

Meiko gave me a bewildered look.

"I know," I said. "I bet Luka has a lot to say to her about it."

"Probably a whole lecture saved up. Not the first time it's happened."

"Jeez, Gumi," I said, "you're crazy."

"She is," Meiko said, "she really is."

Once the elevator stopped, and the door opened, we walked over to Miku's room, and opened it. On her bed sat the stuffed bunny, and a folded set of freshly washed pink P.J.'s., as well as a new set of sheets.

Meiko and I sat her on the bed.

"I'm going to need you to step out," Meiko said.

"Right," I said, "I know the drill."

"Don't worry," she said, "you can see her after she's changed."

I stepped out, and shut the door behind me. Before long, Meiko opened the door, and left Miku to lie down. I stepped inside.

"She looks cozy," I said.

"Luka wanted her to wear something nicer," Meiko said. "For once, I agree with her."

I walked over by the bed, and noticed the stuffed bunny wasn't with her. It had gotten knocked on the floor.

Hey, I thought to myself, she's finally back. Go on, here, tell her you missed her.

I snuck the plush toy onto Miku's arms, and almost as if she was still awake, she put her arms around it. It was almost heartwarming to see her grab on to it so quickly and take it into her care.

"I think she's going to sleep soundly tonight," I said.

"Well," Meiko said, "you're welcome to spend the night again until she's back up."

I thought about it for a second. David would still be on his trip, and it was nice for me to take an extra day in this place. Especially if Miku was back. I almost didn't want to leave her side.

"I think I'll stay here," I said. "I'm too tired to think of going anywhere else."

"Good to hear," Meiko said. "Let me know if you get hungry, though. We should at least celebrate our victory."

I went back to the locker room, and changed out of my jumpsuit. The outer armor took most of the damage, but there were still some scratches in the suit. I looked at my torso, and saw small cuts all over my chest.

"Geez," I said to myself, "I'm lucky I survived all of that."

I changed back into my normal clothes. Slipping my t-shirt and pants back on, and then my jacket, I grabbed my bag and left the changing room. Meiko was standing outside of it, her arms crossed.

"We have another room you can sleep in," she said. "I'll take you there, but I want to check on Luka and Gumi first. That sound good?"

I nodded and followed behind her down into the repair bay. I hadn't seen the repair bay before until now. Gumi was stationed on a table. Luka sat in front of a terminal, her eyes glued to it, even as we entered.

"Hey," Meiko said, "figured we'd come in, check on her before we left."

"Oh, Meiko," Luka said. "Gumi is fine, I'm just running a diagnostic check."

"Fine, how?" Meiko asked. "Your face is telling me different."

"I'm running a full diagnostic," Luka said, "so it's going to be a few hours until I know whether or not she took any lasting damage."

"Ah," Meiko said, "and by then you think she'll be back on her feet?"

"Sure," Luka said, "if she didn't damage her core systems, that is."

I looked over at Gumi, who had about three cables in the back of neck. Her eyes were closed, and she looked like she was sleeping soundly.

"And, well, the other thing is Miku," Luka said. "Gumi wants to look her over when they're both awake. We wanted to get that out of the way now, but seeing as how things are, that might have to wait until tomorrow."

"Why does Gumi want to look over Miku?" I asked.

"Gumi wants to make absolutely sure Miku isn't loaded with tracking devices. She'll be fine down here, considering no signals can get out of this place, but the moment she steps outside, Duodecim will ping her location."

"You think so?"

"Well, no," Luka said, "but those are Gumi's words, not mine. She wants to be completely sure before we let her do anything."

I nodded.

"I wish I had thought of that," I said, "knowing me, I'd want to take her outside almost immediately."

"Well," Meiko said, "it's a good thing Gumi is here to think these things, then."

Luckily, I thought, I'm really glad this team has Gumi to support it. I have no idea where we'd be without her.

"If nothing else, then," Meiko said, "I'll leave you alone."

"I can take it from here, thanks Meiko," Luka said.

"Not a problem. I'm going to take Griff to get settled for the night."

"Will that be okay?" Luka asked.

Meiko looked over at me.

"David won't be back for about a week," I said. "I think I'll be okay to stick around for another night."

"Well, okay," Luka said, "so long as it doesn't cause suspicion for us."

"I'll be back home before he even notices I left."

Luka nodded, and Meiko and I left for the sleeping quarters.

We came back to the sleeping quarters. My room was stationed towards the end of the hall, a couple of doors up from Miku's room and across from Meiko's. I assumed the two in the middle were Gumi and Luka's.

Meiko opened the door, and walked me inside.

