"Agreed," Taiga said. "We must hasten our repairs on our equipment and the Mobile Unit. We must be ready to meet this threat head-on." He surveyed his comrades. "That's all for now, everyone. You have your jobs already. You're dismissed."

It didn't take long for everyone to file out of the meeting room, each going to their separate duties, with J and Renais heading off together. Papillon walked behind Hyuuma and Ushiyama as they discussed the finishing repairs on the two Vehicle Machines, HyoRyu and EnRyu.

She soon went her own way, separating from the two and going in a different direction as soon as they reached outside. Hyuuma mentioned Matt thinking that the previous events hadn't occurred for him yet... perhaps it was time to talk to him about it. With a goal in mind, Papillon quickly set off for the J-Ark.

In the J-Ark, Matt was busy reading. The ship had a wealth of informational files, and not only did Matt need to hone his body, he had to hone his mind, and his attitude.

Ever since he came here, during the many times he was alone, he had been reflecting on himself, his past actions. Somehow, he became inherently disgusted at some of his actions...and if this was punishment, he might as well get something out of it.

To change self...he had never really attempted that before. He tended to go with the flow and let other forces push him whereever-unconciously, he now realized. This time, though...he would carve his own path for a change.

"Well," he answered. "You've heard about DeepNet, right? X and Fass go way back. See, the Virus Queen basically had us enslaved to fight for her and X and Fass--who were kind of enemies at the time--teamed up to free us. So we owe him everything."
-----
The two struggled for a few moments but the dark X had the upper hand easily. In no time at all, he had managed to make short work of X.

"Look, Xy Boy. I ain't gonna lie to you. You're terrible. Pathetic. You weren't always like this, which is kinda why that pisses me off."

"L-leave me alone." X replied, grimacing in pain.

"That anyway to talk to yer other half? Look, yer insultin' me by not givin' it yer all. I'm, and believe me it's hard to admit, tryin' to help you. But hey, if you ain't gonna listen to me, then I've got another friend for ya to play with."

Dark X snapped his fingers and Remnant appeared out of the shadows. This was not the sleek and lean one that X had seen in a vision weeks ago either, rather it was the one X had known all to well during the war. He was bulky and stocky, standing at eight feet talk with thick ebony armor.

"Hello, old friend," he hissed.

There was a soft knocking on Matt's door about ten minutes later. "Matt?" Papillon's soft voice came through, slightly muffled through the thick door. "Can I come in?"

===NationStates General===

The warrior had no clue what DeepNet was, but wisely remained quiet about it. "I see," he said, almost murmuring. He looked back at the Troll. "How did the Queen possess X then?"

