Samson opened his eyes heavily, and all he could see was gray. A gray chair, gray walls, and a gray door. He sighed; Sam knew exactly where he was, although the reality of his presence there was disturbing. He recognized the room instantly; however he still felt the need to look around.

He angrily muttered to himself, and stood up slowly. Sam couldn't quite remember the last time he was here, but he knew one thing. He needed to leave. Now.

He reached out to open the door, but just as his fingers touched the handle, he could hear a familiar voice call to him.

Samael…

He grimaced, the sound bringing back things he'd done his best to have forgotten. And too many regrets… he thought. He forced the door open in haste, and beyond it lay a branching corridor, lined with adjacent rooms.

Sam looked outwards into the long hallway, and took a deep breath. He turned back to the empty room, almost expecting someone to be there. He breathed slowly, but began walking.

The ground below felt light and malleable, although it appeared to be solid stone. If this had been Sam's first time he'd have thought he would fall straight through. But it certainly wasn't the first time.

Sam walked quickly through the halls, trying his best to avoid noticing the tinted windows and banging doors. Just keep walking… he told himself, …they're not real…

Suddenly, he stepped on something cold and metal. Of all the time's he'd visited, this was unique. He brushed away the gravel, only to reveal a long metal beam. What…? Sam wondered. He kept going, only to find it seemingly didn't have an end.

It's… a pipe…? No, too thin… wait… Samson pondered, before hearing a blaring whistle coming from behind him. He spun around, just in time to see a bright light speeding at him remarkably fast. Sam barely had time to process the realization.

…Train tracks…

Sam threw himself to the side, just avoiding the steel face of the passing metal death trap. But in just that moment, the train came to a sudden halt. It stopped dead, absolutely defying any laws of physics and inertia. Sam found himself ventilating, his heart soaring. "WHY IS EVERYTHING IN EXISTACE CONSTANTLY TRYING TO KILL ME!?" he yelled angrily to himself.

"Maybe you just pissed off someone upstairs" he heard a voice answer from the conductor. Sam stopped breathing, his heart skipping a beat. The snarky tone. The narcissistic attitude. He recognized it anywhere.

Suddenly, a tall figure stepped out of the car, looking down on Samson. His suit bright yellow as the setting sun, and his dark eyepatch creating an eerie ambiance. The only thing out of place was the conductor's cap. He laughed to himself, that chilling, menacing laugh Sam knew all too well.

"Well look whose back! Been a long time Sam! How many years has it been since the last time you visited?" he asked sarcastically. "Like the hat? I made it myself. And the train. You were gone for a really long time" he laughed.

"Cipher… you're… not real…" Sam stammered, trying to get up. "Oh boo hoo, where's the fun in that? As if I care. You, on the other hand, have a treasure trove's worth of very real memories. Just because I'm one of them doesn't mean I'm any less real than you are. Tell me Sam, if none of us existed, just who would you be?" Cipher asked with Samson's own cocky smirk.

Sam stood up, finally looking at his counterpart eyes to eye. A second passed, when suddenly he ran off in a random direction, desperate to be as far away as he could. Oddly enough, Cipher made no motion to pursue him. Instead, his devious grin only widened.

Running as fast as he could, Sam turned sharply at the nearest corner, only to get a face full of metal effectively knocking him to the ground. Wearily, he blinked, and the object seemed to come into focus.

Wait…

"You didn't seriously think it would be that easy right?" he heard come from above him. He looked up, only to see Cipher's face smirking back at him. Sam groaned, "That… That was low…"

Cipher merely chuckled, "I learned from the best…" he smiled. Samson groggily sat up, and stared at the large contraption before him. "Let me guess… you didn't build that thing just to run me over did you…" He said more of an observation than an actual question. Cipher smiled without a word, and held out his hand.

Samson looked at him menacingly, and threw his arm aside. "If I'm getting on, it is only because I'm finding the way out if here…." He said as he boarded the train. "And take off that stupid hat…"

That actually had Cipher looking crestfallen, but he just as suddenly returned to his snarky self. He shrugged his shoulders, and with a snap of his fingers, his old top hat floated just above his head once more. He grabbed the end of his pitch black cane, and hooked onto the door, hoisting himself up.

Samson huffed, "Show off". Cipher in turn began laughing himself breathless, coughing for air. He wiped a tear from his eye and chuckled. "Oh no Sam, this is showing off…" he said as he pushed a lever beside him all the way to the ground. "CHOO CHOO MOTHERF-!" Cipher yelled as the train shot forward at an insane speed. Sam gripped tightly onto his seat, praying to not immediately be turned into paste, with Cipher laughing the entire time.