"Isn't all that different from Miku's room, but you're welcome to decorate if you ever find the time," Meiko said.

"Ha," I chuckled, "you think I'll be living here?"

"If worse comes to worse, we've got a place for you to sleep."

I didn't consider the possibility of living here, but Meiko made a good point. Having a place to sleep if things got messy, I'd probably need it.

Looking down the hall, we only occupied a good fourth of the sleeping quarters.

"Hey," I said before stepping into the quarters, "you ever think about who used to run this place?"

"I'm more wondering how Gumi and Luka found it," Meiko said.

"It just seems like someone built this place, and it seems to have a lot of money put into it. You'd think they'd try to keep it running themselves."

"Think of it this way, they have an entire virtual world at their disposal," Meiko said. "They probably have a new base out there."

"You think they're still around?" I asked.

"Probably. Maybe they're watching us, even. I can't say for sure. You're right, though, it does seem odd that they would abandon such a place.

"Your theory makes the most sense," I said. "Maybe they got up and left. It was probably safer."

Meiko shrugged.

"It's not important. This base is ours now. We're using it against Duodecim. So long as they don't know about it, I say we're lucky."

"We are," I said, "I'm happy I met you, Meiko."

"Don't get sappy on me, Griff," Meiko said, "save it for your girl."

I blushed, and felt a little flustered.

"Think I'll turn myself in," Meiko said, "see you in a few hours."

She opened her door, and retired to her room.

I went into my room after. I pulled out my phone charger and plugged it into an outlet, and plugged my phone in.

The clock read 11:16 A.M. We had started our operation at around 3 A.M. Once I laid down on the bed, I fell asleep shortly after.

I woke up, hours later. My phone now read "6:19 P.M." I slept a whole 7 hours. Without hesitation, I pulled myself up. I felt plenty rested now.

I stepped out of my room, and checked to see if Meiko was up. Her door was shut, so I knocked.

"Hey, Meiko?" I asked, knocking. "You up?"

No reply.

"Well, okay," I said, "maybe you're already up."

I walked down to Miku's dorm, and was about to knock on it.

"I don't think so," Meiko said, appearing almost out of nowhere. I jumped.

"Jesus, warn a guy when you're gonna sneak up on him!" I exclaimed.

Meiko rolled her eyes.

"Miku's still dead asleep. I checked already."

"You did?" I asked.

"Yeah. Girl's probably had it worse than both of us. Let her rest."

I sighed, almost sounding a little frustrated. It wasn't fair to Miku to expect her to be out and about already, but I did want to see her again.

"I know how you feel," Meiko said, "believe me. But you'll be here tomorrow, and she'll be able to see you then."

"Yeah," I said, "I know that part. Maybe I'm being a little selfish, wanting to see her again."

"It's okay to be selfish, especially for something like this. I bet you anything she'd love nothing more than to see you and talk to you about whatever it was you were talking about before she disappeared."

I laughed a little, and then my stomach growled.

"And right now," Meiko said, almost as if she was ready to lead into the subject, "I think it's time we get a celebratory meal. You haven't eaten since last night, have you?"

"No," I said, "but I guess, neither have you?"

"I snacked a little in my room before I conked out. I could go for something good right now."

Meiko called the elevator down, and we both stepped inside once it arrived.

"What sounds good tonight?"

"I don't know," I said. "I could honestly eat anything."

"Then we're getting something greasy. I feel like having a burger right now."

"Burgers it is," I nodded, a smile on my face.

We exited the elevator, and I heard Gumi and Luka chatting over in the Operating Room.

"Oh," I said, poking my head in, "someone sounds lively."

"Oh, hey Griff," Gumi said, her eyes focused on her computer.

"You feeling okay?" I asked.

"Pretty alright. Trying to review some stuff before I have to go and do some 'surgery' myself."

Meiko stepped in behind me.

"You intend on doing that tonight?"

"Probably not. I'm too tired and the last thing I want to do is handle any tools while I'm still sleepy."

Luka rolled her eyes. "I advised her not to. She wants to get it done as soon as possible, but I made it abundantly clear that Miku doesn't need to be put under that kind of stress herself."

"Geez, Luka," Gumi said, "you make it sound like I was trying to experiment on her."

"I'm just concerned about her, is all. You said it yourself that the only way any tracking devices are going to be offlined for good are through electric shocks."

I stared at Gumi, my eyes wide.

"Look," Gumi said, "that's only if there's any inside her. I just don't want to run the risk of letting her be the reason this base gets found out."

"If?" I asked. "And how are you going to find out?"

"Diagnostic tests," Gumi said. "The great part is we have an X-ray system here that can see pretty deep inside of us. I theorize it's for finding mechanical failures inside of equipment-."