"Well, I'm not too learned on that subject but I think all of the Saviour's Dozen got a little piece of the Queen stuck in 'im, least that's what Fass thinks." He paused thoughtfully for a moment. "But whadd'ya mean by 'possessed'?"

~~~~~

"You're not real... you can't be!" X cried.

"Look, that don't matter one little rat's ass, X. He's yer enemy, kill 'im!"

Remnant grinned a look of pure evil, and chills shot down X's spine. He gulped quietly and then, without making a sound, took off running. It was dark, yes. But his eyes had begun to adjust, and he saw plenty of debris and cover he could make use of.

A wise man had once told him never to worry about where he was running to, as the running from was more important. The to would sort itself out, as he understood it.

But he was slow; slower than Remnant at any rate and Remnant smashed his broadsword into him. Coupled with X's own momentum, he went flying, only to have his fall interrupted by Remnant catching him.

"OhshitI'mgoingtodie!" X ejaculated.

Remnant placed his fist into his other hand and smashed him into the ground.

And so it continued. For the better part of the next hour this torrid dance continued: X would run, get beaten up over and over again.

At the end, X could hardly even move. He lay there, hearing the sound of Remnant's footsteps approaching him. But he knew it was different this time. There was something different in the atmosphere, even in the way Remnant walked. It was, on a technical level, perfectly identical to the times before it. But there was a somberness about it. A quiet dignity to a fallen enemy, and even a touch of sadness about it.

"Of course there is," X thought to himself. "My subconscious is depressed that it's going to kill me...it...us...whatever."

And then he heard it. It was a quiet voice, full of serenity and calm. And it said only one thing to him:

"Call for me, and I will come to your aid."

X knew the voice. He had never heard it before, but he knew it just as one knows their own hearts. It was a voice that had been with him for as long as he dared remember.

And then he remembered Remnant. In a panic, X mustered the strength together and leapt to his feet. Remnant extended his sword and began to charge. This was the final standoff.

X shut his eyes and waited for the inevitable, as he heard Remnant come ever closer.

But then he remembered.

"Sylvontis, guide my hand!"

A warmth spread through his arms, and a heavy object was suddenly gripped. He didn't even have to see it to know what it was. His sword had been fixed, and it felt stronger than ever. He opened his eyes.

Remnant was fixed firmly to the edge of his blade.

Pieces of the Queen? the warrior thought, confused. So, she is like Mephisto? Disturbing thought. He shook his head imperceptibly. "When I found X, he was in strange armor and was floating. He was threatening to destroy an entire city full of people, just to bring out some group called the Templar. When I confronted him, I learned that this Queen had possessed him," he said, recounting the tale, "And she offered me a chance to free X within his mind. I succeeded, though barely."

"X wasn't in the best state of mind," the warrior said gruffly. "He was depressed about his slain companions. With his will so low, it would be easy for someone to possess him. I've experienced the same."

Matt turned about in his seat to face the door, hiding the file he was reading. "Sure, come in."

The door slid open, admitting Papillon inside. As she entered, she looked about a bit before her eyes settled on Matt. "I hear you finally met J," she said, starting off the conversation.

"Yeah. I gotta tell ya, he certainly fits the whole 'mysterious silent warrior' thing."

Papillon sat down on a chair set across from Matt's bed before deciding to cut to the chase. "Soldato-J told us of how you can't remember ever working with GGG before two years ago," she began, clasping her hands together in her lap. "Sergeant Hyuuma also told us your conclusion from your meeting with J and Tomoro."

Matt's eyes narrowed. He didn't like Papllion's sudden posture. "What about it?"

"Both the commander and Dr. Liger agree that your theory of traveling back to our past is the most likely scenario," Papillon explained. "The commander has also prioritized strengthening out defenses for when the portal you saw appears."

Papillon hesitated for a moment. How was the best way to go about this? "When Mikoto and I delved into your mind to find out about the portal," she started, "Mikoto said she saw certain things when the two of you suffered from the feedback. She said she witnessed you in a battle, wearing the armor you wear now, only with some sort of faceplate attached. She was able to piece the images together and learned that your battle is connected to a phenomenon we had experienced prior to Guy's discovery of you in the C-8 Sector of the ruins."

Matt didn't reply right away. So...they knew what had happened.

"What kind of phenomenon?" he asked.

"There were two things that happened. The first was that everyone in GGG felt a chill, all at the same time. It was disconcerting to say the least," Papillon explained. "Then, minutes later, we all heard a psychic scream. Even Tomoro-0117 heard it, despite being a computer. The intensity of the scream was so severe that it caused several accidents, and several people got hurt."

She paused a moment, then said. "Mikoto said that it was you who screamed. She saw you holding the body of a young woman, then being consumed in flames before emerging in the armor you wear."

He was silent again for a long while, as if Papllion's words had struck some sort of hidden blow against him.

"...well, I guess there's no use hiding it anymore." He stood up. "What you saw was something that happened to me some time ago."

"If you want, we can talk about it," Papillon offered. "Just the two of us."

Matt heaved a sigh. "I guess I need to get it off my chest...it's not something I'm proud of, but I'm not sure if I can cover it up anymore. It ain't right."

"Take your time," Papillon said, waiting patiently for Matt to tell his tale.

"Not here," Matt said. "I need to pace." He pointed toward the ceiling. "Let's head up to the roof."

Papillon nodded. After briefly contacting Tomoro and instructing the computer to guide them up to the auxiliary bridge. They walked in silence, and within ten minutes or so, the two of them emerged beneath the perpetual night sky, standing near the J-Bird's array of beam cannons.

"...I haven't been telling you and the crew everything," Matt said, turning to face Papllion. "I mean, I did tell Taiga that I used to hop dimensions, that's true...but there's some other stuff. Stuff I can't keep secret from you guys anymore."

So he explained it all-the journey to the Eternal Sanctuary, the rise of Core Genesis, the death of Helena, and the resulting vengeance of the god of destruction known as Dragon Drive FINAL.

Papillon listened intently as Matt recounted his tale: of how his friends had come to the Sanctuary to deliver the Omega Core, only for it to become Core Genesis and kill one of them, and when Matt unleashed Dragon Drive FINAL, forcing another of his friends to fight him in a duel that almost ended in one of their's deaths. It was too much to take in, and so confusing at the same time.

"So... the girl, Helena... she died?" Papillon asked finally, after several moments of silence. "But the files said she accompanied you and R.D. when you reach our past. That can't be possible."

"I know," Matt replied. "She's dead...but somehow, she's coming with us in the future. I don't know what it means, but I gotta prepare for it...I can't mess this up again."

"What will you do then?" Papillon asked, curious. "No one can know what the future holds. Its too unpredictable. Are you sure you can be ready for whatever is coming?"

Matt made a wild, open gesture. "I gotta be ready! I think something's going down if I'm hopping dimensions again, and I gotta be ready for whatever happens!"

Slowly, Papillon nodded. "Alright," she said. "Is there any way we can assist you?"

"Well, I was gonna ask Hyuuma to train me to fight better," Matt replied. "Maybe it'll help me move around in this better. Beyond that I'm not really sure."