At night, when the amount of soldiers were at a minimum, Mizel got to work. He had long messed with the listening device, all he has to do now is step out without being seen.

Simple enough for his inconsistent form.

His body seemingly faded and he slipped through the bottom of the door. He walked through the corridors as he pleased.  It wasn't that he shrunk or became invisible. He was simply not there, yet he also was.

He was just a packet of data, travelling in open air. Nothing and no one can feel his presence, or his existence for that matter. Not unless he lets them. And he always let's her.

From inside her room, Eva let out a small smile. She mentally wished him luck, which he thanked her for, though he didn't need it.

He slipped into an underground passage. This is where they're all going to escape from. The vehicles have all been prepared and all of the World Sabers had packed their belongings and loaded all important documents into them.

This was why there were so many switches in shifts. All workers and soldiers needed time to pack and load. Since the evacuation was on such short notice, switching shifts was the only way to give them all the time they needed.

He scanned through the vehicles for the people, finding the one that's different from the rest. This one was more like a tank, while the rest were just like military trucks. That's the one which Detector would escape in, dragging him and Eva along. Or at least, that's how it's supposed to be.

He didn't have to do anything grand. He simply touched the back of the vehicle and left it at that.

The man under the mask was too confident for his own good. He thinks his plans are all going perfectly and thus made the mistake of being cocky. Mizel heard it loud and clear as he passed by his office. Detector was going to stay for the 'finale', meaning even if he didn't sabotage his ride, he would still only leave after the rest of the World Sabers are out of the picture.

The android boy shook his head. I swear I'm the only one who does evil right. He joked to himself.

Of course there were others who were nearly as threathening as he was in the past, but the current one they're facing feels more like they're going against a low grade criminal instead of an actual world-class villain. Maybe he was just too used to it. Either way, this man makes him want to laugh.

It may be a bit complicated to take him down, but he has no doubt that they'll definitely win.

Clearing all those thoughts out of his head, he headed for his next destination.

~~~~~

Kirito snapped his eyes open when he felt a chill run down his spine. He got up, carefully as to not wake the others. He let his gut lead him near the mouth of the cave and had his CCM in hand just in case.

"You don't need that." A smooth voice from behind made him jump.

He quickly spun around and found himself face to face with someone he hadn't thought about in a while. "Mi... zel..?"

The boy tilted his head to the side, feigning confusion. "Hm? What's wrong, Kirito? You don't usually get so shaken."

The blonde was taken back for a minute before regaining his composure. "Haha... I guess a few months could really change you, huh?" His face turned serious again. "But I thought you got erased when the explosion happened."

He got a shrug in reply. "They tried, but humans do tend to be slow." He peaked into the cave and spotted Asuka and the rest still asleep. "I must say, you've done well to take care of them while on such a dangerous mission."

"I'm not taking care of them, they just tagged along with me."

"Still with that attitude." Mizel let out a thin smile. "Well, that part of you, I won't expect to change."

Kirito nearly snorted. This was the easy-going humor he had missed, not that he'll ever admit it. Still, he knew they don't have much time. "So then, I assume something big's gonna happen?"

Mizel nodded. "I'll get straight to the point. This ambush is not going to work. The soldiers and workers are leaving through the underground passages."

"Of course they are." He muttered, completely annoyed that he didn't think of that. He sighed. "Then? What should we do?"

Mizel gave him a look. "None of you all are gonna like it too much."

"Can't be any worse than staking out in this cave."

"I need you all to head back to the Duck Shuttle by midday. And then, stay on the launch pad."

"Above the cliff? How're we gonna stop the WS from escaping if we're up there?"

"We're not. The World Sabers are not our priority right now. We have to focus on taking out the head of this branch."

"So Detector's not at the top?"

Mizel had to supress a laugh. "You're kidding, right?" Seeing the blonde's confused face, he shook his head. "Forget it. The point is, we'll take care of it. You guys just have to make sure our escape route stays clear."

"Shouldn't be too hard." Kirito shrugged, opening his CCM to download the data Mizel sent in.

"I've made all possible calculations, so I can say things will go perfectly fine on your end." Mizel glanced once more at the kids in the cave. "And if all goes according to plan, everyone could come back home happy."

For the first time in a long while, Kirito let out a real smile. "I like the sound of that."

~~~~~~~~~~

Metaphysical: Without material form or substance