Meiko cut her off. "We were going to head out and get some food. I'd rather not wait any longer, either. Can we get going, Griff?"

"Sure," I said, "and Luka is right, Gumi. I'd feel safer if you were more awake to operate on Miku."

"Fiiiiiine," Gumi said, "I'll keep away from her until tomorrow."

"Thanks," I said, "anyways, we're stepping out for dinner."

"Don't get caught out there," Luka quipped, "we don't want to have to deal with another rescue."

"We'll be fine," Meiko said, "Griff's a professional escape driver now."

I rolled my eyes, and we both left the facility.

Meiko drove us to a different restaurant. A little pricier, and more of a sit-down type establishment. A number of people were sitting down inside. Families, couples, and groups of friends all sat inside.

The place was called "The Miner's Pit," and seemed to feature its own bar, but it had seating elsewhere.

"Interesting choice," I commented. "Any particular reason you chose this?"

"The beer is good," Meiko said, "and cheap."

I looked over at her as she set the car into a parking spot.

"What?" Meiko asked. "I have an I.D."

"Is it real?"

"They don't need to know if it is or not. So long as it looks real, who's going to care?"

"I care," I said. "What if they find out it is fake?"

"You worry too much. I've done this plenty. Besides, it's not exactly easy for me to have a legitimate I.D."

Well, I thought, Meiko does look to be over 21. I guess I can't get mad when she's trying to cover her identity.

We both got out of her car, and she locked it. We went inside.

Once we got inside, a host greeted us, and we were led to a table. Our table was a two-person booth, sitting by a couple of decorative barrels with "T.N.T." written on them. The place had a wild west vibe to it.

"You eaten here before?" I asked.

"Once," Meiko said. "I wanted to sit down and eat somewhere before I headed home one night. It's pretty good, nice atmosphere."

About a minute later, a waiter came up and asked us if we were ready to order drinks.

"I'll take a soda," I said.

"Okay," he said, "and you, miss?"

"Think I'll take the beer on tap. The twenty-two ounce."

Meiko pulled her I.D. out, and the waiter looked it over.

"Gotcha," he said. "I'll be back with those."

Meiko shot me a look after he left.

"Told ya," she said. "I do that all the time."

"I get it," I said. "I figured you'd have to do something like that when you're trying to lay low."

"It's not easy," Meiko said. "I would rather we didn't have to lie to people."

"I guess I understand," I said, empathically.

Once the waiter came back, we ordered our food and chatted.

"There was something else I wanted to ask," Meiko said.

"Shoot," I said, drinking my soda immediately.

"Do you think you'll still be sticking around after all of this?"

I looked at her, confused.

"I mean, you got what you came for. Miku's back with us."

"Why are you asking this?"

"I'm just wondering, is all. Do you have any other reason to stick around?"

Was this even a question? Of course I had a reason to stick around. Just because Miku was rescued didn't mean she was safe. None of them were. It was a huge risk to be out in the open to begin with. So why was Meiko asking me this? It seemed like such a silly thing to ask in the first place.

"Of course I've got a reason to stick around, Meiko. I've seen Other-Earth, I know what's going on there. I can't sit by and let all of that happen. Why would I walk away from that?"

Meiko just looked kind of sad at my response. Not sad like she was disappointed with my answer, but sad about something else. Her gaze had focused elsewhere.

"Why the question, Meiko?" I asked.

She didn't answer.

"I won't pry," I said, "but there's something else, isn't there?"

"There is," she said. "Maybe you should know."

Before she got into it, the cheeseburgers we'd ordered had arrived. I started eating immediately.

"I'll save it," she said. "We're celebrating."

We both dug into our meals, and enjoyed ourselves.

Once we had finished, Meiko paid the bill in cash, and left a generous tip for the waiter.

We got back in Meiko's car, and headed home.

"So," I said, "what were you going to tell me?"

"I don't know if I want to get into it," Meiko said, "but I used to have someone before I met Gumi and Luka."

"A friend?" I asked.

"Something like that..." She said, her voice trailing.

"And what happened to them?"

"He didn't make it," she said.

"I'm sorry," I said, "were you close?"

"Yeah," Meiko said, a nostalgic smile on her face.

"Is that why you asked me that?"

"Yeah," she said, "I think finding him is the only reason I'm still fighting right now. I wondered if that was your reason, too. I guess I was wrong."

"Meiko," I said, "was he like you?"

Meiko smiled wistfully. "Nah, he's a really nice guy, so we're pretty different. Although he was an android like the rest of us if that's what you mean," she added.