Suddenly he pulled back on the lever, and around them the skies were clear. The grass below them shined, and the scenery was almost peaceful. Just then, Samson could hear the distinct sound of children laughing, and all at once he was engulfed by one emotion. Fear.

"No, you are not going to do this to me! YOU MOVE THIS GODDAMN MACHINE RIGHT NOW!" he yelled. Cipher's expression actually genuinely changed, finding a look of anger, sadness, regret, but also empathy. "This is the deal Sam. You're not getting out of here until we're done. I'm not the only one here who wants you to see this…" he said solemnly.

Sam tried desperately to shut his eyes, but the laughing couldn't get out of his head. Finally, slowly, he opened one eye.

There in the meadow, two young children played, both in white silk garments. One was a blonde haired girl, and her face shown of beauty. Beside her was a dark hired boy, laughing beside her. Samson could do nothing but stare, and a single tear slowly formed in his eye.

"I'm not doing this to hurt you Sam. But you need to understand…" Cipher spoke enheartened, "…There are some things you can't go back to. Thinks you can't fix..." he said, as he pushed the lever forward a bit. Samson snapped back to reality, "Wait, wait where are you going!?" he yelled.

Cipher looked onward, "You think that's the only thing we're seeing? I'm sorry Sam, but we're taking a long trip down memory lane…". Samson looked behind him, watching the image slowly fade in the distance. Please… take me back…

It took only moments for Sam to realize where they were now. It was the same boy once more, only older and more mature. Suddenly, a hand rested on his shoulder. The boy turned, and standing there was the blonde girl, laughing heartwarmingly. "There's someone I want you to meet" she said happily, and she took his hand in her own.

Samson couldn't tell if he wanted to cry of sorrow or happiness, but Cipher kept driving, his expression serious. Suddenly the scenery changed, and all at once Samson burst into tears. "Please… just let me leave… please don't… don't make me watch this…" Sam begged. Cipher sighed, but stopped the train anyways.

Lying on the ground was the blonde girl, but the warmth and happiness had long since left her face. Her blood pooled beneath her, her eyes closed. Kneeling beside her was the boy, carelessly sobbing profusely. Suddenly, two large men grabbed his shoulders from behind. The boy struggled against them, crying out behind tears.

Sam reached out one hand, trying desperately to take hold of anything he could cling to. But as it passed, the mirage faded. The train slowly continued off, leaving Sam staring longingly into the void. Cipher stopped just once more, at their final stop.

There stood the boy, now older, his dark beard and loose hair flowing in the forest breeze. Below him a wooden cross was carefully embedded in the ground. He shed no tears, no sadness. Only rage. Pure, concentrated rage. "I promise you…" he said, "…I will make them pay. I will make them suffer. I will avenge you… if it's the last thing I do…". He looked up upon the etchings on the cross. "…I'm so sorry Hannah…"

Samson couldn't bear to see it anymore. He looked over as the train continued on, "Why… why must you show me these things…I know what happened… I know it was my fault… I just-"

"You just wanted to save her…". Cipher cut off, "…Sam… If you don't let your past die… your past won't let you live…" he said carefully. He slowly pulled back the lever, and the train came to a halt at an empty station. "Last stop" he said, stepping outside.

Samson sat there for a long while, stunned by Cipher's words. As he stepped off of the train car, he looked out into a small rosarade path. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned to see Cipher looking into him empathetically. "Like I said Sam… I'm just a memory. But you have to realize… so is she… Hannah's dead. And she's not coming back. …I'm not saying you have to abandon everything you've worked for so far. But what I am saying is… maybe it's time to look past the curtains… and fight for something real…"

Sam stared at him long and hard. "He's not you anymore. He's changed. He needs to die… for everything he's done… nothing else should matter…" he said feeling himself shaking. Cipher extended a finger off of the fenced path, pointing to an image. "What about them? Do they not matter…?"

Samson looked out, and there he saw Dipper and Mabel, playing together back home. Then to Dipper saving his life, and Mabel tending to him when he was unconscious. Stopping Bipper. Mabel creating an entirely new outfit to wear in public. Taking a dagger to push Dipper out of harm's way….

And then the scene changed. Mabel crying on her bed. Dipper putting on his cloak, his eyes flashing black. The twins at each other's throats the night they left.

No…

Mabel's face when they found Dipper that night. The way he'd twisted their emotion's for his own gain….

NO!

Sam wiped his eyes. He turned back, and saw Cipher standing behind him. "I'm giving you a choice Sam. There's two ways out of this. You can get back on this train, or you can jump that fence. What is it going to be? Are you Samael... or Samson?"