Feeling the sand suddenly beneath his feet, X opened his eyes to find himself facing an ocean. Standing in his usual attire, but lacking his shoes. X nearly fell over from sudden shock. He whirled around, bewildered and confused. The water brushed up onto shore, brushing his feet as it did. He looked over to see a looming forest ahead. It was lit by the bright moonlight. Making its shadows more menacing, it's size larger it really was.

X didn't understand, he could see how he got here. He wasn't a sleepwalker, or at least not this heavy. But as he looked at the forest, he felt...this wasn't the same island. It was foreign, it was new. Somehow, he felt this in his gut.

He was almost drawn to its horrifying gloom. Like something or someone drew him to it. He slowly walked towards it, the sand sliding underneath him, causing him to slide as he did. He looked up at the sky and saw the stars were arranged differently, but only slightly. He ventured on and stepped foot into the dark woods.

Noise filled his ears. Animals, waves, trees creaking and bending, but also...a whisper. He thought he did. But the forest was so alive with life he couldn't point it down. He was wondering where he was going, but when he looked down he saw he was actually on a trial. A path already paved out, as it was walked on before.

He cautiously followed it, his eyes darting around to make sure he wasn't be followed, but he could still hear some whisper. Or if it was winding, he wasn't sure.

He walked his way into a stone wall, reaching enormous heights. He looked at it, wondering where the path leads next, but it stopped there. Looking closer, he could see a door. Or a latch. A door built into the side of the mountainous rock. He heard it an again, a whisper. He darted his head around to see, but suddenly it went quiet. All of it. The animals, the ocean. Dead. He turned back to grab the latch, as his fingers just barely reached the metal handle, he jolted up as if someone had poked him with a stick.

Sitting upright, he found himself facing the dead fire and a rising sun in the distance. To his left, the house. His breathing finally caught up with him and he began to inhale like he had been drowning. It was a dream, but he had never experienced it like that before. It was too real, to life-like to be a dream. Also, it was not as nonsensical that most dreams are. It was drawing him like something was taking him there.

He was sweating profusely, his side stinging from what felt like a jab but no one was there. Neither his father or anyone else was there. He slowly stood up and cautiously looked into the opened house door to see Sam's door was shut. He assumed he was still sleeping.

Calming down, X decided to shake it off. He didn't want to worry his father about it. He wonders if his recent stress caused it. He would wait to see if he would have another dream like that.

He quietly went inside and used the bathroom sink to wash off his face. His long-sleeve clothing didn't help and he stripped that as well. Wearing a small tank-top underneath, it helped cool his body better.

Stepping out, he felt his stomach grumble. He looked over to the supply closet then back at the house. With that, he got an idea.

Gathering some pans and food he deemed good enough for breakfast, he set up a new fire and began. Given a grilling rack, He used that to place his pan on. When the fire came to a roar, he cooked eggs and bacon in a frying pan, and on the side boiled a saucepan for rice. He wasn't sure about the foods, but he knew Miyuki and Ozaki had mentioned eggs and bacon as popular breakfast in different countries. The rice he liked too much, so he made it anyway.

The aroma of food soon reached the house and lingered inside. It pulled a still half-asleep Sam out of bed. Stumbling to the door, he looked on with narrow eyes. Either from just waking up or bafflement by watching his son actually cook a meal.

"Don't burn any of it. I know that's what you're good at," Rubbing his eyes to clear his vision, Sam stepped down to come closer. With a slanted smile, X served him his food and they ate quietly. The dream still played in X's head, but he wasn't sure if she should as Sam. He was never to keen on sharing his dreams or nightmares with his parents before, or at least not his father. So he wasn't to keen now.

Washing the dishes and tidying up the place, The two settled for unpacking and reorganizing for a bit. Unloading the supply closet and moving some food over to the house. The morning was taken up by this, and it was just past noon when they finally called it a day on the organization. After a quick bite to eat, X placed himself in the middle of the clearing and transformed. Sam looked at the map in hand.

X bent his nose down towards it, indicating he wanted to go. Sam approached him, looking at over the map to see where they were, but X bent down next to him, tilting his body over to help him climb on. With a firm grip on X's neck, Sam nodded to him. Lifting himself up, He burst through the trees with a gust of wind under his wings. The bright sun blinded both of them, but soon their vision cleared to see the vast mountain range ahead. They could even see the base, just barely hidden by the trees.