"Is that why you wanted to help me?"

"Partially," she said. "The other part was that Miku was vital to our operation, and having you as an extra hand in our team proved to be the right choice for us."

"And your question about me sticking around, was that because you think you'll leave if you get that someone back?"

"Maybe," she said. "I used to think that's all I wanted. I'm not so sure, now."

"Then, one last question, and we can drop the subject." I said.

"Shoot," Meiko replied.

"Is saving your friend the thing you want my help with in return for you helping me get Miku back?"

Meiko thought about that for a second.

"Guess it's not hard to figure out," she said.

"I'll be ready to help you when the time comes."

Meiko smiled, and kept driving. She looked over at her dashboard and noticed something.

"Gotta make a pit stop," she said, "there's a gas station not too far from us. You okay with that?"

"If it means we get to hang out a little longer, I'm fine with that."

Meiko pulled into the station, and stopped at a pump at the end. It was night out, and no other vehicles were nearby. I got out of the car with her.

"Looks like they only take money inside," Meiko said. "Do you want to come inside or wait out here?"

"I wouldn't mind going inside. Less boring that way."

Meiko and I walked over inside of the station. It was empty, too, save for the attendant that was standing over at the register. He gave a friendly nod as we walked in.

As we both walked over to the attendant, I looked over some of the displays and glossed over some of the snacks. I wasn't too hungry after our big dinner, but I did notice something that caught my eye.

Sitting in the refrigerator was a brand of Bamboo Railroad vegetable juice.

"Hey, Meiko," I said, "I saw something I wanna get. Are you okay with that?"

"Sure," she said, "just don't bankrupt me."

I went over and grabbed two, and rang them up at the counter. Meiko raised an eyebrow."Vegetable juice?"

"Felt like I wanted some," I said, "and I like this brand."

"Well, alright," Meiko said.

After she paid, we left and she got her car's tank filled. We headed straight home after that.

When he had arrived back at the base, Gumi and Luka were no longer at the Operating Room's command center. We assumed the two of them had gone to bed.

"Feeling tired?" Meiko asked.

"I know I slept most of today, but it might be a good idea to lie down. I'm more excited than anything."

"Of course you are," Meiko said, "she'll be ready to see you soon enough."

We both went to our rooms. I changed into my sleeping clothes, and shortly after I laid down. I nodded off.

It was around 5 A.M. when Miku was awakened by Gumi.

"Miku? Miku, are you awake?" Gumi asked through the door, slightly tapping against the metal entrance.

"I'm awake now," she answered. "What time is it?"

"It's 5:06 A.M., October 1st." Gumi answered.

"And, where am I?" Miku asked.

"Inside of a secret base. Would you let me inside of your room so we can talk?"

Miku stood up, placing the stuffed bunny toy on her bed, and opened the door. Gumi sat in front of her, dressed in a lab coat and jeans.

"You've had plenty of rest, I'd imagine?" Gumi said.

"I think so. I feel like I've slept a whole day..."

"That's because you have. You might be suffering from energy loss after we pulled you from the scanner."

Miku sat back on her bed. Gumi turned on her lights and observed her.

"Your body didn't seem to suffer any damage externally. You look okay, though your hair could probably use some brushing."

"Thanks," Miku said, sarcastically. "I didn't get your name."

"I'm Gumi, Gumi Megpoid. Do you remember anything from yesterday?"

"Kind of," she said, "I remember being told to jump into a giant scanner, and I woke up on the other side, with someone I know waiting for me. It felt like I was dreaming, but I wasn't dreaming, was I?"

"No," Gumi said, "in fact, that's pretty much what happened. Meiko and Griff both pulled you from the facility and led you back here-."

"Griff?!" Miku exclaimed excitedly. "You mean that wasn't a dream? He's here?!"

"Shhhh," Gumi said, "everyone's still asleep."

Miku covered her mouth.

"Sorry," she said, blushing.

"One last thing," Gumi said, "when you were in captivity, did they implant trackers into you? Do you remember?"

"No," Miku said, "but I can't be sure. It's more than likely they planted them in me. Is there something wrong? Are they after us?"

"No," Gumi said, "but I'll need to run a check into your systems. If you'll follow me into the repair bay, we can get this started."

Miku nodded, and followed behind Gumi. They walked into the elevator and arrived at the repair bay.

"Is there anything you'll need me to do?" Miku asked.

"Just lie down on the table here."

Miku looked over at the ceiling above, and climbed on to the table.

"So, what is this?" Miku asked, looking up at a lens above her.

"It's an X-ray system," Gumi explained. "It'll let me see inside of your internals. I want to make sure that if there are any trackers on you, I want to remove them before you step foot outside."

