I regained consciousness in an unfamiliar room. The walls were stark white and a pain in the ass to stare at. I lay in a single twin sized bed with a single sink, toilet and mirror in one corner, and a sorry excuse for a food dispenser in the other. I commanded my arms and legs to move, but I felt nailed down.

Drugs, I mildly noted.

With effort, I forced myself upright. My armor was gone, replaced with white baggy polyester pants and long sleeved shirt. The room was cold, ice frosting over the AC vents, but I still felt out of my element in the scrubs. I checked my boots. The dagger was gone. Cursing, I attempted to stand up to my full height. I had to recover ASAP and find a way out of here.

Instead, I lost my balance and collapsed to my knees. Whatever drug I was given, it was different from the ones I built a tolerance to. The floor rocked beneath my feet.

A whirling sound. At my six. A security camera glared at me. Then, a door that blended into the wall slid open, and a pair of feet stopped before me. I craned my neck, looking up at the person who entered. It was Lloyd. But something was wrong. His eyes were a darker shade of brown, not the usual earthy color, slightly blended with gold. And his black armor was replaced with red, much similar to the one I saw Etrius wearing.

What's with the color red all of a sudden?

"Lloyd," I murmured, feeling nauseous. "What's happening?"

Lloyd's eyes then changed, softening momentarily at the mention of his name. But as soon as it arrived, it was gone, and he seized my arm in a powerful grip. Stronger than his usual strength. Element Evil flashed across my mind. I felt it everywhere. But it couldn't be possible. Element Evil was eradicated for good. We were sure of it.

"Get up," Lloyd sneered, dragging me to my full height. I struggled to remain standing. "Don't think you're smart enough to trick the rest of us. You'll pay for this, imposter."

Now, I was angry. I wanted to punch his fucking face. "Lloyd, just tell me what the fuck is happening!"

Lloyd froze, but his eyes were still hard. "You even sound like him." I caught a hint of something else in his voice. Remorse.

"Blue took your ability to turn against your teammates, asshole! What the fuck are you doing?!"

Lloyd then avoided my gaze, dragging me out of the room and into metallic hallways. I gave up trying to talk sense into him at this point. I would have to take it up with the rest of the team. Maybe Boomer would listen. Or Nox, or Angel. Something must've happened to their memories. The portal must've done something. It didn't send me to another dimension, just to another location. The only question ripping my mind apart was: What happened while I was gone? How long was I gone?

A pair of metallic doors slid open, and we emerged into another room, one that was less cold. Lloyd thrust me against a metallic table, kicking my knees out from under me, and cuffing my wrists to the table. The rest of the team surrounded me, staring. All wearing red. Fucking. Armor.

I bowed my head, grinding my teeth. "I'm in a fucking nightmare..."

"And it's about to get a whole lot worse unless you start talking," Etrius slammed his hands in the table, up close in my face. "Who did that facial surgery? Must've been pretty expensive to get it this accurate."

"Heh. You don't remember me, huh?" I gave a smirk, but my heart was pounding.

"We're the ones asking the questions here!" Etrius pulled his elbow back for a punch, but Boomer grabbed his arm. "Etrius, stop! What if it really is him?"

Etrius threw his hand off and thrust a finger in my direction. I'd never seen him look angry this way. As if he'd been betrayed by himself. "Beecher is dead, and this son of a bitch thinks he can mock us! Beecher is not. Coming. Back."

I stared in a stupor. It was no longer a question of what happened. It's what the fuck is happening.

Boomer narrowed his gaze. "Get Romavon in here to take a DNA test. I want to know who he really is."

Etrius rolled his eyes, then pressed an earpiece connected to his headgear. "Romavon, come here ASAP. And take the DNA scanner with you."

Romavon? Isn't it Romanov?

Moments later, the doors swung open, and Romanov entered. But he seemed... different. His glasses were thin and clear, and his lab coat was black with the same red logo on it. He bowed to Etrius, surprising me. Then, he turned to me, and pressed something against my wrist. Before I could protest, I felt something pierce my skin, drawing blood.

Romanov turned away, pacing and watching something in a holographic screen connected to his watch. He placed a few drops of blood into the surface of his watch, and the screen changed to show statistics and DNA samples. My DNA.

Etrius knelt down to face me with vengeance in his eyes. "No hiding from a DNA test."

"If you're attempting to scare me, you're doing a lousy job at it, E. Whatever the fuck happened to your memories, I'll find a way to get them back. I'll get Blue in this." Somehow.

"This makes no sense." Romanov murmured. Lloyd turned to face him, but Etrius kept his eyes on me. Then I felt something cold press against my stomach. The barrel of a gun. Etrius's mouth turned up into a wicked smile. He looked almost like... I swallowed.
He looks like The Superior.
He was waiting for them to say something. Give him an excuse to shoot me. Nothing I said would stop him. I struggled against the chains. "Etrius, no!"

"Stop!" Romanov shouted. He turned towards us, then undid my cuffs. I instantly backed away, but the drugs still caused insane vertigo.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Etrius shouted. Then, he froze, staring from Romanov to me. "He's not..."

Romanov pressed his lips together. "His DNA matches with Beecher's. But his heart is on the left side. Not the right. This may not be his dimension, but he is still Beecher."

Instantly, my questions began to click. The portal HAD brought me to another dimension. Just, one that was too similar to my own. It was no wonder Lloyd had the ability to turn against me. This Lloyd was never cursed by Blue.

Silence settled over the room. I stared at them, and they stared at me. Then, this world's Etrius walked towards me. His gun clattered to his feet, and he dropped to his knees, wrapping his arms around me in a shaky, crushing embrace. It scared me. I'd never seen him like this, not since losing Angel to the Superior.

Etrius stared at me with something else. Redemption. "You're really here."