With powerful thrusts, X's wings sent them flying through the valley. Weaving between the curving rocks looming hills, he tightly turned and whipped around with precise flying. Sam, however, held on tighter. A smile broke out, as he felt the joy of flying. But he also feared he wasn't holding on tight enough and could fall off soon. He tapped X's neck hoping he would understand what he meant. He looked back at him and decided not to joke with him. He eased up on the racing speed and glided across the wind as they could view the map better and the island below.

For the rest of the day, they mapped the island. Stopping to mark different stones or trees that could easily be recognized from a distance. As the night grew, they called it a day and headed back home.

Gliding over the darkened island, the two Xiliens peacefully took in the night, with all of its silence and dimming lights.

Jonathan walked into a communications room. People typing away at computers, and some working on different devices on separate tables. At a table, three gentlemen looked over plans scattered about. Jonathan hailed their attention as he stopped at the foot of the table. Telling the other two to leave, the middleman looked up from his work to greet Jonathan.

"Matthew didn't seem happy with the volunteer we sent," The man was older and very much of Japanese descent. His accent wasn't terribly thick, but it was notable. He had a calm demeanor to him, authority-like. And didn't at all seemed moved by Jonathan's presence.

"Maybe next time make sure that volunteer knows what he's doing," Jonathan said, rudely.

"It is not an easy task, and just as difficult to learn. Matthew should come and oversee our program more to ensure he is not satisfied in the future. We cannot report that often," The man said, pulling a paper up to read its contents.

"He's been busy in Miami. The GSXC requires his attention more there. Namikawa from Japan's EDF has hailed for a meeting soon regarding the Automatrite. That, and his niece, Amy, don't know of Novosa. And it's best to keep it that way," Jonathan said.

"It's best to keep it that for most people. But if Mr. Reeds will have to start visiting more often, and re-establish better contact with us if we are to meet his expectations," He said. "I will have a new employee trained and ready for the next test if he requires it."

"That depends, we're re-working the Automatrite's combat system based on the new fighting styles we learned from Dark Kaiser's newest fight," Jonathan said, placing a USB drive on the table. "Watch it if you'd like, any feedback will help. He has to wait for him to re-emerge again though. We don't know where it sleeps or retreats too."

"Very well then. Be sure to let him know what I've said. He'll be happy to hear we've made some new advancements," He said.

"Such as?" Jonathan.

"Not for your ears, sir. I had agreed to only share this sensitive information with him personally," He said.

"Sensitive? Do you have any idea what we do here is already quite sensitive," Jonathan scoffed.

"We, as in my staff, carry out more peculiar and...dangerous experiments that Matthew has asked to test personally. I follow his orders, Sargent," The man said, placing the papers into a neat file, then collecting the USB drive.

"Best you get back as soon as possible. You can pick up the reports in my office on the way out," The man said, as he turned back to one of the computers.

"Yes sir," Jonathan said, with a slight bow. And with that, he departed the office. One of the employees near him looked to make sure he was gone for sure, then leaned to his superior.

"Mr. Ogawa, does Sergeant Jonathan know that the 'Dark Kaiser' is the Kaiser Xilien that still lives? The 'Maekrix'?" The young boy asked, his eyebrows narrowed.

"No. Many outside of here don't, except Matthew. And you are too keep it that way," He said, his eyes narrowed.

"I understand that sir. But...being Matthew's right-hand man, why doesn't he know?" He pursued.

"Matthew creates more of a liability for himself by telling others that we worked alongside the Kaiser. It creates ways for many to blackmail or to cause chaos within the EDF and G.S.X.C. If the public knew that many of their leaders and military members worked alongside an enemy that had destroyed our very civilization...I doubt any form of the EDF would stand much longer. Matthew doesn't want to drown with them all, he just wants to drown the boy, and his father for good measures," Ogawa said, placing the USB in.

"The fewer people know the better," He said.

"But everyone here at Novosa knows," The boy continued.

"And do you plan telling people about Novosa?" Ogawa asked, his eyes narrowing down on him.

"No, sir. If anything, once we're here, we're just has entangled as Mr. Reeds," He said, looking back at his screen. "No one here dares speak of this place."

"And that is how you stay afloat, and the rest drown," Ogawa said, watching the footage of the monsters brawl.

"And they're doing the same thing. They're keeping him afloat," He said.