"Okay..." Miku said. "Will this hurt?"

"Probably," Gumi said, "sorry in advance. It all depends on if you have any inside you. Try to hold still, I'm going to have the X-ray scan you now."

Miku held still, and a beam deployed from the lens, following along her body. It started at the top of the table and moved slowly across her.

Miku's eyes shifted to Gumi, who was looking over a terminal that sat next to the table.

"Scan's complete. I'm going to have to see if anything pops up."

Gumi walked over to Miku, and placed her hands beneath the back of her neck.

"Wh-what are you doing?" Miku asked.

"It's alright, I'm just going to plug you into our system and run a diagnostic check. Just breathe, okay?"

"Sorry," Miku said, "it's been a while since anyone wearing a labcoat was ever nice to me."

"Oh, this?" Gumi said. "I just put this on to feel cool. I'm not actually a scientist."

Gumi walked back over to the control terminal and monitored it.

"You seem to know what you're doing," Miku commented.

"I do," Gumi said, "now it's going to be a little while before the diagnostic check finishes. We're going to be here for a little while, so I think this is the perfect time to answer questions you might have."

"Well," Miku started, "I guess I'm wondering how Griff managed to run into all of you."

"You'd be shocked at how easy he was to track," Gumi said. "A couple names here and there popped up in a hospital directory, and before we knew it, we had a trail."

"You tracked him from a hospital?" Miku asked.

"Well, sort of. He was attending some group therapy session. Meiko was the one who did all the talking to him."

"Was Meiko the girl who was with him when you rescued me?"

"Yep. She's our toughest member. Trained Griff how to fend for himself."

"Really?" Miku asked.

"Yeah, I was shocked, too. Griff's become good at holding his own. He was really determined to get you back."

Miku was glad to hear that. "Has he been in danger?" she asked.

"Danger? Sure, plenty," Gumi said, "but he's fought off his fair share of bad guys. Gunned down a couple of Duodecim drones. Even climbed a satellite when no one else could."

That sounded incredible, but also very concerning to Miku. The idea of Griff doing anything dangerous troubled her.

"Griff's a good person," Gumi said. "I can see why you two are friends. He wanted nothing more than to see you return home safely. And he did everything he could to bring you back."

"That's really good to know," Miku said. "I feel bad sleeping so much. I wanted to see him, too."

"Well, you'll get that chance when we're done here."

Gumi parsed through the ongoing diagnostic data at the terminal, and checked on the X-ray results. She squinted.

"Okay," Gumi said, "it looks like there's parts sitting in you that are broadcasting something. Or, trying to. Down here, nothing gets out, but if you step foot outside, they'll be on us so fast it'll make your head spin."

"So, how do we get them out of me?"

"Shock treatment," Gumi said.

Miku groaned. She didn't like the sound of that.

"Don't worry, I've managed to isolate the signals they're trying to broadcast from. Your X-ray is pinpointing where they are exactly. It'll sting, but once it's over, you'll just need to lie back and let the diagnostic finish. Sounds good?"

Miku took in a deep breath, and gave a nod in approval.

"Okay, then I'll get started."

Gumi grabbed the device and pointed it right at Miku's leg.

"There's about three of them," Gumi said, rolling up Miku's left pant leg, "I'm about to do it."

Miku braced for it, and the shock was delivered into her leg. She grit her teeth, her fists clenched, and tears welled up in her eyes. The shock felt like she had just been shot in the leg at point blank range, ripping right through it, almost.

Gumi checked over the terminal.

"That did it," she said, "that tracker is out. Two more to go."

Miku laid back, the shock had caused her vision to blur. She saw double, and the color in her vision was gone, but it all returned within a moment.

"We're going to be at this for a while, sorry," Gumi said apologetically.

Miku laid back, and closed her eyes.

The second shock Gumi delivered hurt even more. Miku's arm seared, and her eyes watered like she was on fire. She held back from screaming, and even more, held back from screaming at Gumi.

"One more," Gumi said, rather reluctantly, "and this one isn't going to be pleasant…"

Miku groaned, not liking the sound of it one bit.

"The last one is, uh, it's in your chest."

Gumi lowered Miku's shirt, and centered the tool right at her chest.

"They tried to plant the tracker in your core," Gumi remarked, "but they didn't get it to attach entirely. Luckily, too, otherwise I'd need to resort to something else."

"What do you mean?" Miku asked.

"If they attached a tracker to your core, these shocks could permanently damage it, potentially."

"But they didn't?"

"I guess not," Gumi said. "Now hold still, I promise this will be it."

Miku looked up, and as the device heated up, as the shock delivered, and Miku felt the pain again one last time, her vision jittering.

"Okay," Gumi said, "you good?"

Miku looked at Gumi, with tears coming down her face.

"Sorry," Gumi said, "I really am."

"I know," Miku said, pained.

Gumi put her arm on Miku's shoulder, and rubbed it.

"It's okay," Gumi said, "you can lie back and rest now. The diagnostic should be finished by about 10 A.M. You can sleep if you want."

Miku closed her eyes and lay back. The pain dissipated, but now memories of being back in Duodecim's science wing were coming back to her.

She remembered, even before her first escape, Miku would undergo maintenance with various science personnel in Duodecim. All of them, every single time, had the same look in their eyes. They all judged her, seeing her as nothing more than a machine, and even in some cases, she thought, as a weapon. The facility staff hid under medical masks, with their cold stares looking inside of her internal mechanisms.

She hated it. Detested it even. And she laid back thinking about how, for once, she was back home, and had met people who didn't seem to see her that way. People like her, even, who could relate to her situation.

Then she thought even more about it, and realized that even without these people, there was still someone who understood her without having to be like her.

Griff, she thought, how nice it would have been to keep the act up with you.

She knew she couldn't lie anymore, especially to him.

Pretty soon, Miku thought, we're going to have that talk, aren't we?

She sighed, and looked over at Gumi, who was fiddling with the terminal.

"Anything wrong?" Miku asked.

"No, not really," Gumi replied, "I just thought I'd let the diagnostic automatically run. I might go and check the Operating Room and see if anything is going on in the outside world."

"Operating… Room?" Miku asked, puzzled.

"We operate from there. It's like our central command center in one room, so, Operating Room!"

"Clever," Miku said, "sounds kind of cool."

"I'd like to think so," Gumi said. "Anyways, when your diagnostic is finished, the cables will automatically disconnect. Feel free to step outside and get some fresh air."

"Will do," Miku said, and Gumi stepped out.

I woke up around 10:30 A.M. and felt like I had plenty of rest for once. I got up, threw on my clothes, and headed for the Operating Room. Before hopping into the elevator, though, I decided to see if Miku was up yet. I knocked on her door.

No answer.

I wonder if she's awake already, I thought. She's been asleep for so long, she'd have to wake up soon, right?

I walked into the elevator and took myself up to the Operating Room.

Inside, Gumi was sitting by her computer and watching something. Luka was reading a book. Meiko and Miku weren't around.

"Oh, good morning, mister cyberterrorist," Gumi remarked with a wry smile.

"Mister… Cyberterrorist?" I asked.

"Oh, you didn't see the news, did you? Looks like you made front page headlines."

"Wait, we made the news?" I said, running over to see her screen.

"Yeah," Gumi said, "take a look!"

She had pulled up a headline on her computer that read: "Cyberterrorists Steal Experimental Prototype."

"Jeez," I said, "they must be pissed."

"They are," Gumi said, "looks like Agent Kallen was on a news broadcast this morning discussing it."

"Kallen," I murmured, "puts a gun against my chest while I'm asleep and now he's got his bosses breathing down his neck for damage control."

"I've been watching the story," Gumi said. "It's nice when people admire your handiwork once in a while."

"Well," I said, "you earned it."

"Oh, but watch this."

Gumi pulled up an interview that played out a little over two hours ago.

"So, Mister Kallen," the news anchor asked, "you're saying the weapon is a prototype, but it's not fully active?"

"Yes," Kallen replied, "the weapon won't be able to be used whatsoever, so I assure all people watching that there is nothing to worry about. We're in full control of the situation. The prototype is loaded with tracking software and will soon be recovered."

Kallen looked genuinely stressed out. He looked like there were bags under his eyes, and his hair looked messy, even if it was properly matted down. If I wasn't angry every time I looked at him, I'd almost feel bad for the guy. Almost.

I looked over at Gumi, who had a smug smile across her face.

"Something tells me that's B.S.," I said.

"Oh, it is," Gumi said, "I shut down Miku's trackers this morning. There's no way they'll be able to find her now."
"Any idea where she is now?" I asked.

"She went outside through our usual entrance. Said she wanted to get some of the morning air."

"Alright," I said, "I'm going to go talk with her."

"Have fun," Gumi said, giggling.

I entered the elevator, and went up. Once I was outside, I felt my heart starting to race.

Easy now, I said to myself, we're just going up to talk to her. We're just going up to talk to a girl. A girl we haven't gotten to talk to in a while. A girl we're… Also madly in love with. We got this, Griff. We got this.

I climbed the ladder out of the abandoned power station, and saw her standing next to a tree. Her left arm had her palm resting against it. She was wearing a black jacket, and jeans.

The morning air left a cool breeze in the air. The wind soared by, rustling against the trees.

"Hey," I said, "I heard you were out here, and I thought I'd come by, it's nice to see you're finally awake."

She turned around, and wore a rather relaxed smile.

"I didn't think I'd ever see myself standing out here," Miku said. "I think I'm still taking all of this in."
"Yeah," I said, "it's hard to believe we'd even gotten to this point. I never thought I'd see you again."
"I was almost ready to give up."

"I'm glad you didn't," I said. "I don't think I'd have been able to accept that you went missing, so of course I dove in after you."

"You've certainly grown in the time I've been gone, Griff," Miku said.

"Have I?" I asked. "I certainly don't feel like I have."

"I don't know," Miku said, cocking her head, and observing me from head to toe,"it's something in your posture. You seem more confident in yourself lately."

I laughed, and so did she.

"You seem different, too," I said. "I guess I'm missing the bright and cheery Miku."

"I know," Miku said, looking away in the distance, "and I guess I should come clean."

"It's okay, Miku. I've found out everything."

"So you have," she said. "You've gone from knowing a normal girl to a girl that isn't actually normal at all."
"Frankly," I said. "I kind of like knowing the truth about you."

"But aren't you angry? Aren't you the least bit upset with me that I lied to you?"

"Why would I be?" I asked, confused.

"What?" Shocked, she stared at me.

"I'm not angry," I said. "In fact, I've been wanting to say 'thanks.'"

"Thanks?"

"Without you, I wouldn't be able to do what I've been doing. I wouldn't have made friends with the people here, or find out about a world that exists beyond our own, and I wouldn't be able to see so many great places. You have no idea how amazing it was to finally find something and tell myself 'I have a purpose. I'm finally doing something, and I don't feel aimless anymore.'"

"But, aren't you scared?" Miku asked.

"Sure," I said, "we're going up against something so much bigger than us that it's hard to think we'll make a difference, but we got you back, and that's helped me realize we're doing something right."

"But, what if you get injured?"

"It's a risk I'm willing to take."

"But I don't want you to take that risk! I can't stand the idea of someone I love getting hurt!"

I froze, and stared at her. Miku's mouth was agape, realizing what she had just said.

"Wait," I said, "y-you, love me?"

Miku's face turned bright red in embarrassment.

"No, I mean, yes, but, that's not what I mean- Argh!"

She was beyond flustered, and almost looked like she was about to hide away in the woods to get away from this situation.

"No," I said, "it's alright. I've been wanting to say the same thing to you."

She didn't respond.

"Miku," I said, my heart racing, "I'm in love with you. Ever since we've met, I think. I always kept thinking about how much of a good friend you were, and I had only wished I could have told you sooner."

I stepped closer to her, closing the gap between us.

"I wanted you to know for the longest time," she said, looking up at me.

"I guess I could understand why you didn't," I said, "but we don't have to hide that anymore."

"We don't, do we?"

"We don't."

She wrapped her arms around me, and pulled her face close to me. Our lips touched, and I felt her breath as we kissed. This felt like a dream, almost too good to be true.

When we pulled apart, I looked into her eyes, and told her, "I love you."

She smiled.

"I don't think I've ever felt this happy before," she said, "but it feels wonderful to finally admit how I feel."

"I feel the same way," I said. "I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if I missed the chance to tell you."

She pulled away from our hug.

"So," I said, "are we a couple?"

"Oh, silly," she said, "do you even need to ask?"

"Just thought I'd make sure, I'm getting some mixed messages."

We both laughed and enjoyed the morning air together, letting the wind blow against us.

"Come on," Miku said. "I think we should go back inside."

I nodded, and followed behind her.

Love, I thought, so this is what it feels like.

I felt like it had been hours, but it was only a few minutes. I hadn't ever felt this happy before, but now, I didn't ever want this feeling to go away.

When we got back inside, Luka and Meiko were inside with Gumi.

"Oh, good morning, lovebirds," Gumi said teasingly.

"Lovebirds?" Miku and I asked, confused.

"We saw you two outside," Meiko said. "Congrats, by the way."

Miku and I both blushed and tried to look away from each other.

"How did you know?" I asked.

"Perimeter security cameras," Gumi admitted, "though we shut it off after you two started getting close to each other. We could figure it out from there."

"Sheesh," I said, "I get why you use them, but maybe a little consideration next time."

"Maybe next time," Gumi said, "but right now, we need to go over our next plan of action."

"Well, before that," Meiko stepped in, "I have a question for the both of you. I get the feeling I know the answer, but I'd like to make sure."

"Go ahead," Miku said, "let's hear it."

"I asked you this last night, Griff, but I want to make sure, just in case you had a change of heart over it: we're going to continue our fight against Duodecim. Are both of you up to the task of taking them on?"
"Of course," I answered without hesitation. "It's a dangerous fight but you will need all the help you can get."

"And you, Miku?"

"It's clear that Griff is serious about this, and if he is, I'm on board, too. Someone needs to keep him safe, right?"

"Right," Meiko laughed, "it's your turn to take care of him."

Miku smiled, and looked over at me. "I'll be sure to."

"Alright then," Gumi said, "then if we're all moving forward, I'd like to commence the next step in our operation. With Miku in our team, we'll be able to take some of the load off."

"With how Duodecim has reacted to the loss of Miku, I'm going to have us lay low for a while, especially you, Griff."

I nodded.

"Considering you'll be outside more than any of us, the last thing you should be doing is missing school or anything like that. I hate to say you need to act normal, but the situation calls for it."

"There's only one concern I have about Griff," Miku spoke up.

"And what's that?" Gumi asked.

"When I was in captivity, Kallen mentioned trying to find Griff. I'm not sure if he actually meant it or not, but he does know who you are."

"That does change things," Gumi said. "Even more reason you should definitely lay low for a while. If Kallen is hunting for you, then so will Duodecim. Keeping the pretense that you've done nothing at all will work in your favor."

"I guess that works," I said, "but what about everyone else?"

"We'll get Miku into some training and V.R., and I'll get her up to speed on everything. Meiko and Luka will be taking recon in Other-Earth. You just need to remain on standby until we're ready to move forward."

"So, act normal, and go to school. That shouldn't be hard," I said.

"I'll give him a week before he snaps," Meiko said. " I would almost hate to be in your position."

"If it limits our chances of being discovered, I guess I don't really have a choice."

"Well," Meiko said, "I'll get you home."

I nodded, and headed back to my room to grab my stuff.

"Sorry to have to see you go so soon," Miku said.

"There was one last thing I wanted to ask before I left," I said.

"And what would that be?"

"I saw some Bamboo Railroad vegetable juice last night. Grabbed a couple. Do you maybe want some?"

"I wouldn't say no to an offer of vegetable juice," she said.

I walked into my room, grabbed the vegetable juice, and my stuff. As I walked out, Miku had emerged from her room, carrying her little bunny toy with her.

"I figured I should thank you for bringing Yukine back to me," Miku said.

"Yukine?" I asked. "Is that its name?"

"Yes," she said, "and he wanted to thank you."

Miku grabbed Yukine's little hand and started waving with it.

"He's really cute," I said. "I figured that you still wanted him if he was on your bed, and all."

"Well, I'm certainly very glad you did."

I handed Miku the other vegetable juice, and we drank it. Once we finished, Miku walked with me outside to see me off. We walked outside to Meiko's car, where Meiko was sitting inside, the engine running.

"I'll be back soon," I said, "I promise."

"I'll keep in touch," Miku said, "don't worry."

I shut the door to Meiko's car, and we drove off. In the mirror behind us, Miku was waving with a cheerful smile on her face and then had Yukine wave goodbye as well.

"So," Meiko said, "congratulations again."

"Thanks," I said, blushing. "I didn't think I'd ever get this far."

"It's not super unbelievable," Meiko said, "I think you managed to do a lot in a short time. You should give yourself way more credit than you do."

"Funny," I said, "Miku said I had grown."

"She's right," Meiko said, "you definitely grew into someone brave."

"I guess I don't see it quite that way," I said. "I still feel like me."

"Maybe that's okay, too. You are you, and you'll always be that way, but growing doesn't mean you change, it just means you learned something."

"Ha," I laughed, "then I can't really disagree with you there. I'll take your word for it."

"You're a strong person, Griff," Meiko said, "and I think as we keep going, you'll get a lot better. You don't need to be the best to make a difference, you just need to try."

"Thanks, Meiko," I said, "if it weren't for you guys, I don't know where I'd be."

"Certainly a helluva lot more boring," Meiko quipped, "but we're here now, and that is the important thing to remember."

I smiled at her.

She continued driving until I got home.

"Well," I said, getting out of Meiko's car, "I'll see you around, I guess."

"Hey, you'll be back out in the field in no time," Meiko said "Take a rest. You earned it."

I shut the car door and left for the house. She was right. Pretty soon I would be back at it, but maybe, just this once, it was okay to take a break. Who knew what would happen next?